Sad Day..

[58sdad]

DD has decided to pack it up and call it a career a week shy of her 14th birthday.. she still has the ability to play, but is tired of all the politics. Current team is imploding, so if we play next year it would mean trying to find another team (again).. She has decided it's just not worth the effort.. the older she gets the harder it becomes to find the 'right' team for her.. it's especially hard when you have to start over from scratch every year.. new coaches, new teammates, etc. etc.

I have a met a lot of great people (and a couple idiots) and certainly have a lot of great memories, the last being her pitching 3 shutout innings in her last game to get a save in a one run game for her team's only win of the weekend..

I don't blame DD one bit for packing it in, but still I am going to miss all the time we have spent together doing this dearly.. It was 6 years of rec and TB and it went way too fast.

Cherish every second you spend with your DD in this sport.. it's over way too quickly..

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I bet it isn't over. HS should be coming up. I would encourage her to play sports there, even if it isn't softball. She definitely can't lay around on the couch all day. You need to come up with a plan, with her input. Maybe the 2 of you could join a gym, go to a martial arts class, run, bike, etc.?

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Everyone hangs the glove up at some point, 14 or 40, but I know it probably hurts as a dad. You've got 2 more years before that "magical 16" when she and her friends will have the independence of driving themselves, so cherrish every second you have now. Find something else you can do as a family.........buy a boat, go fishing, take mini vacations, get a swimming pool, biking, hiking, etc. These years fly by too dang fast.

 

[58sdad]

She already has a black belt in TKD.. she got that at 9..

Oh we are going to do something else.. just not softball..

one door closes and another one opens I guess..

 

[CoogansBluff]

I agree w/ Amy. It ain't over till it's over. ... But if it is over, that's fine, too. There's more to life,and she'll find that she's good at something else.

The issue of finding the right team is big one. For most girls, IMO, it's not enough to play softball. It's very important to them that they like their teammates and coaches, and that they like them, and that they have a role on the team that they enjoy and embrace. It's not easy to find.

I really think this is one of the most underrated pieces of explaining why some players develop and others don't - Do you find a team that motivates you to continue? Some of that is luck.

 

[TimothyJ]

Go coach an 8u rec team together

 

[RubberBiscuit]

My DD "quit" after a bad team experience to only a month later come crazy-eager back to it. Now she's committed and it seems so far behind us now.

Point being that TB can be a huge pain in the azz. So many egos and tense "i want to be noticed over you" families, geesh it's no wonder we've experienced 50% tb team implosion.

But when ya get that right team of quality folks, winners or middle of the road performing teams, it makes it all worth it. (Intentionally left out the losing teams as i dont think tb teams can survive losing seasons)

 

[InsidePitch]

After the second year of 12s DD announced in the car she did not want to go back and play for the same reasons. I kept my mouth shut for 3 weeks and asked her to play catch with me as I missed it. She did too. Sometimes they need a complete break. Maybe she will and maybe she won't miss it. Bet a dollar she misses the times you all spent together.

 

[cmustangsfp]

Agree that there are plenty of bad teams out. Keep looking. Maybe a break is what ya'll need. It seems to be 14 is the breaking age for girls in softball. I have had several coaches attempt to start a 14U but fall short due to lack of girls to pick from. Meaning there are not even enough to get started.

 

[PA SB Dad]

My DD was finishing her 1st year in 14U last year. She did not play TB this year but did play for her HS JV team as a frosh. She enjoyed it, and I was hoping it would spark a renewed interest in playing next year. She hasn't brought it up yet, so I'm not sure if she will try out. However, with the money we saved this year on TB we were able to send her to Outward Bound for 2 weeks. As Amy said, it's important for the kids to continue to grow, even if it is not in softball.