We go to the mailbag (e-mail inbox, that is) for the first time in a month to get feedback from you, the readers… some of it is complimentary, some of it critical, but we love it either way when readers voice their opinions.  Keep doing so: send all comments to: brentt@studentsports.com.

 

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In reference to the June 15 article, Happy Birthday… to SSS.com,” Robin Trainer, mother of one of the subjects in the article–pitcher Tara Trainer from Lebanon, Ohio–writes about us including the All-American pitcher on our list after coming back from a near fatal car wreck:

I wanted to write to tell you how honored we were to find out that Tara’s recovery story was in your top 10 stories of the year. We always enjoyed reading your articles and to be included in the top 10 was such a privilege.

When Tara found out she was so excited and told me that I would want to check out Student Sports under the SSS birthday. As I reread the story, I just started to cry. We have had such an incredible team of people who surrounded our family during her recovery, and we have much to thank God for!

We’re very blessed to have so many people that worked with Tara over the past two years to enable her to get to this point.  We have grown considerably as a family and seeing Tara mature through these difficult times has made it more bearable. We thank you for giving us the opportunity to see all the events through your eyes and to hear your perspective has helped shape our outlook.

Thanks for your interest in our daughter and her passion for softball.

— Robin Trainer

 

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In our last “We Get Letters” (May 19) I went back and forth with a reader who thought Pacifica High (Garden Grove, Calif.) was covered too much. The Mariners ended up winning the CIF So. Section Div. I championship and finished ranked No. 5 in the country.

One unidentified reader felt Pacifica deserved their high ranking based on strength of schedule:

I think Pacifica may have played the toughest schedule on this list. Pacifica played five of the FAB 50 teams (and was in nine games):

• #1 Mission Viejo (three times, Finals of Tournament of Champions Mohave, Best of the West Finals, final regular season game which Pacifica won)
• #15 M.L. King (CIF So. Section D1 Final)
• #22 Chino (twice),
• #32 Chino Hills (Semi Finals of Tournament of Champions Mohave)
• #40 Cypress (twice in League)

Plus, the Mariners played bubble team Canyon of Anaheim twice (semi-finals in the Best of the West and the CIF So. Section D1 playoffs, round 1)

Total record versus FAB 50 teams: 7 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie

I’m curious how the rest of the FAB 50 schedules compare to Pacifica’s…

 

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Sometimes when it comes to making improvements on the site, it just takes a little push… I got a couple suggestions from friends of the site about improving the Master Verbal List, one even saying: “I don’t even look at it anymore because I can’t tell who are the new commits.”

And then came this simple and succinct note:

It would be great if you could somehow show who the new commits are from the last update.

— Speedy

So here’s the fix: for the last two weeks I’ve added a link to a spreadsheet table, like this one, which has the newest verbals. It takes a few extra minutes, but seems to be well received.  

Thanks for all the help, all! Sometimes the saying is very true: “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

 

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And then there are the critics, which I love because it means they have an opinion and not afraid to express it…

I would have thought your All-American teams, with 40 girls on each team, would have been better but it was too focused on the big states of California, Florida and Texas.

I thought the NFCA All-American team was better as it was more representative of the East Coast and had more balance.

My daughter plays in a mid-tier state, but our girls can play just as well as any girls from California or Florida. We’ve played some So Cal teams in tournaments, for example, and more than held our own, even winning some games.

I could take any elite, top notch girl from a state like New Jersey or Colorado or Ohio and put her on a team with all that talent and she would be just as good as your big state players because the overall talent would make her look good.

Just my two cents… next time I hope your All American teams are more balanced.

— Sharon (asked to keep last name private)

 

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Finally, I save one of the best letters for last… sometimes a letter is in responsive to another letter. Last “We Get Letters,” a reader named TJ wrote it to say “I HATE the recruiting coverage!” because girls were getting pressured too young.

Here’s one response typical of the several we got on the issue…

After reading the comment from TJ about players receiving too much attention at an early age, I felt that I had to touch on this one.

First of all we now live in a “spotlight” society where everything is publicized. Nowadays going for a walk to the store as you trip over the curb can get you “put on blast.”

I believe that it is wonderful that these girls are being recognized for the simple fact that young women deserve to showcase their God-given abilities that, once-upon-a-time, were frowned upon. The pressure doesn’t come from the outside “evils,” as you call it. They come from within.

Parents put pressure on their own kids, and half of the time it comes from parents who’ve never achieved anything in the sports world. They now are living vicariously through their DD. I’m proud that my DD has interest from Pac-12, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, Mid Majors, etc. and she just completed her freshman year.

We embrace the attention, because this is what SHE says that she wants, therefore SHE must accept all that will come with her dream. I raise my daughter on reality versus the fantasy world that is leads to false expectations that is seen on TV and the internet.

Reality is that she will be pressured not only in college but the REAL world, because she already has the odds against her being a minority female trying to make it in a non-minority male dominated competitive world.

Softball is perfect for her character. These are young women by the time they get recruited—not little girls.

Sorry, fellas, but women are built for this. If you disagree then witness a childbirth up close!

Thank you for the exposure. Your exposure helps keep the recruiting alive. There is no rush to commit early and my DD is taking her time as she has fun soaking it all in.

God Bless Softball!

— David V.M. Kennedy