Sometimes I hate youth sports!

[cjcouple]

Some of these coaches and parents are way too intense.

Luke is 7 (8 next month) wanted to try baseball. I explained it is a long week, lots of games and they are LONG games!! He said he wants to anyway.
He was placed on a minor league team because he is considered League Age 8. 

As predicted, he doesn't care for it. He isn't giving us a hard time about going but he is very blah about it.  But he is working hard at practice but TBH he is not very good at it.  Not that it's a big deal but it definitely colors his opinion. But we have a rule: you sign up, you stick it out. So he is at every scheduled practice and game early!

Meanwhile, Luke loves soccer. AFTER his baseball coach handed us a schedule in April for the season the coach told us they will drop to 3 days a week after opening day. I looked over the practice & game schedule and he had MTuThSu off. For the most part. Just like he said (3 days a week)  

Well, B was told about a soccer clinic for 3 weeks on Mondays from 7-8p by his soccer coach.  I went to sign up B and I saw there was a clinic for Luke's level from 6-7 at the same field. I signed them both up and Luke was so excited to do the soccer clinic. I mean bouncing off the walls cheering excited. 

Guess what happened? For the 2nd week in a row (of the clinic), Luke's baseball coach added an unscheduled practice on Monday!! WTF?

I'm still letting Luke do the soccer clinics because I signed him up and took a spot. Now his baseball coach is so annoyed but what does he expect? I am annoyed he keeps adding stuff in. 

Plus my husband works 2nd shift hours so I have to plan out their weeks. I can't just drop my oldest sons commitments either.

It's not like Luke can get any lower on the coaches priority list. He bats last every single game and he is in the outfield (for the 2 innings he gets to play) but I hate that this may be taken out on him and take any chance of playing any other position away now.  He still has a month of baseball left. 

This baseball league is hurting - big time.  Enrollment is so low and part of it is because of the coaches and the intensity. Instead of working with my son and helping him improve, they wrote him off in the first practice because he was a weak player.  I totlly undertsand there comes a time on school teams/AAU Travel sports etc when sports are based on ability and not equal play but come on!! He's 7 and in the 2nd grade. 

Then you have other parents, showing up to practice with a kid with a fever or had just puked all morning and missed school!!!! Go the fuck home!!

rant over   

[dizzycooks]

Parents need to stand up imo. If your kid is too sick for school they are too sick for sports. Especially at 8yo. If parents make it that big of a deal, of course the coaches are going to keep pushing- because they can. It's a vicious cycle, but I'd have no problem Telling the coach you won't be at the Monday practices due to previous commitments and your understanding that Monday's were not part of the original schedule.

[Deleted]

Omg I'm dreading this kind of stuff. I'm looking at you sil who yells and waves and gets all intense at her 4 year old' soccer games 🙈 I'm like oh, I thought my toddler kid's activities were my time for reading and sipping iced coffee? She's doing it wrong lol.

Oh and sick kids at practice, gtfo!!!!

[nicolewi]

Rise up, parents! Rebel!

I hate this stuff. I'm dreading getting into it in the years to come.

The sick kid at practice? That is NUTS. They are EIGHT!!!

I think you are doing the right thing by just letting him go to the soccer clinic. I mean, which will matter more in 3 years? Soccer clinic.

[cjcouple]

May 15, 2017 13:07:20 GMT -5 dizzycooks said:

Parents need to stand up imo. If your kid is too sick for school they are too sick for sports. Especially at 8yo. If parents make it that big of a deal, of course the coaches are going to keep pushing- because they can. It's a vicious cycle, but I'd have no problem Telling the coach you won't be at the Monday practices due to previous commitments and your understanding that Monday's were not part of the original schedule.

I already told the coach, I have to be at the clinic for my oldest, I cannot get Luke there. It's just ridiculous. Frankly, the clinic instructor is a lot nicer and a lot better at teaching and encouraging the kids anyway.  

B is asking to try-out for travel soccer for next year and plans to try out for the school teams.  And I already warned him, it's based on skill and ability. But he is going into 6th grade - completely different then.  And he can still play in our town league which takes everyone until 14.   

[hocus2]

Is there a different league? One that is more laid back?

We're in one now and since you sign up 6 months before it starts and they only give the schedule after the first practice so we have to miss stuff. We're missing games because I was told that Sun games would start at 12:00. Well they start at 10:00 and my kid has an activity then. No one says anything to us about it and everyone is treated the same as far as I can tell. We're doing out best and honestly at this age that is all you can expect. It isn't like my kid can go on her own. She needs someone to take her.

[cjcouple]

May 15, 2017 13:37:15 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

Is there a different league? One that is more laid back?

We're in one now and since you sign up 6 months before it starts and they only give the schedule after the first practice so we have to miss stuff. We're missing games because I was told that Sun games would start at 12:00. Well they start at 10:00 and my kid has an activity then. No one says anything to us about it and everyone is treated the same as far as I can tell. We're doing out best and honestly at this age that is all you can expect. It isn't like my kid can go on her own. She needs someone to take her.

No - this is the town little league. There is a coach pitch level but he was bumped up to minors over his age. You can't play down - only up. 

[cjcouple]

At this point, I'm just sticking it out so he can get a damn participation trophy/medal. haha
His freinds are on the team. So he has fun in dugout anyway! Although they are not even allowed to cheer/chant from the dugout!! I was floored when they got corrected for chanting. "let's go XX Let's go!"

[expectantsteelerfan]

I'm sorry your experience has been like that. I would def. complain...not all leagues are like that! My ds is also 7 in 2nd grade, playing in a 7/8 year old league, and we have 2 games a week with practice before the games, and coaches that understand that it's a crazy time of year and things come up. The batting lineup is switched every game, and the players play different positions ever inning. It's really laid back. We played for a local church league the last 2 years and it was the same way.

[CrazyLucky]

Your story worries me! I've been coaching DS every year, and this is our last year of coach pitch. I really enjoy coaching now, but I won't if it's really competitive. And neither will DS, since he is not one of the stronger players.
I would definitely just tell the coach that you can't go on Mondays, especially not for practice. ("We're talkin' 'bout practice here. Not a game, not a game, not a game. PRACTICE!") It's also likely that he can't do anything else to your kid by league rules. There is/should be a rule that says all players get to play at least two innings in the field and hit once.
I'm glad he at least has fun in the dugout.

[cjcouple]

Yes, it can't get any worse. He actually foul tipped a ball yesterday in the game...haha.

Dh tried talking to the coach but of course he blew him off. First it was "if he stops stepping out of box we can see about moving him up" which ticked me off. He wasn't stepping back as in being afraid of ball...he just stepped backward instead of forward when he swung. Its not like he jumped out of box all the time. He had 2 great at-bats yesterday. Nice even swings, good eye. And he is not even thr worst batter!!! Half the team (out of 14) cannot hit the ball.

I think the coach prejudged him and wrote him off in the first practice because he was afraid to catch ball. It eas bad then, and caught DH and I by surprise tbh. But he has really inproved.

I know as a mom I can be biased but I watch him compared to other kids and he is the same level as others his age. None of them are hitting the ball. And DS is stronger in field. He may be outfield but when it comes he grabs it and reacts fast. Many of the other kids stare around and don't know where to throw it. But my kid has been oegfed as bottom. Sucks.

And I' not knocking other kids. Its little league, and they are ALL learning

[penguingrrl]

That's absolutely insane! Emma is 7, almost 8 and in second grade and playing little league softball. We have one practice a week and one game. That's it. Expecting parents to be able to drop everything and commit to one kid's season of one sport as a full time job is bullshit!

[cjcouple]

May 18, 2017 18:05:53 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

That's absolutely insane! Emma is 7, almost 8 and in second grade and playing little league softball. We have one practice a week and one game. That's it. Expecting parents to be able to drop everything and commit to one kid's season of one sport as a full time job is bullshit!

Thats similar to when my oldest played for this league. He had 2 games a week. Every 2 to 3 weeks they were able to squeeze in a practice. It was plenty.

So we just brought boys to batting cages and Luke was hitting the slow pitch baseballs. Hoping it helps him!

[court26]

That is disappointing all around. I am kind of dreading fall sports for all the scheduling issues. Last year her cheer coach changed the days WEEKLY. I mean, we got a schedule for the month, but the days were all over the place for practices...and they can't cheer if they miss (very strict). It makes it almost impossible to fit in other activities and she hopes to continue with her other activities, but she LOVES cheer. I couldn't believe how weird the coaches were talking to K/1st graders about how they had to pick one thing and be dedicated. I thought it was supposed to be fun and all about finding what they like! And people, stop bringing sick kids!

[imojoebunny]

DS is 8, and we found out last season that it has become a lot more competitive, even in rec league. Makes me sad because he loved just going out and playing at 4-7. Now, a lot of the kids are only doing rec league in between other leagues, and so they are much better. I am all for people signing up for travel leagues, if their kid is the next big thing, but rec league in my opinion is best served by 2 times a week at most, AND a rule to play every child for equal time. The point is not just to win, but to build skills and get kids physically moving. My kid gets more exercise staying home.

[cjcouple]

And then there is the flip side of youth sports. B plays U12 Soccert through our town league. His coach is awesome and arranged for his team to play a 40 min 7v7 game in Gillette Stadium before Sundays New England Revolution Game as part of CJSA Day. How cool is that?

We play at 11:25. It includes parking and a tailgating area right after B's game and then we go watch the Revs game at 2:30. Fun day!!