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It averaged 104 last year. Not to bad-LOL. We are pretty conditioned this year and just had a scrimmage in sweatpants and sweatshirts. The girls loved it.
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That's Crazy!!! 
Dedication and Determination!!!
I love it!!!
Dedication and Determination!!!
I love it!!!
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As a coach you gotta love it. Game 100 comes sat. morning at 10:30 am. Never thought we would be playing this much but the girls do not want to stop. I love that. GO OHIO HEAT FURY 12U.
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[quote author=Bink44 link=1179195876/75#94 date=1183650380]Fastpitchparents, first off myself and another parent already have a patent on "Softball Anoynamous for Dad's" and anger management is part of the corriculum...lol.
Yeah ,...I've been to a couple sessions of the "Softball Anoynamous for Dads, Anger management " . The first session I layed on a couch in a bright yellow room with strobe lights flashing and Bink singing the national Anthem .
My second visit ,..they straped me to the back stop and had my daughter practice location . After those two sessions I think Im totally healed ,..until the next bad call ! LOL!
Yeah ,...I've been to a couple sessions of the "Softball Anoynamous for Dads, Anger management " . The first session I layed on a couch in a bright yellow room with strobe lights flashing and Bink singing the national Anthem .
My second visit ,..they straped me to the back stop and had my daughter practice location . After those two sessions I think Im totally healed ,..until the next bad call ! LOL!
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wow one or two elaborate discriptions out there. Again my early example is based on a true story but not totally correct it is a challenge to the other side of a debate and I see it has hit a nerve but it is not directed at anyone in particular. We are in the middle of a season and you can not expect parents feeling comfortable replying to this topic right now. But as coaches if the shoe was on the other foot what would you do or do you take the stand that you would not remove your dd from a team no matter what??? I think to often we view things from an authoritarian point of view as coaches. I think it is hard to remember the other side of this debate. Does any other coaches have an opinion on this?
It looks like an earlier poster has allot to say on this does anyone else.
A point to remember always is you can not always put your self in a Kids situation with out understanding the whole situation. Is select teams really trying to recruit the best athletes out there and develop them. Or do you have to have talent and more priveledge to have money and a good support system at home. The best athletes I knew growing up were under privledged kids that did not have parental help in making it. Do any programs in the area reach out to kids like that for competitive sports or is it to much to deal?. Again I am very interesed so please Pm me if you want.
It looks like an earlier poster has allot to say on this does anyone else.
A point to remember always is you can not always put your self in a Kids situation with out understanding the whole situation. Is select teams really trying to recruit the best athletes out there and develop them. Or do you have to have talent and more priveledge to have money and a good support system at home. The best athletes I knew growing up were under privledged kids that did not have parental help in making it. Do any programs in the area reach out to kids like that for competitive sports or is it to much to deal?. Again I am very interesed so please Pm me if you want.
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softballsupporter,
there is a dire need to develop the underprivileged (sp?) in cities and urban areas. There was a good ESPN article about the lack of African Americans in baseball and many cited the lack of basbeall fields in cities, so you can imagine that softball would take a back seat to that as well. I know the Columbus Parks and REC run an instructional softball rec league but who knows how much development or teaching goes on..I'm sure most people there are happy that they show up rather than, can she pitch or catch.
Exposure is another thing. Why cant the ASA Nationals (World series?) be televised with the same hoopla of the Little League World Series? (I think some games have been televised, mainly college, but throwing a bone on ESPN Ocho during off-peak hours isn't cutting it). If girls see more girls playing (no thanks to the Olympics board!) then maybe we'll see a push to develop inner-city/rural area sports, mainly softball. My guess, and this is purely hypothetical and somewhat stereotypical, but most travel players have the means, are caucaison and are suburban kids/some country-suburban kids at that. My hispanic kids where i teach have never even seen a softball, much less seeing someone pitch one. (not the same down south, where the exposure maybe more prevalent). My african american kids are atheletes too, but no one is picking up a glove anytime soon. of course, i live in ohio now. in houston, TX there was more of a multicultural atmosphere. This goes for the outlying suburbs as well...they always push softball to the fringes (it;s hard not to when the baseball sign-ups triple those of softball! But it be nice to see the suburban rec leagues throw a bone towards those that need it, besides donating equipment. Why not sign up a team? recruit players and field a rec team..it would at least be a start.
as far as getting back to the original posts, i couldn't imagine taking my DD off a team, except maybe for verbal abuse or something really dramatic. While my DD wont turn many heads, she's seen both ends of the spectrum. I'm tough enough on her as it is so if she's sitting the bench, she knows why. Maybe i'm different, and my glass half-full outlook on life sometimes rubs people the wrong way, but playing time is earned, so wether it be a coaches DD or another, you earn your way to the top. At least now, as a "guy wearing the nice matching shirts" I can have some input on what goes down. To hear about other gripes on OFC in general and from experience makes me wary of those parents since they are probably more high maintanence than their DD. It's rare you come across a true stud just sitting the bench. There's a reason for everything. and like others have said, there are always tryouts!
Cant apologize for ruffling feathers with this thread. just say it and own it.
there is a dire need to develop the underprivileged (sp?) in cities and urban areas. There was a good ESPN article about the lack of African Americans in baseball and many cited the lack of basbeall fields in cities, so you can imagine that softball would take a back seat to that as well. I know the Columbus Parks and REC run an instructional softball rec league but who knows how much development or teaching goes on..I'm sure most people there are happy that they show up rather than, can she pitch or catch.
Exposure is another thing. Why cant the ASA Nationals (World series?) be televised with the same hoopla of the Little League World Series? (I think some games have been televised, mainly college, but throwing a bone on ESPN Ocho during off-peak hours isn't cutting it). If girls see more girls playing (no thanks to the Olympics board!) then maybe we'll see a push to develop inner-city/rural area sports, mainly softball. My guess, and this is purely hypothetical and somewhat stereotypical, but most travel players have the means, are caucaison and are suburban kids/some country-suburban kids at that. My hispanic kids where i teach have never even seen a softball, much less seeing someone pitch one. (not the same down south, where the exposure maybe more prevalent). My african american kids are atheletes too, but no one is picking up a glove anytime soon. of course, i live in ohio now. in houston, TX there was more of a multicultural atmosphere. This goes for the outlying suburbs as well...they always push softball to the fringes (it;s hard not to when the baseball sign-ups triple those of softball! But it be nice to see the suburban rec leagues throw a bone towards those that need it, besides donating equipment. Why not sign up a team? recruit players and field a rec team..it would at least be a start.
as far as getting back to the original posts, i couldn't imagine taking my DD off a team, except maybe for verbal abuse or something really dramatic. While my DD wont turn many heads, she's seen both ends of the spectrum. I'm tough enough on her as it is so if she's sitting the bench, she knows why. Maybe i'm different, and my glass half-full outlook on life sometimes rubs people the wrong way, but playing time is earned, so wether it be a coaches DD or another, you earn your way to the top. At least now, as a "guy wearing the nice matching shirts" I can have some input on what goes down. To hear about other gripes on OFC in general and from experience makes me wary of those parents since they are probably more high maintanence than their DD. It's rare you come across a true stud just sitting the bench. There's a reason for everything. and like others have said, there are always tryouts!
Cant apologize for ruffling feathers with this thread. just say it and own it.
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Ray - different is GOOD! Don't you dare ever change.
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Stat man Ray,
Thanks for the reply on all points. I will definitley look to get involved and help out in areas that need it. There is Sunday games in Dayton (Kettering fields) for all who want to show up. We have donated equipment in the past but I think it is important to take the next step and get out there personally. This is run by the guys that run the ASA and they do it on their spare time so maybe some of us can do something for them on our Sunday break from games.
As for never having your daughter leave a team, I commend you for the George bush stay the course but I could not do that myself. I think every action causes a reaction and there is no one to blame but if your job told you that were never going to get a raise even though you thought you had a better skill set than people making more than you most of us would eventually look for another job. This is reviewed to be different than what these young girls are going through but is it?
I thought there would be more replies to this but I guess it has been played out. I have been posing this debate hypothetically and not because I am bitter because my dd is in an excellent situation on her current team. This is a place to talk and I am just throwing it out.
Thanks for the reply on all points. I will definitley look to get involved and help out in areas that need it. There is Sunday games in Dayton (Kettering fields) for all who want to show up. We have donated equipment in the past but I think it is important to take the next step and get out there personally. This is run by the guys that run the ASA and they do it on their spare time so maybe some of us can do something for them on our Sunday break from games.
As for never having your daughter leave a team, I commend you for the George bush stay the course but I could not do that myself. I think every action causes a reaction and there is no one to blame but if your job told you that were never going to get a raise even though you thought you had a better skill set than people making more than you most of us would eventually look for another job. This is reviewed to be different than what these young girls are going through but is it?
I thought there would be more replies to this but I guess it has been played out. I have been posing this debate hypothetically and not because I am bitter because my dd is in an excellent situation on her current team. This is a place to talk and I am just throwing it out.
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softball,
valid points. I hope to never run across a situation where we would have to leave. Looking at it from a personality and history standpoint, i finally took someone elses advice, left the school i was teaching at to go to a new place. me, who hates change, goes with the flow and just grins and bears it, and now i'm telling others to stay the course. but i also felt i did what i could and it was stressing ME out more than it should have...for me to jump ship for another team during the season it would have to effect my DD to the core, because she's the important one, not me.
as for getting more involved, yes, it's hard to the end all be all of volunteer work. we dont get paid for coaching, and now our families are being asked to basically raise other people's kids to teach them about softball for so many days during the week. I've been doing this in soccer for 3 years. taking kids, buying equipment, getting sponsors, setting up games and what-not and while it is close to the best feeling in the world watching those kids win and excel there's always another part of me that says, "how come the parents dont come out more?" of course, when you are working weekends, worried about the other kids or barely scraping by, fastpitch is the last thing on your mind. (especially that of a young 12-14 year old girl, who, under most circumstances, probably runs the house while mom is working)
that's why, win or lose, going to the ballpark every weekend is a treat because you see so many involved parents, and you have to have some pride in that we are raising some class A ladies to be even classier young women, by just being involved. it's sad to think of any parent who cannot enjoy watching their DD play anything because they have to pay the bills. it takes that special person to get involved in something that huge and monumental, and still have time for yourself and your family.
i'm glad to hijack any other thread you might have in the future! good luck to you!
valid points. I hope to never run across a situation where we would have to leave. Looking at it from a personality and history standpoint, i finally took someone elses advice, left the school i was teaching at to go to a new place. me, who hates change, goes with the flow and just grins and bears it, and now i'm telling others to stay the course. but i also felt i did what i could and it was stressing ME out more than it should have...for me to jump ship for another team during the season it would have to effect my DD to the core, because she's the important one, not me.
as for getting more involved, yes, it's hard to the end all be all of volunteer work. we dont get paid for coaching, and now our families are being asked to basically raise other people's kids to teach them about softball for so many days during the week. I've been doing this in soccer for 3 years. taking kids, buying equipment, getting sponsors, setting up games and what-not and while it is close to the best feeling in the world watching those kids win and excel there's always another part of me that says, "how come the parents dont come out more?" of course, when you are working weekends, worried about the other kids or barely scraping by, fastpitch is the last thing on your mind. (especially that of a young 12-14 year old girl, who, under most circumstances, probably runs the house while mom is working)
that's why, win or lose, going to the ballpark every weekend is a treat because you see so many involved parents, and you have to have some pride in that we are raising some class A ladies to be even classier young women, by just being involved. it's sad to think of any parent who cannot enjoy watching their DD play anything because they have to pay the bills. it takes that special person to get involved in something that huge and monumental, and still have time for yourself and your family.
i'm glad to hijack any other thread you might have in the future! good luck to you!
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Statman, you're getting a little too philosophical...pull it back a little You're starting to actually add worthwhile content to this forum, be careful. :-?
You're starting to actually add worthwhile content to this forum, be careful. :-?
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TheRinger and Statman Ray.....The Laurel and Hardy of OFC!!!!
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maybe it's because i'm drinking....(wait, wrong post)
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As parents, we need to help our kids understand the meaning of ?commit?, be it for fastpitch or any other consideration as they grow into adulthood. Synonyms for commit include: entrust, pledge, obligate, bind, constrain, hand over.
When a kid, with the support of the parent(s) or guardian, commit to a tournament team, they do so for the FULL SEASON. ?The only exception would be the extremely rare matter that is blatantly illegal (manager runs off with team funds) or clear immoral activity.
As a ?consumer? (player on a team) you need to do your due diligence (ask many questions, and talk to others who have been with the coaches, players in the past) BEFORE you ?buy? (commit to a team).
If you find yourself on a team that is not a good fit for your kid, make the best of it as a learning experience as you work to be as positive as possible in sticking with the team through the balance of the season (while privately thinking through how you will make a better choice for the following season).
Personally, we can reflect back on two horrible seasons in two different sports with lousy managers. ?In the long run, our kid?s continued commitment in those years, taught her a great deal about how to best improve in the future ? lessons that will serve her well in so many future life events.
Hopefully, we also teach our kid that complaining is ONLY acceptable if you are willing to work to resolve and improve the situation.
When a kid, with the support of the parent(s) or guardian, commit to a tournament team, they do so for the FULL SEASON. ?The only exception would be the extremely rare matter that is blatantly illegal (manager runs off with team funds) or clear immoral activity.
As a ?consumer? (player on a team) you need to do your due diligence (ask many questions, and talk to others who have been with the coaches, players in the past) BEFORE you ?buy? (commit to a team).
If you find yourself on a team that is not a good fit for your kid, make the best of it as a learning experience as you work to be as positive as possible in sticking with the team through the balance of the season (while privately thinking through how you will make a better choice for the following season).
Personally, we can reflect back on two horrible seasons in two different sports with lousy managers. ?In the long run, our kid?s continued commitment in those years, taught her a great deal about how to best improve in the future ? lessons that will serve her well in so many future life events.
Hopefully, we also teach our kid that complaining is ONLY acceptable if you are willing to work to resolve and improve the situation.
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harp I agree with your defintion approach. When you make the commitment it's for 1 season what are we teaching our kids when you can't honor a 1 season commitment?
softballsupporter and others with this view or question... how do you think it should be done? Should a girl who is not preforming as well as the others still get the same amount of playing time? Should she get every other game? should she get pool play games? How do you think it should be done?
If a girls is not hitting do you risk her getting up to bat in a crutcial moment in an elimination game?
I'm one the most fair coaches. those girls get more playing time for me than a lot of other teams and coaches would do for them but I still had one quit cause I didn't get her in an elimination game that was 3-2. but she played 2 1/2 games of the 3 pool games the day before. Our team's not hurting because she quit she was probably the weakest link, but it just burns you when you try to make everyone happy and they still aren't.
We are down to 10 girls having a lot of fun. had to play with 9 at our last tournament because of an injury thats when it gets scary.
softballsupporter and others with this view or question... how do you think it should be done? Should a girl who is not preforming as well as the others still get the same amount of playing time? Should she get every other game? should she get pool play games? How do you think it should be done?
If a girls is not hitting do you risk her getting up to bat in a crutcial moment in an elimination game?
I'm one the most fair coaches. those girls get more playing time for me than a lot of other teams and coaches would do for them but I still had one quit cause I didn't get her in an elimination game that was 3-2. but she played 2 1/2 games of the 3 pool games the day before. Our team's not hurting because she quit she was probably the weakest link, but it just burns you when you try to make everyone happy and they still aren't.
We are down to 10 girls having a lot of fun. had to play with 9 at our last tournament because of an injury thats when it gets scary.
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Leaving a team in the middle of the season is a very difficult decision to make. I have never let my children quit anything before this year. My dd was absolutly misserable! I think out of 15 games my dd played about 3. The coach was very negative and belittling. The last straw was at a game that had a total of 10 strike outs. My dd played 1 inning, when she was at bat, she fouled a couple of balls and ultimatly struck out looking (OUCH). When she went back to the dougout the coach told her to sit down, they have to put someone in who can actually hit the ball! We found another team that was looking for a young 12u and joined up with them. My dd is playing and learning and a big boost of self confidence! She just hit a triple and drove in 2 runs. Maybe it wasn't the player. Sometimes a coach and player are just not a good fit for each other. I believe in earning your position which she had done (other parents told us that she had). The team had 13 girls so 1 less bench sitter would not really hurt the team.
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We are a 14U team and we held a pitching spot for a 9th grader. We are a first year team and having her join us after her Freshman year for the summer season would have made a positive impact on our team. I was informed after the highschool season that she was going to play for another team. It was a raw deal for us as we held this spot open and it isn't easy for a first year team to pick up seasoned pitchers late like that. I still hope it works out well for her.
I have been around both tournament softball (ASA, NSA,...) and JO volleyball with USA volleyball and the Ohio Valley Region; and I am here to tell you it is night and day. They require their coaches to all be certified and have background checks. They have very specific tryout rules and regulations for its members. They have very strict rules about changing teams - can't do it. And they have very strict rules and penalties for coaches approaching other players during the season - they lose their sanction with the OVR. AND get this......everyone follows the rules and they work like clockwork. The ASA, NSA, and all the rest of them need to take a lesson from the USAV/OVR pages. Here is an excerpt and a good link if anyone is interested.
"Once a player has committed to a team or club for the season, either verbally or in writing, no coach from another
team or club (or players/parents under the direction of another team or club coach) may contact that player for the
purpose of persuading them to leave the club to which they have committed."
http://www.ovr.org/juniors/registration_packet/index.php
One other thing that I always like to remind everyone of, unlike softball...ALL D1 volleyball scholarships are full rides! Not knocking softball as I hope all 4 of my daughters have a love for the game for K thru 12 and beyond. I couldn't imagine summer without it...........
I have been around both tournament softball (ASA, NSA,...) and JO volleyball with USA volleyball and the Ohio Valley Region; and I am here to tell you it is night and day. They require their coaches to all be certified and have background checks. They have very specific tryout rules and regulations for its members. They have very strict rules about changing teams - can't do it. And they have very strict rules and penalties for coaches approaching other players during the season - they lose their sanction with the OVR. AND get this......everyone follows the rules and they work like clockwork. The ASA, NSA, and all the rest of them need to take a lesson from the USAV/OVR pages. Here is an excerpt and a good link if anyone is interested.
"Once a player has committed to a team or club for the season, either verbally or in writing, no coach from another
team or club (or players/parents under the direction of another team or club coach) may contact that player for the
purpose of persuading them to leave the club to which they have committed."
http://www.ovr.org/juniors/registration_packet/index.php
One other thing that I always like to remind everyone of, unlike softball...ALL D1 volleyball scholarships are full rides! Not knocking softball as I hope all 4 of my daughters have a love for the game for K thru 12 and beyond. I couldn't imagine summer without it...........
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Can this thread go away?
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I agree, its becoming Blah, Blah, Blah.......
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sfarley said:
How would you know if she was not performing well unless she plays some?
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I don't think anybody ever said that players were getting ZERO playing time. They just weren't getting equal playing time. It doesn't take too long for any coach, parent, etc. to see who is hot and who is slumping.
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