Sorry...I need to rant about this

[quincy]

He even went so far to say that she probably shouldn't play next spring.

Pitching aside for a minute, If this is a rec leaque the above comment is unacceptable.

Unless the coach thinks a girl is going to get hurt they have no right to express that opinion.

I would have a long talk to the coach and maybe the commissioner.

Pitching, if the above is the coach’s attitude your DD might not be able to break into the pitching lineup next year for their Team, even if she is the best pitcher on the Team.

 

[absdad]

I've found that you can't change a coach's opinion. Your daughter's actions will speak volumes. Find a coach who will give her the time of day, and everyone's life will be happier.
We had a pitcher on our team last year who was cut by her team the year before. That coach told her she wasn't cut out for pitching. We played that team, and she took great satisfaction out of embarrassing their batters, and put it to her old team and coaches; ending their sunday. No words needed to be said.

 

[amanda_cake]

I can say I had a coach that I could just tell he didn't believe in me. I was one of the worst players on his team at 10U and he's seen me play in HS and at 16U... his feelings are a lot different now.

 

[fivepotsogold]

At 11 my DD was looked over in Rec league as a pitcher .... that summer she tried out for Travel as a pitcher and made 5 teams. She was a #2 on a winning Travel team that first year. Some coaches are seriously clueless or have an agenda.
To be honest, when she was 9 and 10 we really didn't feel as though softball was her sport. But she pushed and we followed that lead.

She isn't going to be D1, she isn't a physically gifted speciman, still struggling with hitting (is improving), and is definitely in the top 3rd of pitcher we see in our tournaments.

What does your DD want?
Ignore what coaches tell you ... at 10 there is no way to know how far she can go ...at 10 my DD threw very few strikes...but at 11 it was significantly better. And at 14 ...

Just work hard, focus on good mechanics ...
Get some earplugs.

 

[PAcoach]

It has been awhile since i coached at the 10U or rec league level, but when i did, my main focus was teaching proper mechanics and fundamentals of the game. I had parents complain that other teams were doing harder drills, but i couldn't see moving on to the harder drills when they had not mastered the basics. I also was smart enough to know that kids mature at different times, so you would have some who for their age may be more advanced then others, but i didn't push the others off, i taught them all the same. A coach should never discourage a player from anything.
I have always had the same mentality when coaching. I consider it my job to prepare my players for the next level. If i'm coaching a 10U team, i should be preparing them for 12U. If i'm coaching a JV HS team, my job is to teach and prepare those players for Varsity ETC. Not saying thats right or wrong, just that thought process has served me well over the years.

 

[PEPPERS]

If every kid quit that was told they shouldn’t or couldn’t play then there would be a lot of empty positions on softball fields. Being told you can’t, can do 1 of 2 things, it can inspire you to quit, or it can inspire you to get better and show them how wrong they are about you.

This is a response a member posted here and I don’t remember who. I copied it and gave a copy to my daughter and one of her friends.

I will tell you the same thing I would tell my dd.

When others “behaviors” ….are such that they are demeaning or degrading you …it is about them, not you. Never let how someone else acts (what they say or do)… effect your self confidence or how you perceive yourself. NEVER!

Nobody knows what you are capable of…this year, next year or anywhere in the future. ABSOLUTELY NOBODY!

Knowing that… you must understand this…there are a lot of people that would rather see you fail than succeed because then you would be more like them. There are a lot of people that want you to question yourself because they question themselves. There are a lot of people that make themselves feel better by making others feel less than. There are a lot of people that want to bring you down …so you are on their level. You will run across this…. at school, in sport, work, friendships etc…in every context of life you can think of.

Yet…You have CHOICE in how you act to a situation. You may not have all the resources at your age to know what those choices are…but they are there. That is where communicating with your parents, faculty, friends etc come in. Someone will know a way to help… to change the situation AND/OR give you choice on how you choose to act in regards to that kind of situation.

You can also LEARN from that experience. You may be learning how to be a leader…. by recognizing that when people demean others…you can give them encouragement. When people can’t stand up for themselves…you can stand up for them. When people don’t seem to have choices…you can help them find choices.

It’s to bad you were cut from high school ball…sounds like they needed you for more than just softball…….the fact that you wouldn’t want others to experience that same thing……you could of possibly changed the environment of your high school softball program for the better…for future girls.

Remember…their sorry behaviors are about them…not you.

 

[chapelhillbilly]

Also... she's ten years old. At ten years old, they stuck me in the outfield and prayed to God that the ball was not hit to me. At ten years old, I batted at the bottom of the lineup.

Now, at seventeen years old, I'm one of the best outfielders in the county (one year I was the ONLY person out of four age groups whose position was OF to make All Stars). I don't back out of the box anymore, the inside pitch that looks like it is going to hit me is one of my favorites...

Things will change. To sum it all up: this coach is an idiot.

I just want you to know how thrilled I am to hear someone talk about how important the outfield is. All I hear out of parents is pitching, pitching, pitching. My daughter does take pitching lessons and may improve one day to be a starting pitcher but if she doesn't...that's okay. She is an awesome outfielder and I am very proud of that. She is one of the few girls her age (11 yrs) that I've seen that is paying attention and moving every time the ball is in play. I think alot of people don't give outfielders enough credit. My daughter made 2 double plays in one game last year from left field and I couldn't have been prouder than if she'd pitched a no-hitter. I brought my daughter in to read your post and let her know that the older she gets the more important the outfield is.

 

[amanda_cake]

I brought my daughter in to read your post and let her know that the older she gets the more important the outfield is.

You might need to bring her in here again, because now I'm going to start rambling about how it is "happening in the grass!" I know tons of kids who have played infield their whole lives... but girls who have played outfield the whole time, well not so many. At the younger age groups, kids in the outfield get bored. And generally, the kids in the outfield are the ones who aren't the best players on the team, the kids that are likely to eventually move on from playing softball. Look at a 16U, an 18U, a HS Varsity and see how many of those outfielders started out in the outfield... slim to none.

Look at how much ground those girls in the outfield have to cover as compared to an infielder. Look at how much running they have to do, backing stuff up. The one time you fall asleep is the time that there is going to be a wild throw and your team needs you. Nothing is more satisfying to me than hearing the crowd cheer as the girl hits a ball to the outfield... they are hooting and hollering, thinking it is in there, then I catch it. That always shuts the crowd up, coming out of nowhere to grab a ball. Nothing is better than playing on a nice field, the ball glides across the grass like it's rolling on carpet.

I absolutely 110% think that outfield doesn't get enough credit when they are the ones that are really busting their tails. It's hard to get my 10U girls to move, but I think (at the end of the season of course) they are finally starting to understand how important it is. I started out in right field and I made that my position. At your daughter's age group, a GOOD right fielder is paramount. Most of the throws are going to first, she needs to be on that line backing up every time.

The majority of coaches that I see were great infielders, great pitchers, star catchers... I don't see a lot of outfielders out there. I think the girls are getting a different perspective on the positions because they are hearing it from my point of view--the point of view of an outfielder. They are seeing how great it is to catch fly balls, how important it is. At 12U, we've had some light bulb moments go on in the outfield where some catches (or lack there of) have made and broke us. With that, they are realizing how important it is. Some of them.

If you reach just one girl, just one... it is all worth it.

 

[team mom]

Center Field may be the favorite position for my 10 year old DD. As her coach says, "error in the infield means extra bases, error in the outfield means extra runs." He understands the importance of the outfield and so does she.

 

[lawdawg]

This thread exemplifies why I think Fall ball is so valuable. Along with all the benefits of extra work, continued play, etc. - we give opportunities to kids to play every and anywhere. With the exception of P and C we literally move kids around every other inning and we swap P and C fairly regularly also. This not only gives the kid experience and exposure to other positions (in game setting - we work alternate positions at practice often) it also gives SBMOMS and SBDADS the opportunity to see their kids limitations in some areas. When we explain that little Suzie's arm isn't strong enough to play SS or she isnt ready for 3B and they see her getting beaten regularly by a base runner or a bunt - they typically agree. WE WILL CONTINUE TO HELP Suzie get better but she's not there yet - see? This also allows those entrenched in an IF position to understand that the corner OFs are working hard when they sprint to back up a base every pitch when baserunners are on, etc. Good experience, IMO - at least that's how most teams use Fall ball around here.