Rant About Field Scheduling

[amanda_cake]

As I've described before, each major town/area around here has a field. It's a baseball field, but the girls play softball on it. Some of the towns are starting to get fields just for the girls.

Anyway, fall ball is starting. I'm coaching a 10U and a 12U. I'd called to schedule the field. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were taken by the boys. From 6:30-8:30. Can't go before them, can't go after them. I called the head of the boys' baseball to see if they could move stuff around tonight so we could at least practice on one of those nights. When I called him, I found out that a 4th boys team had taken Monday at the same time. He said he might be able to free things up so I can do them both on Wednesdays. Yay for staying out there with two teams on the same night. I'm 17 years old, a senior in HS, and I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I would like to do my homework before midnight. I get my fair share of no sleep during the spring, when I'm playing ball myself and trying to help out with the little kids.

He also said that we haven't had that many fall ball teams in the past, so he wasn't used to scheduling around us. Last year, we put together a 12U and we had a 12U the year before that. The only difference is that this year, we have a 10U and a 12U. Is the boys side of things really that unaware of what we are doing?

If I wasn't going to college next year, I swear I'd call on July 1 to schedule my fall practices. It's insanity.

He said on Wednesday he's going to get all of his coaches together to work things out. I'd even suggested my team practicing from 5:30-7. At 6:30, he could have his team throw and do some stuff on the grassy area around the field.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Welcome to 1970!

Where does the HS softball team play? Hopefully not on the baseball diamond.

You mention a grassy area. I have practiced on many grassy areas and even in parking lots.

Do the girls deserve at least one night on the diamond? Of, course. In fact, you deserve equal time, but you are not asking for that. You are asking for a reasonable amount of time.

Is there a park district, a recreation department or a city councilman that you can go to? I understand that your community is small, but they still have to have a mayor or city manager. If not, there would be a county board. Keep rattling their cage. Write to the paper, if necessary.

I was in your shoes 40 years ago, but we had a softball diamond in our town of 5,000.

Good luck. I wish I was wealthy, I would fly in and help you.

 

[amanda_cake]

The HS teams (both baseball and softball) have their own fields. There are four (Varsity baseball, JV baseball, Varsity Softball, JV softball). None of the softball fields have access to water or electricity, however. Baseball has an entire shed to itself, where as softball has to share with soccer, field hockey, etc. The JV field is on one end, JV baseball, Varsity baseball, then Varsity softball all in a row. So JV softball is far away from Varsity, annoying when we need to yell down at them for something. We've got to send someone down there.

Each team deserves an 1hr30min time slot to practice in during the week and time on Saturday before the season. I'm sure they'll rearrange things soon enough, but it is annoying.

The person that is doing the baseball scheduling=head of the baseball and softball association. The woman in charge of the recreation association field scheduling is aware of the situation and they are working things out, supposedly.

We don't even have a mayor. The town isn't really even a town, it is more like a "populated area". There are not enough people here to have a mayor.

I'll get the time, it's just annoying to have to wait and it's annoying that the time I get will probably be inconvenient for me.