Your thoughts about switching teams!

[default]

What are your thoughts about switching teams after Fall Tournaments?
We researched and tried out for several teams before selecting our team but haven't been very impressed with the talent or commitment of over half the girls. The coach and organization are very good and we don't have any concerns with what they can give our dd. Unfortunately when trying out you don't see who all will be on the team and there just isn't much there. It seems most are here to be part of a social club and we don't think that will benefit dd. She is getting all the circle time we could hope for but no defensive or offensive help for that matter. At our last tourney a top team expressed that they still had an opening and we should try out. Don't want to back out from our first commitment but is it fair to our dd or us to subdue to this less talented team?

 

[default]

I had a long response typed out which was very harsh. I decided to simplify.
I think you would be leaving a good coach and organization as you describe them in a terrible spot, because you believe your daughter is too good for the other girls on the team.
You should have put her on a top team in August. Just remember whatever you do, that when she goes on a top team, you may not like the way they use her or her amount of playing time.

 

[default]

If the coaches are good and your daughter gets to pitch a lot, then are you concerned about her win-loss record or something?? Would be interested to hear age group, as well as whether you approached top team or they approached you. If she can learn this year from good coaches, why not use the year to take advantage of that and the opportunity to check out other teams and showcase her talents for next year?

 

[default]

That wouldn't be teaching your daughter the value of a commitment. I'm thinking you could have waited until you saw the complete team before you joined but you would have risked a spot on the team so you took a chance and committed. I wouldn't let my daughter do it.

Remember this is fall ball. The team will get better and summer ball has more commitment to it. There are valid reasons to leave a team but this doesn't sound like one to me. I would talk to the coach and discuss it.

 

[default]

What are your thoughts about switching teams after Fall Tournaments?
We researched and tried out for several teams before selecting our team but haven't been very impressed with the talent or commitment of over half the girls. The coach and organization are very good and we don't have any concerns with what they can give our dd. Unfortunately when trying out you don't see who all will be on the team and there just isn't much there. It seems most are here to be part of a social club and we don't think that will benefit dd. She is getting all the circle time we could hope for but no defensive or offensive help for that matter. At our last tourney a top team expressed that they still had an opening and we should try out. Don't want to back out from our first commitment but is it fair to our dd or us to subdue to this less talented team?

I'm guessing this is either 10U or 12U, but regardless, I have trouble with several parts of this. Number one being that a team would approach you at a tournament knowing that you'd already committed to a team and suggest that you'd be better off on theirs - not exactly a reputable act, and one that would lead me to suspect that their commitment to members of their team is minimal. Number two, leaving a team at this point, unless they've over rostered, will cause significant hardship for the team as finding a good replacement this late generally does not work out (there are exceptions to every rule). And finally, you state that your DD is getting more than the expected pitching time (generally the biggest problem), that these are very good coaches and that you don't have concerns with what they can teach your daughter, yet you don't seem to believe that they will be able to raise the skill level of the other girls sufficiently to match that of your daughter?

 

[default]

I personally value good coaching and if you believe and have seen she is getting them I would stay put. &nbsp;<br>He/ she will make your daughter and team better.

if girls and parent aren't committed it would concern me.

 

[default]

The OP is 10u. Not hard to figure out since she posted on a 10u team asking about their pitching spot.

The lesson here is that the Ohio fastpitch scene is a very small and tight knit community. Even if you think you are anonymous, be assured, you are not. Your current coaches, I'm sure, now know who you are and know that you are looking and being critical of the rest of the team.

Your DD is 10u. 10u, not 16u. 10u is meant to be developmental. If you are thinking of leaving a team at this age group because the rest of the team isn't as good as your DD, what is going to happen at 14u when you have exhausted most of your "local" options and the rest of the talent has either caught up or surpassed your DD? I am not trying to be mean. I'm just hoping that you see that this is a team sport. Yes, you should be most concerned about your DD. However, unless she is in a really bad situation (ie, the coaching is awful, mean, team looks to fold), I think she should stick it out. You say the coaches are good. Well, give them time to help the other 9-10yo's on the team. My DD played at 10u for a team that, frankly, was awful. She is a pitcher. She was the ONLY pitcher on the team who could get it to the plate, nevermind over it. She learned more that season than I think she has learned in the several years since. She learned to be aggressive defensively (fielded most of the infield), she learned to be a leader, and she learned to be composed when balls are raining down around her. That experience played a key role in the pitcher that she has become. We often say that even though it was a rough season to watch, it was the best thing that could have happened for her as far as pitcher development and character development. Give your DD a chance to learn these lessons. And you never know, you may be pleasantly surprised come spring with how the rest of the team develops.

 

[default]

:lmao::lmao:

 

[default]

I agree with Crystle, you are only in 10u and development should be the main goal. Wins an losses at that age mean nothing. If she has good coaches and is getting plenty of circle time, consider yourself sitting pretty. I wouldn't be willing to give that up to be on a better team where my dd is potentially coming in as a 12th player and is getting limited playing time...they don't learn very much on the bench. If she has a weak team behind her let the coaches do their jobs and improve the girls, it's only October and some teams are just starting their work outs. As a young pitcher, being on a weaker fielding team will teach your dd more than you could possibly fathom about pitching and character building. I say stay there, let her coaches do their magic, cheer for them all and let your dd learn some valuable lessons on and off the field...It will make her a much better pitcher when she's 16 and it does matter.

 

[default]

You DD will learn with the good coaches, and may learn many valuable character lessons from her teammates on the way. It may not be a perfect situation, but best to give it a chance since you've both made the commitment. As you can tell, leaving a team mid-year is not just not the done thing. If she learns now how to stick this stuff out, she will be a better person at the end of it all.

Don't be tempted by the other team - there's always next August - and it will be here before you know it.

 

[default]

I told those kids to stop drawing pictures in the dirt. Lack of committment !

 

[default]

Thank you everyone for your input. This is our first year in travel ball so we have much to learn.

 

[default]

I like the big font. Makes it easier for this old man to read.

Good luck this season. If this is your first child doing fastpitch let me warn you the years fly by way too fast. Enjoy as much as you can.

 

[default]

if you are displaying the attitude that your DD is better than anyone else on the team, it wont bid either of you well.

 

[default]

Stay with your commitment. At 12u my one dd played on a bad team that could not find a catcher. She had 5 strikeouts in one inning, and the inning still wasn't over!
There is nothing wrong with your dd having to work a little harder. She will be better for it in the long run. I know it helped my dd tremendously.

 

[default]

From your letter...... She must be the go-to-girl on your current team. The coaches are good and seem to know what they are doing. She is getting plenty of circle time. Pretty sweet set-up. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK OF LEAVING THAT TEAM.

Throughout her career your dd will pitch in front of some lousy infields and awful outfields, sometimes those 8 kids will have to play behind some terrible pitching......... The most important thing is that she pitches and the second most is that she is not over-used. She needs time in the circle, if the team can't field she'll get plenty of opportunity to pitch under pressure and she might make the difference. She could then move up to a more competitive team next year as a legitimate pitcher not just filling in the 4th slot. You'll have a year of travel under your belt and you dd will be ready because of this experience.

The whole switching teams and leaving your current team in the lurch and moving to a 'better' team isn't even worth acknowledging as a realistic option. If you do that I bet you'll become a gypsy family and never settle-down, always looking for the greener pastures, always wanting to be somewhere else.



PS: Perhaps if the pitching was better; the balls wouldn't be as hard hit and the fielding would be better. (just saying)

 

[default]

if you say good coaching, do you know what that is...? Sit back, enjoy what you have... many grasses are not greener. Commitment is the green grass. If she's truly lacking in coached instruction, you should seek additional help. 10u is so crucial in their learning of the game and if you "think" you have good coaching, take a breath and enjoy it. You'll have plenty of years ahead to find other teams and this certainly won't be the last time an unethical coach approaches you.

 

[default]

She must be the go-to-girl on your current team. The coaches are good and seem to know what they are doing. She is getting plenty of circle time. Pretty sweet set-up. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK OF LEAVING THAT TEAM.

I've seen how much girls can suffer when the other players exclude her - and that seems to be the biggest problem for the OP's DD. I'm not sure that many dads can understand how painful that can be for young girls. We moms have to learn to let it go and allow DD to learn this life lesson.

mercedes3, hopefully as time goes on that will get better for your daughter. Believe me, if she pulls her weight and pitches well and doesn't sulk or have fits because no one is talking to her, the girls will open up to her.

 

[default]

I feel your concern at this point, especially when there is a big carrot dangling in front of you. But if you are 10u, which many on this thread tend to think you are, then there are two team related factors that will turn DD into a better pitcher
1. facing good competition (doesn't have to be gold or elite teams, just teams that are slightly better than your DD)
2. Circle time.

 

[default]

Backing out of a team now because you know more is like your team cutting you now because THEY know more. How would you feel about that?