My guess--the best softball team is playing volleyball & cheerleading this fall!

[Guest b-a-g fan]

You guys dont understand, I do not disagree with what you say . It is for some but not for all ,you make the choice if it is for you and don,t put people down because of there choices  

[Guest BreakerCoach]

By the way where is BC. Is he laying low protecting his Karma. Trout you might as well speak up because yours is so bad anyway. BLT has to stay away from this because she never argues or complains.

No not protecting my Karma, I have been out of town this weekend and just catching up. I  have 5 kids that all play sports and when we have an opportunity to take a break and all be together its nice.

[redfan]

what about the girls who are great players in 2 sports.  top percentage on the team...in 2 sports..!!??  they shouldn't have to choose 1 over the other.  at least if they do it should be their choice and not their coaches.

[RVerde]

I agree but it goes both ways. Maybe everyone is being defensive. There may be some afraid someone is going to be more successful. We got criticized because we worked to hard and were to hard on kids for a long time. There seems to be a lot of that same sentiment on this board ever since the Shockers decided to put a team together. Those people have not held back their comments but have instead made statements that were critical of a program that is expecting a real strong commitment and work effort. Not everyone but some. It seems as if they would like for this team to not do well. Every coach that has recruited a kid always ask what their commitment to softball is and what is their work effort.

[Big GANDER]

Man I go clothes shopping and the forum is hopping. I like Ronald Mcdonald, especially the double quarter pounder with cheese

[Guest b-a-g fan]

I prefere the Hamburgler to Ronald Myself ;D

[Big GANDER]

I hear you B-A-G. This crap is getting crazy. Heck, I just hope my girls have fun and play for the love of the game. Mr. Verde, I like reading your posts. Thanks for helping so many girls go onto the next level!!

[TigerCat]

I think everyone has lost sight that these girls we are talking about are high school students! That means they can't concentrate on Softball Only. They have to make the grades, pass the tests, etc. If they are honor students or want to be honor students they have to have community service hours, they have to make the time for that. Sometimes if you are too busy doing one thing you miss what is going on around you.

My daughter plays high school volleyball and softball, and plays on a travel team for softball. She is also maintaining her grades in advanced classes. We should make her give up high school volleyball if she wants to play softball in college. Who out there is going to guarntee her a scholarship in softball? No one.

She might get offers from colleges that do not meet her education goals from playing softball, and she might be offered a scholarship in volleyball from a school she would like to attend. Or she might get into the school of her dreams with academics only. Who knows? It is hard to tell her to concentrate on only one thing when there are possibilities out there.

[RVerde]

Who is making or suggesting that your daughter quit volleyball? The thing I am talking about is making a strong enough year round commitment to be able to compete at the highest possible level and increase the odds of getting to play college softball and chasing that potential. But again only if she wants to. If not, keep doing what you are doing and see where that path takes her. Sounds like you have a great kid that works hard at the things that are important to her and for that she should be proud. If a softball coach is requiring more than she is willing to give all she has to do is pass on the opportunity to play for that coach.

[Champion]

Ok here is my two cents as an old high school coach...  If you attend a smaller school you are more likley to play more than one sport.  Just out of the number of athletes if you are a good one you will be pulled to play as many as you can!  In larger schools you see more single sport athletes.  I think in high school if you can do more than one great it makes you a more well rounded person.  Who or what suffers is the ? (school, sports, or the kid)  If you are a great athlete then maybe not.  Look at some of the great baseball players (Chipper Jones, Craig Biggio, are two that came of the top of my head)  Both had big time football progams wanting them to come play for them and they went baseball!  Just because you have dreams to play College softball doesnt = scholarship!!!!!!!!!!!  Playing for a gold team that puts itself in the big mix willl help but you still have to think of educational needs (sometimes JR College is not what is needed)...  If you have ever meet me and talked to me I am all about playing ball.  If you do play travel ball and another sport than you have to have understanding coaches and teammates on BOTH ENDS!  In closing the Experiences and relationships are what helps mold them into adults.  Enjoy them now because soon they will be in College!!!

[Mrs.TigerCat]

Well said Champion!

[little Gander]

Guess this is about as good a play to dive in as any! First time, so be gentle! Sorry for the length!

I have been reading lots of different posts and see my DD is in the same boat as some others are. She has played SB since she was 4 yrs old and yr round since 10U.

DD is what I would call a good all round athlete. She does play at a 5A school but they do not have a large girls turnout for sports. (Maybe Big Gander will help change that) Anyway she has played HS VB for three years already w/2 yrs of  V-starting setter and this being her last, she wants to play again.

When I spoke to her about this and making a decision to be more focused on SB she replied that she wanted to play to help her friends, the HS and co-athlete's make it to the playoffs. DD is also like the last poster and has College's interested in her for both VB and SB. She is (my opinion after yrs of coaching) capible of playing D1 SB for some of the smaller to avg D1 schools, as she is physically avg/smaller in size compaired to large D1 schools normal picks. We have put the majority of the focus on SB and she knows that is where she will most likely get the oppourtunity to continue her education on someone else's nickle.

I am proud of her doing the right thing even if it 's not the best for her. She is thinking in terms of Team and HS. And HS though not the ending goal, It is the building of memories that will last a lifetime. And right now she is in HS so that is her focus for now. I can't expect anything different from her as she still has the bigger "Next step" goal in sight of making it to to play College level so she can get that education! Her goal is the rest of her life and what she is doing with that later. Even College is just a stepping stone on the Journey called life!

my two cents. or as long as this was maybe 50 cents! ;D

[JohnnyT60]

Good Post.

She understands what the consequences could be, but is still willing to go that route. On these decisions, you really have to follow your heart. Congrats to you and her.

JT

[Champion]

Softball is one of the only sports you dont have to be 6' tall to be looked at tp get a scholarship! Volleyball and Basketball you have to be tall to even be looked at!  There is a few exceptions but even some of the great players around this area that are tall aren't tall enough!!!!  Cant teach a 5'4" player to be 6'2"... 

[glove4x]

Softball is one of the only sports you dont have to be 6' tall to be looked at tp get a scholarship! Volleyball and Basketball you have to be tall to even be looked at!  There is a few exceptions but even some of the great players around this area that are tall aren't tall enough!!!!  Cant teach a 5'4" player to be 6'2"... 

For conversation only suppose:

Also if you can't field a ball by the time you are 16 and you have been playing sb only on a "select/travel" ball team since you were 5????? You see that in travel/select every summer.

And when your all district 4a MVP SS is in Volleyball and you pick the third team all district SS for the Gold team...?????

When summer comes around and the  multi talented athlete is far better than the SB only SS...?????

What happens to the player that was sb all year round even though she is not as talented as the other player???

[Mrs.TigerCat]

Playing another sport in High school helps these girls maintain friendships they have had since kindergarden. While playing on a travel team does create more friendships and memories it also takes a lot of their time where they can't go to someone's party or to the dance at school because they choose to play softball. Let's face it, these girls are teenagers and being a teenager is all about socializing. Not one of these girls want to become an outcast at their school because they never do anything with their classmates. Would you like to be the only one at your 10 year reunion who no one can remember because you were always doing something else? It is different for each individual girl. Some only want to do one thing and thats fine. Others choose to play another sport in high school and thats fine. I see the problem arinsing when they try to play 2 or more club, travel, or year round sports. There are very few times that high school volleyball will interfere with travel softball, and when it does it will be a hard choice for them to make. But it should be their choice.

[DAMan]

Ok here is my two cents as an old high school coach...  If you attend a smaller school you are more likley to play more than one sport.  Just out of the number of athletes if you are a good one you will be pulled to play as many as you can!  In larger schools you see more single sport athletes.  I think in high school if you can do more than one great it makes you a more well rounded person.  Who or what suffers is the ? (school, sports, or the kid)   If you are a great athlete then maybe not.  Look at some of the great baseball players (Chipper Jones, Craig Biggio, are two that came of the top of my head)  Both had big time football progams wanting them to come play for them and they went baseball!  Just because you have dreams to play College softball doesnt = scholarship!!!!!!!!!!!  Playing for a gold team that puts itself in the big mix willl help but you still have to think of educational needs (sometimes JR College is not what is needed)...  If you have ever meet me and talked to me I am all about playing ball.  If you do play travel ball and another sport than you have to have understanding coaches and teammates on BOTH ENDS!  In closing the Experiences and relationships are what helps mold them into adults.  Enjoy them now because soon they will be in College!!!

2cents from an OLD HS Coach?  Make it sound as though you are finished, and I would hope not.  Secondly, you are far from old.  All you have to do is look at RR and see what

old is. 

                                         

[Big GANDER]

Now lets calling age in here. I think the point has been made. Let the girls decide what they want to play and for whom. Sure, I would love to have my softball girls all year and then coach them in the summer(which some of you do!!!!), but I am willing to share these girls with whatever sport they choose. Remember we are talking about sports, not balancing two husbands, or two jobs.

[BHBLUE]

If you were to take all the girls who are not 100% committed to SB from the top 6-8 Gold teams in the Houston area, I doubt you could field a team at all, much less one that could hope to compete at that level.  By compete, I mean have a reaonable chance of qualifying for Nationals.  If East Tx. can put together a team of multi-sport athletes only that can, I think he should do it.  I would suggest, however, having a roster of around 24-25 players and having plenty of asprin on hand for the headaches those numbers will cause.

Most, if not all people who know recruiting will tell you the importance of getting on the best team you can.  These top teams aren't (and don't need to be) as flexible when it comes to players missing for other sports.  Some girls will have to make a difficult choice.  Mine did as a freshman, and her game improved dramatically once she started focusing on SB only.  She begins playing at the college of her choice in 2 weeks.  I've asked several times and she has never said she regrets her decision.

[Big GANDER]

BHBLUE tell your daughter good luck from the former Huffman coach, now the Ganders leader

[Champion]

2cents from an OLD HS Coach?  Make it sound as though you are finished, and I would hope not.  Secondly, you are far from old.  All you have to do is look at RR and see what

old is. 

                                         

11 years in the bizz and 8 as a head softball coach is old and real old for one school!  Not too many out there in this area thats been at it this long in the same location....

[Big GANDER]

dang thats along time at one place

[MrsT12]

Yeah---tell us about it!  We can't get rid of him!!! ;D

[Big GANDER]

Yeah---tell us about it!  We can't get rid of him!!! ;D

now thats funny

[DAMan]

Yeah---tell us about it!  We can't get rid of him!!! ;D

However, I don't think that you are really trying to get rid of him either.