? Don't get it ?

[5-Sport Dad]

This thread has kind of morphed.

 

Best players play regardless of class/age. Period.

 

If you're trying to win, Amen!

 

Parents should stay out of high school athletics period! That's initially where all problems start.l

 

That's crazy and a very wide 'brush' to paint with. Without parents, our children wouldn't even have an athletic program (duh!).

 

I've ALWAYS found (to use your wide brush for a minute) that the parents that practice with and help a child brush up on their skills AWAY FROM THE TEAM are usually ( ) the proud parents of the best players. My children are GLAD we are 'involved.' Outside of eating, working, helping with homework, going to church and the occasional trip to Wal-Mart, our life is going to games and having fun with the other player's parents.

[5-Sport Dad]

This is not the kind of "involved" we are talking about and I'm pretty sure that you know it. Yes, practicing with your child AWAY from the field, at home, on you own time, is extremely beneficial to that child. Being supportive by being at all of the games, pitching in to help when ASKED by the coach and providing a positive, upbeat environment in the stands as you root for your child's TEAM is also very beneficial, not only to your child, but to the team as well. The involvement that we (at least that I'm) talking about is where the parent thinks they know more than the coach and procedes to prove it to everyone. Or, the parent(s) whose life mission it seems is to sit in the stands and constantly stir up crap about the coach or other players or other parents. (And we all know that they exist). Or the parent of that below average player that is constantly in the coaches ear wanting to argue about playing time and why their child isn't the star of the team. Or (and this is one of the best ones) that parent who doesn't lift a finger to help raise money for the program but they constantly moan and groan because "our team doesn't have this or our team doesn't have that" yet they sit by and do NOTHING to help the situation. Those are the real "prizes".

 

You are right in that we painted with a broad brush and for that I apologize. There are a lot of very good parents who understand the parent's role and work very, very hard to support their team and their school. The problem is, as the saying goes, the few bad apples ruin the bushel. The parents that I described in the latter part of the preceding paragraph have absolutely no business at all being around a sports program. Period. And yet, any of us who have children that play a sport can place at least a half-dozen or so names with each type of parent listed above. Tis' truly sad.

 

I agree with all of the above. However, if I encounter the negative situation(s) you describe, my child will be playing somewhere else. That's what I like about choice(s). We all have one, but how bad does it have to get before we'll make a change for us AND our children's sake?

[5-Sport Dad]

Good point about the coaching dilemma. I never really gave that part of the equation much thought.

 

To get back on subject, most of the time the term 'captain' never even comes up in a softball game. I've seen hundreds (maybe thousands) of games and I couldn't tell you who the opposing team's captains are. Heck, I don't even know who ours are unless they just happen to live with me. Don't care either. But, does it matter to the team? Sure. Internally, it matters.

 

In my role as parent/fan, I'm only interested in having the best players on the field that give us the best chance at winning...with or without captains.

[zachsdad]

The original entry in this thread asked if underclassmen can be team leaders. I hope that people know the difference between a leader and a Captain. A team Captain is usually a ceremoinal role, limited to coin flips and pre-game cheers. As a coach, you would hope that the Captains are also your leaders.

 

A leader is the girl who wants the bat in her hand in clutch situations. A leader is the girl who hustles everyday in practice. A leader is the girl who will go up to a teammate who has just struck out and offer encouragement. One year the leader on my daughters team was sitting out a transfer year and never played a single game. If you polled the girls, she would have come out on top because she made the rest of them practice and play harder.

 

Leaders are not elected, are not appointed, and are not annointed. An opposing coach can point out the leaders on each team he has played, even when he can't tell you what grade they are in.

 

If your daughter is truly a leader, no coach can keep the other players on the team from following her. If you are worried that she has not been given the title of Captain as an underclassman, be patient and realize that her time will come.

[Uncleshreck]

We had the same sittuation this year at our School. A new coach who didn't know anybody on the team. Before the team was set, positions were earned, captains were named? My daughter came home upset and asked me to guess who was named captain. Two guesses and I got it. The captain was a girl who rode the pine most of last year and had the worst attitude on the team! I told her to play her position and leave it alone.

 

Now that the season has started and, she's missed games, practice and shown her ability to make errors one after another, I think he can see the mistake he made.

 

The point is coaches are human, they make mistakes, fall under pressure from parents and, have to follow school policy. You can't keep a natural leader down.

I say lead with a bat, lead with a pitch, or a catch and show leadership Qualities.

 

At the end of the season when your child is MVP, best defensive player, has the highest batting avrage or lowest ERA, then everyone will know who lead the team!

 

Hang in there and do your job!

[wuzup?]

I just don't understand, if you can help me, please do. Why is it some coaches think just because a girl is a Senior, they should be the 'leader' of the team. Am I crazy or is there more to being a leader than the fact you are a Senior. Knowing the game, being a team player, supporting the underclassmen, taking control - to me those should be some of the qualities. Whether you are a Junior, Sophomore, or even a Freshmen, if you have the 'whole' deal, you are just as important. Alot of coaches want the girls to 'jell'. But some have the mindset the older girls are just better, and that is not always the case. If the JV team plays, shouldn't the older girls not be on the fence in the dugout cheering for them just as hard and not be in the dugout with cell phones and playing around. Isn't that what being a true 'team' is all about? Not favoring the players differently just because they are older. Don't misunderstand, some of you may say I am just mad parent, that's not the case. My daugther is starting. It's just an observation. What do you guys think?

 

I definately agree. There's a huge different in being a leader and being bossy. We have 2 girls on the team that just flat out boss everyone else around. If they mess up, they laugh it off, but if someone else messes up -watch out. The one is the captain of the team. We don't have any seniors but she is a junior.