The problem with Ohio Softball is not being watered down, crap have you watched our girls play at any Ohio Tourney. These girls play light years better than girls in the 80's or 90's. How could they not. Most go to Pro camps, Hitting, Pitching, Fielding, catching, and now Sports excelleration coaching. They watch film of themselves batting, fielding, catching, and fielding. There parents can yell about stance and show them in slow mo on there phones right after the at bat. If you think this is watered down then you really are wanting these 9year olds through 18 year olds to do things you would expect pro baseball players to do. Some expect more. Thats the real problem.
Vision... To many of us have this picture in our head, a picture that is always getting corrupted with every inning we watch espn softball. Tranna throwing 70's my 12U DD better get of her butt and start working toward 75. We see a girl hit two home runs in the college world series and we think man I better get the DD a better batting coach and probably a strength and conditioning coach. Some girl on ESPN runs to first in 2.5 seconds and we are out buying parchutes to put behind the girls to make them faster during the game.
Friends watering down is not the problem. Economics is the problem. We are now entering the age group were the economic crisis hit and parents had to cut back. Pitching is probably the hardest hit, and what you are always looking on OFC for. The amount of money I have spent on pitching and batting lessons over the last five years would have payed for her first year of college. Many parents have not been able to do that. Many girls who would have been great pitchers had to make a choice play another position or switch sports. And many have done just that. So when you have a vision, especially programs that are used to seeing something elses the last few years, then you feel there are to many teams and not enough of what you think is elite.
I was part of and coached a very talented group of girls, under the banner of Valley Storm Weaver, I had to always watch what my vision was when trying out girls. The people on here from the bigger organizations like Lasers and Stingrays they see 100's of girls and show hundreds of girls the door. Us being from a smaller area in Dayton we had to work hard to get 30 girls to a tryout, and half those girls had all ready made up there mind because they had been to one of these so called big time tryouts and shown the door. Vision is the problem and we as coaches need to focus on making the talent we have better rather than showing them the door. Do I dare say Basketball and Volleyball, they love when we show talent the door. We need to focus on keeping the cost of the game down, and work to make as many talented girls better. My goal was always to be part of top notch organization in the Dayton area, and help keep it that way so local girls could afford to play our beloved game. The problem was always the vision of people who are always wanting more without sacrafice. Vision is the problem, you cant have a winner unless you experience a little sacrafice, and wins, losses, and trophys do not a winner make. Enjoy the year friends and quit worrying about the prize at the peak.. You never get there because you are always changing the vision. Have a good one Todd Weaver, might have been a Rant and Rave sorry.