Metal Cleats in High School

[zeroedge]

I see an opportunity to make some money here. Some softball coach with 'metal cleat experience' can hold Metal Cleat Camps across the state this summer and make a killing. Shoe company representatives can come and give presentations on why girls should wear their cleats and offer free consultation on which shoe style to choose.

 

laugh all you want but here are page after page of comments about the transition to metal from college coaches. Oh, but I gues they are all " stupid" The following was reprinted with permission from December 2007 Fastpitch Delivery ??“ a publication of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA)

NFCA Question of the Month

Key for Transitioning to Metal Spikes? Just Like Anything, Practice

In regards to metal spikes, how do college coaches help their freshmen transition? Are there new techniques taught, from diving/sliding to baserunning, etc.?

Incoming freshmen who play the infield positions have to understand better how to set up for tag plays when covering the bases. The biggest mistake young freshmen make is in their positioning around the base due to the fact that they have never dealt with being spiked or cleated by metal.

Heather Tarr

University of Washington

I believe the biggest issue is off the diamond when walking across concrete areas around the park. I did have one injury suffered by a player who was wearing metal cleats for the first time, but it occurred on a damp, rainy day when she slipped on the concrete floor when going to the restroom between games.

I do encourage players using them for the first time to execute sprints, drop steps, pivots, crossovers and hitting the bases on the inside corner while rounding. Most players who have good fundamentals to begin with have exhibited few or no problems in the transition.

Henry Christowski

Simpson College

We order a fall set for freshman or players that have never worn metal. We keep everything in practice game-related so that they get used them while in situations that they will be facing. A few of them trip at the beginning, but besides that, through trial and error, just practicing helps the athletes adjust and get used to them.

Jackie Boxley

Citrus College

There are tremendous adjustments that need to be recognized and dealt with (by the coaching staff) early on when asking our freshmen to make an adjustment from wearing molded cleats in high school to metal spikes in college. It is my belief that wearing metal spikes changes all facets of the game from a more solid landing off the rubber for a pitcher to being able to get out of the batter???s box quicker for a slapper. Our coaching staff works a lot with our freshmen on baserunning and sliding, mostly for injury purposes, but also for adjustment reasons.

Heather Bruder

Bluffton University

Athletes can adjust to wearing metal spikes by wearing them to practice, which hopefully includes, jogging, stretching, cutting, and sprinting. I have only had one athlete really dislike metal cleats over the

December 2007 ??“ Fastpitch Delivery 2

years, and her reason was quite childish. The majority of the athletes really like how much better they can cut and run in various conditions in which we practice and compete, and metal cleats are truly a superior cleat. Besides coaches getting the cleats to their athletes so they can practice and condition in them, the only other thing a coach can really do to help his/her athlete transition is to be sure that the first few weeks the dirt/infield is groomed and as soft as possible. This way, the cleat itself has good traction and helps the athlete not feel as if she is wearing ???ice skates.??? The spikes actually pierce the ground versus gliding over it, and ankle rolls are less likely.

Kama Tucker Greensboro College

From a strictly performance perspective, most of the athletes that try playing in spikes are impressed with the improved traction over molded cleats and there is not much complaint. The real concern is safety. We had an athlete break her leg sliding feet first with spikes on, so it is an issue about which I am hyper-aware. We place more emphasis on sliding headfirst than I ever did with my high school teams, and this is part of the reason ??“ though not the only reason. Still, I do work on feet-first slides. We practice sliding in the outfield grass in sock-feet. Emphasis is on sliding on the hip as opposed to the bottom half of the leg. I point out to players where the pads are on their sliding shorts and how this high side placement demonstrates where their weight ought to go. Above all, we want our spike-wearing players to get their weight off their feet and get those spikes away from the ground. Many players, mindful of their spikes, slide exclusively headfirst. One other important safety issue: sometimes walking on cement with spikes can be like walking on ice. Absolutely no running on pavement in spikes.

Marty Kreman Santa Monica College

We talk with our players about picking up their feet and running on the balls of their feet more. We also make sure we teach and practice sliding prior to handing out the metal spikes, so that problem is eliminated.

Jay Miller Mississippi State

In all honesty, I don???t believe there are any secret drills out there to teach your athletes to transition to metal cleats. The best approach you can take is to get the cleats ordered early. That way, they have the advantage of practicing in metal throughout the entire offseason. This will give them enough time to make any adjustments necessary and feel comfortable in what they are wearing. It is inevitable that one or two freshmen will get their cleats caught and fall when initially practicing in metal. Better to have this happen early in the offseason rather than later during the actual season.

Lisa Field Santiago Canyon College

I make it very simple with my student-athletes. I give them the option of plastic or metal, and most of my players choose the metal spikes. I truly do not have a special technique ??“ I give the metal spikes to them and we go to work. It usually takes the players a few days to get used to them, and then they love metal spikes. They say it is easier to run the bases with metal spikes and easier to go after balls in the field.

December 2007 ??“ Fastpitch Delivery 3

Players say they get a better first step with metal spikes. A lot of my frosh say they feel so much safer in metal spikes because their feet are securely on the ground. I really want our players to be comfortable. I have only seen one player have an injury due to wearing metal spikes. She was making a diving catch and her legs got tangled, and it cut her leg. I have never seen any injuries sliding into the bases. You may get the occasional step on the first baseman???s foot on the bag, but other than that metal spikes seem pretty safe. Jeff Franquet Georgian Court University

We assume the incoming freshmen do not have the proper technique for sliding wearing metal. We do not let them attempt a slide in practice without first demonstrating to us she has at least the basic technique of the simple bent leg and headfirst slides. We do this by either starting every practice or ending it with just the freshman on a sliding mat in socks only. Then we graduate to turf shoes, and then finally metal in the dirt. This setup is for freshmen only, and they must do this every day until they convince me they can do it in dirt and not get hurt. This usually provides enough incentive to have them focus and want to master it quickly.

Jacquie Joseph Michigan State University

From the perspective of a travel ball coach that has a freshman daughter playing in college now, here are some things we went over when the new shoes came in. Players have to be reminded that the slide should begin far enough out in front of the base or blocking catcher???s gear so that the feet are not the only extremity responsible for slowing the player???s momentum. A late decision to slide creates panic, and the temptation is too high to just jam a foot in the base on a close play, thus taking all the momentum of the slide on the lower leg and ankle. As a base coach at third, I make sure that my players see me signaling for a slide in plenty of time for them to adjust their approach. Headfirst slides only serve to make a smaller target for the defender to tag, but this leaves the player a bit more vulnerable to injury. I have my teams practice sliding on grass or another soft surface on a flattened cardboard box in socks with a loose old blanket on top of the box ??“ to make sure that a player can make a mistake and not break her leg or ankle if she slides too late. We can teach the popup, hook, slide-by, headfirst and give ???n take slides with a lot less chance for something to get caught than practicing with full cleats. A player then must ???graduate??? and practice in the ???live??? envirionment with full cleats on a skinned surface a few times to gain confidence in the sliding method of her choice after she has learned the technique in the practices. Finally, I would also warn the infielders that blocking techniques using a knee or foot without protection leaves them open to an overzealous late slide where a sliding player is jamming a cleat towards you as you try to make a tag. Fielders must be taught to let players slide into tags instead of reaching towards incoming spikes. Dave Golitko Windmills (IL)

The main thing we try to do is get our defensive players to straddle the base on tags. So many of them are in the habit of dropping a knee down as they place the tag, and you can imagine the injuries that can come from that.

Mike McKenzie Aurora University

December 2007 ??“ Fastpitch Delivery 4

I???m a travel ball coach, and prior to our college-bound players heading off to school, I usually recommend that they start acclimation to spikes by walking, jogging, sprinting and finally sliding. I place special emphasis on high knee action and picking up the feet, especially with outfielders who may encounter less than perfect turf conditions.

Mike Kelly Lightspeed Gold (FL)

I don???t believe that there is such a transition that coaches need to make a big deal about it. Our coaching staff recommends that players were metal spikes; however, it is not a requirement. We only have 16 days of practice for our non-traditional season, and for DIII athletics, that doesn???t leave a lot of time to get used to ???new??? cleats. For our tryout period in the fall, which is the entire 16-day non-traditional season, I want players to feel as relaxed and confident as possible. The last thing I want them to worry about is the shoes on their feet. I would much rather they focus on catching the ball, hitting the ball, and running to first base. Therefore, I don???t place any emphasis on the type of cleats they are wearing. I haven???t seen any need to help infielders with a transition from molded to spikes; however, our outfield coach does instruct the outfielders on the mechanics of slide-catching. I feel that regardless of how you teach and transition your athlete, once an athlete cleats herself, she will have all the feedback necessary to be more aware not to do it again.

Annette Shepherd Ohio Northern University At FCCJ, we don???t really do anything different to help them transition to metal spikes other than have them in time to practice in them. Occasionally, we will have a player cleat herself diving, but I think if you focus too much on changing technique, they???ll never catch the ball and would be more likely to spike themselves. We don???t make a big deal of it and hope they just go out and play. I think that sometimes when you go on too much about things, in this case preventing an injury; it gets in their heads and can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have been at my school for 22 years and have never seen that to be much of a problem at all. They are more likely to trip going on and off the field the first few times they wear them, but in no time metal spikes become second nature and the players can???t imagine not wearing them.

Jami Lind Florida CC-Jacksonville The transition for freshmen is a fairly easy one. I think they actually look forward to wearing them ??“ it is like taking another step in their introduction to the college level. The main thing that I do is try to get them in a pair of spikes as soon as possible. The first day they are in them, I may hear a comment or two, such as ???I can really feel them go into the ground??? or ???listen to the sound they make in the dugout.??? After that, the newness rubs off, and it is time to get at it on the field. It is about being comfortable and getting used to them naturally. I do not go into any differences between molded and metal cleats with them. I simply pass out their shiny new shoes. We have enough to prepare for, and it is one less thing they need to worry about on the field.

Keith Parr Christopher Newport University

We require our freshmen to have a pair of metal spikes once they arrive in the fall season. There really is no special formula to get them used to the spikes besides using them daily in practice.

We do all of our warmups in running or cross training shoes. Once we start the skills portion of our

December 2007 ??“ Fastpitch Delivery 5

practice, the players will change into their spikes. Lateral movement is key to the adjustment to metal spikes. This is where freshmen usually get caught up, because the metal is longer than what they are used to. So on the defensive side of the ball, we utilize range drills for both the infielders and outfielders where they are shuffling and working on their drop steps and/or crossovers. It does not take long for them to adjust. They must be more aware of how their feet work. They need to get more air under their feet to avoid tripping. Form running drills will also help with their adjustment. On the offensive side, baserunning drills will help the adjustment (out of the batter???s box is key, again working on the crossover step). In regards to sliding, proper technique is key. Make sure you emphasize getting air under your lead foot. That will help them gain clearance between the ground and the longer metal spike. This will help avoid spikes getting caught up in the clay. The reality is repetition in practice with metal spikes is the only way the adjustment will take place. Jamie Apicella C.W. Post-Long Island There are three main techniques that change when you shift to steel cleats. You must get your feet up off the ground when you slide ??“ we teach landing on your butt while throwing your arms back. When you run the bases, you should stress not stepping in the middle of the bag but pushing off the corners, preferably across the bag on the edge going toward the next base. The third thing that changes is your stance for both fielding and in the batter???s box. You are actually a bit closer to the ground with steel spikes, especially if it is a dry field. You???re a shade lower in the box, and your strike zone may be different. When fielding ground balls, your glove will be closer to the ground and you may have to adjust for proper glove angle. These are small changes, but years of experience both playing and coaching have shown me that they can make a slight difference in your approach. Rick Minter University of Mary Washington Metal spikes have never been an issue for any collegiate athletes I have worked with over the years, so I have not incorporated any new techniques in the transition. However, I make sure that my cleats are ordered before the end of fall, as to give my athletes more time to adjust to the difference in footing. Once an athlete acclimates themselves to metal cleats, they feel more confident with their footing and traction. Drills with base running become less of an issue, as they are able to plant firmly into the ground and round properly. The key is to provide your athletes with plenty of practice and scrimmage time with the metal spikes. Amanda Balduf Chowan University The best way to get freshman to adapt to metal spikes is to introduce them as soon as they arrive for fall practice. I suggest they first fit right ??“ not too tight, not too loose. They also need to understand that the spikes are going to hurt their feet until they get used to them, because there is not as much give as with rubber cleats. They also need to understand that they very well might ???cleat themselves??? if they do not pick up their feet when they run. The best way to get them accustomed to them is to practice with them on a regular basis. Don???t switch back and forth; once they wear the metal, stay with metal until they get used to them. Krystle Nichols Northwestern State University

December 2007 ??“ Fastpitch Delivery 6

We give our freshmen their metal cleats in the fall and let them fly. It usually takes one time for them to cleat themselves, then they learn to respect and ???how to adjust??? to their new spikes! There really isn???t a transition. Jennifer Teague Eastern Michigan University We encourage our freshmen to have their spikes grinded down to about half the length until they get acclimated to wearing them. The traction is almost as good as new spikes, and there is less chance of their shoes getting hung up in hard clay or turf. All of our players who have had a history of knee trouble are encouraged to have their spikes shortened as well. Coaching wise, we make sure that our infielders do not put themselves in harm???s way when applying tags and performing pivots. In the fall, we run bases as part of our warmup before practice to help them get a feel for what they can now do with better traction.

Larry Hennig Temple College

This is my eighth year working with collegiate softball players, and during my coaching career I have only come up with one tried and true method to help players make that transition from molded cleats to steel spikes ??“ lace them up and let them go. Over the years I have coached players that for some reason met this transition with dread and apprehension, and others embraced the idea, maybe looking at it as some rite of passage. Either way, I have stood by my conviction that once you???ve worn steel spikes, you will NEVER want to go back to the high school days of molded cleats. I must admit that my chosen method has its advantages for the coach (and players) with a good sense of humor. As many may know, this transition to the ???big girl spikes??? can take some getting used to, and that is where the sense of humor comes into play. There are few certainties in softball. One such certainty is that you will NEVER get a hit if you do not take the bat off your shoulder, and a near certainty is that at least one of your freshmen who has never worn steel spikes before will eventually fall victim to a ???sniper.??? The ???sniper??? strikes when you least expect it, usually when the unsuspecting victim is jogging across the outfield during warmups or as the team gathers around the coach for instruction or dismissal. This unfortunate player typically falls face first in the grass, and everyone enjoys a good laugh (after it is understood that she is okay, of course). So I say, ???Lace ???um ladies, and remember...pick up your feet, or you may be the next to fall at the hands of a sniper.???

Will Atkinson University of West Alabama I think the more practice time freshmen get with metal spikes, the faster they adapt to the change. There shouldn???t be much change to the diving and sliding techniques. The same fundamentals should be stressed and players should take note to emphasize a few fundamentals, such as making sure you are sliding on your back side when sliding feet first in order to avoid getting a metal cleat stuck in the ground, which could cause an injury. Basic agility drills in the dirt and grass should help them become more comfortable. Hopefully they will find it easier to move around in the dirt both defensively and offensively once they become acquainted. Kerry Casper Ottawa University

[trojan35]

I've umpired both and as an engineer I can do the math. A softball at 60 mph from 40 ft. is equivalent to a 90 mph fastball from 60.5 ft. One's using a bigger ball with shorter fences and shorter bases. The other uses a smaller ball and has longer fences and longer bases. Both put a premium on putting the ball in play and advancing from one base to the next. It's a simple game, "you throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball". You've said yourself that the metal cleats perform better. Why wouldn't you give the girls the best footwear that's out there and teach them how to use it properly. The 'big girl cleats' came from the link about the college coaches. It was tongue in cheek.

 

I believe that you sir, are the one that's saying that the women can't do what the men can do. I could teach my 8 year old how to play in metal spikes. Somebody would have to prove to me that women wearing metal spikes are incapable of doing the same things that men in metal spikes have been doing for 100 years. You are not giving these girls enough credit for what they CAN do. Instead, you blame their failings on what they aren't TAUGHT to do or are simply afraid of change. I played slow pitch softball on 60 ft bases with laser beams hit at me on the infield in metal spikes. I see no difference offensively or defensively in any of the diamond based games where foot wear is concerned. None. I've said that pitching could be a different animal. If I had a daughter that pitched, I'd have to give serious consideration as to how that would affect her form and her performance and she would have to prove to me in a practice environment over a period of time that she could plant and throw with the metal cleats.

 

I said earlier, in 4 or 5 years after everyone is wearing metal cleats at the high school level, this will be a non issue. The middle school girls will probably be wearing them by then.

 

 

Major League baseball rules states:"Front edge of rubber to back point of home plate, 60'6"."

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/ ... e_game.pdf

[ksgovols]

First things first trojan35. 60.5 ft. is exactly the same as 60'-6". It was when I attended high school in the dark ages and despite a feeble attempt to force us into the Metric System while I was in college, it has remained the same. The point I was trying to make isn't going to make much sense to you, but here goes.....The reaction time for a 90 mph fastball thrown from a pitching rubber at 60'-6" is almost exactly the same as a 60 mph pitch thrown from 40'-0". I won't bore you with deceleration equations and the like, for comparision purposes I have assumed that the ball maintains a uniform velocity from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand until it hits the catcher's glove. In truth, we know, or at least I know, that the pitch is at it's maximum velocity when it leaves the pitcher's hand and is decelerating from that point.

 

Here's my favorite of the college coaches quotes from that link that zeroedge was nice enough to cut and paste. I referenced this link when I made the 'big girl spikes' post.

 

"This is my eighth year working with collegiate softball players, and during my coaching career I have only come up with one tried and true method to help players make that transition from molded cleats to steel spikes ??“ lace them up and let them go. Over the years I have coached players that for some reason met this transition with dread and apprehension, and others embraced the idea, maybe looking at it as some rite of passage. Either way, I have stood by my conviction that once you've worn steel spikes, you will NEVER want to go back to the high school days of molded cleats. I must admit that my chosen method has its advantages for the coach (and players) with a good sense of humor. As many may know, this transition to the ???big girl spikes??? can take some getting used to, and that is where the sense of humor comes into play. There are few certainties in softball. One such certainty is that you will NEVER get a hit if you do not take the bat off your shoulder, and a near certainty is that at least one of your freshmen who has never worn steel spikes before will eventually fall victim to a ???sniper.??? The ???sniper??? strikes when you least expect it, usually when the unsuspecting victim is jogging across the outfield during warmups or as the team gathers around the coach for instruction or dismissal. This unfortunate player typically falls face first in the grass, and everyone enjoys a good laugh (after it is understood that she is okay, of course). So I say, ???Lace ???um ladies, and remember...pick up your feet, or you may be the next to fall at the hands of a sniper.???

Will Atkinson University of West Alabama

[JC#1fan]

First things first trojan35. 60.5 ft. is exactly the same as 60'-6". It was when I attended high school in the dark ages and despite a feeble attempt to force us into the Metric System while I was in college, it has remained the same. The point I was trying to make isn't going to make much sense to you, but here goes.....The reaction time for a 90 mph fastball thrown from a pitching rubber at 60'-6" is almost exactly the same as a 60 mph pitch thrown from 40'-0". I won't bore you with deceleration equations and the like, for comparision purposes I have assumed that the ball maintains a uniform velocity from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand until it hits the catcher's glove. In truth, we know, or at least I know, that the pitch is at it's maximum velocity when it leaves the pitcher's hand and is decelerating from that point.

 

Here's my favorite of the college coaches quotes from that link that zeroedge was nice enough to cut and paste. I referenced this link when I made the 'big girl spikes' post.

 

"This is my eighth year working with collegiate softball players, and during my coaching career I have only come up with one tried and true method to help players make that transition from molded cleats to steel spikes ??“ lace them up and let them go. Over the years I have coached players that for some reason met this transition with dread and apprehension, and others embraced the idea, maybe looking at it as some rite of passage. Either way, I have stood by my conviction that once you've worn steel spikes, you will NEVER want to go back to the high school days of molded cleats. I must admit that my chosen method has its advantages for the coach (and players) with a good sense of humor. As many may know, this transition to the ???big girl spikes??? can take some getting used to, and that is where the sense of humor comes into play. There are few certainties in softball. One such certainty is that you will NEVER get a hit if you do not take the bat off your shoulder, and a near certainty is that at least one of your freshmen who has never worn steel spikes before will eventually fall victim to a ???sniper.??? The ???sniper??? strikes when you least expect it, usually when the unsuspecting victim is jogging across the outfield during warmups or as the team gathers around the coach for instruction or dismissal. This unfortunate player typically falls face first in the grass, and everyone enjoys a good laugh (after it is understood that she is okay, of course). So I say, ???Lace ???um ladies, and remember...pick up your feet, or you may be the next to fall at the hands of a sniper.???

Will Atkinson University of West Alabama

 

 

Q: Who throws 90 mph in high school baseball around here? A: Only the pitchers in ksgovols dreams.

P.S. its not all about the speed to the plate, but the return speed from the bat

When figuring reutrn rate using distance and speed comparing the two different games the ascpect ratio of baseball to softball is a staggering 4 to 1 in rate of reutrn in favor of a softball pitch compared to a ball pitcfhed from a baseball mound

These are the figures used for this calculation: 40' distance at slightly low estimate of a 60 mph pitch ( most competitve high school pitchers throw low 60s) to baseball pitch of 75 mph a good average of high school pitchers from 60' and a comparitive return rate off the bat of 100 mph for both figures.

[ksgovols]

Sonny Gray at Smyrna throws low 90's. The big lefty closer from Lipscomb probably throws that hard Seth Lintz of Marshall County, Will Clinard at East Robertson, Adam Adkins of Goodpasture and Craig Stem at DCA. These are just some of the guys in middle Tennessee. Heck, 3 of our guys last year threw around 90. There are others. High school baseball pitchers that throw in the mid 70's get rocked. My freshman son throws in the 76-78 mph range and would get rocked in varsity play. Unless they are exclusively junk ball pitchers, an average high school pitcher throws in the low 80's. I can still hit close to the mid 70's in my mid 40's. I wouldn't call 75 average for a high school baseball pitcher. Truthfully, there are some middle school kids that throw at least that hard.

 

Sonny Gray

 

I never contributed on this thread to put down the girls game. Quite the opposite. I think the girls should have every advantage that the boys have and they are quite capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time in metal cleats. If it makes coaches focus on fundamentals a little bit more at the high school level, then the girls are going to be better prepared when they get to college.

 

I do have a couple of things that make you go hmmmm though:

1. Do you think they'd televise or publicize Jeter shooting the middle and knocking the pitcher on her butt? Don't you think it's kind of set up to promote softball?

2. You never see the big softball hitters facing a Randy Johnson fastball in these exhibitions do you?

3. Little League baseball created a boys fastpitch softball division a few years ago after a team from Arizona won the World Series with a co-ed squad in the 18U age group. A coach saw a loophole and jumped through it getting 4 or 5 high school baseball players to play fast pitch softball. They had to give up their metal cleats though and find some molded ones.

[JC#1fan]

Sonny Gray at Smyrna throws low 90's. The big lefty closer from Lipscomb probably throws that hard Seth Lintz of Marshall County, Will Clinard at East Robertson, Adam Adkins of Goodpasture and Craig Stem at DCA. These are just some of the guys in middle Tennessee. Heck, 3 of our guys last year threw around 90. There are others. High school baseball pitchers that throw in the mid 70's get rocked. My freshman son throws in the 76-78 mph range and would get rocked in varsity play. Unless they are exclusively junk ball pitchers, an average high school pitcher throws in the low 80's. I can still hit close to the mid 70's in my mid 40's. I wouldn't call 75 average for a high school baseball pitcher. Truthfully, there are some middle school kids that throw at least that hard.

 

Sonny Gray

 

I never contributed on this thread to put down the girls game. Quite the opposite. I think the girls should have every advantage that the boys have and they are quite capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time in metal cleats. If it makes coaches focus on fundamentals a little bit more at the high school level, then the girls are going to be better prepared when they get to college.

 

I do have a couple of things that make you go hmmmm though:

1. Do you think they'd televise or publicize Jeter shooting the middle and knocking the pitcher on her butt? Don't you think it's kind of set up to promote softball?

2. You never see the big softball hitters facing a Randy Johnson fastball in these exhibitions do you?

3. Little League baseball created a boys fastpitch softball division a few years ago after a team from Arizona won the World Series with a co-ed squad in the 18U age group. A coach saw a loophole and jumped through it getting 4 or 5 high school baseball players to play fast pitch softball. They had to give up their metal cleats though and find some molded ones.

 

1. Jeter vs. Finch was live so if he could have at least touched one he might have knocked her of the mound

2. watched UT vols play baseball today and the fastest pitch recorded was 84 mph (better get your guys down there if they are throwin 90)

3. Don't know if this article has been posted, but it comes from UT's website

 

University of Tennessee softball signee Cat Hosfield of Murfreesboro Riverdale High School suffered a fractured left ankle in two places Friday night during a game in Ocala, Fla.

 

She will miss the rest of the season.

 

Hosfield, who holds the nations single-season high school strikeout record with 659, will have surgery to reset the ankle according to The Tennessean and expects to be out at least 12 weeks. The state championships are in nine weeks.

 

The newspaper said the injury occurred on a pop-up slide on Hosfields double in the top of the first inning against Forest (Fla.). When Hosfield attempted to bounce up, her metal cleats gripped the dirt and second base and did not give.

 

It all comes back to the metal cleats,Riverdale coach Jeff Breeden told The Tennessean. Before the injury, I liked us having them.

 

This young lady's high school career and chances of competeing in the state championship are over, due to the new cleats. They do perform better, but are they neccessary for adolesants and is this type of injury really worth it?

[swingaway]

1. Jeter vs. Finch was live so if he could have at least touched one he might have knocked her of the mound

2. watched UT vols play baseball today and the fastest pitch recorded was 84 mph (better get your guys down there if they are throwin 90)

3. Don't know if this article has been posted, but it comes from UT's website

 

University of Tennessee softball signee Cat Hosfield of Murfreesboro Riverdale High School suffered a fractured left ankle in two places Friday night during a game in Ocala, Fla.

 

She will miss the rest of the season.

 

Hosfield, who holds the nations single-season high school strikeout record with 659, will have surgery to reset the ankle according to The Tennessean and expects to be out at least 12 weeks. The state championships are in nine weeks.

 

The newspaper said the injury occurred on a pop-up slide on Hosfields double in the top of the first inning against Forest (Fla.). When Hosfield attempted to bounce up, her metal cleats gripped the dirt and second base and did not give.

 

It all comes back to the metal cleats,Riverdale coach Jeff Breeden told The Tennessean. Before the injury, I liked us having them.

 

This young lady's high school career and chances of competeing in the state championship are over, due to the new cleats. They do perform better, but are they neccessary for adolesants and is this type of injury really worth it?

 

 

NO Metal cleats are not worth it. We played in a round robin type friendly today. In the first game I noticed the girls did not slide in play after play after play. It was almost as if they were afraid. In our game , one slide into second was scary, her mechanics are so off, she was lucky.

[catsbackr]

3. Don't know if this article has been posted, but it comes from UT's website

 

University of Tennessee softball signee Cat Hosfield of Murfreesboro Riverdale High School suffered a fractured left ankle in two places Friday night during a game in Ocala, Fla.

 

She will miss the rest of the season.

 

Hosfield, who holds the nations single-season high school strikeout record with 659, will have surgery to reset the ankle according to The Tennessean and expects to be out at least 12 weeks. The state championships are in nine weeks.

 

The newspaper said the injury occurred on a pop-up slide on Hosfields double in the top of the first inning against Forest (Fla.). When Hosfield attempted to bounce up, her metal cleats gripped the dirt and second base and did not give.

 

It all comes back to the metal cleats,Riverdale coach Jeff Breeden told The Tennessean. Before the injury, I liked us having them.

 

This young lady's high school career and chances of competeing in the state championship are over, due to the new cleats. They do perform better, but are they neccessary for adolesants and is this type of injury really worth it?

 

Granted, Cat's injury was tragic.

 

Read what you quoted though, her metal cleats gripped the dirt and second base and did not give.

 

Her cleats should have never been on the ground, only stopping her progress at the base allowing her to "pop up."

 

She didn't know how to slide, that is why she got hurt. Period. The coaches need to teach the girls how to slide. As I've said before, the cleat should never be on the ground when sliding, either with metal or plastic. Obviously the coaches, high school and summer, don't know how to teach sliding.

[ISTHATRIGHT]

You people will not let this die. No one is making these girls wear metal spikes, they have been around for 100 years and this is the first time I have heard people complain. They can wear them if they want and if you don't or don't want your kids to wear them nobody is making you. Let people make there on decisions it's a free country and let this crying over metal spikes stop. GOOD COW!!!! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[JC#1fan]

You people will not let this die. No one is making these girls wear metal spikes, they have been around for 100 years and this is the first time I have heard people complain. They can wear them if they want and if you don't or don't want your kids to wear them nobody is making you. Let people make there on decisions it's a free country and let this crying over metal spikes stop. GOOD COW!!!! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

Most organized high school teams require the girls to wear the same cleats so if the team your kid is zoned for requires them then your decision comes down to whether you play or not, not if you wear them.

[JC#1fan]

Granted, Cat's injury was tragic.

 

Read what you quoted though, her metal cleats gripped the dirt and second base and did not give.

 

Her cleats should have never been on the ground, only stopping her progress at the base allowing her to "pop up."

 

She didn't know how to slide, that is why she got hurt. Period. The coaches need to teach the girls how to slide. As I've said before, the cleat should never be on the ground when sliding, either with metal or plastic. Obviously the coaches, high school and summer, don't know how to teach sliding.

 

If you would read the article it says her cleat "hung" on second base while doing a pop up slide which requires that your foot touches the base as it does if you want to be safe in any type of slide. Why should concerned individuals be "quiet" about htis when there are still girls going to the hospital every week.

[catsbackr]

Most organized high school teams require the girls to wear the same cleats so if the team your kid is zoned for requires them then your decision comes down to whether you play or not, not if you wear them.

 

You are correct, most high school teams require the girls to wear the same shoes. I doubt very seriously if the coach cares what kind of cleat is on the shoe as long as the shoe is the same brand and color.

 

If you would read the article it says her cleat "hung" on second base while doing a pop up slide which requires that your foot touches the base as it does if you want to be safe in any type of slide

 

I did read it. There is no way, absolutely no way the cleat penetrated the base, no way.