Tryout - Didn't make it?

[fastpitch]

How do you let people know they didn't make your club/travel team?

Our organization had about 300 girls try out for 8 teams.

Over 80 girls for just 14u. How do you let people know they didn't make the team.

Do you contact each player/parent individually? Or do you just post a list of who made it and everyone else assumes they didn't make it?

Ideally I guess everyone should be contacted... I just dont know how efficient or feasible it is to really let each person know individually they didnt make the team.

How does your organization do it?

 

[Coachmom]

First of all, It should have been handled at the tryout. Parents and players should have been informed of your procedure then, but since it seems that there was no procedure, and I'm not sure you want to call 300 people individually, you could post the girls that made the team on your team website, and thank all others for coming out.

I managed the tryouts for my DD's team for 2 years of 14U. Since it was a big name team we knew there were going to be a lot of kids trying out. The players were informed by the head coach of the procedure at the tryouts.
IF they made the team they would be asked to stay that day...if they did not make the team they would be told Thank you for coming out.

If there was a borderline athlete they would be asked to come again to another tryout.
No calls, no emails. They all knew when they left where they stood.

 

[undergroundga]

You could always do like the org's in our area(there are only 3 at the 10u level) and just do nothing. At the end of tryouts(10 -15 girls at each) we were all told we would hear something by the next weekend. None of the girls that didn't make teams got calls. Don't know about third team cause we made that one. I thought this was pretty classless, especially since each team would've only contacted about 5 girls.
Atleast send an e-mail.

 

[Momo'sDad]

No matter the age or how you intend to handle it, as Coachmom says, the procedure should be stated at the time players show up for tryouts.

For teams that anticipate having a large number of players coming out, I think you post a list of those who made it on your team website and/or at your fields. For teams with a moderate number, I think semi-personal emails would be fine. For teams with a small number, personalized emails are the way to go. Hurt feelings can last for a long time, so in small communities, I think it's smart to try to mitigate them whenever possible. A 10u athlete that you don't want right now may be an absolute stud in 2 years and you may need her and her family if a few other players have moved on.

 

[howellhandmade]

You could always do like the org's in our area(there are only 3 at the 10u level) and just do nothing. At the end of tryouts(10 -15 girls at each) we were all told we would hear something by the next weekend. None of the girls that didn't make teams got calls. Don't know about third team cause we made that one. I thought this was pretty classless, especially since each team would've only contacted about 5 girls.
Atleast send an e-mail.

Right. My U12 has been to three tryouts. First one was for the top team in town, didn't make it and was told so on the spot. Third one she made it and was told so. Second one she really liked the tryout, felt she did really well, and we were told they would make decisions Saturday or Sunday morning and contact us right away. No word yet, starting to think that they're either not interested or not organized. I agree that it's important to say what you're going to do and then do it.

 

[fastpitch]

Thanks. What our org said they were going to do was they were going to post names of those who made it on the website or contact those directly who needed another look. Everyone else would just know if they weren't contacted that they didn't make it. I was wondering if that was typical. Do parents really expect a personal phone call/ email to say why their kid didn't make it?

One coach who is for posting on the website tried calling every kid/parent a few years ago and said he would never do it that way again... it just opens up too much talk and parents ending up arguing about why their kid should make it instead of someone else's. He said its a losing battle.

 

[joemcq51]

Took my DD to a tryout last fall for a pretty well known organization. Was surprised at how disorganized it seemed. Probably 50 kids for 2 teams. At the tryout I got the feeling that it was just a formality. The coaches were joking around with some of the returning players and parents. Hit each girl 3 ground balls, one fly ball and had them hit off a live pitcher for 5 pitches. Pitcher was all over the place. I had to laugh. My DD had no problems with any of the tryout. So a week goes by and no word. She agrees to play on another team. Turned out we were right and the teams were pretty much set prior to the tryout. She pitched against that organization probably 4 times since then. 4-0. Now we hear they are having all types of problems and have been trying to find players to fill the rosters for this year. We are staying as far away as possible. These bigger organizations need to understand that the tryouts are a direct reflection of the program. These kids that are out there working hard, deserve the respect of an honest tryout. You never know when you may need to add girls. If you put a bad taste in their mouth at tryouts, they may never come back.

 

[Coach JV]

Fastpitch, that is a sizable tryout. How many teams in 14U?
They did give you the ground rules regarding contact, the team and try out must
be very competitive, I would kill to have a base of players that size.

At tryouts we assign every player a number, we post the numbers on the site
of who made it. We use # instead of names as the site is public info.
Girls that require a second look get a phone call

 

[Coachmom]

Everyone else would just know if they weren't contacted that they didn't make it. I was wondering if that was typical. Do parents really expect a personal phone call/ email to say why their kid didn't make it?

It is wrong and rude to assume players should just "know" if they don't make it. It should have been stated to everyone during the tryout that the results would be posted on the team website. Then everyone would know because they would ALL be checking the website. No need for personal calls but the policy should have been made clear to everyone in attendance.

 

[howellhandmade]

SNIP

At tryouts we assign every player a number, we post the numbers on the site
of who made it. We use # instead of names as the site is public info.
Girls that require a second look get a phone call

Absolutely fair, I'd welcome that. My motto is, give me the pain up front. Better if a kid doesn't make a team for her to know and to deal with it. Not making a team is hard enough without having hope wither over a period of days.