Why Play Softball?

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Jan 25, 2022
881
93
I coach and my daughter plays because there aren’t many things a guy and his daughter can bond over. For me it’s something I will look back on and smile about when I’m old and dying. Hopefully she does as well.

With that being said, the excessive travel and significant costs are something that I would urge everyone to really consider if there is value in that. Like the original poster said there is no payday and even if you play in college, if you aren’t a pitcher or catcher, good chance you’re playing on your own dime. If you have money and can afford the costs, then more power to you. I treat these weekends as my vacations (even if I anm coaching 3rd all weekend and not relaxing on a beach). otherwise I couldn’t justify it.

I one of the rare dads out there that don’t even want my daughter playing in college. I coach HS and I’ve seen too many girls over the past 8 years go on and have disappointing college experiences. Very tough to see good kids go through that.

I don't care if mine ever plays college either. At the moment she says she has no interest in it. But what she CAN do is really learn and understand pitching so she can teach lessons to put herself THROUGH college. ;)
 
Jul 29, 2013
6,782
113
North Carolina
So why play softball….let me see? 🤔

Put triple, if not more the amount of miles on your vehicle in a year!
Being in a different State every weekend!
Being in a different hotel every weekend!
The time if takes to set up hotel reservations?
Hotel expenses!
Fuel expenses!
Vehicle wear & tear!
Eating junk food!
Scheduling, the wait in between games!
Your yard looks like you live at a vacant house!

And if you coach that doesn’t even include managing and balancing the girls & their parents….and money / fees!

In HS, scheduling practices between volleyball & soccer! 🙄

Just scratching the surface here! Glass half empty I guess? For new parents here, it ain’t all peaches & cream!

Happy New Year! 😉
 
Jan 8, 2019
664
93
The fam was traveling last week and had to stay in an unplanned hotel due to weather delays (not a great one, but clean). In the morning, the hotel’s free bfast was so bad, we walked over to Denny’s where DD was exclusively exploring the nauseating flavored pancake list (ended up with choc chip).

Said it was one of her favorite parts of the trip bc she got to stay in a hotel for a reason other than SB, got to sleep in past 6 (no SB, no 8 am game), and got to eat the stomach killing pancakes w/o worrying about how it affected her performance later.

It had a negative sound to it, but I think it was actually a positive thing.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
Sorry for the length.

The softball journey for my DD and myself is now in the home stretch. One more semester and it's over. Gonna be a lot of last lasts.

As others has mentioned in their posts--DITTO!!! It's the competition not the fun that drives my DD. Non Softball parents will Never understand why we do this. At some point it is just what we do and we hang on for dear life until the ride is over. For D3 athletes, this is the biggest question. Did you get a full ride is the first question. The next question after I explain the D3 scholly rules is Why would you play if you aren't getting an athletic scholarship? The conversation would take half a day. When two softball parents run into each other from different parts of the country, you don't need to explain anything. You just share that look and a nod. Nothing needs to be said.

Something I really started to see in my DD is her graduation into a true leadership role and her increased level of maturity. It's interesting and quite complex. In the D3 world coaches are hands off for the most of the fall and rely on the players to do their own work. For the past 3 years she has been the coordinator, cheerleader, motivator, shoulder to cry on, etc. I didn't realize the amount of work she has to do behind the scenes to help keep the team organized that the coaches don't deal with. I get to hear her complain that this group of freshman have no sense of urgency and lack of commitment. I bet that's the same across the country every year. Please have your walk up songs by the end of day! Crickets. Send me sizes for your Gear. Crickets. Why didn't you make weights all week? How are your grades? (Surprise-2 are academically ineligible) Setting up Mentor/Mentee pairs based on Majors.

As parents you don't think about the intangible qualities of your players but they reveal themselves slowly over time. We obsess about their skill sets. Hit the ball, pitch the ball, catch the ball. Get better everyday. Trust the process. blah blah. While this is happening our DD's are maturing and becoming young adults before our very eyes, but you can't see it until one day you see it. I look at the rest of the girls that DD grew up with and her so called Gifted and Talented cousin. As athletes they are trained to set goals and to go get it. They (at least mine is) are use to failure, but yet they don't give up and still compete. DD's teams over the past 7 years haven't won anything of note. Heck this past season was the very first time she ever experienced a year end playoffs, which most likely was her last based on what I'm hearing about her current team. Why does she keep at it. She says, she has come this far, I need to finish it. There is a sense of pride and ego at work here too.

The goal and focus of softball was to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Get to the next level each season. Everything in between. Get the degree and get that job.

Over the NYE Holiday we spent time with another softball family. DD played with this girl for only two years, but we remained friends since then. She is in her 4th year at a Texas D1 school. She brought a college friend(from Bakersfield) with her who Fences for the school and is an Olympic hopeful. That was an interesting conversation about her journey. From across the room I got to watch these girls share their college softball/fencing experiences and I just enjoyed watching their adult mature interaction. They are women now. This other girl will be working for Oxy Chem after graduation. Her big sister played D1 softball too and is doing well at Exxon Mobil and will be starting her family in several months.

We came for the softball but stayed for the relationships!
 
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