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I know a girl who got very little if any time at the mound pitching in high school and ended up pitching in college and for the Akron Racers. Don't sweat it.
A different sport (Mens Basketball), but here is an example of the greatest player in Basktball history (Michael Jordan) who didn't make his varsity team as a Freshman or Sophmore. If a kid has the talent and the drive to play at the next level it will happen.
Who was the only person able to hold Jordan to under 18 points per game??
Dean Smith........
Len
Didn't IU's Dan Dachich (sp) shut MJ down in NCAA tourney.
Sammy and Spartansd
I guess I just look at things a bit differently. If I were a HS coach I would pick the kids who I feel gives me the best opportunity to win. If that means playing a freshman or sophmore over a senior then so be it. I also believe politics has no place in sports. In all honesty, I don't understand where parents get off thinking they can question the coach about what team their kid is on and what position their kid plays for the school.
My older dd is a junior and plays volleyball for her HS. There were quite a few juniors that played JV and did not sit for Varsity. At the end of the season, the coach had a meeting with each player individually. Many juniors were told that if they tried out for their senior year, she will not cut them and they will make Varsity, but at their current talent level chances are that they will never see any play time. Sure, it sounds harsh but at least she was being honest with them and they know where they stand. This coach plays the players she feels gives her team the best chance to win. This coach is honest with the parents. There are kids and parents that do not like her. I've seen her upset after talking with a parent or a player but she never wavers from her stance, and I respect her for that. I went to many games and watched all three teams compete, and she was right and the disgruntled parents and players were wrong. She had the kids on the correct teams. There are kids that are freshman and sophmores on the freshman and JV teams that will probably play volleyball at the next level. In the end, things work out when a coach is honest with their players and play the players that give them the best chance to win.
Len
College is the same way, and I found it prudent to adopt a similar mentality there. Steer clear of the what, how and whys of the coach running their program - and just support DD in her efforts. I found that being a good listener to my DD and only offering suggestions about softball things when asked worked quite well.
Good advice. As a college coach, I am as interested in a parent's advice in how we run our program as they would be in my advice on how they do their job.
Sammy and Spartansd
I guess I just look at things a bit differently. If I were a HS coach I would pick the kids who I feel gives me the best opportunity to win. If that means playing a freshman or sophmore over a senior then so be it. I also believe politics has no place in sports. In all honesty, I don't understand where parents get off thinking they can question the coach about what team their kid is on and what position their kid plays for the school.
My older dd is a junior and plays volleyball for her HS. There were quite a few juniors that played JV and did not sit for Varsity. At the end of the season, the coach had a meeting with each player individually. Many juniors were told that if they tried out for their senior year, she will not cut them and they will make Varsity, but at their current talent level chances are that they will never see any play time. Sure, it sounds harsh but at least she was being honest with them and they know where they stand. This coach plays the players she feels gives her team the best chance to win. This coach is honest with the parents. There are kids and parents that do not like her. I've seen her upset after talking with a parent or a player but she never wavers from her stance, and I respect her for that. I went to many games and watched all three teams compete, and she was right and the disgruntled parents and players were wrong. She had the kids on the correct teams. There are kids that are freshman and sophmores on the freshman and JV teams that will probably play volleyball at the next level. In the end, things work out when a coach is honest with their players and play the players that give them the best chance to win.
Len
Unfortunately, as I read along throughout this post, it disgusts me more and more that parents are more concerned about their own egos instead of their daughters. I can't believe that a parent would want to goto a varsity game to watch their kid sit the bench. That has to be alot of fun, I guess it fulfills some parents mentally to know that they get to sit in the stands, regardless if their kid plays at all that day, just so they can say, "My DD made Varsity her Freshman year". Those same parents that will sit there and all they have to hope for is that the team gets a huge lead or someone gets hurt, so their kid gets a chance to play. Wow, this sounds pretty competitive to me, get real. Throughout my experiences over the years as a player and a parent, sitting the bench stinks. Face it, if you are on the bench, it means you are not good enough to start over the next player. That's why Terrell Owens even with his attitude, doesn't sit the bench, and all the other players we sit and watch year after year. People are concerned more these days about their kid's getting a sport's scholarship, are you for real, they are freshman. They are kids, they might quit playing, find a boyfriend, who knows. As a parent of a daughter that plays high school and travel ball, I go to the games to watch my kid play, not to hope that she does. I hope to have the money to send my daughter to college when that day arrives, if there is any help with scholarship, God Bless! One last note, to all the coaches out there, throw change-ups to all of these kids in travel ball, sounds like they can't adjust.
The D1 college coaches are going to be seeing these freshmen for themselves at their summer games (assuming they are truly good enough to play on top caliber travel teams), and I don't think these coaches are going to doubt their own assessments based on whether a high school coach placed them on varsity or JV.
Absolutely agree. My lingering doubt is whether the freshmen who played JV or Freshman ball will be able to present their best play during June and July. And that is a question about which reasonable people can agree to disagree.
And I stand by my other point that I'm not sure where HTPCB gets his or her conclusion that parents are disgustingly egocentric regarding this question. Most appear to take the position that they would rather have their DD play JV.