Should she give up school ball?

[BrianTx01]

Why would this be?

Considering what I pay my DD's pitching coach I don't want anyone interfering.

 

[Cannonball]

deleted. It doesn't really matter.

 

[MNDad]

deleted. It doesn't really matter.

Sad isn’t it? No wonder so few kids make it in college.

 

[Cannonball]

Sad isn’t it? No wonder so few kids make it in college.

You have been through it. You understand!

 

[Cagman]

I couldn’t imagine playing a sport and not playing for your school.

 

[Bullseye]

DD is the starting pitcher for her travel team (playing Div B). She is also one of their top 3 batters. Now that softball just started, and their first tournament is coming up, we will resume pitching lessons 1x a week and batting lessons 2x a month. We just moved to this area and found it hard to schedule lessons, as there aren't that many good PC and BC in this area. Her PC is an hour away, but we make it work.

Now middle school ball just started. They practice Mon-Thurs right after school. Her travel team practices 2x a week at night from 6-7:30.

Her school ball team consists of 4 girls who play travel (including DD), 2 rec ball, and 7 who's never played softball before, so you can imagine the practices are very fundamental. Her school ball coach originally mentioned that DD can miss school ball practices to go to lessons, since she gets enough practices from her travel team anyway.

But another MS girl "protests" that players (a.k.a DD) are missing school ball practices, so the coach just implemented no 3 missed practices or you are out. It's already difficult to schedule lessons, esp. pitching lessons, around her travel team schedule. If she can't miss school ball practices also, then she wouldn't be able to take lessons at all.

It is between lessons or playing school ball and forgoing lessons til June. My feel is that TB is #1 priority, so private lessons are #1 priority, and she should not play school ball.

What would you do?

Have to see first what it would have been like to decide.
Think of it as a hard pass.

 

[black17]

I'm pretty solidly in the camp of doing what ever you want. If it doesn't work for you, then don't play. My DD plays HS ball and I also find that not being able to see her hitting coach is a bit of a struggle. I see things creep in over the course of a season, but we work thru it as best we can. In middle school, I am not sure I would feel the same about missing, but that is because middle school and travel seasons overlap. We did MS ball only when it fit the schedule, which wasn't often. I think one season she missed all the practices and only played in 3 games.

 

[murphdog]

Or she can choose to go to lessons, quit the MS team, and focus on TB. I don't think it's unreasonable or the girl to be allowed to go to a pitching lesson once per week, but if that doesn't work for the coach and the rest of the team for whatever reason, then so be it.

If he lets her miss then he has to be okay with letting everyone else miss. And then you end up with not enough girls to hold a productive practice.

Does she enjoy it, is she having fun? If so let her play, if not let her quit.

Personally I think playing school sports teaches a valuable lesson about learning to deal with adversity and not always getting to play where and as much as you think you should. Come college it’s a skill not enough players have

 

[jdint]

All of these life lessons being taught playing school ball. hmmm..... The only life lesson I remember, is learning that I suck at baseball.

and i kinda already knew that.

 

[bmakj]

If he lets her miss then he has to be okay with letting everyone else miss. And then you end up with not enough girls to hold a productive practice.

not necessarily. a HC can explain there are excused absences (hitting lessons, pitching lessons, doctors appts, ortho appts, etc., whatever HC decides is an excused absence), and unexcused.