Where are all the girls

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Nobody is putting down new clubs or players abilities. The question asked was where are all the players and why are teams having trouble finding them. The answer is there are more teams so the talent is more spread out. It is wonderful to have more players playing, but it DOES make it hard to fill all the teams.

 

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a few years back when DD was doing 12U and 14U, there was a team that would come to tournaments and get the living dog snot kicked out of them game after game. We are talking getting 15 or more runs scored against them every game and they would score maybe 3 or 4 runs.

I ask the coach why they come to these tournaments. She said that they wanted to give the girls a taste of travel ball and what skill level they would have to perform.

Last year, I saw several girls from this team on different, more established teams. They had caught the "bug" and wanted more.

This is just one of the "Natures of the Softball Beast". Teams start up, girls/families see that there is much more out there, some go for greener pastures, some stay where they are, and some leave (not their cup of tea).

 

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a few years back when DD was doing 12U and 14U, there was a team that would come to tournaments and get the living dog snot kicked out of them game after game. We are talking getting 15 or more runs scored against them every game and they would score maybe 3 or 4 runs.

I ask the coach why they come to these tournaments. She said that they wanted to give the girls a taste of travel ball and what skill level they would have to perform.

Last year, I saw several girls from this team on different, more established teams. They had caught the "bug" and wanted more.

This is just one of the "Natures of the Softball Beast". Teams start up, girls/families see that there is much more out there, some go for greener pastures, some stay where they are, and some leave (not their cup of tea).

I agree with that 100%, when my DD was 11U she played for a high school feeder team, they got into 4 summer tournaments, 3 of them they got run ruled every game. Off that team though 4 girls went on to play on high level travel teams, as you said, "they caught the bug"

I am part of a start up high school feeder program in the largest by far school district in NWO, with my 10U team, that is my goal, get them in some tournaments and hope some of these kids get the bug and move on to bigger and better things.

I am glad somebody else understands this dynamic lol, when I tell people what my goal is they look at me like I am crazy.

 

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Hey Klump. What happened to all your JMHO's? Were they just a flash in the pan? Or, would they now be termed JMHO HO HO HO HO's?

 

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Nobody is putting down new clubs or players abilities. The question asked was where are all the players and why are teams having trouble finding them. The answer is there are more teams so the talent is more spread out. It is wonderful to have more players playing, but it DOES make it hard to fill all the teams.

I love revision. Here is K's Original post.

""Waaaaaayyyyy too many teams. Alot of teams are having to pull mediocre talent from the rec leagues just to be able to field a team. I have seen quite a few players who have no business being on a travel team, but teams are taking who they can get not who they want or need.
When I was younger, you had to be GREAT to be on a travel team, not just good, great. There weren't that many teams in the area and they only took the best of the best. I played with some very good players who didn't make the travel teams. Now you don't even have to have too much talent, you just have to have enough money and enough patience to keep going to try-outs until someone picks you up.

 

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OK jbennett, I do not see what is wrong with what Klump was saying in HER original post. You may not agree with it, but it is fact. We played a few teams last year where I was genuinly concerned for the safety of some of their players. Pitchers who were throwing BP with no game face and 3rd base players being made to play 30 feet from my 3 and 4 hitters with no mask. I've seen balls wizzing by their head so fast they didn't even move. I actually told an opposing coach and player that this batter is not bunting so you can move back.

 

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All the girls should be given a chance to improve and find a level of play they can compete at and enjoy the sport of softball and we as coaches or teachers need to improve what and how we do it so they can take it to the next level whatever it may be.


Howard C

I agree....If the a child wants to play softball they should be given a chance. I don't think it is fair to tell a child they aren't good enough when perhaps they didn't come from fundamentally sound rec program (or whatever the circumstances were going on). Maybe what some of these girls need is a coach to take a chance on them and work with them to teach them the game.

 

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We played a few teams last year where I was genuinly concerned for the safety of some of their players. Pitchers who were throwing BP with no game face and 3rd base players being made to play 30 feet from my 3 and 4 hitters with no mask. I've seen balls wizzing by their head so fast they didn't even move. I actually told an opposing coach and player that this batter is not bunting so you can move back.

We must have played that same team. :lmao: I truly was affraid for their corners and the pitcher. My dd was in a zone as was pulling everything right at their 3rd, and she looked like a deer in the headlights..

 

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OK jbennett, I do not see what is wrong with what Klump was saying in HER original post. You may not agree with it, but it is fact. We played a few teams last year where I was genuinly concerned for the safety of some of their players. Pitchers who were throwing BP with no game face and 3rd base players being made to play 30 feet from my 3 and 4 hitters with no mask. I've seen balls wizzing by their head so fast they didn't even move. I actually told an opposing coach and player that this batter is not bunting so you can move back.

The two posts DO NOT agree. As to your problem with playing against incapable teams what do you suggest? The coach you played against sounds like the standard coach my DD has had. One of them even put his DD at second and my DD behind her in center. EVERY single ball hit at Manda caused a TERROR stricken run to safety leaving my DD to field the ball. After 10 games of that don't you want your DD someplace else? Her first coach was lucky if he could get a pitch within 2 feet of the strike zone. He showed up late a couple of times to see me pitching to the kids and I was told, "You can leave now".

 

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Let's keep to the topic and not make it about an individual.

 

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I love revision. Here is K's Original post.

""Waaaaaayyyyy too many teams. Alot of teams are having to pull mediocre talent from the rec leagues just to be able to field a team. I have seen quite a few players who have no business being on a travel team, but teams are taking who they can get not who they want or need.
When I was younger, you had to be GREAT to be on a travel team, not just good, great. There weren't that many teams in the area and they only took the best of the best. I played with some very good players who didn't make the travel teams. Now you don't even have to have too much talent, you just have to have enough money and enough patience to keep going to try-outs until someone picks you up.

I love beating a dead horse, what is your point? It is my opinion and whether or not you agree, that is it. There are kids who shouldn't be playing at that level. JMHO

 

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4Carrs - I changed my signature just for you!!

 

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I love beating a dead horse, what is your point? It is my opinion and whether or not you agree, that is it. There are kids who shouldn't be playing at that level. JMHO

I guess the free market will decide. Or maybe we should set up a "Star Chamber" to pick players?

 

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Wow, you seem very disgruntled. I am not your dd's crappy coaches so I don't understand your personal vendetta, but I have broad shoulders, you can pile it on all you want.

 

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Wow, you seem very disgruntled. I am not your dd's crappy coaches so I don't understand your personal vendetta, but I have broad shoulders, you can pile it on all you want.

I don't see where I have piled anything. In fact I stayed away. Revisionism has to be addressed. Here is a quote from you original post.
""When I was younger, you had to be GREAT to be on a travel team""
My DD is not great but I can't understand why you think she should not be allowed to play.

 

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I don't see where I have piled anything. In fact I stayed away. Revisionism has to be addressed. Here is a quote from you original post.
""When I was younger, you had to be GREAT to be on a travel team""
My DD is not great but I can't understand why you think she should not be allowed to play.

Obsessiveness needs to be addressed. Yes, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER a player had to be great to even be considered. That was 20 years ago man!!!! Now times are different and so is the sport. I don't know your DD and I didn't say she shouldn't be allowed to play. I said BACK WHEN I PLAYED you had to be great to play because there were very limited teams....20 years ago.

 

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Time to break out the popcorn.................

 

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Time to break out the Advil!!

 

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jbennett ... I think there are some points here that pretty much everyone agrees on ...

1) There used to be a lot less travel teams than there are now
2) While it used to be that only a select few very talented players could play travel, almost everyone can play today if they can afford it
3) In fact, there are so many teams today, that lots of teams are still looking for players and as a result some teams are taking players that they might not have in the past
4) There are some programs today that don't teach the girls much and/or are primarily just daddy ball teams

Its unfortunate you've had some bad experiences with coaches. That experience I think led you to over-react (JMHO) with Klump's original point. But with all of the teams and options out there, if you do your homework I am sure you can find a good fit for your daughter. My recommendation to you would be that as you talk to prospective coaches, that you not be as openly critical about past coaches, because the prospective coach might interpret that as you being a high maintenance parent and not give your DD the chance to play with their organization. JMHO

 

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What was the original question? Oh yeah. Where have the girls gone? Let's stop the personal attacks. Again, it's not about us.

I think both sides (let's go Rush Limbaugh and call them the left and the right) make some valid points and raise some good issues. I'm just inclined to agree with Klump.