When is it justified to pull a team out of a tournament?

[Bob516]

We're looking at a scenario like that for next weekend. It's a tournament 3 hours from home (hotel required). I've been looking at the list of teams registered and thinking we're going to get absolutely pounded. I guess Coach will have to make a decision by Wednesday (the day hotels become non-refundable). There's nothing quite as deflating as spending all the money on hotel, gas, and meals and going 0 for 7 or 8 games over a weekend.

This is pretty much what DD's team is looking at. Though the tournament I am thinking about is in six weeks. Her team was doing ok in the fall, but has pretty much imploded since the end of April. Who knows what the reason is, but only about a third of the team is executing, the rest are making such basic mistakes they do not even look like they belong playing at our level, whether because a lack of effort or skills have gotten much sloppier.

In any case, I am not looking forward to a 5 hour drive, and paying for two or three nights of hotels, just to watch her team get run ruled all weekend. I am wondering how to address this with the head of the organization.

 

[KPower]

That is tricky.
We just got back from a 3 day tourney 8 hrs away.
DD's team is registered B - but played in the A division. Here at home they have been getting hammered (even by other B teams). And I saw no spark out of the girls. They were content to lose.
We went out of state and although on paper they should have lost everything big they actually played really well. I think seeing some new teams and having no preconceived notions of the outcome helped. When all was said and done the girls did ok. They didn't win the tourney but won a couple games they "shouldn't have" and tied 2 that everyone said they would get blown out in. It was pretty cool. I think the team really bonded this weekend as well...so...it's hard to say when/if to pull out.

 

[BuckeyeBW]

That is tricky.
We just got back from a 3 day tourney 8 hrs away.
DD's team is registered B - but played in the A division. Here at home they have been getting hammered (even by other B teams). And I saw no spark out of the girls. They were content to lose.
We went out of state and although on paper they should have lost everything big they actually played really well. I think seeing some new teams and having no preconceived notions of the outcome helped. When all was said and done the girls did ok. They didn't win the tourney but won a couple games they "shouldn't have" and tied 2 that everyone said they would get blown out in. It was pretty cool. I think the team really bonded this weekend as well...so...it's hard to say when/if to pull out.

This^^ . We used to make sure we went to at least one tourney a year where we were going to get smashed, its good for both the girls and the parents. I am not talking about doing it every other weekend, but at least one per season. It lets the girls and parents know where you are at and where you need to be. It also makes all the other tourneys seem fun. You never know, it could spark a fire in them to play better and they actually compete. 5 hour drives are never really fun, we just did one where it was windy and cold part of the time but got 6 games in against good competition. If your going to get 7 or 8 games against good competition that is a bonus

 

[canyonjoe]

I think once the pool games are posted it's bad form to pull out without a very good reason.

 

[Bob516]

This^^ . We used to make sure we went to at least one tourney a year where we were going to get smashed, its good for both the girls and the parents. I am not talking about doing it every other weekend, but at least one per season. It lets the girls and parents know where you are at and where you need to be. It also makes all the other tourneys seem fun. You never know, it could spark a fire in them to play better and they actually compete. 5 hour drives are never really fun, we just did one where it was windy and cold part of the time but got 6 games in against good competition. If your going to get 7 or 8 games against good competition that is a bonus

When a team hasn't won a tournament game yet, and has looked lousy in too many scrimmages, they do not need a humbling experience.

 

[Bob516]

I think once the pool games are posted it's bad form to pull out without a very good reason.

Agreed on that.

 

[BT3100]

Last Year DD's team went to Chambersburg for Memorial Day madness and got pounded. We knew going in it would be hard but had high aspirations.
Did it hurt? Yes.. We were a young 13 team last year and knew we would take some lumps. This year we just won the gold bracket in the same tournament. Went 10-0 on the weekend. Added two players. With the same core group we went from a weak team to a champion. Lots of work during the last year but that showing last year motivate this team.

 

[Comocoach]

DD's teams have dropped out of tourneys twice over the years. One was justified, one was not.

The one that wasn't happened way back at 12U. It was DD's first year of TB and she was playing on a 12C team. Team got smacked around pretty good, 4-37 record. The HC decided, without full team input, to pull out of the utrip WS in KC. This was before the schedule came out and he received a full refund. His explanation was that more losses would be detrimental to the girls, and why spend all that money just to watch them get beat. We weren't happy with the decision. We're only two hours away and everyone already had it in their plans.

The justified one was the ASA Memorial Day tourney last year. The team was going with only two pitchers as we were waiting for an out of state pitcher to finish HS ball. Then, one of our pitchers went down with what ended up being a career ending injury. It was a shoulder injury that would require surgery to play again, but she elected to just quit playing. She had been resting it since a mid April tourney and had an MRI on it the Monday before Memorial Day. We all scrambled to find a guest player for that weekend but had no luck. The coaches called it on Thursday, just two days before it started.

 

[grcsftbll]

That is tricky.
We just got back from a 3 day tourney 8 hrs away.
DD's team is registered B - but played in the A division. Here at home they have been getting hammered (even by other B teams). And I saw no spark out of the girls. They were content to lose.
We went out of state and although on paper they should have lost everything big they actually played really well. I think seeing some new teams and having no preconceived notions of the outcome helped. When all was said and done the girls did ok. They didn't win the tourney but won a couple games they "shouldn't have" and tied 2 that everyone said they would get blown out in. It was pretty cool. I think the team really bonded this weekend as well...so...it's hard to say when/if to pull out.

I'm excited about our WS for this reason. Very few GA teams in it, none we've played before, last time I checked. We played a team this past weekend that run ruled us. They're a decent team but not THAT much better than we are. They're like us, lots of 06s and hot and cold. We have 3 girls who have history with the team though, and it got into their heads. It's really wild how mental it all is.

 

[nixxy311]

I'm excited about our WS for this reason. Very few GA teams in it, none we've played before, last time I checked. We played a team this past weekend that run ruled us. They're a decent team but not THAT much better than we are. They're like us, lots of 06s and hot and cold. We have 3 girls who have history with the team though, and it got into their heads. It's really wild how mental it all is.

I think we're going to the same WS as well - DH has been questioning why we are going to an out-of-state tournament when we haven't done well this season but I think the different teams will be good for the girls to see. We're so used to the teams we normally play and I feel like GA has a ton of just really good teams. So far in our division there's only 3 GA teams - sadly one team is one we actually have played and lost to (but that was our very first tournament)