Softball Politics

Last year with competitive softball and my daughter went okay she grew in the sport and did and awesome job. If you remember I wrote about going to Park City Utah for the World Series. My daughter was the only girl to play every game in her primary spot and her batting grew to become much better. The problems come with parents. Being an assistant coach I was hearing a bunch of complaining about how the head coach had handled some stuff. I called a meeting with the Head coach and we discussed it. Now jump ahead a ways. The head coach calls me the night before tryouts and says he is not going want me there or to be an assistant this next year. No real reason given except that he has parents upset and he heard I was going to make my own team etc. We still have not cornered him with this crap and his going on hear say rather then talking to me directly as I did to him.

Tryouts happened and my wife and I were juggling would she even be picked up again and did we even want to continue with him. My daughter did get picked up by the same coach and this now has started us again is this where we wanted our daughter to be. Another girl from the team did not get picked up by him and has seemed to pick up some information.

Information is this coach is now going through separation with his wife. His wife is upset and might even pull the daughter from the team, (I don’t think so but is a rumor). We have always had to watch him and with me assisting I was able to curtail some actions. The coach only picked up 8 girls and is short 2. We hear he is going to have this other kind of aggressive coach from another team come help him. That would put two yelling type coaches on that team with no one to hold them at bay. The other team that my daughter could have played for picked up a full lineup and so now we are stuck.

The team had a 3 game scrimmage this last weekend. I was a bit of a jerk and held back. Stayed away from everyone and didn’t talk. I walked up when the games were playing and walked away when the game was over. Yes, I have been a bit of a jerk lately on a few occasions. YES, me I know it is hard to believe. That same day we had this big parents meeting with the softball organization and both of those teams were there as they are every year. Again, I was reserved and not very engaged almost jerkish again a scary thought. Another friend from the other team even noticed and mentioned we are going to be very unhappy this year.

At the end of this meeting though we found out some more information. The other team lost 1 player that our current coach approached the family and took. He must think he is softball god and can do anything. I wondered how we got 9 players for the scrimmage. The other teams coach seems to be a bit more kids oriented and wanting them to have fun and learn. She has coached a lot of years and has some girls on the team that will not play for our current coach. The other team is also going to not travel as much and have a more realistic schedule for 12 year old girls.

Do you see where I am going with this? My wife and I have been trying to now decide to continue with the current team or become one of the non followers and pull our daughter and put her on the other team. We know we can because we talked to the other coach and she said our daughter would be her first choice to fill the spot she now has. Yes, my daughter is a good little player.

Well over the last few days we have pretty much decided to make the change. We are going to take that 1 spot and leave the team she was on. Is this the right decision for a year from now when she might have a team? I don’t know. She says she only wants to play 1 more year, but then again she says that every year. I am afraid though that when me make this change we have burnt a bridge and won’t be able to get her on a team the next year but maybe that is over worrying. What are your thoughts with what information you have now?

Change is complete. Daughter is officially on the new team. When we showed up to the new teams practice yesterday my daughter was welcomed on the team. AND I received hugs from 4 different moms all welcoming us and my daughter to the team. We were received with open arms, which is making this decision so far feel like the right thing. What a weekend.