One of the sometimes unpredictable things that coaches face is a player's decision to stop playing the sport. Sometimes this happens with young kids, for so many potential reasons. It also happens with college athletes. During our Christmas break we had three pitchers decide to hang it up. One was a sophomore who has struggled with mechanics and control and probably wasn't going to get an opportunity on the varsity squad if that trend continued for him. Another was a junior who has battled injuries to his legs and throwing arm ever since he got to college. It is difficult to improve if injuries prevent an athlete from practicing effectively. He saw a doctor when he was at home for break and the doc said he may be experiencing occasional shoulder/arm numbness due to a bulging disc in his back.
Another pitcher who decided to stop playing, and actually even dropped his course schedule for this semester, is a sophomore lefty who was in our starting rotation last year. He was very effective and started in conference games for more than the last half of the season. Until the last couple of weeks he was among the top ten DIII pitchers in the country in batting average against. He said he was homesick and plans to enroll in the community college near his home. Apparently his parents hoped he would remain here in school and continue playing baseball.
Perhaps being homesick is a real issue for him. If so, then that's fine that he was able to tell that to the head coach. I left him a voicemail message last Saturday, simply telling him that I can respect that he is making that decision, and that I am looking forward to having our team get back to the DIII World Series this season. I said that I wished he would be there with us, contributing to that success, but whether he is there or not, we are going to get there. I haven't gotten any response from him; perhaps in time. I don't really want him to feel pressured to do something he doesn't want to do, and I certainly don't want him to feel as though he owes me a response. I am certain though, that due to the relationship we have developed in the past year and a half, that we will eventually have an opportunity to talk about his decision. I certainly do not hold any grudges nor think negatively about him, I just want him to be happy with who he is and where he is going. I'm sure he's going to succeed at whatever he does.
A few days ago I read that a pitcher at Stanford also decided not to play baseball this year, either. He had a very good ERA and played for one of the more competitive programs in the PAC 10. I would bet he had some percentage of a baseball scholarship, whereas our guy did not, as there are no athletic scholarships at NCAA DIII programs.
What makes these young people make decisions to stop playing in spite of being successful? It could be so many things.
One issue that I occasionally observe (more often that I would like) among young athletes is that it seems that many of them are playing sports due to the dreams of their parents. Many parents are more enthused about their children's athletic participation and performance than the kids are. I have had conversations with parents who think their kids need to choose one sport by the time they are nearing high school, thinking that by concentrating on just one sport they will have a better chance at college scholarships, potential professional careers, etc.
Last night in Mt. Pleasant, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson was the featured speaker at the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Annual Clinics. I was glad to hear him say that high school coaches should encourage their athletes to play more than one sport. I have always tried to tell parents and kids that I think kids should continue to play as many sports as they want to play, as long as they are having fun.
Kids should play sports because they love to, not because their parents or anyone else wants them to. Being an athlete is really just enjoying playing a game. When we parents can all decide to let our kids play games for their own enjoyment, and nothing else, the youth sports culture will begin to be a more fun place for the kids.....cuz after all, it is for the kids, isn't it?
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