I miss going to the batting cages 10 months years and sitting at a dusty ball park for 16 hours straight and then being back the next morning at 9:00 for another 4-6 hours. Good times.
I'm feelin ya.
my daughter logged around 130 games last year.
the things we do for our kids.
Shoot, I was the little brother that got drug along to the fields if I didn't have a game. My advice, if they have a sibling, do what you can to keep them entertained away from the ball fields. I followed my sister all the way through playing college ball in Norman and was more than proud of her accomplishments, but am glad the I don't have to go to the softball fields in the summer unless its my choice. Great game and a blast to watch, I just got ruined I guess.
I had two daughters that played competitive, traveling fast-pitch softball. They played ball in 7 different states.
Looking back on their youth, it wasn’t the winning, the national championship tournaments or the trophies that we remembered most; it was the people, i.e. the girls, the parents, the coaches.
The parents we don’t remember, or think about, are the ones that had the “my-daughter’s-better-than-your-daughter” attitude, and the coaches who believed that if you did not accept an offer to play in college you have failed. Unless you are depending on athletic assistance for college funding, take the path of least resistance and put your daughter on a team that she enjoys playing on with respect to the other players and the coaches.
Amidst the calls and letters from college recruiters, my daughters both took the academic route. That was the best decision they made, and I am very proud of them for making that decision. Don’t get me wrong, many young ladies that have played softball at a college level received excellent educations and are successful in life.
Girls’ fast-pitch softball is a great family activity, and it can provide some of the fondest memories of your daughter’s youth. Where my children are concerned, it is not necessarily what they have done in their youth, but what they have become as adults.
Rejection of this type may seem painful, but in the long run it will all come out in the wash – take my word for it.
Looking back on their youth, it wasn’t the winning, the national championship tournaments or the trophies that we remembered most; it was the people, i.e. the girls, the parents, the coaches.
The parents we don’t remember, or think about, are the ones that had the “my-daughter’s-better-than-your-daughter” attitude, and the coaches who believed that if you did not accept an offer to play in college you have failed. Unless you are depending on athletic assistance for college funding, take the path of least resistance and put your daughter on a team that she enjoys playing on with respect to the other players and the coaches.
Amidst the calls and letters from college recruiters, my daughters both took the academic route. That was the best decision they made, and I am very proud of them for making that decision. Don’t get me wrong, many young ladies that have played softball at a college level received excellent educations and are successful in life.
Girls’ fast-pitch softball is a great family activity, and it can provide some of the fondest memories of your daughter’s youth. Where my children are concerned, it is not necessarily what they have done in their youth, but what they have become as adults.
Rejection of this type may seem painful, but in the long run it will all come out in the wash – take my word for it.
If you find anything, let me know. I too have a 9 year old daughter I'd like to get into playing a sport.
Thank you all for your advice, words of support and encouragement. Many thanks to crazyfish, who connected me with a team and a great coach who willingly accepted my daughter onto their team. After her first practice today, her spirits were lifted and she started to feel accepted again.
