HS Tryouts -Should I scope them out?

[YOCOACH]

So warriorangela has High School tryouts today. Should I go spy on the talent and coaches to see what tryouts are about? Or should I stay home and pick her up after tryouts?

I'm curious to see what goes on, but don't want to be to obnoxious.... lol

Uhmmmm............whyyyyyy???? No matter what you think talent wise and where she stacks up, it will never end up in a good situation for you or Warriorangela. Why bother troubling yourself and her over where she ends up whether it's the Freshman team, JV team or V team? There's only a couple of opinions that matter and they are on the field evaluating the talent they have and making the decisions involving your DD's HS career. They may go by entitlement...i.e. seniority, they may go by politics, they may go by talent or they may go by any combination of the aforementioned options. Why get all riled up over where she ends up? My advice is drop her off, leave for a 2 hour cup of coffee or a great sandwich and then pick her up. There will be plenty of time during the season to pick up on how bad Warriorangela got sc@#$d!

Sorry...ETA:

 

[SoCalASABlue]

There is a fine line between helicopter parents and the prudent exercise of parental responsibility. Until the child becomes an adult, parents need to do their job. That includes knowing what is going on at any activity involving their child. It is foolish and irresponsible to blindly trust any adult or institution with the safety and welfare of your child. Any adult or institution that takes issue with proper, unobtrusive parental oversight should be considered suspicious.

We recently had THREE "adults" at the SAME school arrested for sexual misconduct with minor students - two volunteer "coaches" and one JROTC instructor. Would more parental involvement have stopped the abuse? Maybe...maybe not...but it probably wouldn't have hurt.

Reading all the stories in the headlines lately about predators of both sexes in our high schools (and not just in big cities), if my kids were still in HS I would be proud to wear the "helicopter parent" moniker...beats planning my trial defense.

 

[YOCOACH]

We recently had THREE "adults" at the SAME school arrested for sexual misconduct with minor students - two volunteer "coaches" and one JROTC instructor. Would more parental involvement have stopped the abuse? Maybe...maybe not...but it probably wouldn't have hurt.

Reading all the stories in the headlines lately about predators of both sexes in our high schools (and not just in big cities), if my kids were still in HS I would be proud to wear the "helicopter parent" moniker...beats planning my trial defense.

Another POV and a very good one I might add !

 

[CoachJD]

One on one closed door meetings in HS should NEVER happen.

The coaching course I had to complete to be certified actually has a section on the private closed-door meetings. Obviously (or maybe not for some coaches), you should never do it. There's no need to. If you need to have a private one-on-one conversation with a player (say for a discipline issue), include another coach or school administrator. But really, that type of meeting should rarely be necessary. When I need to talk to a player, I just pull her off to the side, right there in the open, and have the conversation. I wouldn't be comfortable with anything beyond that. I don't ever want even the slightest hint of impropriety.

 

[pdqkevin]

I think that closed practices is a clear indication of a weak coach. If you are confident in your abilities there is little reason to close a practice. I have heard all of the excuses and rationalizations but never a valid reason.

Or maybe that excessive (I am being nice description wise) parent who's kid is hitting 0.80 with a fielding % of .750 and who does coach from behind the backstop and who does go to the principal trying to get the softball coach fired for not starting his daughter ruined it for all the other parents and caused practice/tryouts to be closed.

While I'm at it I would like to help a little understanding stats. An average fielding percentage tends to be about .950. So it would appear that a .750 fp is about 20% worse than an average .950 fp BUT at .950 you are getting 1 error every 20 attempts. At .750 it is 1 out of 4 which means 5 times more errors.


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[riseball]

Or maybe that excessive (I am being nice description wise) parent who's kid is hitting 0.80 with a fielding % of .750 and who does coach from behind the backstop and who does go to the principal trying to get the softball coach fired for not starting his daughter ruined it for all the other parents and caused practice/tryouts to be closed.

While I'm at it I would like to help a little understanding stats. An average fielding percentage tends to be about .950. So it would appear that a .750 fp is about 20% worse than an average .950 fp BUT at .950 you are getting 1 error every 20 attempts. At .750 it is 1 out of 4 which means 5 times more errors.


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Got to run the BS flag up the pole and give a big salute. This type of situation comes with the job so you grow a pair and handle it in a very direct manner. If the parent is a problem you ban that parent and send a message to the others. You do not cower behind a policy of closed practices because you cannot or will not do your job.

 

[Softball scholar]

My DD high school has closed tryouts, the team is competitive and makes cuts and has a JV team. She was a freshman last spring and tryouts were indoors due to bad weather. Even though I would have loved to watch to see how my freshman DD stacked up against the competition, it would have been impossible since I had to work and "It was closed". Even if it was open, my DD probably would have been embarrassed and mad at me if I did show up to watch a tryout or practice. There's enough pressure on teenagers, and they don't want their dads/moms coming out of tryouts or practice to put extra pressure on them. I don't think it was a big deal that it was closed.

On the flip side, my sons wrestling team had wrestle off for varsity and JV spots and it was set up as a game day event and parents were encouraged to come on watch.

 

[Hawkeyes]

Drop her off and let her be. It's all part of the maturation process.

At the high school level, my practices were always closed. Why? Because the kids dont want you there and frankly i dont want you there either. During the first week of practice, I would open up 1 practice for parents to watch if the would like. Then we would have the parent meeting right afterwards.

the roles have reversed for me now as i am the parent of a high school athlete. I'd love to sit and watch her practice, but there is no need for me to be there. I would be more of a detriment than an asset and frankly she doesnt want or need me there.

 

[Strike2]

I agree that tryouts / practices shouldn't be closed. It's not the NFL we're dealing with here...it's HS.

At my kid's HS, one that plays at the top level and regularly competes for state championships, the head coach rules his domain with an iron fist that would impress Joe Stalin.

However, tryouts are open and widely attended. There aren't as many at the average practice, but there's no problem with anyone watching a field workout from the stands.

 

[Cannonball]

Got to run the BS flag up the pole and give a big salute. This type of situation comes with the job so you grow a pair and handle it in a very direct manner. If the parent is a problem you ban that parent and send a message to the others. You do not cower behind a policy of closed practices because you cannot or will not do your job.

When I first started coaching, I would be in complete agreement. Now, not so much. It is amazing to me how much school districts cower to parents. I would suggest that in many school districts an attempt to "ban parents" will not only not fly, but could result in the release of the coach.