"Sharing" equipment?

[KAT]

sharing

My DD has no problem sharing her bat with anyone who takes care of it but you have to ask. She will not be happy if someone went into her bag and removed a bat to use. She wont share her gloves (batting gloves) or her helmet. I have also went through the lice thing when she was young sharing a helmet and won't go there again. We don't really have a problem with kids taking other kids bats, helmets or anything I think because most of our kids have played competitive ball before.

 

[Hollyrockartist]

We had practice Thursday night. One child (new to the team) picked up another child's bat (one practice old). The mother of the bat owner was sitting by me and the father was on the field helping. The child began her batting by beating the tar out of home plate. The mother called the child's name and asked her not to do that. Ball came, swing and a miss. Immediately, beat the plate again. The mother finally told her husband to say something, which he did. The child mouthed some ugly word under her breath. Ball came and she got a hit. When she did, she slung the bat into the catcher and took off down 1st base line. I stood up and hollered, "OUT! You slung the bat." With that, she just shrugged her shoulders, from 1st base no less. The coach on the mound told her she was out. Needless to say, she will have to use her own bat or someone else's who doesn't mind a smacky mouth and pounding the bat on home plate when told not to do so! We did have a game in the pouring rain yesterday and that particular child's daddy took her home because he was afraid she would get wounded in the mud! No sharing issues at all yesterday - just a mud fest with a victory behind them!

 

[NWIN]

Holly,

Just responded on your other thread - yes I definitely think you need to find a new team. But I laughed as I remember the anger I felt when in 12U rec I bought dd a decent bat ($70) and saw her teamates standing on the handle in the dugout, and taking her helmut out of her bat bag without asking and using that too! I mean we paid $14 for the stupid helmut at Walmart - go get your own. When the bat was whacked with a rock that was it. I took the heat from my daughter by telling her to tell everyone that "my Mom said no one can use my equipment." I told her to make me the bad guy - it worked quite well. Actually, as a soon to be 15-year old we are still using that one - make me the bad guy so when she makes a decision that may not be cool but she knows is the right one she won't get too much grief from her peers. Just blame "whacked out Mom". I can take it!

 

[stkevans]

I must say this is a little sad. My daughter always lets anyone on the team use her bat, although it is a 2 year old Demarini. And all the girls on our 12U all star team freely allow their bats to be used, although the girls do ask permission. Last summer at the Nationals in Vegas, one of my daughters teammates broke her Medusa, but that is just how it goes. I don't know how you can teach team togetherness and chemistry in the same environment as "it's mine and don't use it."

 

[CoachKevin]

Because most of the time others don't treat someone else's equipment as they would their own. It's sad yes, but it starts at home.

 

[Hollyrockartist]

I am not teaching my dd the whole "it's mine, don't use it" thing - just her equipment. That statement makes it out to be a selfish thing when it really isn't, if you think of the practicality of it all. She values her equipment just as we do. She understands that it is not cheap and is something that she needs to have to produce what she does fielding and batting, and also something that she needs to take care of and have pride in owning. Sharing for some is fine, but it just is not for us.

 

[calgofo]

Maybe its a little different here. My teams always used other players bats. Of course, every kid on the team had a top of the line bat just different models and manufacturers. Usually it would happen because some kid got on a roll with their bat adn everyone would want to use it until the next week when some other kids was the hot one.

H-rock, I will chime in here and suggest,as others have, that maybe its time to take a hard look at another team for your DD.