The dilemma of changing softball travel teams during the travel seasons the why, when and how.

[WeAskYou]

Many have face this dilemma during your daughter fastpitch softball career. You've been thru numerous tryouts in search for the right softball team for your daughter, she now playing with a softball program that you believe will offer the most benefits for your daughter.

Now your facing a real dilemma, you've been waiting patiently for changes, but now your daughter playing in her third softball tournament of the season and you realize you most likely won't see any changes. Now its decision-making time you don't want to make the situation worst for your daughter and you don't want to be unprofessional during the decision process.

To get the discussion started let's look at some examples of why, when and how to leave a softball program. As other members add to the discussion it should help turn your dilemma into something manageable for your daughter, her current team and the team she looking to join.

Why you should leave?

1.) Lack of playing time, no parents is willing to incurre the same expense as everyone else to only watch your daughter not play.

2.) Being lied too by the Coaching Staff.


When should you leave.

1.) If examples number #3 above is true and you have voices your concerns with the Coaching Staff and nothing has changed (It's time to leave).

2.) Lack of playing time, if your daughter is playing less then 30% of available playing time (It's time to leave).

How you should leave.

* Remember how you leave could be more important then why you leave.

1.) Once you have voice your concerns with the Coaching Staff and nothing has been done. I would highly recommended you write the Coaching Staff a letter stated your concerns and reasons for leaving your daughter current softball team. Keep the letter simply and just point out your concerns, I would thanks them for given your daughter a chance to play and wish them good luck.

If there truly was nothing you or your daughter did to contribute to this situation sometimes leaving is the best thing to do.

Coaches, Parents and players please feel free to add your experience and examples on why, when and how to leave your current softball program in the middle of the season.

My daughter was faced with this difficult decision early on during her softball career. She was playing her first year of travel ball as a 10 under on a 12 under team and she was the best hitter on the team and one of the top 4 players on the team and the best catcher on the team. But it didn't matter how she performed on the diamond, she wasn't going to get fair playing time due to most of the players being friends. She wanted to stick it out for the seasons and did but as the season press on she played less and less at ever tournament. The final tournament she played with this program, she only played 6 innings out of 5 games. The program never made it past the minimum game guaranteed in any tournament they played. Unfortunately they had a group of about 4 girls that were all gamers but they had very limited playing time. It was kind of hard to watch and keep my mouth shut but I did. Looking back now I wish my daughter would have left the program. But it was her decision.

 

[wow]

Very loaded question for a first post and you're a moderator. First off Welcome to the forum.

Leaving in the middle of the season is not a good thing, however there are reasons it is done. The problem is it sets a bad precedent about commitment and values for your DD. This is a difficult decision each family has to make on their own. Above you state in the "When you should leave " section #3, however there is not number #3? did I miss it? Not sure either of those reasons, you stated, are sufficient to leave. Think about the other kids n the team. Seems like the main reasons you are citing above are lack of playing time and being lied to about playing time. My suggestion is make your DD the best player she can be. Make such a contribution the team cant afford to play her 30% of the time.

Being a 10U on a 12U team is still VERY developmental stage.

I would say playing time is NOT a reason to leave its a reason to get better!


Not sure if your trying to justify leaving due to playing time or trying to create a dialogue about when its time to leave a team in the middle of the season? In the post above I don't see any reason to leave this team.

I think you made the right decision, by staying, and I would ask where is yr DD now? Is she better due to the situation? Some times out of the darkness there is light! There is no replacement for learning from a bad experience.

 

[WeAskYou]

Very loaded question for a first post and you're a moderator. First off Welcome to the forum.

Yes I'm a moderator, I won't be the type of moderator that delete post or make decision on other people's post, just more convenient for myself.

My daughter has told me looking back she would have left the team knowing what she knows now. She felt it cost her about 1 1/2 year of developing game situation awareness. She had a very successful softball career and started a coaching carrer after she graduated.

Lack of playing time is a very good reason to leave at the younger age group. It's all about game situations, players can't pick that up riding the bench.

 

[Bat Dad]

I must be feeling in a debating sort of mind these days as it's my second post in two days, must be all this rain. While I agree that everyone should try to get better and find reasons to continue to develop regardless of current ability, the OP did point out that his DD was the best hitter on the team and the best catcher on the team and one of the top four players on the team, despite being 10 years old and playing up at 12u. Now I might be a na?ve wild eyed optimist but one would think that coaches in most situations if they were to see that they have a player of that caliber that that same player would get playing time commensurate with their ability.
Isn't that as parents what we would expect to see happen even if our kid is not among the top four players? Wouldn't we use that as a teaching moment for our child to explain to them that the reason that they are not getting the playing time but perhaps they think they should get is that because there are players on the team that are simply better than them at this point?
To me that's a slamdunk easy lesson to explain to a child, just look around and watch the other players and if your child (meaning any child) has a dedication to the game they will be able to be honest with themselves about where they need to improve - and how they stack up against their teammates .
So back to the OP, we have a girl that is near the top of the team in every measurable sense and the coaches are overlooking that fact to have others play instead. And there are some things in a presumption of skill level that can be ascertained with the eye test and others that are cold hard facts that can be found should the scorekeeping being kept on GameChanger or a similar platform.

So as parents do we approach the coach in a professional and polite manner and present them with stats with regard to pop time and batting average and on base percentage and whatever we can research out? Or should I as a parent (meaning any parent) decide to do that at their own peril? And furthermore do they leave the team at perhaps their own peril as well? It's a small softball world and I can't imagine that people don't talk .

... and once again I have successfully straddled the fence without offering a shred as to what my actual opinion is and would prefer to sit back and watch others fight it out LOL

Bat Dad

 

[Fairman]

We wasted two complete seasons being on the wrong teams. You can't get that time back.

I won't go into the causes and reasons we were there but both were bad experiences and my dd did not develop as we had hoped.
Fortunately we finally found a team for her final two years of travel which was all we could have hoped for and made up some lost ground and rekindled

We stuck with both teams to the bitter (And I mean very bitter) end. Knowing what I know now, I would try pick up the warning signs sooner and begin to explore options in January. The way the coaches treated my dd and the way some of the mean girls behaved was evident in those winter workouts. Jumping ship at that time would have not been very disruptive to the teams she left and could have benefitted the team she might have joined and ultimately p[roved a benefit to her. Staying put almost drove her out of softball.