Cell Phone Use iat tournaments?

[softballperformance]

I will try to be more specific. I ain't talking so much about personal down time as to "team time".

Last year, I was down in Florida helping a team during a training camp for a couple of days. When the whole team went for meals - which to me is a team when players should socialize among each other - I saw many girls spending most of their time at the restaurant either talking or their cell phones rather than having a discussion with their teammates. The same pattern seemed to repeat itself for the few days I was there. This seemed to be counterproductive to the whole goal of "team building", "socializing", etc.

That is mainly my point

[wadeintothem]

Heres 3 more random letters for the end of your name.

NCP

Needs Chillax Pill

[Judd]

for all you know the 1st baseman is texting the 3rd baseman who is two rooms down.


If DD's coach told me they couldnt bring their phones to a tourny or couldnt turn them on while in the hotel, I would ask him how far he was willing to go to enforce it because thats a rule my DD wouldnt follow.


Dont try to force social policy on teenage girls

[Iluvblue]

I have been coaching for about 11 years now, and here is my list of team rules that I pass out to everyone:








-------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you get all that?? Here, Ill repeat it:







Get my point. I have about as few problems as any team has, which is really none. i do preventive maintenance with our parents that keeps me from having problems down the road. I set the tone with my players from day one, and they kind of just get it.

I do not force team anything after our games. If they all want to eat together, great. But FORCING players and parents to eat at one particular place just doesnt sit well with parents IMO. So we simply dont do it. By the way, the parenst planned 3 team barbecues last Fall and everyone attended with no coaches pushing for "Team time." Team hotels, sure, but if parents X,Y, and Z want to stay somewhere else, that is ok also. If they are late for a game, their kid will sit the bench because of it. So parents CHOOSE to stay all together. The less rules you force on people, the better off you are.

If you have serious players, you dont need to worry about them being at the field on time. I did forget to mention I do have one rule. It is my way or the highway. I stole this quote from one of my daughters coaches a few years back.

"If you arent happy, dont start a mutiny, just jump ship and we will sail along without you." I told that to everyone last week, and I am dead serious.


Take each situation as it comes, but petty rules like cell phone use are not needed. Using them at practice or during games?? Are you kidding? Boy I hope I never have players that are that ...... uhmmmm, crazy to think they could get away with that on my team. That would probably be a player I wouldnt want anyway.

Save yourself the headache. Less rules the better.

[sportzjunky]

>>The less rules you force on people, the better off you are.<<

100% agree. Life&team have enough legit rules...
Especially when it comes to social networking post game. Let the kids & families gravitate where the comfort zone is.

[GIMNEPIWO]

I will try to be more specific. I ain't talking so much about personal down time as to "team time".

Last year, I was down in Florida helping a team during a training camp for a couple of days. When the whole team went for meals - which to me is a team when players should socialize among each other - I saw many girls spending most of their time at the restaurant either talking or their cell phones rather than having a discussion with their teammates. The same pattern seemed to repeat itself for the few days I was there. This seemed to be counterproductive to the whole goal of "team building", "socializing", etc.

That is mainly my point

Many moons ago I worked for a Company and had to take a day trip with the President and a new employee from Wisconsin ... For the 1st hour of the 3 hour trip the Pres. gave us his pep talk and then there was a 10 minute lull in the convo ... So, I said " what do ya think of the Packers chances this year? " ... The boss went ballistic because we weren't discussing work related issues on Company time ... My question is ... are you him ?