"Sharing" equipment?

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Hey, y'all! Softball season has begun again here in North Mississippi. I have a problem, parentally I guess. This is my dds 3rd season playing (12 now). She absolutely adores it and is working with a pitching and batting coach. I bought her two bats last week from Ebay - both brand spanking new. One is 34/23 and is a Demarini Ultimate Fastpitch. I figured I'd see what I could find on Ebay before going out and dropping the major bucks in a sporting goods store. Regardless, she whipped out the Demarini at practice Thursday night. Our coaches have the girls hitting off of a pitching machine (NO, doesn't practice the pitchers during practice). My dd swung the bat like a man - knocking the balls to the outfield every time they came across the plate. After she was finished, she put her bat against the fence. Another player walzed up and grabbed it (she is about 4" shorter than my dd) and declared she was going to use the bat. My dd told her she didn't think so. One of the coaches looked at me and asked what the problem was with allowing the child to use my dds bat. I explained to him when I could afford to supply all of the girls with their own equipment, I would but until then, my daughter's bats are to be used by her only. We have several girls on the team who do not have their own bats and they are constantly wanting to use whatever my dd has in her arsonal. It aggravates me because they aren't willing to go out and purchase their children bats. My dd also plays for the varsity team at our school, so we need to get as much use out of the bats as we possibly can. She'll be playing again in the fall with the school. Could someone please give me an answer I can give without being "ugly" about the whole bat situation? I know it is going to come up again. Quite frankly, the girl who picked up the bat in the first place probably couldn't get it around to even hit the ball. I was quite surprised that my dd hit as well as she did - first time using the bat. I just get so frustrated, as a parent, when we have money invested in equipment for her (batting gloves, helmet, bats, etc.) and these other children just seem to think they are all there for the taking - ALL OF IT! I made my dd go to 2nd base during practice to get her helmet off of a child who pulled it out of her bag to use! Same with her batting gloves (different girl put on her gloves) - just unreal! She is very meticulous about putting all of her equipment in her bag in between innings, so they are going thru her stuff to get out her equipment.

HELP me before I go ballistic on these folks!! :mad:
 
Jul 16, 2008
1,520
48
Oregon
NOPE... what kind of team is this? Sounds like a Park&Rec team.

If the kids don't have equipment, then why doesn't the coach fix the problem, like buying team equipment?

I wouldn't want any other player using my DD helmet... unless it was an emergency (Like the girls helmet got broke during the game).

Bats.... yea I'm with you, paying $200 - $300 per bat... what will happen if another player breaks it? You think the parents would be willing to chip in to buy another one? Yup, not a chance since they won't get their own kid a bat.

Tell the little window lickers to get their own stuff... and tell the coach to properly outfit his team.
 
Tell the little window lickers to get their own stuff... and tell the coach to properly outfit his team.

I am SO laughing out of my chair right now! It's true and I have looked into "team equipment" - hats, bats, etc., and they are not that expensive when you buy in bulk like that. It is rec league. The girl who used her helmet looked super surprised that my dd walked out there to get her helmet back! She was going up to bat! I certainly didn't want her to wear someone else's helmet!! We have actually had a suspected case of the pig virus (swine flu, or whatever) here, so definitely it's a sanitary thing with me. Not to mention hair bugs - UGH! The momma looked mad that my dd got back her helmet but, then again, not my problem. As for the bat situation - more girls than not who play on our team POUND homeplate with the bat before they even get in position. I haven't been told otherwise, but I'm thinking that it could not be good for the bats. I have never seen them do that during our high school games!

Thanks for your advice and, I might add, for my bout of hysterical laughter!
 

Coach-n-Dad

Crazy Daddy
Oct 31, 2008
1,010
0
I enjoyed reading this post... I certainly wouldn't want another kid to use DD's helmet, gloves, mitt, etc... Germs DO get passed around and these type of things are personal items IMHO.

Bats on the other hand... I guess I am a bit torn. DD is on a first year travel team and only a couple of the kida have good bats, most are aluminum-type bats. She lets others use her bat. She is in her second season and the bat is just getting broken in so I don't think it is being "over used". She tries not to bring it out while hitting anything other than real softballs.

We are by no means a RICH family but have decided that if the bat gets broken it will be a lesson learned. If the other girls use it and like it so much they buy their own, YAY! If the bat lasts for 2 years I will know that it is a darn good bat and won't have to shop for another brand when it needs replacement. AND, if the team is hitting a little bit further because of DD's bat, that is a great thing for the team!

Oh, the whole "pounding on homeplate with the bat" thing; the coach needs to put a stop to that quickly, it can damage the bat and it definately damages the plate!!!!

Good luck in your dilemma.
 
Aug 4, 2008
2,364
0
Lexington,Ohio
Add cleaning the spikes with the bat ! Throwing bats. I watched a coach throw my dd's $250 bat against the fence and about came unglued. Bats only have so many swings and we do not share bats. We do not put our bat on the fence, she puts it back in the bag. We have a practice bat she allows them to use. Helmets, they ever hear of LICE!. No way do we share. My wife is a teacher and sharing a hair brush, hat, or anything is a NO NO with her. Even in a good school district lice is an issue with young kids.. Get team equipment like any rec team has.
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
A couple of years ago, I would have disagreed and said to share everything. As the bats have become more expensive, I have started to change my mind. And after head lice went through the whole rec program, I say no to sharing helmets, too.

I don't care if a dad needs to use my glove now and then, and I do supply an '05 RT to my SP team, but that is by choice.

But, no sharing has to mean no sharing, with no exceptions for the BFFs.
 
Thank y'all for your comments! The BFF thing is really a big deal here. DD has one friend who really cannot afford a bat. I have told her to let her use the one she has played with for 2 yrs and that would be okay. As for the other equipment, no way. I feel so cold-hearted not allowing the share thing, but I go back to when we played varsity in the fall, everyone had their own equipment - bats, gloves, helmets, etc.. I can promise that dd's friend who plays travel ball (just dropped $250 on the Demarini white bat) would never let her use it! Not to mention, the sizes of the girls are so different that not every bat is going to be the size every child needs! My dd is, for lack of a better term, "corn-fed", so she needs the heavier bat. I didn't realize how important weight in a bat was until she was swinging it the other night and ripping the cover off the ball. I just want her to be able to use this bat for a while and it not get ruined by the other players who have parents who don't care enough about it to buy their own child a bat (less the child forementioned). The one who wanted to use the "heavy hitter" last week...her momma says at EVERY practice, "oh, I need to get T**** her own bat." Well, hello?! Why don't you go out and get the thing? Also found this amusing...after a game a couple of weeks ago, one of the coaches called me. His dd adores one of my dd's bat. He asked me the name, size, drop, etc., of the bat b/c they were going the very next day to get her one. At the next practice, she showed with the exact size and brand of bat but not the same "kind", if that makes sense. The next game we had, the child struck out twice. In a last ditch effort, he asked if she could please use my dd's bat so "she won't strike out". I let her and she hit the ball. Ignoramous should have gotten the exact same bat - down to the kind of bat and not just the brand and size.

Our rec league does have a "bag" of supplies that the coach brings to every practice and every game. It has helmets (worn and sickly looking) and, if I'm not mistaken, a couple of worn bats. The girls on the team who do not have their own equipment do "not like using" what comes in the bag of tricks, so to speak. I'm going to have to have a come to Jesus with our coach and explain the situation with sharing things and make sure that he understands where we, as parents, are coming from with all of this. Hopefully he'll understand and back us up - I don't mind the girls being mad at me, but I don't want it taken out on my dd b/c she won't allow them to use her things! :)
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
Gosh, they need to have a fundraiser. My niece's team did a car wash and bake sale and raised $1400, in Houston.

Or, the girls need to hit up grandma or whomever.

Worth has some $30.00 bats at Walmart, if they can't afford $300.00.

I know that used bats sell well on Ebay. I have sold 2 for 50% of what I paid a few years ago.
 
May 21, 2008
27
0
My DD will share her bats with any teammate who asks and is going to show her bat respect. Gloves are a different story, they are very personal to her. It upsets her when anybody, especially an adult just grabs her mit and stuffs their hand in...very rude!
 
Jun 22, 2008
3,731
113
I have no problem with a player occasionally using my daughters bat or equipment, especially when I know that possibly the family may not be as well off financially. However, it really gripes me when a player uses my daughters $300 bat because she cant afford her own, yet is out buying Dooney and Burke purses and the like. If you have the money to buy a stupid $400 purse, you have the money to go buy your own bat.
 

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