Two years ago, we started our foray into TBall and found ourselves knee deep in oversized baseball caps, wild thrown balls and the energy of a four-year-old magnified by twelve other little persons. We specifically chose a park district league that focused on FUN with a team element and less ensuring that the sport was played in its purest fashion.
Learning to go with the flow, find inspiration in the small things and keeping little bodies active and engaged was the name of the game. Early on, Jim referred to the whole process as herding cats and it pretty much was.
For his first adventure into coaching, I was extremely proud of my hubby (and Charlie of course). He somehow managed to make the game fun, engaging and interactive. I also think (and hope) they learned a bit along the way.
So when we went to Jack’s first TBall practice this week, I had high hopes for the same experience. Jim isn’t the coach, but we anticipated that the league would reflect the same type of program. Little did we know…
If you start the parent meeting by encouraging parents to remain “positive” on the sidelines and having to remind them that it’s just a game, it might be a bit too intense.
When you stress that all kids will get to play a position and will stay there for half-innings, to that I say, good luck. I can hardly get my four-year-old to sit still during a 30 minute television program let alone on a field with grass and flowers and shadows to play with. Think I have the next Paul Konerko? I can assure you at four-years-old, you won’t know with my son.
Oooh, let’s play catch! This is fun. Oh wait…you want tiny hands to grip a ball the traditional way with fingers wrapped just perfectly so? It’s not the minor leagues – I think a little instruction with a lot of fun might be better suited for this crew.
Let’s run around the bases! At the end of practice! Five times in a row! Surely your little legs that are nearing bedtime won’t be like jello…and ready to collapse at a moment’s notice!
Let’s not forget ALL of the children running around the bases at the same time. Colliding and falling into one another. Surely that’s not an accident waiting to happen…
At the end of the practice, we discovered that the practice had been scheduled minute-by-minute. Do you know how often my kids keep me right on schedule with things exactly the way I planned? Oh wait…
It might appear that I sound overly critical. But as a parent who paid for this program, I was hoping for a much more relaxed style. Teach the kids the basics of the game, but focus on the fun. Some days, they’ll chase the butterfly. Others, they will be mitts all in. But when we start the sport with the belief that everyone’s headed for the major leagues, I think we’ve identified just how off course we’ve gotten in society.
Do I ascribe to the “everyone should get a medal” philosophy? No. But I think I set my expectations just a little bit lower for kids who still eat their boogers.
Disclaimer: My husband DID volunteer to coach this year, but they had enough parents. He has also coached the past few years and is coaching Charlie’s team now. Believe me, we are not *those* parents. I LOVE open dialogue and believe that sharing and learning from one another is how we improve. LOVE hearing the feedback so far!
What’s your take on the first few years of sports? Start fierce with the competition or take the scenic route?
I think sports for children should primarily be fun and not intense. There is something to be said for healthy competition, but I don’t believe competition should be the primary objective. I even think this for beyond the first couple years. I want my kids to try a bunch of things and see what they like. I think it is ridiculous to think a child should have to decide what sport they are going to go with by age 6. Age 7 seems to be a bit of a turning point in our park district programs. The programs all seem to become “skills” classes, ie. Soccer Skills, Basketball Skills, etc. They are filled with the words, “improve your game”, “top notch trainers”. I guess by 7, my kid should have already learned how to play everything and be more focused…not.
When my son was 5, he played on a team where all the other parents thought their kids who grow up to be Derek Jeter, especially the coach. It was insane…not to mention that they had a practice and 2 hour games every Sat and Sunday. We never went back.
I am not a fan of Little League at all. I watched fathers belittle their sons until they were in tears. I heard tales of coaches wheeling and dealing when it came to the drafting of players prior to the season. It was a cut throat process. It made me sick to my stomach. I don’t know much about the t-ball process, but I can only assume that there are parents who believe that Babe Ruth was once four years old too. They don’t want to be the one who misses the mark and fails at being a good coach. I can’t imagine the Babe being on an organized t-ball team, but even if he was on one, he probably acted like a typical four year old. Some kids are just naturals at the game and they will do well with the right guidance and maturity. It looks like this t-ball league had plenty of volunteers to choose from. Maybe, this coach will realize it isn’t his cup of tea. Or maybe he’ll relax and begin to enjoy it more as the weeks go on. Perhaps his wife will be a positive influence on him to lighten up a bit. Who knows? Hopefully, the little ones will have fun anyway. They tend to blow off these things. It’s the older kids that I worry about. I just can’t get over a certain father screaming at his son as he cowered in the backseat of the family station wagon. The ironic thing is that this father was a registered nurse. One would think he had compassion for human beings. I guess his compassion ended at the end of his shift at the hospital.
We signed Brayden up for tball and he has only had one practice so far, but it is pretty low key. He says its really fun and I think that’s the most important thing!