Playing travel and rec at the same time

[DonnieS]

>> in our area we have several HS coaches that hate TB, some to the extent that they penalize girls who do play TB. <<

What part of the world is this? To be real honest, I dont believe you or you dont understand what's going on.

[dustyshoes]

Hi everyone,

This thread got me out of lurking and into typing mode, I found this site the eteamz bb although I never posted there. I'm a relative newcomer to fastpitch, got talked into coaching at the rec level a couple of years ago by a parent who coached the team and whos dd was best friends w/dd.

To make a long story short, dd has done well as a rec league pitcher and after finding a great private coach for her this winter I've started thinking about the migration to travel ball. The thing is, her rec team is like family to all of us, especially dd. I don't think they would be angry at us for leaving the team and league, it's happened to them already (our rec league doesn't sponsor a travel team). I don't want to split time with a travel team and then have her be the diva who graces her presence with her old rec team from time to time. I also don't want to get her on a travel team just to be on a travel team.

I just got word that a local select travel team is having tryouts in a couple of weeks. They're probably behind the curve though, they didn't have a coach last August when every other team had their tryouts. I'm thinking about having dd try out just for that experience alone but if they ask her to join I'm not sure either of us are ready for that. Our other option is to stick it out with her rec league and opt for a B level travel this summer and if that goes well try out for an A team in August.

Oh yeah, a couple of other points worth mentioning. I'm obligated to coach DD's little sisters rec team and DD's mother is disinclined towards travel due to time, $, etc. Any advice those of you who were in my situation before would be appreciated.

[Stubs]

Donnie,

There is a coach in this area who had a young lady (not my DD) play all four years for him. Because she chose to play with the local 18U Gold team (who has a great record for getting their girls college scholarships which they also did for her) the summer before her senior year he wouldn't allow the girls on the HS team include her in the vote for team captain. This young lady is a very good student besides being athletically talented. He does have a summer program that consists of two or three tournaments (none of which are the exposure type) and he does very little to get his girls recruited. She was given an opportunity to do for herself what this guy wouldn't and was penalized for it.

We have a local middle school coach that threatens 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls not to play Little League or TB ball if they want to play for her. She claims that those other coaches don't know what they are doing. This coach also tells the girls that they can only play softball, no other school sports. Because she is tenured she gets away with it.

On the brighter side we have two newer HS coaches that are TB coaches. Guess which programs have become the stronger ones?

[jofus]

We have a local middle school coach that threatens 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls not to play Little League or TB ball if they want to play for her. She claims that those other coaches don't know what they are doing. This coach also tells the girls that they can only play softball, no other school sports. Because she is tenured she gets away with it.

The girls would be better off playing TB and one or 2 other sports IMHO, like track and field or soccer, than playing softball for her.

[katjoebenmom]

We have a local middle school coach that threatens 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls not to play Little League or TB ball if they want to play for her. She claims that those other coaches don't know what they are doing. This coach also tells the girls that they can only play softball, no other school sports. Because she is tenured she gets away with it.

Yeesh---this is jr high, for cryin' out loud! Where do these megalomaniacs come from? There oughta be a special place in hell for middle school tyrants.

[DonnieS]

>> Guess which programs have become the stronger ones? <<

Stubs, sounds like this person is a whacko. As you describe whats going on, both are. They are hurting those kids. My experience in dealing with this kind of crap is to do battle - one thing you can count on and by God I know, is you will hurt your kid in the short run. In the long run, you will help your school and hopefully your kid if she hasnt graduated by then.

Before you try to change anything, make sure you can handle the retaliation. It will happen - there is no doubt - my poor untalented non-athletic daughter rode the pine her freshman year,was only good enough to start on the jv team, after playing short and being leadoff hitter for a very good tb team in a much larger city, and then the next year a miracle happened and she was voted all-district, all-metro, all- kinds of crap, and this year got full ride offers from a number of places before accepting a good offer from a top 5 D1 program.

[Stubs]

I know that in the case of the middel school coach, parents have complained to the school's AD but it appears that the principal has the final say, and she supports this coach (or isn't concerned about athletics). Many of the parents will not allow their girls to play for her now. Most of these girls will be playing other sports at the school rather than softball. It also appears that this coach probably won't have enough players to field a team this year.

[Kelly Crusaders]

For me and DD it's about giving back to where she found her passion.It actually isnt about finding the best to play against rather then serving our communtiy .When she was 4-8 the older girls who gave there time teaching her to bunt the older girls who walked her through a drop step to get behind the ball while aggresively attacking it at the same time.Teaching her about being a part of a team clapping it up in ,motivation ,friendship and short term goals,teaching hard work and commitment is the ability to overcome.When she was 9-13 it was about the friendship she had ,a common grounds for her and many of her friends .This is where it all starts .Rec ball. Those of you who talk about regress and going backwards thats just silly.
They know that competitve ball is all business,and rec ball is about having fun and playing for passion of the game.Learning to be a better sport and person.
To me anyone who found there passion in the sport, in rec ,and doesnt give back didnt learn anything worth giving back.

i couldn't put it better myself.

rec ball kept me out of trouble. rec ball let me play on a team with my friends who went to other high schools. while we were rivals in high school games, we were best buds as rec league team mates.

i'm 22. i've been coaching rec ball since i was 16 and i coach the 13-16 yr olds. I got into coaching to give back to the league that gave me a home away from home and a family when I couldn't deal with my own.

i coach for a local little league, and while the talent isn't always top notch, there's a lot of preconceived notions about little league and rec league. Our team, the Bluejays are 29-5 in 2 years. The year before my friend and I took over the team it was a 2-15 team. In 4 years, we took it to a 15-2 ball club and last year we were 14-3. We're back to back league champs as well. Our girls play hard and have fun too. We are proud of the fact that 9 out of our 14 girls made and were playing for their school teams, not counting the other players we've had in years past who also made their hs and tb teams.

This year my friend and I are on board with 2 other coaches in starting a travel ball team in VA. We do not have a problem with our girls playing rec ball. It gives them a chance to play in less stressful environments and chances to try to work on things they wouldn't be able to do in a tournament. (ex; one of our pitchers trying to learn a new pitch, batter trying to improve on slapping, etc)

Some are for it, some are against it. I'm just glad I found a softball forum to talk with others who love the game too!

[Nzane]

Good to have you here Kelly!

[Kelly Crusaders]

Good to have you here Kelly!

thanks a lot, i appreciate it