What to do...

[Easton33]

Travel softball is a competitive and cutthroat business but a player should not be compelled to stay on any team just because the head coaches dad is friends with the players dad. I have seen too many teams that keep the same core players for years and the players and coaches get too comfortable with the team dynamics and the softball skills never fully develop. There is something unique about earning the right to play on a team that holds tryout and the possibility you may be cut every year. In addition, every player on a team should have to earn playing time. These daddy ball teams, by definition, can never cut a coaches kid or a kid who is friends of the family. This is why I am a huge advocate of playing on teams that have paid coaches that don't have family members as players. It's a totally different dynamic that is great for most players on these teams.

To OP, he stayed with this team for 4 years and his DD and he decided that they needed to move on. His "loyalty" to the team probably cost his DD a few years of developing other skills. I can't blame them for wanting to leave if they feel this is in the best interest of their child.

Everything is what you make it. Travel ball is definitely cut throat for most, but not all. I am not a daddy ball fan either but the non organization ball has a lot to offer in different aspects. There are good and bad examples of both, with paid coaches they usually stack rosters too deep and feel some obligation to play kids because they pay the same amount as everyone else. They are not gonna mess with their money so they will play kids to satisfy playing time requirements. So it just this weekend.

True she may have missed on some other skills but sounds like she got really good at the position she wants to play. At this point she probably would have been really good at OF but terrible at catching. Few would have given her a shot at catcher being a left and being so small

 

[Easton33]

Ok, Ok! Apparently there is a nice size back story here and the OP was definitely right to move player. I agree 100% with OP decision

 

[KPower]

Easton33 - there is so much more to the story - I sent you a pm. Didn't want to air all the dirty laundry on the open web.

But here are even a couple more things to consider...

DD is and has been in the top 2-3 players on this team for all 4 years. He is playing B level - because his daughter is barely there. She has consistently been in the bottom 3 on the team and this year probably the weakest player. The team is being held back for his daughter. He doesn't play daddy ball. He rarely even plays his daughter - but that makes me ask - who IS he coaching for - himself or his daughter? I think I would respect him more if he built a team around his daughter where she got playing time.

We certainly appreciate all the time he allowed DD to play catcher. She is 13 and has not grown for years, so I'm assuming things will change quickly here. She was the smallest girl on her team and the 2nd youngest and yet she still outplayed the highschool girls on her team. She may very well become a full time outfielder...who knows. However over the past 4 years she has outplayed all 8 catchers who have played on the team. She is tough. She got cleated in a game and required 7 stitches in her shin. She played thru that game, and played the entire next game before going to the hospital. Just because she is small you can't discount her.

 

[ang2bmd]

Actually we don't team hop but I would if it needed to happen based on my daughters situation. So far no doors have been closed to my daughter and the only moves we've made have been to increase the skill level of the teams she's playing with. She now plays for a national level organization that is highly selective for both kids and parents. With that organization it is understood that your commitment is year to year as your child has to continue to make the grade. Maybe that's why I don't see it as a loyalty issue. Now... I would have to have an extremely good reason to leave a team mid season because in my opinion that's the kind of team hopping that closes doors. This whole idea of a team staying together for years is just crazy. Some kids are simply better than others or at the very least their skills progress at different rates and those kids need to move on... playing with your friends is for rec ball and low level travel. Upper travel is about getting better.

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[Easton33]

Actually we don't team hop but I would if it needed to happen based on my daughters situation. So far no doors have been closed to my daughter and the only moves we've made have been to increase the skill level of the teams she's playing with. She now plays for a national level organization that is highly selective for both kids and parents. With that organization it is understood that your commitment is year to year as your child has to continue to make the grade. Maybe that's why I don't see it as a loyalty issue. Now... I would have to have an extremely good reason to leave a team mid season because in my opinion that's the kind of team hopping that closes doors. This whole idea of a team staying together for years is just crazy. Some kids are simply better than others or at the very least their skills progress at different rates and those kids need to move on... playing with your friends is for rec ball and low level travel. Upper travel is about getting better.

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That is so not true. School ball friends, yes I agree those tend to be low level teams. However that doesn't mean that over the course of a few years very strong bonds and friendships do not occur with TB players. Those relationships will be and are stronger than most school ball, neighborhood friends teams. These girls play every weekend and see each other 9 months out of the year. These friendships outlast the others because these girls have the same interests. That comes from staying on the same team with good coaching that consistently pushes the girls to get better while staying true to a core group cutting the peripherals as needed. TB is a different experience for many, especially those that have the spring school ball schedules. Those teams usually only play a few months a year then wash, rinse, repeat. Other states have long TB seasons, Jan-July then Oct-November. We play at the highest levels, and we beat the big name organizations., not just locally but nationally as well.

 

[ang2bmd]

Agree to disagree...we obviously have different ideas about the point of travel ball. Hopefully it will work out for both of us.

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[Easton33]

Already worked for me, hope it works for you. I don't think we have different ideas about the point travel ball. I think we disagree where it has to be cutthroat. It doesn't have to be for a small core. Does your DD go to a hitting Instructor? Do lower level players go to him too? Since they can't hit does that mean your DD can't hit?
Colleges aren't recruiting teams, they are recruiting players. Players can be found on the top teams and on the bottom. If you are relying solely on your teams performance to get DD in college then yeah, better find a damn good team. A lot of the recruiting is done through email and camps. Pitchers and catchers are looked at during tournaments as well as hitters. What does that have to do with win/loss? Dominant is dominate and a good coach is a good coach, regardless of team record. Write your emails and target your schools, go to their camps. Don't rely on how good your teams is to get a scholarship.