Summer Tryouts for Travel Ball

I was wondering what the general practice is for travel teams when it comes to tryouts. Do they normally have a summer tryouts, specifically for 12u & 14u teams? And any pros or cons for one?

Adding to post to help clarify my question...
My situation is that we had a tryout for spring, which I thought normally meant spring & summer. Instead, it was a spring tryout and a separate summer tryout in April. So spring would go from Feb to May and then summer would go from June to August. I'm wondering is that common? I thought, but could def be wrong, that there is a Fall Ball team and then a spring/summer team. I'm a new manager for the org, so this is new to me.

In GA we play high school ball in the fall, so we may be a little different than most, but we have TB tryouts in August, right after Nationals. I think a lot of teams want to get a jump on reloading their team. Depending on what happens over the winter, some teams will have an additional round of tryouts in the early Spring. If a team is only looking to add one or two players, they will typically just do private tryouts.

August is probably the busiest month for tryouts. July and early August are when many national tournaments are played, and those are seen by many as an end point to the travel-ball season. August then becomes the start of the next year. Teams rebuild in August. Most teams move up to the next age division then if they are eligible.

The next busiest time for tryouts is around now. The ''fall season'' is often viewed as a trial/transition period. Teams and players are trying each other out. There is a lot of turnover between end of fall and start of spring. Some teams break up. Other start anew.

Then there are some teams that view the season as the calendar year (May - November), which starts when spring school ball is over. Those also are doing tryouts around now or into early spring.

In our area, it seems that TB tryouts are being held earlier every year. It used to be that most teams had their tryouts after all of the various ABC organizations National tournaments were over meaning (usually) the 2nd week of August or later. This has pretty much went by the wayside since many teams, in an attempt to lock up better talent are holding them either during the last week of July or during the Nationals themselves.

Pros: If there is better talent shopping for a team, you may get the jump on other teams and possibly sign them.

Cons:
Many of these same players will want to tryout for other teams as well and you may be sitting around for up to 6 weeks waiting on an answer...if you get one at all. So now you're on the hook for an offer at a position you need to fill but can't make any other offers to players at that position until you get an answer. Putting some type of time limit on the offer usually makes them feel pressured and they will often times will forego the offer since there are numerous TB teams to choose from if they are a quality player.

Even if better players are shopping, you may not see them due to them not wanting word to get around to their current team earlier than absolutely necessary or they will be playing Nationals either at the true national level or Regional level.

I could go on but the cons far outweigh the pros IMO.

Thanks all. My situation is that we had a tryout for spring, which I thought normally meant spring & summer. Instead, it was a spring tryout and a separate summer tryout in April. So spring would go from Feb to May and then summer would go from June to August. I'm wondering is that common? I thought, but could def be wrong, that there is a Fall Ball team and then a spring/summer team. I'm a new manager for the org, so this is new to me.

When do they play HS ball in your area? When do they play MS ball?

9th grade for High School. No middle school ball for my area. They either play rec or travel. I'm in Northern California.

FastpitchMomma88 said:

9th grade for High School. No middle school ball for my area. They either play rec or travel. I'm in Northern California.

Click to expand...

He meant what time of year do they play school ball - spring or fall?

Our tryouts are in Aug. and I can give you the story in our area but we have a lot of posters from your area that will be able to anwser your question a lot better. They will start chimming in.

Starting in Feb. The teams are 12u & 8th grade 14u, if that helps. Sorry, newbie here.