Where are they?

Along those lines..our son has played pretty much year round. He played freshman ball last season, then went right into the high school summer team, then fall and winter. He did a showcase, an area code clinic and went to Australia with Area Code. We have started pitching lessons and he also does weight training and conditioning after 7th period baseball PE. He's on the JV team right now, but may go up to Varsity if the coach feels he can handle it maturity wise. There are other kids who don't play other sports and refuse to show up for summer/fall/winter ball. They do not have a lot of baseball skill, and obviously do not work hard to improve. If they are seniors they will be on Varsity. Players in our program do not typically get cut after they have made any team in the program. These kids hang on, and don't make much of a contribuition. Another parent told us last week, that someone had complained last year that the kids who played in fall and winter were getting some sort of preferential treatment, so now the coach has to be careful about not "penalizing" the kids who don't come out in the fall and winter. It seems to me that if someone complained, their kid wasn't getting playing time, but maybe they had their rose colored glasses on and don't see how the hard work for the other kids had paid off. Lots of people want the easy way out and think that things should be handed to them.

People seldom fall into such nice neat little categories.

Yes, I agree whole heartedly that there are many, many folks out there who's sons do not do anything in the off season who are surprised and disenlightened when their sons are left behind. What you do in the off season certainly does have has a huge impact on what you do in season. A lot of folks simply don't get this.

However, I have also seen my share of kids who are born with natural talent and ability who do nothing in the off season and still get plenty of opportunites handed to them. And I have seen their parents credit their success with how hard they have worked (and sadly they truly believe this)

Hard work, work in the off season especially, goes a long, long , long ways towards improving your game and giving you a competitive advantage. It is important to teach your children this. It gives them a huge advantage over many players.

However, it is still possible to be out distanced by somewone with natural talent and no work ethic. It is wise to teach them this also, and to help them come to terms with it.

Unfortunately it is extremely difficult for a kid to continue giving up things he must give up in order to work that hard - and to continue working that hard - after their first encounter with this phenomenon.

Those who are able understand and more importantly accept this (without dwelling on it)have a huge advantage in reaching their goals..

AParent--

Great post. Sometimes the most important life lessons our kids learn through team settings are not positive or feel-good. But, they are, nevertheless, extremely important. Those kids who learn that life is complicated and that it is not always fair are those who can make realistic and informed decisions in setting goals and in knowing what it will take to reach them.

AParent I agree with the fact that sometimes kids come along that are so talented that they excell at the High School level with no work ethic. The problem is when they go on to the next level everyone is talented. What separates them is the work ethic that is formed years earlier. You know what happens to these kids? They find themselves sitting the pine for the first time in their life and end up out of the game all together.