playing time

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So unless your team is that good that you consistently blow out or wrap up games, you will have a few girls mostly on the bench watching with their parents subsidizing the team?? Any parent that puts up with that is a smuck. JMHO

Couldn't agree more. I haven't read all of this topic (started on the last page as usual), but your post here was the first point of contention I read related to the pay to play player being a team sponsor. As soon as you take money from a player, they automatically become your sponsor of which bear certain obligations from the coach (or manager), which includes playing time. How a coach or manager expresses how they handle this obligation prior to accepting payment will determine if there is harmony (and understanding) on their team.

 

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I need to ask for an opinion on this due to financial problems I was unable to go with my dd to nsa nationals in south carolina last season. I got updates every day about the second day my dd calls and says dad i have not got to play at all yet.I tell her not to worry she will get to play this goes on all week onthe final day my dd is in tears when she calls and says they lost and will be home later that night when she got home she informs me that during the week long tourny she only played about a total of 5 to 6 innings spread out through the week needless to say I was furious I did not pay for her to play and expect this especially at her first nationals she has played travel ball for three years now and this season was the first she hardly had any playing time. the manager is a great guy and very good teacher to the girls , but the coaches he has chosen were the type that if you were not one of his favorites you got loked down upon we are talking parents and players just would like to know what other people think of this am i just a p@#$#@@$ed off parent or were the coaches right.

My DD went to nationals and was pulled out of games (where she was performing well) to give other girls needed playing time and their parents the chance to see them play too. It's all part of being a team. I feel bad for any kid who sat for a week at the World Series and never saw the field. It's an experience that they should remember all their lives and a chance to measure yourself and your team against some of the best talent out there and see how you fare. I truly feel bad for girls who would have it dangled in front of them and not have gotten the opportunity to compete.

 

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i guess this is the direction its going i just want to say i am in favor of all girls getting adequate playing time.i guess the opinion i had and will stick with is every girl will get playing time some more than others but all will get half or close to half of the innings just not necessarily where they want to play but in my defense we were pretty honest about this at tryouts and practices.i feel for some of your stories and would not wish those on anyone.

 

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we have been with this organization since dd started travel ball love the orginization but very un happy with the coaches on dd team last year will be going elsewhere if changes are not made.

 

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This truly is a game of give and take, when being a member of any team. Between the players, parents, and the coaching staff. The Players, Play! the Parents Pay! and the Coaches Pay Dearly! (at times)

I'm certain we adults, in our childhood played on some type of sports team.
Did we get equal playing time back then?

I know that I didn't! Did I have Fun? Yes! Did my parents complain back then about the Coach? No! Did my parents complain back then about my playing time? No!
Why is That?.... I don't have that answer, But it might be worth looking into!

Is there an Answer to resolve eveyone's problems? Not likely!
Is there a Happy Medium? Maybe!

It's been 30+ plus years since I have been on a Football Team, and I remember mostly
the Fun and Funny times we had as a Team. I know that I sat the bench, but I never held a grudge against any of the team or the coaching staff.

In the mean time could I suggest a good read, about what it takes to build a TEAM!

The Forming ? Storming ? Norming ? Performing model of group development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forming-storming-norming-performing
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/tuckman.htm


Nothing in Life is Free, They even Tax us when we Die!

FASTPITCH! Anything else, And you're playing to SLOW!

 

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blue give us a break

 

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blue give us a break

In reference? A break of my Kit-Kat Bar, What?;&




FASTPITCH! Anything else, And you're playing to SLOW!

 

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Times have changed from your bench sitting days Blue Forty years ago when I was playing ball, they cut kids! Everyone didn't play! Most parents didn't have the time to take each one of their many children to each sport they wanted to play. They didn't have $300.00 to spend on a bat, $80.00 to glove, $60.00 for cleats and countless dollars on private lessons. Today you have Rec ball where EVERYONE plays no matter how bad they are So the kids who in my day would have been the only kids on the team, go some place where they have some control of who plays. How is this controlled, MONEY. The kids who's parents have the cash, time and other resources want their child to play and play all the time. I don't know how many times I have heard" I have spent a lot of money on _____ lessons, my kid better be the #1." I know a lot of girls who are good athletes and would make a travel team, can't because they don't have the resources to compete! So they are stuck on a rec team with little DD that really shouldn't be there and probably doesn't want to be in the first place. However, you don't give them their playing time, look out!!!!!!!!!!! When coaches add DD to ease fees, they do a disjustice to everyone! When parents look at the team and notice, there are 12 or more DD on a team, they need to talk to the coach and see what role their DD is to play. There needs to be OPEN communication between parents, coaches and players. If everyone knows up front what their role is , things should run somewhat smoother! Answer to playing time is, If you pay the fee, attend all the practices, and are on the eligible list at game time, YOU PLAY THE SAME as everyone else! Bottom line..... A coach should NEVER sacrifice a kid to win a game! I guess the break Fstptchbat was talking about is, we don't want to read how some guy working with the Navy, gives us the building blocks on how to build a team, we want what is right for our DD.... Although a frozen Kit Kat bar does tickle my fancy;&

 

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Times have changed from your bench sitting days Blue Forty years ago when I was playing ball, they cut kids! Everyone didn't play! Most parents didn't have the time to take each one of their many children to each sport they wanted to play. They didn't have $300.00 to spend on a bat, $80.00 to glove, $60.00 for cleats and countless dollars on private lessons. Today you have Rec ball where EVERYONE plays no matter how bad they are So the kids who in my day would have been the only kids on the team, go some place where they have some control of who plays. How is this controlled, MONEY. The kids who's parents have the cash, time and other resources want their child to play and play all the time. I don't know how many times I have heard" I have spent a lot of money on _____ lessons, my kid better be the #1." I know a lot of girls who are good athletes and would make a travel team, can't because they don't have the resources to compete! So they are stuck on a rec team with little DD that really shouldn't be there and probably doesn't want to be in the first place. However, you don't give them their playing time, look out!!!!!!!!!!! When coaches add DD to ease fees, they do a disjustice to everyone! When parents look at the team and notice, there are 12 or more DD on a team, they need to talk to the coach and see what role their DD is to play. There needs to be OPEN communication between parents, coaches and players. If everyone knows up front what their role is , things should run somewhat smoother! Answer to playing time is, If you pay the fee, attend all the practices, and are on the eligible list at game time, YOU PLAY THE SAME as everyone else! Bottom line..... A coach should NEVER sacrifice a kid to win a game! I guess the break Fstptchbat was talking about is, we don't want to read how some guy working with the Navy, gives us the building blocks on how to build a team, we want what is right for our DD.... Although a frozen Kit Kat bar does tickle my fancy;&

LOL! On the Navy. Marine Col. Danny R. Bupb a close friend of mine who just got back from Iraq in Dec. would enjoy that one! I never had the oppurtunity to play on any Travel Team, while most of the boys in town were throwing baseballs, in the summer, my brothers and I were throwing bales of hay on the farm. I was able to play Football as it was in the fall of the year and that was for H.S. I agree with what you are saying, But it seems that there is just no easy answer to make everyone happy nowadays is all.

Now! what do I do with the buddy who is a Navy Seal and still active?;&

FASTPITCH! Anything else, And you're playing to SLOW!

 

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Times have changed from your bench sitting days Blue Forty years ago when I was playing ball, they cut kids! Everyone didn't play! Most parents didn't have the time to take each one of their many children to each sport they wanted to play. They didn't have $300.00 to spend on a bat, $80.00 to glove, $60.00 for cleats and countless dollars on private lessons. Today you have Rec ball where EVERYONE plays no matter how bad they are So the kids who in my day would have been the only kids on the team, go some place where they have some control of who plays. How is this controlled, MONEY. The kids who's parents have the cash, time and other resources want their child to play and play all the time. I don't know how many times I have heard" I have spent a lot of money on _____ lessons, my kid better be the #1." I know a lot of girls who are good athletes and would make a travel team, can't because they don't have the resources to compete! So they are stuck on a rec team with little DD that really shouldn't be there and probably doesn't want to be in the first place. However, you don't give them their playing time, look out!!!!!!!!!!! When coaches add DD to ease fees, they do a disjustice to everyone! When parents look at the team and notice, there are 12 or more DD on a team, they need to talk to the coach and see what role their DD is to play. There needs to be OPEN communication between parents, coaches and players. If everyone knows up front what their role is , things should run somewhat smoother! Answer to playing time is, If you pay the fee, attend all the practices, and are on the eligible list at game time, YOU PLAY THE SAME as everyone else! Bottom line..... A coach should NEVER sacrifice a kid to win a game! I guess the break Fstptchbat was talking about is, we don't want to read how some guy working with the Navy, gives us the building blocks on how to build a team, we want what is right for our DD.... Although a frozen Kit Kat bar does tickle my fancy;&

The majority of your post I agree with. However, "YOU PLAY THE SAME as everyone else!" defeats the purpose of why we have tryouts. As a coach/manager, you should have tryouts to fill needs on your team. If you take a DD that does not fill a need on your team, then you run into problems. The very idea of travel is that each DD has a role to fill for the ultimate success of the team. If you select DD's to fill these roles then there will be no problem in getting each of them adequate playing time. You are upfront and honest with the DD and parents, letting them know the role their DD is going to play, there should be no problems. This does not mean equal time, but it does mean adequate time for each DD on the team.

 

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So unless your team is that good that you consistently blow out or wrap up games, you will have a few girls mostly on the bench watching with their parents subsidizing the team?? Any parent that puts up with that is a smuck. JMHO

I would have to agree

 

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Now! what do I do with the buddy who is a Navy Seal and still active?;&

You buy him a beer,tell him thanks for his service and hope your President keeps his campaign promise;&

 

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I think one of THE singe most difficult challenges a coach faces in select/travel softball is getting players and parents to understand the importance of roles players will play on the team. Before someone states that this is another way of establishing some players as bench players...I don't believe that is the case. Every family's money is just as good as the next, so I will borrow a quote from Johnnies a while back....I select 12 starters-not 9 starters and 3 bench players.

The cold hard facts are that only 9 positions are available at one time. Some players will always out-perform others and will likely almost always be on the field. Some players will share innings. The sharing of innings is where I think the understanding of roles come into play. Hopefully the latter will work hard with a good attitude and improve their role.

The thing is...every role of each player is critical to the team's success.

 

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That I understand rollwiththechanges but do you think it is fair or appropriate for a girl to go to a week long tourny and only get 4 to 5 innings during the whole week ?

 

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fstptchbat....first of all...OH.....

Absolutely not...an ideal scenario would be to be very strong up the middle on defense. I think it is best to have a C,SS,2B & CF that are solid and would likely be on the field 85-90% of the time. That leaves 4 defensive positions (Not incl. pitcher) where 5 or 6 players can play valuable roles on the team. If a team plays 5,6 or 7 games in a weekend's tournament a player could be on the field 15 to 20 innings and that is not even taking into account what players can contribute with a bat in their hands. I think if a coach is really fortunate, he/she may have a player or two that is capable in one of the "up the middle" positions.

I will say again that I think it is the biggest challenge a coach faces. The only thing that would be more difficult would be to truly have 12 players that are equally strong in every way...Wow! How would you keep everyone happy then.

I think if you could truly get players and parents to buy into the "being a teammate" concept and all working together with success as the goal...you would truly just be playing the game. As a coach, the key is to make each player aware of their role and truly be open to adjustments as some players work harder to improve their role...

In the end, despite best efforts...because of personalities...I don't think 100% satisfaction is achievable.

 

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There in lies the rub(itsaoutthegame) What is adequate playing time? If you knew up front that your DD would get 75% of scheduled inning played, would that be okay with you? Would 60% keep you? Again, it's all about communication and the coach doing his due diligence when selecting DD! Now what DD's can do and what parents should insist on is, play the position the coach asks you to and give 110%. No more complaining when you don't get the position you want!

 

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Hang in there fstptchbat! Don't take this the wrong way but I think both our daughters are in the same boat...They aren't the standout stars of the team, they don't have their parents in the coaches face trying to get on their good side. They show up early for all practices and games, they come ready to play,they are coach able,they have both a head and heart for the game of softball,they do what ever is asked of them, they can put on the glove and go to what ever position a coach asked them to play and ALWAYS give it 110%. They are well rounded DD and are what all coaches are looking for! Sad thing is, often times they are overlooked for the above mentioned qualities

 

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I have 11 players on my team, and we are traveling to OH from PA to play this coming weekend. I started looking pretty hard at my lineup combinations last night. The playing time issue becomes extremely difficult when you have only 8 positions in the field available to fill - no right fielder at Spano for 16U!

I will still shoot for everyone to play at least two-thirds of the innings. The families are paying good money to travel, compete, have fun, and get better. I'm just glad I don't have 12 on the roster this weekend!

 

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All of this discussion shows how important it is to get on the same page as the coach before you get on a team about what's really important to you and your daughter. Don't assume that coach will have the same philosophy as you, or that of other coaches you've had. Hopefully the coach will communicate to everyone proactively about the way they operate, but if not you should talk to them individually before you accept a position on the roster. If the coach then doesn't follow what he or she told you, then you should ask to meet with them after a game to peacefully and respectfully discuss where there are differences or issues, and address things before they get worse.

 

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All of this discussion shows how important it is to get on the same page as the coach before you get on a team about what's really important to you and your daughter. Don't assume that coach will have the same philosophy as you, or that of other coaches you've had. Hopefully the coach will communicate to everyone proactively about the way they operate, but if not you should talk to them individually before you accept a position on the roster. If the coach then doesn't follow what he or she told you, then you should ask to meet with them after a game to peacefully and respectfully discuss where there are differences or issues, and address things before they get worse.

Amen!