Seen this from 3 three sides and have an opinion

[manitoudan]

, you may agree , you may disagree .. I've seen HS programs soooooo bad anyone that respects the game would want to run from them BUT ... Ok here goes .. I've been the hot shot travel ball dad , Lil DD was a ASA state champ , played most of her 14u games at 16 and 18u , I've been a college assistant at a place that was turning things around , I've been the HS dad , I'm currently a HS assistant on a very good team which leads me to say this ..

When you are playing HS ball leave your travel team logo stuff behind , no one cares if you are Bandit or a Laser or a Ray or whatever . I saw a HS team where 7 players wore their travel ball colored logo batting helmet , to me , and it might be just me , wear whatever the school issues . School ball can be rough , I've been there .. But that just isnt the time to showcase whatever level you are at . JMHO ..

Secondly I see TONS of social media where players and most certainly parents stating after a HS loss " I CANT WAIT TIL SUMMER BALL STARTS " well guess what .. you are going to lose some there too. And girls are going to make errors there , and throw to the wrong base there , and the rest of us trying like hell to win at the HS level dont need you Lording over us like your travel team is 1/2 Oklahoma and 1/2 UCLA . Get over your self please . Ok rant over

 

[manitoudan]

LOL , the old timers will probably say " boy he sang a different tune 10 years ago" And i did ... I was " that dad " and i regret like it like crazy

 

[yocoach]

Yeah...here's the problem. I coach both HS and TB. The HS team has a total of 10 players. Out of the 10, 7 are Freshman, 1 Sophomore, 1 Junior and 1 Senior. Out of those, 6 have never played the game before. They've never thrown, caught or hit a live pitched ball until day 1 of practice. The Junior has 1 year of TB experience but hasn't played the game since Freshman year. The other 3 are rec players including the Freshman pitcher and catcher. The rec league feeder system is pretty much non-existent. I went to watch a 14U practice, their coach recognized me and said "HI." Followed by, "I have no idea whatsoever what I'm doing." She had an orange traffic cone that the girls used as a tee and they hit wiffle balls off of it into the field so at least the girls can make some sort of play. Only 2 of those girls had bats...aluminum Walley World bats at that and only 1 girl had a glove. The HS has no gear at all except one batters helmet. The team uses the equipment that I use for my TB team...my tees, my balls, my hitting nets, my pitching machine for outfield practice and a slew of other things. I bought 3 composite team bats with my own money for the HS team since a majority didn't have one and those that did, had the Walmart specials. The booster club disbanded years ago so there is no money at all let alone support from the AD. After he spent $300 of the $1000 budgeted for the team on game balls, I asked if I could spend the rest of the money at Dick's for some much needed equipment. The answer I got was, "What money?" I could go on and on but I think you get the gist.

The long and short of it is this. There is zero support in that town for softball. We've canceled at least 3 games this year due to lack of players because they were trying out for drill line, cheerleading, band, other sports and numerous other things. Needless to say, we are 1-12. The girls have made huge strides this season but we're still very young. At least they're having fun and learning a lot. So if the worst thing you can complain about is TB helmets and social media posts, consider yourself extremely lucky.

 

[AnotherSoftballDad]

, you may agree , you may disagree .. I've seen HS programs soooooo bad anyone that respects the game would want to run from them BUT ... Ok here goes .. I've been the hot shot travel ball dad , Lil DD was a ASA state champ , played most of her 14u games at 16 and 18u , I've been a college assistant at a place that was turning things around , I've been the HS dad , I'm currently a HS assistant on a very good team which leads me to say this ..

When you are playing HS ball leave your travel team logo stuff behind , no one cares if you are Bandit or a Laser or a Ray or whatever . I saw a HS team where 7 players wore their travel ball colored logo batting helmet , to me , and it might be just me , wear whatever the school issues . School ball can be rough , I've been there .. But that just isnt the time to showcase whatever level you are at . JMHO ..

Secondly I see TONS of social media where players and most certainly parents stating after a HS loss " I CANT WAIT TIL SUMMER BALL STARTS " well guess what .. you are going to lose some there too. And girls are going to make errors there , and throw to the wrong base there , and the rest of us trying like hell to win at the HS level dont need you Lording over us like your travel team is 1/2 Oklahoma and 1/2 UCLA . Get over your self please . Ok rant over

I definitely agree with the last part.....but there are quite a few schools that don't budget or issue batting helmets and the kids are responsible for their own. Granted some might be doing exactly what you mentioned (showcasing the travel team) but more than people might think, some programs don't budget and issue batting helmets, so they wear what they have.

 

[Captain_Thunder]

How bout the parents!!!???
I was at a high school game last week with 2 of the stronger programs in the state.
2 dad's, one from each team were both decked out in their daughter's Travel teams spirit wear! WHY???
I Def don't get that...
And I thought they looked silly too...

 

[DanMaz]

our school never had issued helmets so the girls did wear their own. we had 4 or 5 travel players when my kids played. but the helmets didnt matter.... their skills and leadership was enough to set the tone with the team and it worked out fine for the most part.

 

[Pitchermom]

• My daughter’s team does not issue helmets. I think there’s one, maybe two, team helmets. Which of course isn’t even enough. But she’s also had her own since t-ball because I’m paranoid about lice, so she’s not about to start sharing now. So she wears her travel ball helmet, which is luckily black with just a small logo. Carries her travel ball bag too, also black. Other than that, though, she’s all in HS team attire and colors. We’re not quite as bad as what’s going on at yocoach’s school but it’s close and inching even further that way.

 

[penguinswin]

Yeah...here's the problem. I coach both HS and TB. The HS team has a total of 10 players. Out of the 10, 7 are Freshman, 1 Sophomore, 1 Junior and 1 Senior. Out of those, 6 have never played the game before. They've never thrown, caught or hit a live pitched ball until day 1 of practice. The Junior has 1 year of TB experience but hasn't played the game since Freshman year. The other 3 are rec players including the Freshman pitcher and catcher. The rec league feeder system is pretty much non-existent. I went to watch a 14U practice, their coach recognized me and said "HI." Followed by, "I have no idea whatsoever what I'm doing." She had an orange traffic cone that the girls used as a tee and they hit wiffle balls off of it into the field so at least the girls can make some sort of play. Only 2 of those girls had bats...aluminum Walley World bats at that and only 1 girl had a glove. The HS has no gear at all except one batters helmet. The team uses the equipment that I use for my TB team...my tees, my balls, my hitting nets, my pitching machine for outfield practice and a slew of other things. I bought 3 composite team bats with my own money for the HS team since a majority didn't have one and those that did, had the Walmart specials. The booster club disbanded years ago so there is no money at all let alone support from the AD. After he spent $300 of the $1000 budgeted for the team on game balls, I asked if I could spend the rest of the money at Dick's for some much needed equipment. The answer I got was, "What money?" I could go on and on but I think you get the gist.

The long and short of it is this. There is zero support in that town for softball. We've canceled at least 3 games this year due to lack of players because they were trying out for drill line, cheerleading, band, other sports and numerous other things. Needless to say, we are 1-12. The girls have made huge strides this season but we're still very young. At least they're having fun and learning a lot. So if the worst thing you can complain about is TB helmets and social media posts, you should feel extremely lucky.

My daughter is only a freshman playing JV, but our V team usually plays the same school on the other field, and VERY few teams (JV or V) have their own team batting helmets, bat bags, etc... In fact, even our team gear (uniforms, jackets, etc...) all looked to be at least 5+ years old on JV and a little less on V. I think the difference is in TB you pay for the matching gear every year, where as a lot of HS teams have a smaller budget by comparison. Heck our JV coaches are the grounds crews for the diamonds, LOL!

 

[daboss]

[QUOTE="yocoach, post: The long and short of it is this. There is zero support in that town for softball. We've canceled at least 3 games this year due to lack of players because they were trying out for drill line, cheerleading, band, other sports and numerous other things. Needless to say, we are 1-12. The girls have made huge strides this season but we're still very young. At least they're having fun and learning a lot. So if the worst thing you can complain about is TB helmets and social media posts, consider yourself extremely lucky.[/QUOTE]

It's so hard to witness a flailing program as the staff tries so hard to make positive strides but your statement includes a sentence that cannot be ignored. "At least they're having fun and learning a lot" speaks volumes for your efforts. This in a nutshell gives somebody hope. You have to keep trying. Chances of winning the league or a State championship won't happen but the memories and life lessons thru the involvement in the sport can make a difference---------a positive difference in how it shapes their approach to real life situations.

There are many small town programs, even some big school programs, that mirror your description of softball in your area. We know how great this sport can be to the community and it is people like yourself that can make it happen. Somebody has to try. Thank you for what you are doing.

While others bash local REC programs we need them to inspire the kids to participate. The love for the game comes at a young age. Community support will help motivate the kids and that starts at home by getting the family to buy into what could be. The game is entertaining and it takes the girls having fun to initiate the desire to play. Kids want their families to come watch them. There's the support. They try out for drill team and cheerleading because they thirst to be noticed. They have a captive audience, perhaps for other reasons, yet they are there. It completes a much larger picture and they can feel appreciated.

How can things be turned around? It begins at the T-ball level but you know this. Teaching the parents and the "would be" coaches the game will speak volumes for the entire program. This is where you start, by planting the seed. Hopefully with help you can keep the weeds out and get the sport to grow. Just as you teach your players, don't give up. There's always hope.

 

[DanMaz]

,

Secondly I see TONS of social media where players and most certainly parents stating after a HS loss " I CANT WAIT TIL SUMMER BALL STARTS " well guess what .. you are going to lose some there too. And girls are going to make errors there , and throw to the wrong base there , and the rest of us trying like hell to win at the HS level dont need you Lording over us like your travel team is 1/2 Oklahoma and 1/2 UCLA . Get over your self please . Ok rant over

I friggin HATE ALL social media with a passion!!!!!!!!!!

 

[daboss]

, you may agree , you may disagree .. I've seen HS programs soooooo bad anyone that respects the game would want to run from them BUT ... Ok here goes .. I've been the hot shot travel ball dad , Lil DD was a ASA state champ , played most of her 14u games at 16 and 18u , I've been a college assistant at a place that was turning things around , I've been the HS dad , I'm currently a HS assistant on a very good team which leads me to say this ..

When you are playing HS ball leave your travel team logo stuff behind , no one cares if you are Bandit or a Laser or a Ray or whatever . I saw a HS team where 7 players wore their travel ball colored logo batting helmet , to me , and it might be just me , wear whatever the school issues . School ball can be rough , I've been there .. But that just isnt the time to showcase whatever level you are at . JMHO ..

Secondly I see TONS of social media where players and most certainly parents stating after a HS loss " I CANT WAIT TIL SUMMER BALL STARTS " well guess what .. you are going to lose some there too. And girls are going to make errors there , and throw to the wrong base there , and the rest of us trying like hell to win at the HS level dont need you Lording over us like your travel team is 1/2 Oklahoma and 1/2 UCLA . Get over your self please . Ok rant over

I think there are a few on here missing the true message in your post as they skim into posts about kids having their own helmets. This isn't about the helmets or the bat bags. This is about a staff trying to develop the school program into the the same cultural acceptance that puts them at the same recognizable level of other premier programs at the school. If you want the softball program to achieve the same level of respect, a team unity and display needs to be uniform across the board.

If you are playing for your school program, in essence you are representing the community. It's not about you. You need to be "All In" if for no other reason than a show of respect for the coaching staff, the school, and the surrounding community. They are your peers. They are your neighbors. They are your friends beyond the field of play.

Travel ball is great. I'm a travel ball person. I still understand the need for the values we are teaching our youth. Travel ball may expand the learning curve for many. Perhaps some of the coaches are actually better than school coaches. Facts are you get what you pay for and school programs, not always free, still have a place in teaching core values and life lessons. Many of those same values are not going to be learned if you make it out to be about you. Wearing your travel ball stuff to school functions is perceived as disrespectful by many.

In our district you would never see the girls on the basketball team wearing their AAU stuff to a game nor would you see such a display at a volleyball event. They would never show up for practice or a scrimmage sporting this stuff without damaging the team concept of unity. In most cases it's quite the opposite. Go to the AAU event and you'll find the kids wearing the school colors or using their school bag. They are displaying their pride in their roots. If you want the school program to have the same level of acceptance in the community, it needs to display the same level of respect of the community.

Do your school program a favor. Leave the travel stuff at home. Support the program you have willfully joined to participate. Quit making it out to be all about you and accept your roll in the community. If you have a limited budget and say you can only afford what it takes to support 1 program, choose your school colors, your school logo, and display to your neighbors your pride in the community. They are the ones around you daily. They were your social family before you ever got involved in travel ball. Those friends of your daughters will be there till they walk in a cap and gown. If you can't do this without conveying your desire to be done with them and you can't wait for summer ball, than don't do it at all.

Your neighborhood doesn't need to be constantly reminded that they aren't as good as you. Your school doesn't need to be reminded that you don't care about them. It's not always about you...................

 

[DanMaz]

i think some people get butt hurt over things that really are meaningless... every program is different. every school is different. every situation is different. some HS coaches are good, some are the math teacher that knows zero about the sport. lets not put all travel ball players into one group because actions of some. you dont have to play for your school if you dont want to.

my kids and other players wore their travel helmets because there are none issued by the school... not because they wanted to boast. and no, we weren't going to buy a generic helmet to appease some people. We had to pay to play the sport and not spending more on gear because someone doesn't want to see a travelball helmet. one thing i always told my kids and players... be humble. You wont need to say a thing. Play the game and your actions and the way you carry yourself will say enough.

 

[HITTER23]

When my daughters played , the school program wasnt first on the budget list, the helmets were 10 yrs old scuffed up, out of date, some missing padding inside. As a matter of safety AND hygiene (4 helmets for everyone) they wore their travel helmets. Like mentioned earlier, their mother wanted nothing to do with possible lice and mandated it herself. It didnt have anything to do with boasting about playing travel or showing anyone up, everyone already knew who played . In fact most of the players went out and bought their own helmets.

 

[manitoudan]

I never considered schools not issuing helmets , obviously you have to wear what you have in that case .. but yes , School ball is about repping' your school and your team mates who are essentially your neighbors . I've been a travel ball supporter my entire life , and still am , but HS ball isn't the place to showcase who your travel team is . Daboss surmised my pointy better than I did myself , I'm in a spot trying to build support for the HS team , in an area where hoops is King , Queen , Court and the fans , but when you sign up to play softball for your HS team , then fully support it . We have starters going to open gym for basketball currently , we had one of our best hitter miss a game for an out of state AAU hoops tourney on a Friday Pm . ..so dont do that , dont placed your loyalties anywhere other than the current team you play for .

 

[snoman76]

LOL , the old timers will probably say " boy he sang a different tune 10 years ago" And i did ... I was " that dad " and i regret like it like crazy

I'm pretty sure most of us were "that Dad" to some degree. lol

 

[penguinswin]

i think some people get butt hurt over things that really are meaningless... every program is different. every school is different. every situation is different. some HS coaches are good, some are the math teacher that knows zero about the sport. lets not put all travel ball players into one group because actions of some. you dont have to play for your school if you dont want to.

my kids and other players wore their travel helmets because there are none issued by the school... not because they wanted to boast. and no, we weren't going to buy a generic helmet to appease some people. We had to pay to play the sport and not spending more on gear because someone doesn't want to see a travelball helmet. one thing i always told my kids and players... be humble. You wont need to say a thing. Play the game and your actions and the way you carry yourself will say enough.

My daughter and a couple of other girls were told because their travel ball helmets clashed with school colors they were not allowed to wear their travel ball helmets... it's kind of ridiculous if you aren't handing out school ones, IMHO

 

[Tallmadge Force Gold]

Secondly I see TONS of social media where players and most certainly parents stating after a HS loss " I CANT WAIT TIL SUMMER BALL STARTS " well guess what .. you are going to lose some there too. And girls are going to make errors there , and throw to the wrong base there , and the rest of us trying like hell to win at the HS level dont need you Lording over us like your travel team is 1/2 Oklahoma and 1/2 UCLA . Get over your self please . Ok rant over

This I totally agree with. IMO, Summer ball is about the name on the back of the jersey. Tournaments are a blur. We've won some, had some very bad showings. Can't remember the name of any of them. HS ball is the one that matters. Win a State Championship in HS and people will remember decades later. Win any travel ball championship and most people will look at you like you are from Mars when you tell them about the accomplishment.

Put it in another context, think about the friend that tells you they won a JO volleyball tournament or some travel soccer tournament. Your response is usually an underwhelming "wow". The same people tell you they won an OHSAA championship in that sport and you know that it is a real accomplishment beating out 100s of teams with strict rules about who can play (no borrowing players for this weekend's tournament).

HS ball takes a community to build a program. It's not easy and takes years to accomplish. People take pride because it is their community.

As to the helmets, this is the reason that wearing the school gear is more important than wearing the TB gear. Take pride in the community first and this HS can turn into something special.

 

[yocoach]

It's so hard to witness a flailing program as the staff tries so hard to make positive strides but your statement includes a sentence that cannot be ignored. "At least they're having fun and learning a lot" speaks volumes for your efforts. This in a nutshell gives somebody hope. You have to keep trying. Chances of winning the league or a State championship won't happen but the memories and life lessons thru the involvement in the sport can make a difference---------a positive difference in how it shapes their approach to real life situations.

There are many small town programs, even some big school programs, that mirror your description of softball in your area. We know how great this sport can be to the community and it is people like yourself that can make it happen. Somebody has to try. Thank you for what you are doing.

While others bash local REC programs we need them to inspire the kids to participate. The love for the game comes at a young age. Community support will help motivate the kids and that starts at home by getting the family to buy into what could be. The game is entertaining and it takes the girls having fun to initiate the desire to play. Kids want their families to come watch them. There's the support. They try out for drill team and cheerleading because they thirst to be noticed. They have a captive audience, perhaps for other reasons, yet they are there. It completes a much larger picture and they can feel appreciated.

How can things be turned around? It begins at the T-ball level but you know this. Teaching the parents and the "would be" coaches the game will speak volumes for the entire program. This is where you start, by planting the seed. Hopefully with help you can keep the weeds out and get the sport to grow. Just as you teach your players, don't give up. There's always hope.

I agree. The rec league is next on the agenda with coach's clinics to be scheduled and some players clinics with the HS team helping out, Finally got the Booster club going and they're fundraising as we speak. Hopefully they'll be able to raise enough to get matching helmets and batpacks for every current and incoming player. But we need new uniforms badly. They have to come first. We're mot due for 2 more years and they only order whatever is rostered on the current team that year. That means if we had 12 that year, they'll order 12 and God forbid if we have 19 the following year because we'll be relegated to wearing the 25 year old uniforms which there are 20 of.

 

[Passion4theGame]

I 100% agree. Don’t wear travel attire to a HS game. I also feel ALL schools should do as my daughters school (Lancaster) and a few others do out there. After the girls make the team they send out a sheet that shows everything you need to buy to play (plus the $150 pay to play fee). Helmet, socks, belt, visor, and maybe one more item. I feel it’s important for these girls to rep their schools with pride. Parents too. Enjoy it because when they are done and moved on to the next level you may not get to attend or watch all the games.

Personally I am freaking out right now. My DD has one more year of HS ball then she’s off to play at MVNU. Luckily she chose a school close to home so I can watch her for a total of 5 more years. Then the plan is to coach together! That will be a blast! I hope..

Bottom line support the team you are there to watch. If you have an issue with the coaches or feel the team sucks keep it to yourself. Coaching and mentoring these girls is not easy. Many coaches do it as volunteer work to give back to the community. Cut them some slack. Just enjoy the good things and make those memories.

 

[DanMaz]

now that I look back at it I remember we had a coach that would wear his hats with the company he owned which was a Baseball /softball Academy when he coached the High School games and at practices. Same thing as wearing a travel helmet? kinda i guess... but not really.
Our school was pay to play. you paid $200 for every sport for every kid you had. Lets be real, not every sport is created equal. with 3 kids in 3 diff sports each, that is a lot of money ....and now i have to buy complete uniforms too Jeff? lol. there would not be a team in many communities.