Audrea played in the same summer rec league for about three years, maybe four. We had coaches that didn't know what they were doing and umpires who knew even less. We had girls who were late to practice, that is if they showed, and girls who thought they were too good to drill...and because we were a rec league, we really had no recourse as coaches according to the pretty much non-existent board of directors. But we stayed because we didn't know any better and as long as I was able to coach, at least I could control her playing experience a little bit.
Then came the year my youngest, Olivia, was finally old enough to play tee-ball. Audrea had moved up to the 16 & Unders and although I knew it would be a challenge, I enlisted the help of my sister, and signed up to coach both girls.
Funny thing is, I never got the call from the league for the 16 & Under team. The tee-ball commissioner called and gave me my info, but nothing from the other age group. So at the coaches meeting, I asked if I had been over-looked somehow.
I was told, "No. We have all the coaches we need for that age group." Wow.
"OK," I said, "She's on the border, so what if I keep her down a bracket?"
"No, I think we're good there too. We don't need any help." OH MY.
At that point, the coach for Audrea's travel team walked by, over-heard the conversation and shook his head. He leaned over and said, "She's beyond this league anyway. Don't have her do both, this league will hold her back. She's playing for me and that's good enough."
So, I told the commissioner to remove Audrea's name from the player list. We were done. The only reason I allowed my little one to play out the season is because it was too late to sign up in any other league.
~*~*~HOLD UP....WHERE'S MY SOAP BOX?~*~*~
That happened to be the same year I was working in middle school, volunteering with middle schoolers at my church, and by this time, had coached middle schoolers for a few years...needless to say I'd been around them enough to know that they need all of the positive influence and guidance they can get. There is no way this league had "enough" people to fill all of the spots needed for middle schoolers. Give me a freakin' break. I'm not that stupid!
So there were a couple of complaints/incidences my last year coaching Audrea. They were silly mix ups. See we have 4 middle schools in our tiny town. I worked at Middle School "A" and Audrea played for them, the summer league practiced at Middle School "B", and one day a girl whose father I knew showed up at practice in her PE shorts from Middle School "C". So I jokingly told her she couldn't wear those shorts to practice. The father was standing there and laughed but that didn't stop the comment from getting back to me at work and to the board as a complaint. Then when my daughter and some of her friends showed up for games having not changed out of their uniforms from Middle School "A" yet, I was told they were intentionally intimidating the other teams. Again...Give me a freakin' break! Stupid people make stupid comments which lead to stupid decisions and game playing and yes I am speaking to the Board of that league.
~*~*~*SOAP BOX GONE*~*~*~
The next year, Olivia played for the local baseball league. Not much better organized, but at least we got a parade at the beginning of the season. Oh wait, this isn't a beauty pageant! NEXT!!!
I should mention, it was somewhere in our decision to leave the local summer "rec" league that I earned the title "Stage Mom of Sports." I was lovingly told that I am like a stage mom, because I am always jockeying around behind the scenes trying to get my girls in the spot light. Personally I think I just do what I need to do to ensure the most positive playing experience.
That brings us to the league my little one currently plays with, it's an official Little League club. Little League as in The Little League World Series on ESPN; Little League as in The Little League Hall of Fame in South Williamsport, Penn.; Little League as in founded in 1938. Yeah, that Little League!
So I heard about it through a friend whose brother in law is on the board for the baseball division and who had told her they were starting a softball division. Do you remember those Mervyn's commercials? The ones with the woman standing at the window waiting for the store to open with all it's great prices? The one where she says, "Open, Open, Open."? How about this? Have you ever seen a dog learning how to jump to fetch a treat from his master's hand? He's so excited he usually pees himself before he can jump. Cross those two and you have me when I heard about a BRAND NEW SOFTBALL LEAGUE starting up...and one that is a division of Little League no less!!! To say I was excited and eager would be understatements!
So that's where we are today, about half way through our first season with Little League Softball, the only Softball division of Little League for hours, and we are loving it! Yes there are a lot of rules to follow and "I"s to dot and "T"s to cross, but it's supportive, competitive, the umps know their stuff (despite their very young ages), the board members are readily available to help, and most importantly, the girls are having fun and learning to love the game.
We were told today that if this league is to move forward they will need people to step up and help on the Board. I could hardly wait to get home and sign up!
