Thesis: My 12u softball coach was the softball version of Abby Lee Miller, and because of him I developed key social/emotional skills that others don't develop until adulthood. Outline: Softball history Team & coach Downfall Results TITLE????? The iconic, yet controversial, TV show Dance Moms showed the life of a competitive dance team made up of about 7 nine-year-old girls and one grumpy dance teacher. The dance teacher, Abby Lee Miller, claimed to only want the best for her students, but on the show, the viewers see something quite different. In the show the girls are always crying, the moms are always judging, and Abby is always screaming and no matter how much Abby is in the wrong she always gets away with her actions. As much as …show more content…
The dedication and sacrifice put into softball becomes a lifestyle or a culture that even the parents use to identify themselves. The travel softball life is like a prison you can't escape, and once you're in, you're never getting out. My softball career started at the young age of 6 years old, with the parks and rec t-ball then competitive travel softball when I was 9. On my travel team, I saw many unique coaching styles from yelling, gentle criticism, and no criticism, whatever it was, I probably experienced it. Eventually, the team fizzled out because of ages, so I was forced to find someplace new. I was good enough to have some options regarding which team I moved to but in the end, the decision I made caused me …show more content…
As the tournament progressed we lost 1 game out of the 12 or 13 games we played. My coach proceeded to sit us down on a dirty curb in the parking lot and cussed each one of us out. All 12 of his players, went one by one down the line and told all of us how selfish and horrible we were. As he approached me in the line I knew it would be awful and when he finally got to me he proved me right. He called me stupid, terrible, unreliable, and cowardly. Even after all his shouting my team was able to come back and win the championship, a national title that still was not enough for him. This was the beginning of the end for his team. After Indiana came Utah. Our team coming fresh off a win should have had confidence, instead we had fear and dread. Our coach, whom we looked up to, showed up every day with whiskey in his coffee, refusing to talk to any of us, and some days not even showing up to the game. He would have talks with the team about how he doesn't care for us anymore and how he would have tryouts to replace us all because we weren't good enough for him. Finally, everyone started to realize he had no regard for his players, only for himself and his