As others have mentioned the level of commitment is usually dictated by the level of ball that is being played, and as much as I hate to admit it, the marquee organizations are usually the ones where the "hard core" softball players and parents gravitate. The marquee organizations are also the ones who are "always recruiting", so if your DD is on a marquee team and is not getting the job done there is a very good chance she will be stuck playing "left bench".
What commitment level do you expect
- Thread starter Jquick823
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As others have mentioned the level of commitment is usually dictated by the level of ball that is being played, and as much as I hate to admit it, the marquee organizations are usually the ones where the "hard core" softball players and parents gravitate. The marquee organizations are also the ones who are "always recruiting", so if your DD is on a marquee team and is not getting the job done there is a very good chance she will be stuck playing "left bench".
14U "A" level, I expect 100% commitment from the players. Softball comes first during the spring/summer season. During the fall/winter, I know a lot of players have other commitments with sports, school, etc. But in-season, I expect 100% attendance at every mandatory team activity, whether it be practice or fundraiser or whatever.
For parents, either participate or don't reap the benefits. Parents who are not involved with fundraising do not get any of the money raised.
For parents, either participate or don't reap the benefits. Parents who are not involved with fundraising do not get any of the money raised.
I also wanted to point out that playing on a 16U showcase team can be VERY expensive, and it is a HUGE benefit if all of the players/parents on the team are on the same page. There is no reason for a parent to pay for their DD to travel across the country to play in front of major D1 coaches if her goal/abilities indicate a D2/D3 school is a better fit.
- Apr 8, 2013
- 192
- 0
Yes times 1,000!!! I worked a "fundraiser" once for one our other kid's sports where we operated a concession stand at a concert. $60 for 8 hours of miserable work...next time, let me get my checkbook.
I will say this about parent meetings - if you are having a parent meeting at practice it better be important stuff that can't simply be sent in an email. And it better not be every week or even every other week. My daughter plays on a team that practices 90 minutes away. Sometimes she rides with another player who lives by us, sometimes the other player rides with us. If you call a team meeting make sure it is worth our time to come, not just a general update. And it helps to know what the meeting topics will be. Hitting us with something for the first time at a meeting and then asking for immediate feedback is not always beneficial. Some of us have other kids and spouses to consider and often can't respond immediately. Depending upon the subject, we may need time to gather our thoughts and even talk to our daughters.
And one more thing - you are the coach, don't ask for the parents' "ok" for every little thing. Sometimes it's ok for you to take control of your team and say this is what we are doing. We don't need to vote on what color helmets to buy or what color trim on the equipment bags. Had a coach who ran everything like it was congress, and just like congress, nothing every seemed to get done. Uniform colors, style, font of the numbers, scheduling, etc. Just tell me where, when, what to bring and how much $$$.
My commitment is the fact we have our kid where she's supposed to be, when she is supposed to be there and write the check each season. I am always amazed at the number of people I've seen through the years who sign up their kids for what is clearly advertised as TRAVEL softball, yet complain when travel is involved. They want the status of playing for the cool travel club, but don't want to do the work. And more often than not, their kids have the same attitude as mom & dad are probably at home griping about how much work being on the team is. Give me a girl who is a B player that is begging to put in the work to become an A player and has the parents support to do so, versus an A player that thinks you should convince her and her parents to join your team. In most cases hustle, drive & family support > top talent that didn't have to work for it
Not trying to sound as harsh as it may come across, I've been on both sides of the equation with several of the kids in several sports and the best run teams were the benevolent dictatorships and the worst were the wishy-washy try to make everyone happy types.
- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
For all the problems that existed with our old organization, the annual fundraiser was an excellent bonding opportunity for the girls from the various teams. From a monetary standpoint, it was a loser, but the food was good and the girls had a great time.
We're fortunate to be part of a core group that are all committed to one another and, regardless of where the girls go from here with their softball careers, there's a lot of value in those relationships. We've added several quality players for this season and their parents stepped right in and began contributing immediately. If every player of the 12 will match their parents' already demonstrated commitment for the remainder of this season, I honestly think we'll see some special things happening. Ours is a very serious (but still fun!) program, and the parents have all bought in. Some of the players are already there, while the others seem like they'll be able to get there soon.
This is 2nd-year 12s. After consulting with his staff, the HC laid out the plan for all the parents and players so that everyone knew the program's expectations and goals before a single payment was made. It's possible that some players from this terrific group may choose different priorities when it's time to move to 14s in the fall, but for this spring/summer, a high level of commitment is expected which means that, as a parent, I expect my DD to sit a full game for choosing to take a non-illness "personal day" when the rest of her team was at practice.
We're fortunate to be part of a core group that are all committed to one another and, regardless of where the girls go from here with their softball careers, there's a lot of value in those relationships. We've added several quality players for this season and their parents stepped right in and began contributing immediately. If every player of the 12 will match their parents' already demonstrated commitment for the remainder of this season, I honestly think we'll see some special things happening. Ours is a very serious (but still fun!) program, and the parents have all bought in. Some of the players are already there, while the others seem like they'll be able to get there soon.
This is 2nd-year 12s. After consulting with his staff, the HC laid out the plan for all the parents and players so that everyone knew the program's expectations and goals before a single payment was made. It's possible that some players from this terrific group may choose different priorities when it's time to move to 14s in the fall, but for this spring/summer, a high level of commitment is expected which means that, as a parent, I expect my DD to sit a full game for choosing to take a non-illness "personal day" when the rest of her team was at practice.
Commitment to the team that I find 100% important
Players Attend all games
Players Attend all practices unless there is an extenuating circumstance that the coach is aware of and is ok with
Players Attend all tourneys,
Family Pay all fees required.
Everything else I don't care if you show up or not.
Players Attend all games
Players Attend all practices unless there is an extenuating circumstance that the coach is aware of and is ok with
Players Attend all tourneys,
Family Pay all fees required.
Everything else I don't care if you show up or not.
- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,974
- 83
The fault may not fall on the parents 100%. What a lot of inexperienced organizations do is assume. They assume everyone will have the drive they have for the sport. Never assume. And never give families an option. The driven families will do whatever is necessary. The lazy ones will pay you lip service and do nothing if they can get away with it.
The first thing you need to do is to have a plan for the team/organization 3 years out. Where are you going with the team? What are the short term goals, long term goals and processes your are gong to use to get there?
The second thing you need to do is make it absolutely clear to the families where you're taking the team. What the EXPECTED commitment level is and the mandatory things the families will have to do with the accompanying punishments listed for non-compliance. Then you must back up what you say.
The third thing is to make sure there is a steady flow of communication to the families. One of my moms a couple of years ago told me she thought she was hit by a spammer after she joined the team with the amount of information I sent out at the start of the season as well as during.
The fourth thing is to expect to lose families who do not want to commit to that level of any sport.
If parents and or players don't come to fundraisers and they don't complain of money or how much fees are costing I could care less if they show up to fundraisers. We do fundraisers for the players families that need help paying for TB ....if they don't need help the not participating is fine by me.
Where do you come up with theses numbers? I have had travel ball teams for well over a decade your numbers are BS.
She got it off of a Sue Enquist interview. Although it has nothing to do with tournament ball. As we all know TB is getting larger but the little league numbers are declining. Guess most have decided to wait for High School before they have their first rec coach experience. (Depending on the program of course)
