Where are the girls?

[default]

I'm the coach of a 16u travel team. I have posted several listings, and have gotten poor responce. I players that have responded have little or no travel exp. All i need is three girls.... Catcher and 2 utility players. It seems that the central ohio area is just saturated with travel teams. If you know of any girls out there that want to play and can play 16u softball, please send them my way for a tryout. Any and all help would be appreciated. I'm in this for the girls and not any certain organization.

 

[default]

I'm the coach of the marion merchants 16u travel team. I have posted several listings, and have gotten poor responce. I players that have responded have little or no travel exp. All i need is three girls.... Catcher and 2 utility players. It seems that the central ohio area is just saturated with travel teams. If you know of any girls out there that want to play and can play 16u softball, please send them my way for a tryout. Any and all help would be appreciated. I'm in this for the girls and not any certain organization.

Is that all!! I'm sorry but this late in the game your going to have to take what you can get and be happy. There are very few if any superstars out there, so your going to have to develop them. Add to the fact that travel ball is about getting to the next level, and at 16U not many girls are just now saying "Hmmm...think I want to go to college and play ball, so mom and dad lets spend 3-4 thousand dollars next summer to play travel ball" Sorry, but it nearly to late for that, should have started 4 years ago. Good Luck in you search, and I say that respectfully, cause it's going to be tough.

 

[default]

I'm going to have to agree, most of the teams looking for players is 10/12U. I would think by the time mine is 16 (4yrs) she will have committed to a new travel team by the middle of August, that is if her existing team didn't stay together. Good Luck!

 

[default]

I'll agree with Lady Knights and say that at this point most of the really good ones will be committed. There are exceptions due to circumstances beyond the player's control, but as a general rule... Having said that, you'll see another uptick in interest around February just before the high schools get moving and again as they're winding down in late April early May.

 

[default]

To add to what LK stated. At 16U you have the girls that want to go to the next level. They are looking to the future. If your organization doesn't have an 18U program, you will miss out on some of the kids that are looking to the future. That makes it even tougher. Next they are going to want to play in tournaments that give them college exposure. Tournaments like the Sting Rays and Compuware are hard to get into, unless you have a proven track record. 10U thru 14U teams will fold before spring and you can always pick up players. 16U -18U is a different story.

 

[default]

Agree with all of the above...I will say that right now is a window for possibly finding some 16U players. Just after teams have completed their Fall schedule some players may have found that their new team is not a good fit after all and may go looking.

But...at 16U, they are more than likely experienced players and will want to know details about an organization especially after they may have been wrong about their new team...

Just one man's opinion!

 

[default]

Coach - you may have to cast your net a little wider. Have you contacted the local high school coaches? Conditioning has started and so they may have a couple of players who would be interested. Good luck.

 

[default]

Fastpitchcoach, These are the voices of experience. When my DD went through the travelball age groups our organization easily could field two 10U, 12U and 14U teams but when they get to 16U the field thins itself quickly. Schools have teams for just 7th, 8th and freshman students, not so when they get to varsity. It only takes 3 or 4 players from each of the upper 3 grades to field a varsity team. The writing on the wall becomes clear to the girls as to who the players are and who will be on that varsity team so the others drift away to other sports or activities. Looking to find 16U players now is tough. If you have enough players now, you are moving toward the "keep them in the fold" mode during winter indoor 6 on 6 leagues. It is the start of open season for coaches and parents to scout players on other teams to add to, improve or fill roster spots. Good luck.

 

[default]

Fastpitchcoach, It is the start of open season for coaches and parents to scout players on other teams to add to, improve or fill roster spots.

I'm sure that go4fpsb does not endorse this practice. Each of us would probably be lying if we said we had never looked out at an opponent's team and thought "boy, if we only had #__ on our roster". But if we want to communicate to the girls in this sport that ethics are important in all walks of life and that immediate gratification isn't such a great thing if it unfairly disadvantages third parties, I hope that most of us will eschew participation in the described "open season". If a player's team has disbanded or the player has independently decided to cut ties with her team and proceed to look for another one, that's a different story. But to recruit an already committed player or even to participate in a player's strategy of looking elsewhere while at the same time retaining a spot on her present team is to teach the girls that despite all our talk about teamwork, they are really better off adopting an exclusively "me first" approach to life.

 

[default]

I've always said - BEFORE you commit to a team, it is all about YOUR DAUGHTER AND YOUR FAMILY, what is the best fit for you. Once you have committed to a team, it is all about what is best for the TEAM, there is no longer what about me? Why do I have to play there? I want to play here. Why am I batting there? The people who abandon teams for greener pastures are not the kind of players I would want on my team anyways because it shows a lack of committment if they are willing to abandon a team before the season is over. So while they think they are making the right choice because dd might get to play a few more innings, word of mouth around the fields is a killer and if you have screwed over too many teams, people WILL be talking.

 

[default]

CGS, Far from it. My daughter's team had been a victim of winter recruiting never a beneficiary. The only reason I mentioned it is because it is a reality of travel softball. When the girls get to the 16U level and they have been on a community or regional travel team that can't quite get to the upper level, there are one or two players on those teams that are good enough to play with the upper echelon teams and maybe get the college ride. So I understand when a coach from one of the high profile teams talks about exposure to college coaches, playing in nationals, etc. those really good players sometimes bolt. It is painful for the old team but there are two sides to every coin.

 

[default]

I totally agree with you. Yes, I have an opening but the disclaimer I have attached to my announcment is "only if you are not currently committed to a team". If they do not meet that disclaimer, I will not consider that player. I have some strong feelings about that issue. There are a number of teams that are folding due to not having enough players. In those cases, I will consider a player. I've turned down a number of players that were looking for "greener pastures". They can go elsewhere to graze.

When a player makes a committment - I feel it should be honored. The open season is during tryouts or when a team folds due to a lack of players. I would rather go into a season with 10 players than to be responsible for the demise of another team. Your "WORD" should have value, otherwise, why should your "WORD" mean anything to me?

 

[default]

Johnnies, this question was asked on another thread

Re: Would you make your DD play for a team she dont want to play for.

Your answer was:
No. Life is more than what I want. If she is not having fun then it is not worth it.


Johnnies:
Commitment is a two way street.
Loyalty is big on my list as well but loyalty works both ways as well as HONESTY.

It saddens me to see you turn a potential player away from your team because she made a prior commitment. The fall is an excellent time to tell what the summer season will be like for many players, parents and coaches.

The fall will give everyone a chance to see exactly what their role will be on a team. The coaching staff may have made many promises to the players and parents which you know by the end of the fall or winter will not be kept.

The team may not be headed in the direction that was promised. The teams goals may have changed or you get to see the coach in action and realize he/she doesn?t have the TEAMS best interests at heart. So in any of these cases is it fair to hold a player to a commitment she made months ago?

A parent can ask ALL the right questions at try outs and get all the right answers and believe that the team would be a great fit for their daughter, only to find out that the next summer could possibly be the summer from hell if she plays on that team based on fall ball and practices.

Do you ask that potential players current coach what is going on and do you ask the player and parent what is going on? You may get two different answers. If she wants to leave, it usually means she is not happy with the decision she made for what ever reason. As a coach would you want her to stay on your team and be miserable or let her go? I would not want a girl on my team who did not want to be there. I may be disappointed that she wants to leave but would hope that she finds the right fit for her.

I would hope that you take into consideration some of the afore mentioned items before you turn a player away. LIFE IS SHORT! To quote you: If she?s not having fun then it is not worth it.

JMHO

 

[default]

This may sound like I am "backtracking" but, I will listen to everyone that approaches me. There are valid reasons for leaving a team. If I did not listen, I would be doing the player a dis-service. (my computer is not working well at this time)

My comments were directed to those who reasons are self serving. I still stick by my comments - you MUST be released from a previous committment.

 

[default]

Orion,

I am sorry, I had to reboot my computer. I had some "critical errors" (that do not seem to be resolved, btw)

You have to understand that if your DD is on an "official roster" and was not released by her previous coach, the team she "moved to" would be ineligible to play in a post season tournament. I would require that she would be "released" from her previous obligations for the benefit of the team. That is why I posted in the manner that I did. If any player is "released" from her obligations, I would welcome such a player - it she was a good fit with the team. I do have the rest of the players to consider.

 

[default]

I totally agree with you. Yes, I have an opening but the disclaimer I have attached to my announcment is "only if you are not currently committed to a team". If they do not meet that disclaimer, I will not consider that player. I have some strong feelings about that issue. There are a number of teams that are folding due to not having enough players. In those cases, I will consider a player. I've turned down a number of players that were looking for "greener pastures". They can go elsewhere to graze.

When a player makes a committment - I feel it should be honored. The open season is during tryouts or when a team folds due to a lack of players. I would rather go into a season with 10 players than to be responsible for the demise of another team. Your "WORD" should have value, otherwise, why should your "WORD" mean anything to me?

AMEN! so many parents jump there DD from team to team Let them work to get what they want.
I agree your WORD should mean something "HARD WORK" will get you to were you want to be

 

[default]

I agree with Johnnies. If the team is no longer a fit for you by fall, then be released and start your search. But being committed to a team and trying out for another team is bad for everyone involved. If you have a valid reason to leave a team, then get your release FIRST, and then look.

 

[default]

It seems that central Ohio has been saturated by new teams in recent years with the best players wanting to stick with the more established organizations unless they feel things have changed and it is no longer in their best interests to remain. An organization that my DD once played for had several dozen girls try out when my DD first did and this year a fraction of that showed up. During our first season with that organization a girl jumped ship on us just a couple of weeks into the season so I can understand how Johnnies feels about that subject but in our case it was the dad, not the girl who was to blame. By this time of year I rarely hear of girls still looking for a team but keep looking as there may be some out there but I would be very surprised if they were All Star quality.

 

[default]

If a coach doesn't keep their commitment... does the girl need to keep hers?

 

[default]

David B, what I was thinking people have different agendas in mind. Coach, organization, players and parents will not always see everthing the same way. Loyalty, why if the situation isn't good for you. Honesty, is what is important. I have observed travel for a while now and it appears to me everybody uses anybody for their own needs. It is the nature of it. Team wants to go to nationals, they need the players to do so, player wants to go to nationals, she needs a team that can do so. You see where I am going with this.