QuestionMy question is actually a two-fold question.My daughter is a sophomore in highschool and currently plays on the JV team. She was asked to go with the varsity team to camp and tournaments over the summer. She is a setter, and 2 other setters another one from the freshman team and the JV setter) also went. Then 1 week before tryouts,she dislocated her shoulder, has been out for the past 6 weeks, and is just now coming back.She feels like her injury is why she was put on JV, because one of the other 2 setters who also went to the varsity camps is not very good.She feels like she got back into practicing a few days ago, playing as she did before. Her JV coach told her it's policy for them to make a player practice for 1 week, after an injury, before getting to play in a game. My questions are:1)Could they possibly move her up to varsity, mid-season, since they haven't played 1 of the 2 setters very much since the first game, and could her injury be the reason they put her on JV? (she made JV based on her playing ability as a freshman and over the summer since unable to do anything at tryouts)& 2) Is it a standard policy to make girls practice 1 week before playing in any games after an injury.
AnswerGood evening!
I'm sorry it's taken me this long to respond to your question. My junior club has taken all my time the past 2 days. Up to midnight. Shew!
a) She is fortunate to make any team. I would have kept her. But I've heard of some coach who would not have. So congrats to her coaches for being so open minded.
b) A varsity team cannot take a gamble with one setter. I've done it once, but was on pins and needles the entire season. The one who isn't very good: She's still better than not having a back up at all.
c) Now that the 2nd setter has been on the team for 3 or 4 weeks, the coach may be reluctant to move her down and put your daughter in her place. (i) she earned the spot (ii) she hopefully knows the offense, defense, rotations, etc (iii) she hasn't done anything wrong, etc.
d) Should your daughter be on varsity? Maybe. Will she? No telling. Coaches handle this different ways. I would predict that she WILL be moved up to varsity is if she is obviously, by far, no discussion, immensely better than the 2nd setter. Otherwise, I'd have no clue.
e) What might prevent her from moving up? Pouting, whining, jealousy, not giving her best effort, etc. Or if the parents whine, pout, slouch in the seats with their arms crossed, talk about the coach like he's a dog, etc. I'm not saying you're like that!! In fact, I don't see that at all (unlike the question I answered here yesterday!). But please just be supportive. You're lucky that she's on the team, lucky that she's healthy enough to play, lucky she's athletic enough to play high school sports.....which I never was.
f) To your 2nd question: I've never heard of that before. It would be reasonable for you to ask the athletic director to see this rule in black-and-white. If it's no where to be seen, then what IS this rule? If you're told, it's a coach's rule, then you can say, "We weren't told of this before the season". I don't have many rules that the parents and players don't know about. The AD may say, "What? You want a copy of every rule the coach has? Like the pay attention when I'm talking rule, the turn cell phones off rule, etc.? Really? That's unreasonable." Or the AD may say, "You're right. She can play as soon as the dr. says she's OK."
Thank you for contacting me. I really enjoy getting questions from parents.
Now for all this typing, I have one request from you! :) Can you give your coach my website address? My staff and I have done 18 site camps the past 2 summers in Va, Penn, Del and Alaska. And we have 3 already scheduled for 2011. The Maximum Expectations camp will be incredible!!
Have a great week! Please email me at
[email protected] or follow up here if you have more questions.
Coach Houser
Roanoke, va
