Why Not Trophey's

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Our girls have won 2 tournament and taken 2nd two other times but yet dont get a trophey . Kids and parents where kinda upset . Is this something that is out dated now . After all the money and time they should get something ( beside a little plaque or metal ) for winning a tournament . I have to give Loudenville credit . Our coach recieved about a 5 foot trophey and the players received nice size plaques but I guess I was shocked at Marion when they gave out T shirts for first place .

 

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Shouldnt you be working right now?

 

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My daughter has actually liked T-shirts if they mention what they are for. ?She wore hers with pride to show that she was on a championship team. ?Trophies stay at home and collect dust, but the shirts can go anywhere. ?In fact, if the shirts are done right, they are more exspensive. ?What I don't like is when the head coach gets a huge trophy and the girls get something small. ?To me, it's about the girls. ?As a coach I'm happy getting what the girls get- I don't really need anything. ?

 

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I'm with witz

T shirts are good; or maybe even patches would be a good idea. the trophies go home and collect dust.

 

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At this point, my daughter has a collection of tshirts, trophies, plaques, medallions... and the tshirts are now in reserve for a quilt when she's ready to head off to the University of Wherever will benefit her the most. The rest of the "hardware" will probably stay boxed up and be a great reminder for her to pull out when her grandkids ask her about her glory days!

 

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We got key chains at the last tournament we were in

 

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I can't believe you are complaining. Be happy you won a tournament. You can't "hold" happiness and satisfaction for hard work. Thats a feeling of pride and achievement to win a tournament. Stop complaining. There are lots of teams that work very hard and never win a tournament or even come close. I bet they wouldn't complain about a plaque.

 

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I guess you didnt understand the QUESTION . Who's complaining ? I guess you never won one from the way it sounds . ;D

 

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My question is, do we change from saying a team is "all about getting the iron" to "all about getting the cotton"? :-/

 

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At my high school some of the best male athletes are wrestlers because from the time they were about 4 years old they would go to tournaments and win trophies, sometimes taller than they were. ?While we do have one of the best wrestling teams in the state year in and year out, the emphasis that parents put on winning trophies really bothers me. ? This past winter I was the assistant basketball coach on a team that went 19-4. ?It was the best record in school history. ?You would think that everyone would be very proud about what the team accomplished. ?Yet, after every game many of the parents were either more interested in their daughter's stats than in the game or in complaining over an individual thing rather than a team thing. ?We finally had to have some pretty stern talks with a few of them. ?We were upset in our sectional finals because parents made the girls so jealous of one another. ?The starters even had a meeting to discuss what to do about their parents. ? The parents are really going to be disappointed this winter if they try to find any stats. ?This bothered me so much that during the softball season I never shared stats with anyone until the season was over.

Yes, if my team wins something I would like to see them get something to show for it, but what happens inside a person is more important in the long run. ?As a coach I feel it is my responsibility to teach the players about life. ?If the bottom line is wins, losses, and trophies then I didn't do my job. ?If they learn the values of how to handle team play, winning, losing, earning playing time, good attitudes, etc., and then are able to win a trophy or something else, then to me that's icing on the cake. ?Pride should be developed from the inside out.

It sure is nice if players receive some type of reward for winning a tournament. ?Frankly, I think they should. ?However I never entered a tournament with winning a trophy as the ultimate goal. ?If I won a tournament and left more upset over the reward as opposed to being excited over the win then something's wrong.

Having said all this I would also be wrong if I didn't mention what I did for "rewards" for my team. ?When my softball season was over I had a pizza party for my players. ?I gave every player a certificate with team accomplishments listed, a Hershey Bar with a team picture on the front, team stats on the back, and team members names listed as the ingredients. ?I also made a video of still pictures making sure everyone was in the video as much as possible. ?I wanted my players to have something, but I hope this was the icing, not the cake.

 

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Wiltz, I think you don't understand what competings all about. It isn't about trophies or parties or t-shirts. It's about winning and winning is the reward for all the hard work you put into it when others settle for mediocrity. Your basketball team went 19-4 and was upset at sectionals. I'd say your team was over rated and defeated by a team better prepared to compete by possibly playing a tougher schedule and sacrificing a winning record in their league to prepare them for the state tournament. Now that's coaching. Anybody can play sports but very few can compete under pressure and even fewer teams can do it. In team sports it only takes one person to choke in a pressure situation to cost a team a victory. That is why I like leagues like the Federal League and the GMC, because almost every game is a war. their is no padding your record. There is nothing but constant pressure to bring your best game. That's what competings about.

I applaud all those teams out in Colorado right now playing the toughest competition in the country, to gauge themselves as to where their personal game is right now. I've never heard a team go to ASA Nationals, Fireworks or Boulder and come back saying the tournament was a big dissapointment for them. I've heard them say how disapointed they where in their performance for not being prepared and promising to not be in that position again. Those teams get it, as well as others who seek out to compete against the best and not expecting a trophy or party to follow. It's usually those players who are on State Championship teams or NCAA Championship teams or even Olympic Champions

 

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I know at the Ohio Rippers *R.I.P it UP* tounament they gave the champs in each group about a 3 foot trophy, the girls got medals that can be used as key rings if they wanted to, and tickets to go see the Pro Fastpitch team Akron Racers. I thought that was cool, it was the best thing I have seen to give out at a tournament to the winners. It ranks as one of the better tournaments I have played in the last couple of years.

Runners up in each group got a trophy and medals.

 

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Daryl - I keep hearing that the best competition is in Colorado this week. ?If you read some of the other boards they talk as if one of the Colorado tourneys is the real deal and the other 2 are more like good regional tourneys - like Compuware, Carolina Dynamites and Aunt Rosies. ?I know you have been out there. ?Is that true?

 

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Boulder is like playing in the Gold Nationals, Aurora is like playing in the ASA "A" Nationals and the Sparkler would be like playing in a Pony National. Boulder and Aurora's competitive level is so high that one error could cost you the game. Every game is constant pressure on every pitch. The Sparkler is not as tough, but it is newer and getting stronger each year. I would have to rate them above the regional tournaments since they do have a lot of west coast teams.

Regional Tournaments like Compuware, Carolina Dynamites and Rosies are like playing in the NSA Nationals. Some very good teams with way too many average teams thrown in who can't compete. The average teams will allow a good team to try and play around you saving players for the next game. Can't do that at the CO tournaments if you want to advance.

I am very happy to see the Ohio teams raising the bar by being there. They are proving themselves worthy of scholarships with the Ohio college coaches. Each year I see more and more Ohio girls getting recruited by neighboring states after proving themselves to be better players then the 2nd and 3rd tier players they normally recruit from out west.

It won't be long before our girls can consistently play with anybody in the country. It would be nice to see a college team from Ohio dominate with Ohio girls at the NCAA CWS like Michigan did.