Information about Premier Fastpitch Girls Softball

[Gary Haning]

Wade,

My comment about making a post next year was not because I will express my opinion but to ask everyone else their opinion.

As to college players...

I have posted this stuff ad nauseum over the years but not on this board.

I am not smart enough to figure out why my computer(s) freak out after a couple paragraphs so I will write something offline and paste it. I am not going to argue about it with anyone but will be my opinion which is shared by many.

[carolinafan]

Gary,

What is the likelihood of 14U or 16U having a premier next year? And if you do have it ,(which I hope you do) do you know dates yet? I read a few pages back on this thread that it was a good possibility and prob. sometime in Aug.

Thanks in advance!

[Gary Haning]

There will be a 14U and 16U, we are probably going to start those divisions a day later so that teams that want to come from ASA 14 and 16 can do that. We have a number of teams we will invite but since we do not have the overall knowledge of teams in those divisions that we have for the other group we will probably rely more on qualifiers. We have some really good teams that are interested, some that will even GASP! bypass ASA Nationals to come here.

[wadeintothem]

And NO ONE is going to travel an 18U team to LA to play a showcase the second week of August. Why would anyone do that? .

They are doing it to save money, make a point (which maybe needs to be made), and to not have to travel to OKC. The want nice comfy weather where people showing up for a tournament can go to disneyland (or whatever).

It is a showcase, it is not a championship... because there is nothing to be champion of. The intent is to display for college coaches and to attract them by making it free for them. These are Gary's talking points. I flippantly have alluded to "champion of Gary's Garage office" .. and thats definately a little snide on reading (I think its funny, I dont mean it mean), but its also not far from the truth.. there is nothing here. Inviting some Good ole Boys and friends to a tourney and printing up a Tshirt doesnt make it a national. There is more to is. Maybe one day.. but this is no national championship. Not only that, it is probable the best teams will be in OKC, not here. You will have watered down teams.

But your point that it has been argued by me ad nauseum, is true and well taken so I will stop for the most part just arguing for the sake of it.

Dont forget though, I am being addressed by you guys, and responding, then being accused of continuing to argue. Rolling over is not my strong suit. Its best to not say something to me if you dont want a response.

[tommy]

Wade,

I think you are about as good an official as there is. And anyone that knows me knows that was hard to say. In any case to say that i am just falling in line means you dont know me. the last thing I will do is kiss any a$$. Speaking for myself college players is one of the smaller points for why this tournament has come to be. The cost of all the little changes they do inspite of what we ask of asa is the reason. Many of us coaches and past coaches who have left have talked about something like this. Now it is here and anything great takes hard work and great risk and thats what this will take and Gary just happens to be the one taking it to get it done. He is simply offering what us coaches on the list and that wish to come wanted for many years. My biggest example is that stupid ACE certification. I wonder if there is a single coach from a good and long standing organization that would say they wanted and wasnt insulted with that infintile cost thrown on us. Little things like that every year and the cost of a drawn out nationals in a place with not much to do with days off that cost more than many other cities is more the reason of why a team like mine will looking for CHANGE. Now if ASA were to make that happen and we see the change who knows where will be in a couple of years. I have no Ill will towards ASA as it is a great organization that has help countless numbers. but maybe we are just a small cog on there wheel. See actually the sheep are those who continue with ASA no matter what they do or how they treat you or maybe they are ok with it. That is there choice. We are actually trying to make change for the better. And we will one way or another. And as Garry said none of us are against traveling the country to see other beautiful cities so it doesnt have to stay in So-cal. Thank you Gary for being the one to step up. And this is not me falling in line. It is me thanking someone for hearing mine and other coaches request.

Tommy

[Gary Haning]

There are many reasons why I do not like to see girls who have played college softball return to 18U, in no particular order here are the reasons I believe college players should be excluded.

Most coaches recognize that recruiting issues absolutely control girls’ fastpitch softball. Most coaches do not like the way they must run their teams now but to ignore the facts is a death sentence for a team. We would love to play in more tournaments and fewer showcases but showcases are better for recruiting so we play in them. Earning a college scholarship is the nirvana that all seek and it is not without its costs.

You form a team in September, you play throughout the fall, you raise funds, you practice, you train outside of practice you try to teach your team to win while there are no tournaments to win and most games are an endless rotation of players and your best players, who are often committed or signed, do not even play.

The year ends, you start in the pre-HS games, you practice. The players go to HS, most teams practice, many raise funds, many have some type of team building even though they cannot play games. June comes and a girl often girls who have not taken part in anything you have done since the previous August walks on the field and starts, someone sits for everyone that returns, someone who worked, practiced, raised money and gave her time. This is not how a team is supposed to be built.

For every girl who returns from college, there is one less girl who does not have a scholarship playing on a team that otherwise could make good use of her skills. She may go to a different team that is far less able to assist her in her goal.

End of part one much more to come.

[hotwheels]

There are many reasons why I do not like to see girls who have played college softball return to 18U, in no particular order here are the reasons I believe college players should be excluded.

Most coaches recognize that recruiting issues absolutely control girls’ fastpitch softball. Most coaches do not like the way they must run their teams now but to ignore the facts is a death sentence for a team. We would love to play in more tournaments and fewer showcases but showcases are better for recruiting so we play in them. Earning a college scholarship is the nirvana that all seek and it is not without its costs.

You form a team in September, you play throughout the fall, you raise funds, you practice, you train outside of practice you try to teach your team to win while there are no tournaments to win and most games are an endless rotation of players and your best players, who are often committed or signed, do not even play.

The year ends, you start in the pre-HS games, you practice. The players go to HS, most teams practice, many raise funds, many have some type of team building even though they cannot play games. June comes and a girl often girls who have not taken part in anything you have done since the previous August walks on the field and starts, someone sits for everyone that returns, someone who worked, practiced, raised money and gave her time. This is not how a team is supposed to be built.

For every girl who returns from college, there is one less girl who does not have a scholarship playing on a team that otherwise could make good use of her skills. She may go to a different team that is far less able to assist her in her goal.

End of part one much more to come.

WOW! Whack!! Nice post....

[tcannizzo]

Why is it the umpires are flocking together on this topic? Premier offers an additional opportunity to work a Gold level tournament, and Wade has already commended Gary on his approach to officiating, so where's the beef?

Check out this thread on the umpire's message board. http://forum.officiating.com/softball/54303-2020-anyone.html
It started out with a comment out the 2020 Olympics and morphed into 145 posts and still going strong about PFGS.

[tcannizzo]

I have posted this stuff ad nauseum over the years but not on this board.

Ironically, with the same antagonist Ir**M*f*a aka M*R.

[Foul it Off]

There are many reasons why I do not like to see girls who have played college softball return to 18U, in no particular order here are the reasons I believe college players should be excluded.

Most coaches recognize that recruiting issues absolutely control girls’ fastpitch softball. Most coaches do not like the way they must run their teams now but to ignore the facts is a death sentence for a team. We would love to play in more tournaments and fewer showcases but showcases are better for recruiting so we play in them. Earning a college scholarship is the nirvana that all seek and it is not without its costs.

You form a team in September, you play throughout the fall, you raise funds, you practice, you train outside of practice you try to teach your team to win while there are no tournaments to win and most games are an endless rotation of players and your best players, who are often committed or signed, do not even play.

The year ends, you start in the pre-HS games, you practice. The players go to HS, most teams practice, many raise funds, many have some type of team building even though they cannot play games. June comes and a girl often girls who have not taken part in anything you have done since the previous August walks on the field and starts, someone sits for everyone that returns, someone who worked, practiced, raised money and gave her time. This is not how a team is supposed to be built.

For every girl who returns from college, there is one less girl who does not have a scholarship playing on a team that otherwise could make good use of her skills. She may go to a different team that is far less able to assist her in her goal.

End of part one much more to come.

WOW! Whack!! Nice post....

Agreed!