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IMHO..."extreme loyalty" can only exist for the coach when each and every player performs as expected and improves as expected (and, of course, the team is winning)...and for the player(s) when they get the play time they expect. I am sure every coach would love to keep a group of girls together year after year. However, there are so many factors which come into play throughout the course of a season which dictate whether a player/family wants to remain with a team as well as whether a coach chooses to offer a spot to players who have played for the team for the past year. Should a coach give preferencial treatment to players who are currently on the team...absolutely! Good communication is so necessary to good coaching (now there's a subject we could all comment on) and if a player is not performing as expected it is the coach's obligation to both the player and the team to express that to the player. That way, if that player does not improve throughout the season, there will be no surprises if said player is not offered a spot for the next year. Both my girls would LOVE to remain on the same teams year after year but they both know they have to earn that loyalty from the coach...and vice versa.
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I thought the Illusion was moving up to 18U? The HOO Prowl was an excellent team that we played at Whitehall. What happened to them?
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the prowl and illusion just dropped the nicknames, from here on out, they'll be referred to as the Growl and the Fusion...i'm waiting for the HOO Force (field) to change their name to HOO Gangrene and it'll be on! (j/k Bo1b!)
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Lol Ray, too much time on your hands? Hasn't school started yet?
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The Marion Diamonds have had very good success in returning players. We had 7 teams last year and 4 of those 7 qualified for Nationals. We are planning on 9 or 10 teams for next summer in all age groups. We are also having great success in keeping existing palyers as well as having new players commit to the Diamonds. We have a great bunch of coaches and we will continue to strive to offer a first class organization. It's all about the girls.
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Too bad. They were an excellent team.
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I think 8 possibly 9. 14U Patchin alone looking at 6 openings. Lost players due to moves up and to far to travel issues.
Hated to see them leave but we perfectly understand with gas $$$ these days.Yes it was impressive to see. I was there in awe. Sad thing is you want to take ALL of them!
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The only word to discribe the girls at the Miami Valley Vipers tryouts today was WOW. 10 u short in numbers but the quality was worth it. 12u some excellent quality also. 14u remarkable talent and excellent numbers. The 15u had the best turnout with some of the best quality I've seen, it's only a shame there will be one team " I would hate to cut any of them". 16u was a close second to the 15u. I would hate to make any of those decisions for any of the teams.
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My daughter who is going to be 12 was on an all 11 year old team last season. Established organization, new coaches and an extrememly talented bunch of girls. By the time the season was over, the experience was so bad I'm certain that at least 7 of the 12 girls didn't even come to tryouts, and it may have been as many as 10 of 12. I wonder how much of the movement is from committing to a team, things not going the way you were told, and people moving on. My family was intending for this team to hopefully be her last move...and it didn't work out. Definately wasn't a good situation.
With that being said, I have attended quite a few tryouts this year, and noticed a couple things. It seemed like there were not a ton of 12 year olds at these tryouts, and the talent level seemed a bit average overall but there were a few studs...maybe I was hoping for all STUDS!! The 13 - 16 year olds seemed like the numbers were huge, and there was some serious talent there...serious STUDS! 17 and 18's seemed a bit scarce, but I've never noticed a ton of them at tryouts anyway. There were more 10's then I remember in the past, some really good ones too. I actually saw an 8 year old lefty slapper! She was running and slapping...it was unbelievable! I told my 12 year old, I would've taken her on my 10U team 2 years ago. She was amazing!
With that being said, I have attended quite a few tryouts this year, and noticed a couple things. It seemed like there were not a ton of 12 year olds at these tryouts, and the talent level seemed a bit average overall but there were a few studs...maybe I was hoping for all STUDS!! The 13 - 16 year olds seemed like the numbers were huge, and there was some serious talent there...serious STUDS! 17 and 18's seemed a bit scarce, but I've never noticed a ton of them at tryouts anyway. There were more 10's then I remember in the past, some really good ones too. I actually saw an 8 year old lefty slapper! She was running and slapping...it was unbelievable! I told my 12 year old, I would've taken her on my 10U team 2 years ago. She was amazing!
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You are right David, forcing a player to make that type of a decision is just absurd. We lost players around here due to that exact thing. Kids being asked, if we offer you now will you accept, and if they don't, not getting an offer.We have also have lost players because we've been a little slow in making offers, and none of our coaches put a pressure deadline on players. I think there are going to be a BUNCH of players/parents really wondering what they've done in the end. This is as bad as the "jump an organization a year" people out there. Very discouraging to say the least. This has gone WAY beyond organizations wanting good teams, this also have a BIG money factor to it.
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Last season my daughter moved up from 10U. One of the 11 year old teams we tried out for, the coach called us the same evening of the tryout and needed our decision right then. I told him we still had a couple more tryouts to go to, and he was adamant about needing a decision right away. So I told him if we had to chose now it would be a no, and that was it. I thought that was a bit quick for needing a decision, tryout that day and tell them by that evening...wow!
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It really does no good to pressure a player or the family. If they are interested and they know that you are interested in them then things will normaly work out. Pressure them and you may end up looking desperate and people find it hard to commit to someone who is desperate.
We typically let a player know if we are interested in them, and then give them a reasonable time to give us an answer. I have never had to wait more then a week or so to get a final answer and that seems perfectly reasonable to me. I would rather that the family is sure and committed to what they have in store for them.
just my two cents worth.
We typically let a player know if we are interested in them, and then give them a reasonable time to give us an answer. I have never had to wait more then a week or so to get a final answer and that seems perfectly reasonable to me. I would rather that the family is sure and committed to what they have in store for them.
just my two cents worth.
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Ohio Wave, what is your usual, "reasonable amount of time" we are developing policies and wonder what other quality organizations do. We will never make someone commit on the spot, but is 3 days for an offer to be good reasonable? Offer still could be good after that, but could also be withdrawn?
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It is a two way street. Clubs want a decision right away, but if they are holding more than one tryout on consecutive weekends, you may have to wait two weeks to find out. For someone new to tourney ball, that seems like too long to wait and maybe not even get another offer if you pass one up. We measured the team that gave her an offer, checked out what others were saying, and ulitmately left the final decision to our daughter. I think we made a good choice based on what others had to say about the club. Time will tell and it is still a learning experience.
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We have been to two 16U tryouts; both with reputable organizations who adverstised 2 16U teams at each place. What a total waste of time. Both organizations "mysteriously" got rid of one 16U team each. The first one, after wasting our time at more than one workout, dropped the younger 16U team. The 2nd, we show up today and are told that the 16U is now 18U and 'sorry folks but our current 16U has 10 returning players' and they were looking for a very specific type player. Why can't these teams put this in their ads so the rest of us do not waste our valuable time trying out for a team that obviously won't take our kid?
When did softball become about men fighting with one another and less about the talented girls who play the game? It's sad really.
We have several girls from our team this year without a place to play, the girls want to stay together but can't. All because of the male ego.
When did softball become about men fighting with one another and less about the talented girls who play the game? It's sad really.
We have several girls from our team this year without a place to play, the girls want to stay together but can't. All because of the male ego.
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divafan-
We found that it is best to call/email the coach before tryouts when possible to see what position(s) he/she is looking for. Our daughter is a catcher, and there is not always a lot of positions open for a catcher (at least not for the 2008 summer season).
Our daughter had to look for a team again this year due to her coach retiring. One coach did not get our email in time and had already offered the position to someone else. All the rest of the coaches were helpful and made it easier for us to decide what tryouts to attend.
Funny thing was that our daughter received multiple offers from coaches just because we called them--without a tryout. They had seen her play or heard of her and knew her ability. In the end our decision was partially made due to travel distance. We chose a strong team playing a challenging schedule with practices closer to home.
We found that it is best to call/email the coach before tryouts when possible to see what position(s) he/she is looking for. Our daughter is a catcher, and there is not always a lot of positions open for a catcher (at least not for the 2008 summer season).
Our daughter had to look for a team again this year due to her coach retiring. One coach did not get our email in time and had already offered the position to someone else. All the rest of the coaches were helpful and made it easier for us to decide what tryouts to attend.
Funny thing was that our daughter received multiple offers from coaches just because we called them--without a tryout. They had seen her play or heard of her and knew her ability. In the end our decision was partially made due to travel distance. We chose a strong team playing a challenging schedule with practices closer to home.
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Buckeye Heat as an organization is very specific in describing their needs for each team. In our case, we were upfront that all ten of our girls were returning and that we would only be looking for two new players filling very precise needs. As a result, we had very few prospectives compared to the other Buckeye Heat teams, who had somewhat more openings. But I still think that it is better to get just a few than to waste the time of many families on the theory that being vague might result in Natalie Wood coming into your soda fountain.
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Over 20 14U at the Riptides try-out on Sunday! Great group of talent.
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