Comparing the Varsity team to the JV team

Our JV team practiced with the Varsity team this week. Even though it was a combined 32 girls on the field, that practice was much more efficient than any of the practices with just the JV team. I've heard comments from other girls that have been on JV in years past and from those that are on the team this year that even they thought the practice with Varsity was much better than any of the practices we have by ourselves. Although it was efficient, it was not as much fun for the girls. I was really confused when they told me that. Even though the kids were constantly doing something the drills were not particularly hard to do. So I tried to figure out what it was that made practice not fun. Eventually I started to realize that there is a different attitude on the Varsity team. A lot of the girls felt very uncomfortable because of the pressure they feel to be perfect. There's some kids on Varsity who are not the nicest teammates you could ask for and if you make a mistake they will take that and turn it on you making you feel you don't belong there. It makes me sad that this mentality exists on Varsity. It seems to be very exclusive on that team instead of inclusive. There is zero sense of unity and no one backs each other up. It seemed as if it was every athlete for themselves out there, which in my opinion is not a team. In a lot of my leadership classes I have been taking I have read about how exclusivity can break a team apart. It is extremely important to communicate and be willing to work with others on a team. We have told the girls this year several times that you don't have to like your teammates but you do have to respect them. On the JV team we haven't had much trouble with that at all. On the Varsity team it is a completely different story. Many of the kids who have to work their way up in the program never feel like they have a place on the Varsity team and because of that I have seen kids quit their junior or senior year because it just isn't fun anymore. Those kids that make the Varsity team as freshman are the ones who create this attitude of, "the rest of you aren't good enough to play with us." I wish I knew how to eliminate that as a coach. Granted I don't work with the Varsity team and I have no control over what happens on that team. However, one day I hope to become a head Varsity coach at some program and I'm sure I might run into this problem. I think that one way to fix the problem would be to work on team building outside of the softball field. Make the kids get to know each other on a more personal level. I'm not one hundred percent sure that would work but I think it might be a step in the right direction. For now, I'm just happy to have a great group of kids on the JV level.