Tryout thoughts (sorry for length)

This is the first year in 4 seasons that my DD has truly had to do the tryout circuit. I can tell you it has been stressful for her and her parents. The stress of her performing under that pressure and then having to make the best decision about where to spend her Junior, and hopefully, Senior year seasons is not easy.

I have noticed a few things so far about how the tryouts are run here in this neck of the woods. She has been to 3 different organizations so far. The first is a very well established name with a Gold and Elite team setup. From the minute walking to the fields there was little communication, none to the parents and you got the feeling the teams were set and they were just going through the motions. Got an email the next day that she didn't make the cut. Not surprised.

The next organization was a lower level team that had graduated 10 seniors, so no surprise the tryout was very different. The recruiting co-ordinator talked to the parents for 15 to 20 minutes about what he does to help the girls reach out to college coaches, showed us the recruiting books and profiles from years past and explained his philosophies. All this while 4 or 5 coaches and past players worked out the girls in small groups. DD was offered a spot the next day.

The latest was another big organization. Over 90% of girls a the tryout wore the teams uniform. It was a good tryout, really ran them through the gauntlet, but a lot like a cattle call, no offer so far.

What I have found is that if your DD is not that stand out player, these bigger teams really don't look too closely at you. They are trying to build a team of stars, and I understand that so they can protect their brand. The have no way to know that DD may be a great team mate, hard worker in practice, etc. They have no way of knowing how many 2 out RBI she had, or how many times she shortened up to hit behind a runner to move her over in a tight game, how many times she layed down a sac bunt to get a runner to 3rd with less than 2 outs. All of the intangibles about how to play the game get lost in home to first times, home to home times, 8 swings off of a wobbly pitching machine, or one live simulated at bat.

There is more to a complete player than "data", the good coaches will see it and take a chance.

Thanks for reading.

"Not so" NewSoftballDad

Your point is well taken. I loathe the "cattle call" organizational workouts/tryouts. DD is a catcher and all she winds up doing at these is warming up a pitcher and then having pop times taken. If even that much. Even when they've got 8 coaches there watching, it still feels like any one girl can easily fall through the cracks. I don't know if we put ourselves at a disadvantage by avoiding these, but the lesson I've learned is to try to set up private workouts/tryouts whenever possible. Then, if the coach wants to call her back and see her again at one of these larger events, at least she will already be on his radar.

Hopefully, this will all be over in another week or two!

A good buddy told once told me: If you ain't in the loop, you ain't in the loop!

So your DD is gonna be a Junior right? At this point in the game, you should have been in contact with these organizations before tryouts even started. You gotta be in the loop! Either by having the coach come scout her during a tournament, private workout, or by sending a skills video. You are absolutely right! Just like a college camp. If you aren't 5'10" throwing the rock 60+, banging the ball over the fence, etc. you are not getting a second look. My DD was asked to catch for a pitcher during a private tryout this week. The team's open tryouts aren't for another week or so. This kid's parents are shopping her around and they should be. She is Gold level prospect!! Our coach has been following her for a YEAR! Our DD's aren't going to get any traction just showing up unknown to any of the coaches and yes many of these teams are set unless you are the shiny star.

Like a good wine, your kid "tastes" better over time. Game time is where many kids really stand out, by having the intangibles, clutch hits, great attitude and hustle. You do not see that at a tryout. This is also the problem with early recruiting...another topic.

For those gold teams, they are looking for that shiny star that has already committed and is unhappy on their current team to help build/retain their brand name. Those other kids that are already there, they are the darlings of the program. They are good, but not necessarily great. They have stuck with the program for years and parents are good to be around. They are not getting replaced. You have to be better than the top quarter to get an offer from one of those teams unfortunately.

The good news is that your kid already got an offer in her pocket and possibly one on the way. Get in the LOOP!

CMMom1740 said:

, but the lesson I've learned is to try to set up private workouts/tryouts whenever possible. Then, if the coach wants to call her back and see her again at one of these larger events, at least she will already be on his radar.

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Yup. My DD was offered a spot after a workout. I think most teams are mostly formed (if not completely) ahead of the organizational tryout. Hopefully most parents are starting to figure that out and doing some legwork on the front end before showing up for the cattle call. I always contact the coaches and see what they're even looking for. If I get the "all positions open and earned" response - I won't even bother. Do you need a catcher or not?? It's a yes or no question!

Any decent coach and org knows 99.9% of all the travel players in the area.

If you turn up for tryouts then I am fairly certain whether I am interested in not. The tryout is more to show you what we bring than the other way around.

The players who turn up for tryouts I am really looking at are players who have moved into the area (or in younger groups players who are moving into travel for the first time)

And yes, most of my roster is already set. I am looking to round out my roster with a spot or two only.

Having done and run tryouts for many years, I feel your pain. For the most part, tryouts show you who can run drills well, and who can perform skills under pressure. They can provide data such as how fast a runner can go from home to first or home to home. All of that is good information, but what it doesn't show is how softball-smart a player is.

An outfielder might be a step slower than the others against a stopwatch, but has the instincts to read the ball off the bat in a live situation better than anyone there. That's probably not going to show. A particular girl might be able to manufacture a few critical runs for you by being a smart baserunner, even if she doesn't have 2.7 speed. That's not going to show. An infielder may have great hands and a strong throw but be weak on knowing what to do with the ball in different situations. That's not going to show. A catcher might not have the best pop times against the watch, but somehow seems to throw out runners during games on a frequent basis. You won't know that. And so on.

I don't have an answer. That's what makes tryouts tough on both sides, and why teams sometimes miss out on great players who can really help them. All you can do is give it your all, and hope your inner light shines through.

Orange Socks said:

A good buddy told once told me: If you ain't in the loop, you ain't in the loop!

So your DD is gonna be a Junior right? At this point in the game, you should have been in contact with these organizations before tryouts even started. You gotta be in the loop! Either by having the coach come scout her during a tournament, private workout, or by sending a skills video. You are absolutely right! Just like a college camp. If you aren't 5'10" throwing the rock 60+, banging the ball over the fence, etc. you are not getting a second look. My DD was asked to catch for a pitcher during a private tryout this week. The team's open tryouts aren't for another week or so. This kid's parents are shopping her around and they should be. She is Gold level prospect!! Our coach has been following her for a YEAR! Our DD's aren't going to get any traction just showing up unknown to any of the coaches and yes many of these teams are set unless you are the shiny star.

Like a good wine, your kid "tastes" better over time. Game time is where many kids really stand out, by having the intangibles, clutch hits, great attitude and hustle. You do not see that at a tryout. This is also the problem with early recruiting...another topic.

For those gold teams, they are looking for that shiny star that has already committed and is unhappy on their current team to help build/retain their brand name. Those other kids that are already there, they are the darlings of the program. They are good, but not necessarily great. They have stuck with the program for years and parents are good to be around. They are not getting replaced. You have to be better than the top quarter to get an offer from one of those teams unfortunately.

The good news is that your kid already got an offer in her pocket and possibly one on the way. Get in the LOOP!

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100% agree. Moving into 14's my DD has been around enough for coaches to know her and once they realized she was going to make a move we started getting some texts and calls. Some from coaches and some from parents on other teams trying to see where are interests are. Same thing for several other good ball players I know. All have been around a while and coaches know where they will fit into their plans. They have seen them play so it's not just a time on a stop watch or one at bat. It's good for us as well because we know where her abilities are in relation to players on the teams we are looking at. Our goal is to end up with one of the top four or five organizations in the southeast so being in the loop will help that.

Orange Socks said:

A good buddy told once told me: If you ain't in the loop, you ain't in the loop!

So your DD is gonna be a Junior right? At this point in the game, you should have been in contact with these organizations before tryouts even started. You gotta be in the loop! Either by having the coach come scout her during a tournament, private workout, or by sending a skills video. You are absolutely right! Just like a college camp. If you aren't 5'10" throwing the rock 60+, banging the ball over the fence, etc. you are not getting a second look. My DD was asked to catch for a pitcher during a private tryout this week. The team's open tryouts aren't for another week or so. This kid's parents are shopping her around and they should be. She is Gold level prospect!! Our coach has been following her for a YEAR! Our DD's aren't going to get any traction just showing up unknown to any of the coaches and yes many of these teams are set unless you are the shiny star.

Like a good wine, your kid "tastes" better over time. Game time is where many kids really stand out, by having the intangibles, clutch hits, great attitude and hustle. You do not see that at a tryout. This is also the problem with early recruiting...another topic.

For those gold teams, they are looking for that shiny star that has already committed and is unhappy on their current team to help build/retain their brand name. Those other kids that are already there, they are the darlings of the program. They are good, but not necessarily great. They have stuck with the program for years and parents are good to be around. They are not getting replaced. You have to be better than the top quarter to get an offer from one of those teams unfortunately.

The good news is that your kid already got an offer in her pocket and possibly one on the way. Get in the LOOP!

Click to expand...

I did send an email to every coach she is trying out for, a couple responded and a couple didn't. Unfortunately for us we didn't know we would be looking for a team until the last week of the current season. I don't buy a birthday card without 2 hours of research so I am definitely doing my homework! DD will be fine, but it is a nerve wracking process.

newsoftballdad said:

I don't buy a birthday card without 2 hours of research so I am definitely doing my homework!

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That is so funny, but so true in every aspect of my buying decisions. It's either an expenditure or an investment.

On a similar note but not really. I have a docking station for my laptop that uses a separate bigger monitor, and of course it goes out. I did no research whatsoever, went to the Goodwill electronics store and bought a wide screen big rear monitor while I was talking on the phone! For $40.99!!!! I am very proud of myself.

In our organization, if you're not known and already in touch with the coach before tryouts, odds are you're wasting your time. Our Gold team is done with recruiting long before tryouts start. Those coaches are only at the tryouts to provide feedback to the lower level teams and maybe see the one rare diamond in the rough.

If your daughter is one of those diamonds, Orange Socks is right...you need to get seen in other ways. Talk to the coaches beforehand, get in the loop. I guess some people do get "lucky", but most people make their own luck.

Conversely, people need to recognize their DD's skill level. We've had some girls try out for Gold and Elite level teams that can't catch a fly ball, or hit a front tossed pitch from a coach. Be realistic. I fully believe there's a place for everyone to play, but there's no reason to waste your time or anyone else's by going to a top tier organization and hoping for a miracle. Not saying this is your kid, but it amazes me that people do this.