Your Softball Season IN Review | Softball is For Girls

Review Your Softball Season! It might not be as bad as you think!

Tis’ the season! If you look on the Softball is For Girls Group page on Facebook, every other listing is a team looking for players or players looking for teams. Its the upside fruit basket turnover that inevitably comes near the end of every softball season.

World Series and National Championships are complete (often filled with their own kind of burnout and drama), and families although possibly looking forward to a short break, are also curious about the greener ballfields that may or may not be out there for the next season. Before you jump ship without a life jacket read today’s “Your Softball Season in Review!”

Speaking of NEXT SEASON – Don’t forget your copy of The Brick Dust Diary, so you can create an everlasting memory of your daughters season that you will treasure long after she hangs up her cleats.

Today, we help you take a realistic look at your Softball Season In Review.

Did your daughter have fun? Seriously, we don’t care how old she is, what her long term goals are, what jersey she wore, how much the coach knew or didn’t know – the MOST important question is did your daughter have fun. Because FUN is what will keep her playing. FUN is the point. Having fun while playing ball is what makes this sport so awesome. The bottom line is that the best way to ensure your daughter plays a sport more than just a season and doesn’t burn out, is to make sure that she is still having fun. Because when the fun is over, so is the season. Put aside your own feelings, and ASK YOURSELF if your daughter had fun playing ball?
Was your daughter challenged? Being challenged is key to being on a successful team. Sure, maybe you didn’t want her to play 3rd, but the coach really needed her there. And if so, she was likely challenged. Did the coaches and other players challenge her and bring out the best in her? Was she pushed to try new things? Being challenged can be uncomfortable, but at the same time, it is what makes our daughters better!
Was the team affordable for your family? We realize that many people chasing the dreams are taking out second mortgages and using credit to further their daughter’s softball career. BUT….if you are smart, you will save that money for college rather than think you are going to get a return on your investment with a scholarship. (YOU WON’T! NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOUR KID IS). But playing on a team where the travel expense and tournament expense fits your family budget is the smartest thing you can do. Sure, you might miss out on a 12U tournament in California, but we assure you that not being overextended and stressed out about the financials of travel ball is important to your family.
Did you feel like you and your daughter fit in well (personally) with the team culture? Every team has a different feel, and we firmly believe that there is a team for everyone. There is no need to put a square peg in a round hole, and you spend an excessive amount of time with these people, so it might as well be comfortable. And ya know….FUN!
Is your daughter appreciated? Just like in the workforce where an employee will work harder when they are appreciated, the same is true on a team. This DOES NOT MEAN your daughter has to be the star, or that she has to have credits praise every time she farts or sneezes, but it is important that she gets positive feedback and reinforcement. Remember GIRLS NEED TO FEEL GOOD TO PLAY GOOD!
Was your daughter Successful? Success doesn’t mean she batted a thousand and got to play where she wanted to and was in every lineup and never made an error. Success is about GROWTH. Did she learn? Did she grow as a PERSON and a ballplayer? Everyone’s barometer of success is different. Pick through your season and make a decision about whether she was successful? And THEN make goals for next season?
Does your daughter still want to play? If the answer is yes, then she is likely on a good team for her. If not, then it might be time for a break (oh the horror but sometimes it happens) or another team.
Is YOUR DAUGHTER HAPPY WHERE SHE IS! This one is IMPORTANT! Take your own feelings out of the equation. Take your comments and opinions and narrative OUT. IS YOUR DAUGHTER HAPPY ON HER TEAM???? Her happiness is what is most important here. Reality CHECK! This is about the kids, not the parents.