So...are you still happy with your TB Team?

[chrispots]

'Tis the season when people here seem to focus on High School and rec ball...and for the HS gals, travel ball is in hiatus for a bit...

So let me ask...are you still happy with your TB team choice?

I'm ready to pluck my effing eyeballs out and feed my soul to a cockroach if that gives you any idea where I'm at with DD1's team

OK..admittedly, I'm Catholic and maybe this giving Guinness up for Lent is taking it's toll...but for the love of Christ, the lack of coaching is obscene...

DD1's team has not had a fielding practice since October...at cage practice, it is not uncommon to have half the team absent...

No that's no a typo...yes, we are in the Northeast and this winter has been brutal but lo and behold, my 12U team has fielding practice 3-5x's a month...hmmm...isn't that what fundraising money is for? His team has a boatload of it sitting there too...I know this because DW is treasurer for the league...

So in the past 4 weeks, I've witnessed 36 physical errors, at least that many mental errors...nothing but yelling from the coach...nothing corrective...nothing constructive...and this is the indoor league that in all honesty, means NOTHING. These are glorified scrimmages...

Not one of the pitchers is taking lessons...

I offer FREE hitting lessons to the team on Friday nights...4 girls show up with any regularity...my 11 year old could start at SS and bat top 5 on this team...

So...DD1 has started moonlighting...

...And we have a tryout next week for another team just for tourney play. Now DD1's NSA\ASA number is locked for the year but honestly, I'm so frustrated with the coach, it's time to move on...and I'm a board member in this organization...

So how's your TB sitch? I hope better than ours...

Pardon the rant...

CP

 

[Crystol Owens Brown]

I am pretty happy with the travel ball team, the girls have good chemistry and get alone with one another. The only complaint I have is playing guest players majority of the time in order to have players from your own team sit on the bench 80% of the tournament.

 

[YOCOACH]

I haven't seen more than 4-5 of our girls at any time since last September...only 2, other than my DD, were regulars at any of the off-season practices and one of those 2 was the other coach's DD. A majority of our team plays all seasons of HS sports so I can understand. Also, only 3 girls have college ball aspirations so the HC knows after this year, my DD will more than likely become a sub for him as we switch back and forth between our other organizational team for showcase tournaments. I can't say that he's real happy about it but then again, I can't say that I really care either. The other parents of the players who don't want to play in college refuse to travel more than 1-2 weekends a year so we are stuck playing 6 team local tournaments a majority of the time which severely limits the number of invitational showcases the team is accepted to. I gotta do what's best for my kid, even if that means the team has to go with their non-practicing, part-time #2 catcher as they trophy hunt.

 

[chinamigarden]

My dd is done with travel. Her senior season of hs is happening and then she is done. Going to miss the games and that's about it. I'll miss some of the parents. Others I hope to never see again.

 

[maksoftball]

Yes...so far, we are pretty happy...but we are new to the team (since last October) and have only played with them through end of November. True competition (opposing teams AND battle for spot on field) starts this month when HS ball is over. We shall see.

 

[sbmom19]

DD has an early birthday (October) so we are in search of a team yet again this year. She had to move up to 16u last year while the rest of her team played 14U again. Played on a team this summer made up of a lot of her HS team but the coach also had a 12U team so practice didn't happen at all. DD can play 16U again this year but 18U would be a better fit so she doesn't have to move again next year. So we are in the stress area looking for the right fit...

 

[FP26]

This winter has been a difficult adjustment for me. Through 12u and 14u we typically did a lot of work over the winter. Weekly fielding practices. Weekly hitting that was attended by 80% of the players. Now that we are 16u the majority of our roster is high school age (Freshman and Sophomore). With that comes the responsibilities of high school sports. As a result, our weekly practices are down to 4 to 6 players and weekly hitting has been difficult to schedule while players have 6 practices per week with their high schools. I know the players are practicing and I will get to see all of them play high school games at some point this spring (and I am looking forward to it), but it is a different feeling for me as a coach.

But from the team perspective, I am very happy with our roster. 9 players returned from last year's team. 2 decided to remain at 14u within our organization, and only 1 left the organization completely. Three of the four players that we added to the roster have played for us at some point in the past and wanted to return. So overall, I have far more to be happy about.

 

[Mylil32]

Yes! Much Much better than her previous team!

 

[Little Angels Softball]

I am pretty happy with the travel ball team, the girls have good chemistry and get alone with one another. The only complaint I have is playing guest players majority of the time in order to have players from your own team sit on the bench 80% of the tournament.

Not sure how anybody could be happy with a coach who uses pick-up players and has his own players sit. I personally find that to be about as Bush League as it gets and also believe it is unethical to the point that I'd be aggressively shopping for a new team.

That coach has no interest in his girls. He's in it for himself.

 

[FP26]

Not sure how anybody could be happy with a coach who uses pick-up players and has his own players sit. I personally find that to be about as Bush League as it gets and also believe it is unethical to the point that I'd be aggressively shopping for a new team.

That coach has no interest in his girls. He's in it for himself.

I agree with Little Angels completely. I am big on commitment, but that commitment needs to be two ways. If a coach is unwilling to make a commitment to the players, he/she has no reason to believe that the players should be committed to his/her team. If someone decides to leave, the coach needs to look in the mirror.