Softball Dad's- The Early Years !!!

Man I can remember the first tournament I ever went to how exciting it was to see "REAL SOFTBALL" in tournament fashion with all the other softball dad's running around and hanging out with each other shooting the bull with their chest all bulging out when their kid got a hit or just smoked someone at first base. Those were the days all the noise and action packed plays watching young talented ball players,that oneday would be the Morgan Peeler's, Constance Orr's, etc.... Man I can look back when my eyes bulged over my first bought $2.00 gatorade / $1.50 hotdog which made a day at the park very expensive along with the purchase of gloves,cleats,sliding shorts, OH YEA don't forget the high dollar bats..Sorry Cheeze !! It has been a long road listening to this dad or that dad, while the Softball Mom's watched their kids with vigor,and daring anybody to say anything negative about their brood. Wow,you never want to cross a Softball Mom, or it's all over BUDDY !!! I LOVE THE GAME and it has been a long road for many, some of my buddies are getting ready to face the NEXT LEVEL, so my time with them is short lived on the circuit !! It has been a road of success and time of growth with my DD even though we have fought and argued over issues I would do it all over again just to get the rush of the first game experience !! I can tell you one thing though it is a road of learning when,and when not to make decisions that could effect the whole family...my caution to you is to love your DD no matter what she chooses to do.. New softball dad's will appear,and the older ones will move on with their DD's, and the cycle of softball will continue as the noise of the game will continue, with all the softball dad's hanging out under the tents shooting the bull,hollering,laughing, trying to keep softball mom happy...man what a job...and then they will move on and more will replace then....From one softball dad to another cherish the time of your 8 or 10U because it will go fast, and seasons will come and they will go !!! Best of Luck to all the 2008 fastpitch kids, and their seasons to come !!!


Softball Guru

 

The early years were truely the best!! I remember going to our first tb tourn. and not knowing anybody or what to expect but that is the great thing about tb, everybody makes you feel welcome from the start. Now when we go friends of 5 yrs are everywhere and new ones are coming in every day, but when the girls are young and just out there haveing fun and learning skills that they will take with them for years that is what makes it all worth it. Lots of travel and lots of money but there is no way of explaining what you and your dd gets out of it. I know we all do this to hopefully get our dd's to the next level but I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye to the tb circuit, we still have 3 more years and I'm going to make the most out of them because it will be gone before you can blink an eye.

 

My daughter is nearing the end of her travel ball playing days and I already know that I will keep coaching when she is in college. No way am I ready to get out of the game yet. I have coached at all age levels and each one has its own set of challenges. I am thinking about going back down to the 10U or 12U age level. I can remember being surrounded by a bunch of wide eyed and bushy tailed 10 year olds that just soak up everything you tell them. They would also attempt to run through a brick wall for their coach and never question why they were asked to do it. I love teaching fundamentals and there is nothing more satisfying than to see players improve right before your eyes and do it quickly.

 

I can remember the early days being some of the best years ever,
Taking a group of 9, 10, and 11 year old girls to places like Rock Hill, Charlotte, and Myrtle Beach, made some of the best memories I will ever have.
Some great friendships have been made, on the field, as well as in the stands.
It's funny to see how TB evolves the older your DD gets.
After 9 years and many tournaments, (the last one being $30 for a weekend pass), sorry...still not over that.LOL.... It's still been a wonderful ride.
Please parents, cherish these days. Next thing you know, you're walking around a college campus searching out your DD's roomate for the fall semester.

 

23U Ball: Back to the Future

This past couple of weekends I've relived the early TB days as my rising college senior DD played 23U ball. Her team consisted of girls from 8 different colleges. The coach basically told them to "go play and have fun". No coaches calling pitches or even giving the batter signals. He wrote the lineup and left them alone. These girls had blast. My DD got to play 1B and hit when not pitching (doesn't get to do this at school as she's "too valuable"). We had a college catcher playing SS and an OF of three college pitchers. Didn't seem to matter. The fields weren't very good and it was hot as hell but these girls didn't seem to mind at all. They were happy just playing ball and having the chance to discover that the kids they normally play against are just as cool (and sometimes cooler) as their college teammates. Nice not to have parents yelling at them about playing hard to impress that college coach or the college telling them to play hurt in order save the coach's job! We had some good games too; most notably splitting two games with the VA all-star team that will play Team USA in Salem this Thursday evening.

While I miss those days I'm not sure I could repeat them. The two weekends on the road (Chambersburg PA and Salem VA) told me that I'm probably too old for the summer marathon that travel ball is.

 

I have three daughters playing 13 year old playing 16u,a 11 year old playing first fall at 12u and a 9 year who I coach currently moving to 10u after the WFC A WORLD SERIES.I can tell you that I never thought that I would be at the ballfield with three daughters.I just can't get enough and hate when late Nov - Jan comes because we have nothing else to do.Yes we have yard work but who wants to do that kinda crap.It is going by fast and we are enjoying every moment of all three of there teams.I will miss it when the grow up but hopefully they all marry rich and then we can watch our grandchildren play and I will not miss a game.The people we have meet have been great and the places we have played will always be in my memory to think back upon.All you dads and moms that have kids through with travel ball you can come out and watch my kids play anytime you want.
BlazeCoach

 

TBR fits right in to the experience. In the 6 years it's been around, there are many members whose DD has moved on and the members moved on with them...only to be replaced by a new set of members.

I keep this in mind when some of the same questions get asked every year. But, to me, this is what makes TBR so special. Some of you regulars have been on here for a long time. Some of you have had DD's move on, but you've decided to stay. The experiences you have shared to the parents that are starting out on their journey is priceless.

And as soon as you think every topic has been discussed, ad infinitum, something new is brought up or a different angle is mentioned. We are always learning something new.

So, please remember, next year when someone brings up a topic that has been discussed many times before.....you were new to TBR once and you had the same questions.

I love these topics, but it saddens me, too. I know some of you may move on from TBR because your interest level changes. But I hope you all will stay around and help inform all the new members that will be signing up. And will help to gently guide them on TBR when their agenda is different than ours.

 

Hit it on the fat part of the bat.....

......braves! Perfect post. We ALL learned from someone else who had experience in one thing or another.

TBR fastpitch forumn has influenced sooooo many folks! Me included. Thanks, Marlin, aka..Mr. January

 

Very well put

Guru, I don't think it could have been said any better. My dd has been out of TB for 2years now. But the next level has been filled with some of the old friends as well as some mighty good new friends. That softball family just gets bigger and keeps on rolling.

 

We have a friend who's dd is just getting into fp. My dd and I went to watch them play yesterday. OMG!! The memories of that age just came flooding back....It WAS just yesterday. Remember when your dd missed a ball and ran after it and threw it in and was just so happy that a ball came her way. She really didn't know that she made an error just that she got to make a throw. Afterward, the one coach called my dd over and introduced her to the team and told of her going to play ball in college and of all her accomplishments over the years. And all those little girls were just looking up at her with such admiration and smiles. It was yesterday that SHE was that age looking up to all those older girls with that thought "I'm gonna do that when I grow up"