Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Soccer?

g

Running lines, special teams and playing the best kids during a tie game makes it sound like hockey.

How big was your team? My oldest is 14 and they’ve never had more than 15 skaters and 2 goalies. Most years it’s been more like 12-13 skaters. If there are multiple programs in your area, I don’t think it’s bad to ask those questions to the coach. You could also try to talk to some parents, but you never really know how honest they’ll be.

I’m about to do the same with my softball player. She’s been on the same team for 2 years and it’s only gotten worse. There are now 5 coaches’ kids who don’t leave the lineup or the infield. The best pitcher isn’t a coach’s kid so she gets to play a lot and everyone else rotates into the 3 outfield spots. A coach’s kid missed 6 easy grounders the first inning. The second inning she moved. To Shortstop. At this point, just playing rec would be a better use of time and money.

Yikes, what age? Worst I've ever seen in 10U rec is 4 easy grounders at first....

It's not like there's a shortage of travel softball teams in our area. Seems like there's a new organization trying to get off the ground every 6 months or so.

yes, why on earth would you stay on this team? Or any team with 5 parent coaches?!

It’s 10u. They started the fall season with 3 and then 2 new Dads began helping with practice and for the spring they’ve “joined the staff.” Their girls playing time increased exponentially. Downfall of a small town - it’s the only 10u travel team and you don’t want to say anything because you’ll be seeing these people in future years.

IMO these travel basketball teams need all the help they can get. There are plenty of parents that drop their kids off basically use it as babysitting. They also don't do any outside training with their kids. It really shows. At least in our team the coaches do very little individual skills development, so the kids that get to play are the ones that get to a gym and shoot the other four days of the week. These are likely the ones with Dads that joined the staff. So, its unremarkable that their kids are getting playing time. Also, many of the coaches will not be experts in all thing's basketball. Even at the high school its customary to have assistant coaches. For example, post players will separate off and have post skills sessions. Guards will have guard sessions. Wings... etc. So having assistants is important.

How many sessions have you done with your kid on shooting mechanics? This stuff is cumulative, they'll miss many shots before they hit them, but it adds up and then they can do it. Sometimes, you have to find a team for that to be seen, which is fine. But the point is, if you aren't doing it then expecting them to get playing time. You might need readjust your expectations.

At a certain age, play time depends on ability. Then may not be as good as the other kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Soccer?

g

Running lines, special teams and playing the best kids during a tie game makes it sound like hockey.

How big was your team? My oldest is 14 and they’ve never had more than 15 skaters and 2 goalies. Most years it’s been more like 12-13 skaters. If there are multiple programs in your area, I don’t think it’s bad to ask those questions to the coach. You could also try to talk to some parents, but you never really know how honest they’ll be.

I’m about to do the same with my softball player. She’s been on the same team for 2 years and it’s only gotten worse. There are now 5 coaches’ kids who don’t leave the lineup or the infield. The best pitcher isn’t a coach’s kid so she gets to play a lot and everyone else rotates into the 3 outfield spots. A coach’s kid missed 6 easy grounders the first inning. The second inning she moved. To Shortstop. At this point, just playing rec would be a better use of time and money.

Yikes, what age? Worst I've ever seen in 10U rec is 4 easy grounders at first....

It's not like there's a shortage of travel softball teams in our area. Seems like there's a new organization trying to get off the ground every 6 months or so.

yes, why on earth would you stay on this team? Or any team with 5 parent coaches?!

It’s 10u. They started the fall season with 3 and then 2 new Dads began helping with practice and for the spring they’ve “joined the staff.” Their girls playing time increased exponentially. Downfall of a small town - it’s the only 10u travel team and you don’t want to say anything because you’ll be seeing these people in future years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Soccer?

g

Running lines, special teams and playing the best kids during a tie game makes it sound like hockey.

How big was your team? My oldest is 14 and they’ve never had more than 15 skaters and 2 goalies. Most years it’s been more like 12-13 skaters. If there are multiple programs in your area, I don’t think it’s bad to ask those questions to the coach. You could also try to talk to some parents, but you never really know how honest they’ll be.

I’m about to do the same with my softball player. She’s been on the same team for 2 years and it’s only gotten worse. There are now 5 coaches’ kids who don’t leave the lineup or the infield. The best pitcher isn’t a coach’s kid so she gets to play a lot and everyone else rotates into the 3 outfield spots. A coach’s kid missed 6 easy grounders the first inning. The second inning she moved. To Shortstop. At this point, just playing rec would be a better use of time and money.

Yikes, what age? Worst I've ever seen in 10U rec is 4 easy grounders at first....

It's not like there's a shortage of travel softball teams in our area. Seems like there's a new organization trying to get off the ground every 6 months or so.

yes, why on earth would you stay on this team? Or any team with 5 parent coaches?!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Soccer?

g

Running lines, special teams and playing the best kids during a tie game makes it sound like hockey.

How big was your team? My oldest is 14 and they’ve never had more than 15 skaters and 2 goalies. Most years it’s been more like 12-13 skaters. If there are multiple programs in your area, I don’t think it’s bad to ask those questions to the coach. You could also try to talk to some parents, but you never really know how honest they’ll be.

I’m about to do the same with my softball player. She’s been on the same team for 2 years and it’s only gotten worse. There are now 5 coaches’ kids who don’t leave the lineup or the infield. The best pitcher isn’t a coach’s kid so she gets to play a lot and everyone else rotates into the 3 outfield spots. A coach’s kid missed 6 easy grounders the first inning. The second inning she moved. To Shortstop. At this point, just playing rec would be a better use of time and money.

Yikes, what age? Worst I've ever seen in 10U rec is 4 easy grounders at first....

It's not like there's a shortage of travel softball teams in our area. Seems like there's a new organization trying to get off the ground every 6 months or so.

Anonymous wrote:Is this Soccer?

g

Running lines, special teams and playing the best kids during a tie game makes it sound like hockey.

How big was your team? My oldest is 14 and they’ve never had more than 15 skaters and 2 goalies. Most years it’s been more like 12-13 skaters. If there are multiple programs in your area, I don’t think it’s bad to ask those questions to the coach. You could also try to talk to some parents, but you never really know how honest they’ll be.

I’m about to do the same with my softball player. She’s been on the same team for 2 years and it’s only gotten worse. There are now 5 coaches’ kids who don’t leave the lineup or the infield. The best pitcher isn’t a coach’s kid so she gets to play a lot and everyone else rotates into the 3 outfield spots. A coach’s kid missed 6 easy grounders the first inning. The second inning she moved. To Shortstop. At this point, just playing rec would be a better use of time and money.

We have a lot of options in this area and since we pay so much for club sports, we are customers. It kinda sucks changing clubs and leaving, but this is so much different from how I grew up with only county run rec programs. I would say that since youth sports has become so commercial, as a customer you're not satisfied and I would consider leaving.

Is this Soccer?

Look for another team and don't look back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP back. Thanks to everyone who commented. We aren't going back for tryouts this year. There are other club options within the same division that we can check out, and there are lower divisions as well.

Is there any issue with asking new coaches, when offered a spot, about roster size and if they intend to expand the roster during the year and to what size, playing time philosophy, and where they see my kid fitting into the lineup? I assume it's not okay to ask for a guaranteed amount of playing time, but that's what I want to ask for after this year.

Last year, when we took a spot with our current cub, they did not indicate that things would end up so badly for my kid, so I need to do better this year. We spend over $10k to play this travel sport, plus we give up time to enjoy other things. My kid wants to make the varsity team in HS at least, so we need to keep club going long enough to bridge the gap to high school.

Any way to go watch a game that a future coach is coaching this season and see how he subs the players in?

Yes, there are only a few teams in the region in the same travel division; the other coaches ran the lines equally but had special teams where applicable, and they would play their top players at the end of a tied game. The other teams also had shorter rosters. So, no other team in the same division would have been as bad. Our kid would have been dominant at the beginning of the year in one lower division, but after a year of sitting on the bench, I don't know where they now stand in either division. Tough year. If it were me, I probably would have wanted to quit after this year, but my kid is still into it.

Anonymous wrote:OP back. Thanks to everyone who commented. We aren't going back for tryouts this year. There are other club options within the same division that we can check out, and there are lower divisions as well.

Is there any issue with asking new coaches, when offered a spot, about roster size and if they intend to expand the roster during the year and to what size, playing time philosophy, and where they see my kid fitting into the lineup? I assume it's not okay to ask for a guaranteed amount of playing time, but that's what I want to ask for after this year.

Last year, when we took a spot with our current cub, they did not indicate that things would end up so badly for my kid, so I need to do better this year. We spend over $10k to play this travel sport, plus we give up time to enjoy other things. My kid wants to make the varsity team in HS at least, so we need to keep club going long enough to bridge the gap to high school.

Any way to go watch a game that a future coach is coaching this season and see how he subs the players in?

OP, I would leave and I'm planning to do the same.

Anonymous wrote:How is a child left out during practices?

When they play game scenarios, because they don't use them in the games.

OP back. Thanks to everyone who commented. We aren't going back for tryouts this year. There are other club options within the same division that we can check out, and there are lower divisions as well.

Is there any issue with asking new coaches, when offered a spot, about roster size and if they intend to expand the roster during the year and to what size, playing time philosophy, and where they see my kid fitting into the lineup? I assume it's not okay to ask for a guaranteed amount of playing time, but that's what I want to ask for after this year.

Last year, when we took a spot with our current cub, they did not indicate that things would end up so badly for my kid, so I need to do better this year. We spend over $10k to play this travel sport, plus we give up time to enjoy other things. My kid wants to make the varsity team in HS at least, so we need to keep club going long enough to bridge the gap to high school.

We left club volleyball for the same reason. My daughter never got playing or practice time, and the coaches expected her to be all smiles cheering on her team. It was painful and a waste of time and money. She did some rec after that but didn’t make her hs team (no HV). Now she doesn’t play, and she’s fine. Her interests have expanded beyond volleyball and it’s in the past.