coachjwb
Well-Known Member
There are probably a lot of reasons why our daughters play travel softball ...
* They love the game
* It's just fun
* They like being part of a team
* Their friend(s) play
* They are good at it (and/or have been told they are good at it)
* It's a great way to spend quality time with their parent(s)
* They want to become the best high school player they can be
* Their parents want them to play
* They want to play some day in college
* They want (or need) to get an athletic scholarship to play in college
I'm probably missing a bunch more. And most of our DD's probably play for quite a few of those reasons. The questions I'd like to ask everyone are ...
1) What's the #1 reason they play?
2) Is it the same reason why you think they play?
3) Is it the same reason you want them to play and, most importantly ...
4) Could the main reason you want them to play be getting in the way of or even eventually destroy the main reason they want to play?
I would submit that most of our DD's who play and really enjoy playing (there are definitely some out there playing who don't enjoy it) is because it's fun and/or they just really love the game ... and that the reason many parents want them to play is so they can get an athletic scholarship because they either really need it or want to be able to brag about it. I would suggest that most of these girls say under the age of 14 really have no idea of what college softball is all about, and/or really understand how much college costs, etc. They might answer the question that they play so they can play in college or get a scholarship, but that's often because their parents have talked about it so much.
I would suggest that a lot of girls who end up quitting do so because it wasn't fun to them any more, and that a lot of the reason it wasn't fun any more was because their parents put so much emphasis and/or pressure on them getting an athletic scholarship. I would also suggest that it's these same often "over-invested" parents who put so much emphasis on this that they literally destroy teams, cause good coaches to quit, and are the ones whose daughters jump to a new organization every year, if not more often.
I just want to offer one suggestion to all of parents who currently have a DD playing ... sit down with your DD some time and ask them why they play, and then compare it to your reason and think about if the way you're approaching this with your daughter is really going to make her happy in the long run. I would submit that if you let your DD really enjoy the game and get out of it what she wants, that it actually will probably increase the likelihood that some day she will be playing on a college team, and may be even one of the few who actually receives some athletic aid.
* They love the game
* It's just fun
* They like being part of a team
* Their friend(s) play
* They are good at it (and/or have been told they are good at it)
* It's a great way to spend quality time with their parent(s)
* They want to become the best high school player they can be
* Their parents want them to play
* They want to play some day in college
* They want (or need) to get an athletic scholarship to play in college
I'm probably missing a bunch more. And most of our DD's probably play for quite a few of those reasons. The questions I'd like to ask everyone are ...
1) What's the #1 reason they play?
2) Is it the same reason why you think they play?
3) Is it the same reason you want them to play and, most importantly ...
4) Could the main reason you want them to play be getting in the way of or even eventually destroy the main reason they want to play?
I would submit that most of our DD's who play and really enjoy playing (there are definitely some out there playing who don't enjoy it) is because it's fun and/or they just really love the game ... and that the reason many parents want them to play is so they can get an athletic scholarship because they either really need it or want to be able to brag about it. I would suggest that most of these girls say under the age of 14 really have no idea of what college softball is all about, and/or really understand how much college costs, etc. They might answer the question that they play so they can play in college or get a scholarship, but that's often because their parents have talked about it so much.
I would suggest that a lot of girls who end up quitting do so because it wasn't fun to them any more, and that a lot of the reason it wasn't fun any more was because their parents put so much emphasis and/or pressure on them getting an athletic scholarship. I would also suggest that it's these same often "over-invested" parents who put so much emphasis on this that they literally destroy teams, cause good coaches to quit, and are the ones whose daughters jump to a new organization every year, if not more often.
I just want to offer one suggestion to all of parents who currently have a DD playing ... sit down with your DD some time and ask them why they play, and then compare it to your reason and think about if the way you're approaching this with your daughter is really going to make her happy in the long run. I would submit that if you let your DD really enjoy the game and get out of it what she wants, that it actually will probably increase the likelihood that some day she will be playing on a college team, and may be even one of the few who actually receives some athletic aid.