Sometimes it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, unfortunately. If you've read Outliers by Gladwell, you realize that by setting that arbitrary age cut-off, we put the 8Us born in the 2nd half of the year at disadvantage. That girl born on Dec 31st might be the worst girl at 8U in 2016, but born a day later, she might be one of the best 8Us in 2017. The older girls at 8U get all of the reps and we get a cumulative affect as they are that much better the next year. Sometimes the nature of the secondary options for playing games aren't great (ball4...ball8...ball12). I think finding ways to get the younger girls into practices at young ages, even if they're not in the 'top12' can mitigate this affect.
I agree with the point that it's not hard to pick out the more gifted girls at 8U. Coaches who think they can project accurately of what girls that aren't there yet in 8U do the player and the sport a disservice, IMHO. Help her to find a place to practice and play and keep her in the game.
As for finding ways to harness the potential. I think the right formula is playing different sports during different seasons (limiting softball to 1-2 seasons), finding the right intensity for the girl's personality, and setting your own expectations, as a parent or a coach, if the girl's desire doesn't match yours.
I agree with the point that it's not hard to pick out the more gifted girls at 8U. Coaches who think they can project accurately of what girls that aren't there yet in 8U do the player and the sport a disservice, IMHO. Help her to find a place to practice and play and keep her in the game.
As for finding ways to harness the potential. I think the right formula is playing different sports during different seasons (limiting softball to 1-2 seasons), finding the right intensity for the girl's personality, and setting your own expectations, as a parent or a coach, if the girl's desire doesn't match yours.