Team California 14U Disbanding

[Wilson Bats]

Word from a TC 14U family last night is that this is the last tournament for TC 14U and that all players were told to find a new team!! and the coaching staff was not going to be coaching next year. What does LK say can't find her she's on vacation, this is truely sad what looked to be a great opportunity for young ladies has turned into a nightmare. Word also has many of the TC 12U playing for many different teams the last two tournaments. Was this all money driven or was it for the kids???

Wilson

[luv2teachthegame]

One would hope that someone wouldn't use these young ladies to make some money through lessons, or whatever avenue they could use. I think we have to give them the benefit of the doubt until it is proven to be something else.

The part of this situation that was most difficult for me to understand is how the sponsor, who I have donated money too for the use of kids who are truly at risk, used that money to pay for a team(s) that are definitely not made of kids who are at risk.

Whoever wants to put some little spin on it and say that any kid can be at risk has never spent time in an area where kids are truly AT RISK. At risk of violence, drugs, not graduating high school at an alarming rate, and many other negative influences or situations.

In the long run, maybe it is better for it to happen now so these young ladies can find some long term places to play ball.

[ontheblack]

Word from a TC 14U family last night is that this is the last tournament for TC 14U and that all players were told to find a new team!! and the coaching staff was not going to be coaching next year. What does LK say can't find her she's on vacation, this is truely sad what looked to be a great opportunity for young ladies has turned into a nightmare. Word also has many of the TC 12U playing for many different teams the last two tournaments. Was this all money driven or was it for the kids???

LK is about money.

[Old Darter]

Word from a TC 14U family last night is that this is the last tournament for TC 14U and that all players were told to find a new team!! and the coaching staff was not going to be coaching next year. What does LK say can't find her she's on vacation, this is truely sad what looked to be a great opportunity for young ladies has turned into a nightmare. Word also has many of the TC 12U playing for many different teams the last two tournaments. Was this all money driven or was it for the kids???

LK is about money.

Really? Was TC paying her a living wage to coach that team? If not, do you expect her to sacrifice her own ability to make a living and to sacrifice her business to be a volunteer coach? How, exactly, does her deciding her business must come before her volunteer work make her any different than anyone else? For most folks, it's their paying job that allows them to volunteer. If she decided making a living by paying attention to her business was more important, how can you chastise her for that?

I think this was less about Lindsey making money, and more about unrealistic expectations on EVERYONE'S part. Even Lindsey and Jenny and Michelle's.

[Iluvblue]

So an organization that has been around for all of one Fall season is coming to an end and the softball world has some huge loss?

Kind of like Penn State football, nobody is bigger than the game. Any organization could disappear tomorrow and softball would continue to cruise down the highway.

All of those players will find teams, continue to grow, someday go to college, and not miss a beat.

[ontheblack]

Word from a TC 14U family last night is that this is the last tournament for TC 14U and that all players were told to find a new team!! and the coaching staff was not going to be coaching next year. What does LK say can't find her she's on vacation, this is truely sad what looked to be a great opportunity for young ladies has turned into a nightmare. Word also has many of the TC 12U playing for many different teams the last two tournaments. Was this all money driven or was it for the kids???

LK is about money.

Really? Was TC paying her a living wage to coach that team? If not, how does her deciding her business must come before her volunteer activities mean she is all about money? For most folks, it's their paying job that allows them to volunteer. If she decided making a living by paying attention to her business was more important, how can you chastise her for that?

I think this was less about Lindsey making money, and more about unrealistic expectations on EVERYONE'S part. Even Lindsey.

I didnt chastise or judge. I provided my opinion based on personal experience. And I dont necessarily disagree with you. Some people mistakenly believe that a coach is there because they have this volunteer attitude. Many do. More than a few do not. LK is one where softball is her business and she is trying to figure out how best to monetize it. That's not a bad thing. Its just not what some parents want to hear.

[SKBC1234]

One would hope that someone wouldn't use these young ladies to make some money through lessons, or whatever avenue they could use. I think we have to give them the benefit of the doubt until it is proven to be something else.

The part of this situation that was most difficult for me to understand is how the sponsor, who I have donated money too for the use of kids who are truly at risk, used that money to pay for a team(s) that are definitely not made of kids who are at risk.

Whoever wants to put some little spin on it and say that any kid can be at risk has never spent time in an area where kids are truly AT RISK. At risk of violence, drugs, not graduating high school at an alarming rate, and many other negative influences or situations.

In the long run, maybe it is better for it to happen now so these young ladies can find some long term places to play ball.

So basically what you are saying is: These girls should be exposed to violence, drugs, deficient academically and move to the ghetto and be exposed to negative influences in order to be given the opportunity that these girls have been given?

?'s : Do you know each of these families individually? Do you know ALL of their financial backgrounds? Do you know whether or not these girls are happy in their home life? Do you know if any of these girls are/are not exposed to violence, drugs and negative influences? Do you know for a fact that any of the girls are struggling in school? NO YOU DO NOT!!!

I know of several girls on both TC teams that do not have it easy!! Sure they are smart, get fantastic grades, their parents truly love them and give them all the support they can possibly give them shy of breaking the bank, because they want what is best for their kids, and who doesn't. They don't have a lot of money, but their kids can play fantastic softball and this was an opportunity to ease the pain financially, even if it was for the FALL, which is all it was going to be anyway, and ALL the parents knew this going on to this team.

In the midst of all the drama, all that mattered was keeping these teams together "for the sake of the girls". Once again their parents were willing to go the extra mile to help make this work with or without CPYC. Financially it just wasn't feasable. Even thought the TC name belonged to Lyndsey, CPYC/Eaton would fight for the TC name, and how long was Lyndsey and Jenny suppose sit back and get taken advantage of? Honestly...all this would show these girls, is that it's okay to compromise your integrity for the sake of a few dollars. Their reputation for themselves AND for these girls meant more to them than anything else.

It is extremely sad that they had to end this way, certainly not what they wanted!!!

So, enjoy your vacation Lyndsey, rest assured that these teams do not blame you or Jenny for anything!!! We hope to see you out and around the ball fields, and wish nothing but the best for both of you and the 5131 Softball Club!!!

[A&&hole Coach]

Wait....so coaches get paid in youth softball?????????????

I have been doing this wrong for 20++ years then! WTF people? Volunteer coaches carry this sport not the ones that try to make money off it. If you think that getting paid to coach 12-18 year old athletes is not a conflict of interest, you are living in a fog. Youth sports are not professional sorts. no one should get paid! Ever wonder why these "swing" coaches have a business? There a'int no money in the cure. fix, fix, break, fix, fix, break... if your kid is hitting .500 she doesn't need a swing Dr. she needs an agent! And pitching coaches with players after 14 should be in a classroom teaching the approach and letting the players do their own bull pen work more than watching pitch after pitch and tweaking delivery. If your pitcher is good at an A ball level and has a few pitches, I doubt she needs to reinvent the wheel for $80/hour bi-weekly. She needs to get her head up to date with her body...

[A&&hole Coach]

BTW - this thread is about the 14U TC not the 12U. Neither the 14u nor the 16u were paid, only the 12U. At least from all we have heard...

Although Silvan does own a sporting goods outlet...

[luv2teachthegame]

TO SKBC1234:

What I said was that in order for a kid to be considered "at risk", there should be circumstances that put that them in that category. I think it is great to give parents and kids an opporutnity to play the game and try to elimiate as much of the cost as possible....BUT DON'T CALL THEM AT RISK! If you can't understand the difference between a kid who is taking lessons, driving to tournaments a couple times per month, paying for food on the weekends, driving to practice weekly vs. the kid who can't even afford to do one of those, then my response wouldn't be understood by you anyway. There is a colossal difference between being financially strapped and "at risk"! You can try to to spin this however you want, but yes for a kid to be at risk they should be experiencing some of those negative situations. Just because one doesn't have as much money as another DOES NOT MAKE THEM AT RISK!

"So basically you are saying: These girls should be exposed to violence, drugs, deficient academically and move to the ghetto and be exposed to negative influences in order to be given the opportunity that these girls have been given?"

No that isn't what I said. However, this charity is supposed to be helping kids exactly like the ones you just mentioned. It was designed to help kids that didn't have the means or access to play sports through any other means. I don't need to know each kid or family to know that each and every family on that team didn't fit into that category. Since you know so many of them, are you going to try to tell me they do? It is one thing to do something great and try to help lower the cost of tournament ball for families that may need it, but don't try to pawn it off as though those kids are now "at risk"!

Lastly...you should have taken the time to look up "at risk youth" and you would have found that it is exactly what I described...

"Gang warfare, street stabbings and shootings, proliferation of drugs, binge drinking and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases all make life tough for today’s teens. And the tragic result is that so many young people are caught up in a dangerous lifestyle and place their health and even their life at risk."

Take some time to look it up