Softball coaches and parents often get caught up in this idea of trying to keep a travel team together. It IS a great idea, BUT the reality is that it’s very tough to do. Especially when you start reaching the ages of 13, 14, 15…softball is getting more and more competitive, so when coaches and parents come across a team that does really well together, they want to do everything they can to keep it together.

That is a good idea of course and a natural inclination to have. The problem is that this is the very age when people start moving in different directions for a number if different reasons. Some are personal, some are logistical, some are actually softball related, and others just happen.

Many coaches and parents spend too much time getting upset over this inevitable change. They start getting all bent out of shape over the thought of bringing new girls into the mix…especially when “last year’s” team was successful.

I was recently asked for my thoughts on this very type of situation. Parents were getting concerned because 10 our of 12 girls from a successful 12U team moved up to 14U and now the coaches were looking at bringing in more girls.

Well, first of all 10 players on a 14U travel team isn’t going to be enough so the coaches DO have to bring more players into the team. How many? Tough to say! It’s easy to go with a smaller roster when there is a history if the players being committed and capable of showing up week after week. But if you’re bringing new players and families into the mix, you may be unsure of which ones will really truly be reliable.

It’s great to be able to have a roster of 12. However, if you happen to have an injury and an illness at the same time on a long tournament weekend, it leaves you in a challenging spot. A spot that not only makes things tougher for team success but also places higher risk on the health and safety of your players which should always come first! Carrying 14-16 players may be a better idea.

But What About Our Dream Team?
Coaches and players alike may not be completely comfortable with the idea of changing up this team too much. But at a certain point you really need to stop trying to force something that won’t happen and consider the other side of the coin…

It’s completely normal after a particularly successful season to want to do it all over again. You figure you can toe that same line to get there again. There’s only ONE problem.  Even if you have the same coaching staff and the same roster…

This year’s team is NOT last year’s team.

I’ll say it again… this. year’s. team…  is. NOT. last. year’s. team

1) Even if you had the EXACT same roster as “last year” it doesn’t mean you have the “same” team. It does NOT guarantee you the same results…especially if you’re moving up a division. The players on the team are a year older. They have another year of life experience under their belts. They have another year of softball experience under their belts. They have different things going on in school this year. Some have different friends. Some are more mature and more focused. Others are more distracted. All of these changes in the lives of the players change WHO they are this year compared to a year ago. That’s true for each and every one of them. That changes the team dynamic!

2) The idea that you will be able to do the “same thing” with the “same team” and get the “same result” is delusional. You already saw in #1 how this is NOT the “same” team so as last year, so right off the bat the idea that you’re doing the same thing with the “same team” is erroneous.  Now let’s address doing the “same thing.” Let’s say you ran some new drills last year or incorporated new practice strategies that the girls really responded to or did some new workout/training program last year. Well, if you do that again this year, will it still be “new” to the girls? No because they already did it last year. It’s not going to have the EXACT same effect so it will not give you the EXACT same result. That’s what makes coaching fun…if each season was exactly the same if you ran the “same” drills with the “same” girls, softball would be awfully boring.

So if you feel like having the “same” team will guarantee success THIS season, you’re fooling yourself. Not only is your team NOT the “same” neither is your competition! The one thing you can count on in this world is that things WILL change. Having the “same” team may actually lull you into a false sense of security. Coaches, players, and parents all know success is possible. It’s already happened and sometimes an entire team environment and organization falls into the trap of expecting it to just happen again without pouring in the same “dirty work” and burning motivation.

3) Embrance the change.  As the title to this article states…the ONE constant you can count on is that things will change.  This is true in softball and in life.  Change in a team is an opportunity to learn to adapt and grow in spite of the changes in environment.  In real life, if you don’t keep up, you will get left behind.  In higher levels of softball, team personnel changes.  Starting lineups change.  Coaching staffs change.  Training environments change, etc, etc, etc.

If you shelter players from this aspect of the game and of life, they may not know how to deal with it when they get older and when the stakes are greater.

So if you can keep a team together, that’s cool.  But if a little change or a lot of change happens, stop beating your head up against a wall trying to stop it.  Stop wasting time and energy putting off the inevitable and wishing for something that’s just not going to happen.  Embrace the opportunity to grow even more, to develop more than just softball skills.  Yes, change is uncomfortable and there are some things about the new situation that may not be as good as what used to be.  BUT all new situations open up opportunities that would have never been avialable otherwise. Focus on that!