College Politics | College Softball | Forum

Not unusual to hear about High School politics. You won't see nearly as much of that in college because the college coaches are paying the players (scholarships) and they really don't even want to talk to the parents. Whereas in HS the coaches often depend on the booster club to even turn the lights on the field on.

HOWEVER, in this case I'm not sure politics was necessarily an issue. There is nothing about select ball that turns girls into ATHLETES. The fact that they know the game, doesn't mean they are good at it, or that they respect the coach. If your HS coach is good at instruction they might well prefer a player who listens, hustles, respects and learns quickly.

Your job as a player is simple … CONTROL THE 6" between your ears and ignore the things you can't control. College coaches aren't going to recruit your friends so that you can socialize. They want to put the best players on the field that they can and they expect them to learn together, train together and support one another whether or not they necessarily like each other.

I've loved your questions and the way you are thinking things through so my advice to you in this situation is instead of thinking about your friends that didn't make the varsity team, become the kind of teammate to this new player that college coaches would want to recruit. Help her learn and come up to speed instead of pointing your finger at what she doesn't know. Lift her up and encourage her, because inside she has to be anxious about what she doesn't know and she'll play better knowing she is supported, than if she feels the sting of your looks on each mistake.

Here is how it can help you … I'd be willing to bet that she can show 100 different footwork drills that she's learned from basketball to help you get more explosive first few steps to help you get out of rundowns.