What’s your view on these girls who play for travel teams out of state — like team based in Georgia and TN? So that they work on their skills by themselves at home and play with their team for the big tournaments? Absent wanting to get recruited to a top college program, what is the point?

Anonymous wrote:I played softball and I think the sport gets a little silly as the players get good at it and we should just have girls play baseball, which is a better sport for most levels. But now there’s a Softball Industrial Complex. Too bad.

Really? I think softball is a better sport. It’s faster, more bang-bang and more exciting in general. I love all Diamond sports but softball is more fun to watch than baseball.

Women do play baseball tho. There’s a whole league. And men play fastpitch.

Anonymous wrote:OP, our coach has a serious anger management problem. Like he’s not stable. Organization won’t go anything about it! How do we get USA or USSSA officials take a stand? My daughter is leaving the org but it’s infuriating that players are leaving while the dictator remains.

I think walking is your only recourse. Word gets around though — eventually this will catch up with him.

I played softball and I think the sport gets a little silly as the players get good at it and we should just have girls play baseball, which is a better sport for most levels. But now there’s a Softball Industrial Complex. Too bad.

OP, our coach has a serious anger management problem. Like he’s not stable. Organization won’t go anything about it! How do we get USA or USSSA officials take a stand? My daughter is leaving the org but it’s infuriating that players are leaving while the dictator remains.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where the heck is OP?

I know, right? S/he started this thread and literally never came back to answer a single question.

To be fair, there were no replies for many hours and then think I had practice that night.

Anonymous wrote:Where the heck is OP?

Sorry I got distracted

Anonymous wrote:Did OP come back? Are you in MoCo, OP? My impression is that all the people playing softball in MoCo know each other.

I am in NOVa. But yes it is a pretty small community.

Anonymous wrote:Do girls who do travel softball have time for any other ECs? It just seems to be kind of crazy to limit my young ES to one sport so early when she is interested in different things.

I had kids playing basketball and swimming. Some had Girl Scouts. In high school many were involved with academic and service clubs.

Anonymous wrote:What are your thought on a kid going to tryouts even if she/her parents are 98% sure we don't want her doing travel yet (but think we probably will in the future)?

I think it is a good experience for her and am all for it.

Anonymous wrote:Are teams that call themselves elite around here really national level? What's the deal with some organizations - are they truly nonprofit? There seems to be a lot of overselling of teams.

Not really. There are some very good programs but they tend to get their comeuppance when they play teams from other parts of the country, usually where fastpitch is played year-round due to weather (California, Florida, Arizona).

Also, USSSA is the most popular sanction in this area and it’s probably the lowest of the sanctions nationally. PGF is where it’s at. If you want to see if a Virginia or Maryland team is high caliber, see if they went to the Colorado Sparkler and see how did they do.

Anonymous wrote:What’s the worst thing you’ve seen a parent do during a tryout?

Just come out onto the field to say something to their kid. Huge no-no.

Anonymous wrote:Will tryouts next year start in May?

No. Might creep into late June though!

Anonymous wrote:If a player is leaving your team for a more challenging opportunity (like going from C to B or B to A), what can she do or say to lessen any hard feelings on the part of the coac and/or teammates if the coach and most of the team are staying at the current level?

Op here. Sorry for the delay.

Short answer is nothing — but you’re kidding yourself if you think there are hard feelings. Everyone is replaceable. Either she’s definitely ready for the next step or she is deluding herself — I have seen both — but someone is ready to take her place. They will be fine.

Anonymous wrote:Where the heck is OP?

I know, right? S/he started this thread and literally never came back to answer a single question.