Jumpin Ship

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Met a number of girls this August and September at our team tryouts. Many with extensive team history. Why do so many girls play for so many teams. Is it the parents? Organization? Just seems like alot of kids have been around the block.

 

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Did knowing they had been on other travel team sway you in any way?

 

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A little hesitant yes. seems as though everyone liked to "shop around" instead of planting roots

 

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My DD left her old team due to the new coach, she just had a bad feeling. the previous coach was great, but retired.

 

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I can't speak for everyone, but I took my dd to a lot of tryouts. We had a bad experience and didn't make the right choices. This year she picked a great team with a great group of coaches. One of the questions I asked was about next year when she moves up to 14u. Will she have a team to play on for this organization next year. The answer was yes. So hopefully that will happen and we won't have to move next year. I would hope that loyalty is out there and that in most cases the reason for shopping is just that.

 

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Sorry ARR2195, my question about having been on a travel team before and if that swayed you in any way was meant more about them having been on a travel team as to have not been on a travel team!

 

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We are going into our second year and we changed teams this year. We were happy with our old team but at tryouts it wasn't looking good only a few girls showing up to tryout out and after only having 9 on the roster until July I didn't want to have that again. We were always pulling in subs because someone was missing for something else. So we began to look around just in case. We came across a team closer to home that will develop my dd will get to play her position of choice (catcher) with instruction during pitching with the team for this position 2-3 days a week. Our other team didn't offer this. She probably would have gotten to catch if they had enough girls for the year but she wouldn't have received any extra instruction in this area. So we had a really hard choice to make. Stay and be loyal to our current team, play wanted position and be with remaining friends IF they got 3 more girls (just to make 10) or go where she will play position of choice, be developed in that position, with one friend and make new ones. We thought long and hard and after many tears (can't I just play for both mom!) we decided that if we are going to spend this kind of money then we are going to go where she will get more for her dollar (as the saying goes). We have had 3 practices with them and are already glad we made the decision. We miss everyone at our old team but it was the best choice for us. Another deciding factor to go was this is an all 12U team so all the girls will move up together next year assuring us of a team each year. Rather than 4 moving up and needing to find 6-7 more each year. So we should have no need to look elsewhere.

 

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I look at her age and how mant teams she has played on, if the # of teams is up then I/ll talk to her and her parents.

 

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It makes you a little cautious but there are many reasons: Bad coaching, Bad experiences, team splitting up, trying to find a team to "roll with".. BUT you have to be aware of the ones (usually parents) that are never happy no matter where they are. The grass is always greener on the other side.lol..

 

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When we ask we find there are some girls who get caught with their coach moving up but they need or want to stay at their own age level......then the following year they are back with their old coach........happens......some just say they want a change......some say the talent of the team is not where they think it should be.....whatever.......we don't judge em.......problem parents are pretty quickly noticed by veteran coaches.....more of a gut feel than anything.......I guess in my opinion as long as they play for someone they are off the streets and doing the right things....hopefully! Just my opinion!

 

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I can't speak for everyone, but I took my dd to a lot of tryouts. ?We had a bad experience and didn't make the right choices. ?This year she picked a great team with a great group of coaches. ?One of the questions I asked was about next year when she moves up to 14u. ?Will she have a team to play on for this organization next year. ?The answer was yes. ?So hopefully that will happen and we won't have to move next year. ?I would hope that loyalty is out there and that in most cases the reason for shopping is just that.

My bet is that you will know weather or not you made a great choice by the end of the season not before it. Things always look great this time of year, but its when the weather turns hot that we find out what everyone is made of.

Hopefully you are correct and things go great. good luck

 

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Jumpin ship seams to be a part of fastpitch softball (and human nature) that will never go away. Often it's the parents but sometimes it's the kid and sometimes it's the coaches on the former team. There are so many variables that could cause something to go wrong that it's no wonder it happens so frequently.

 

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In the years that my husband has coached, we learned that if they have played for multiple teams/organizations in the past, don't count on them for more than one season.

I thought that someone would eventually bring up a recent article that I believe was in the NFCA newsletter. It listed the top ten reasons that a college coach quit being interested in a player. One of the top ten was jumping from team to team. Maybe someone can clarify this a little more as it has been a bit since I was part of the discussion.

 

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Its a big factor for us. At the very least it has to be discussed with the parents to see what the circumstances behind the moves were. Sometimes there may be a legit reason, and sometimes its just the grass is always greener effect.

 

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It seems this topic has been hashed out on several similar threads lately (Grass is greener/Problem parents/Excuses).

I believe all we can agree upon is that there are as many reasons for "jumping ship" as there are players.

 

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katjoebenmom you are right about the various reason. ?The driving force is usually the parents. ?They never believe that their DD is getting what is best for her. IMHO ?

 

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..and why wouldn't the parents be the reason? You think that should be left up to an 11 year old girl?

I always hear about "problem parents"...my DD has played softball since the age of 7 until she is now - college. In all those years - the only thing you could count on was that on each team, each year, there would be one "problem parent" - at a minimum. You could count on it right as rain. If there were more - then quite frankly maybe there was reason for the problems.

Some pretty wise posters here over time often talk about letting the market dictate.
Isn't that what parents are doing by seeking the next best place for their daughter? That doesn't make them problem parents - more than likely just parents who need to watch out for the welfare of their DD and find the best path that brings the results that the DD and they want.....and yes, it is the responsibility of the PARENT to make those decisions in the early - to guide and direct, for they have life's perspective to do this - a kid doesn't. Just maybe that coach who didn't give the daughter the "right playing time" isn't a good coach..or maybe the girls on the team didn't gel correctly.
Who cares - like anything there is no cardinal rules here. Each year - make the best decision you can make based on all the plates that are spinning in your world and go from there.

I guess I just got tired of the "problem parent" or "problem coach" banner.

Oh yea - while I am up on this box...HA....coaches have a very tough job. Parents are asking them each year 9 whole months in advance of a season to commit to a players playing time, position etc....give me a break. Do you know how much development in a young girl occurs physically and mentally over a 9 month period. Hats off on a regular basis to coaches and tryouts- they do the best they can in the moment. So, if after a season it doesn't pan out the way parents want or thought - well ok then, find the next best place for your DD.


IMHO ;D

 

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herbiggestfan you are right at that age and even above you have to find the best situation for your daughter. The tryouts are only a brief glimpse at the talent of a player. There are a ton of situations that are involved in how well a player will perform for a team. You have listed a few and I'm sure there are more. Being a parent and a coach I can appreciate both sides of this argument. The facts are that we'll do what we think is best for our DD. This may be jumpin ship or whatever. And yes it can be related to coaches, other players, schedule of tournaments, etc. I was merely saying that go to the parents to get the answer as to why a move was made. (I should have been more specific with my post.) It may surprise you when you get the answer from them. It could be a simple issue or a very complex one. This will also give you a feel for what they are looking for.

 

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Like it or not, parents are only looking out for what they deem is best for their child. Is it best for that child to sit the bench? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to a team to only have 11 or 12 player, instead of 15? That is how many our team started off with last year. Now that is too many! And for what? Money! I can think of no other reason. While the coach rotated some of the players noone always sat the bench all the time, but you consistantly had 6 players on the bench. That causes animosity on any team. Noone wants to fork out the cash we do to see them disappointed. I would much rather have my kid not make a team, than make a team, pay all that money and watch them miserable for the season. At least if they don't make it, they get over it shortly. By sitting the bench, they are reminded the whole season they aren't "good enough".
And no, my daughter is not the one to sit the bench, but she does take her turn eveyonce in awhile. That isn't what I am talking about. It is those girls who consistantly get no playing time. Well why wouldn't they go looking somewhere else?

 

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I don't blame college coaches for seeing that as a very bad quality. I believe that it 100% comes from the parents.