My daughter and I are new to the world of travel fastpitch softball. She has tried out for a few teams but is very interested in one in particular. She attended the first tryout and did well. The coach talked to her afterward and short of offering her a spot on the team, told her he really liked what he saw. She went back to the next tryout a few days later and was asked to come back to the next scheduled tryout a few days later. Is that normal procedure who might we just be strung along?
An offer to play or not?
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- Dec 28, 2008
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There is never anything "normal" when it comes to hundreds of different coaches with hundreds of different needs/styles/personalities etc. 
It's actually a VERY GOOD procedure. During tryouts you can see a girl who is a rotten player and just has a great day because the ball bounced right, the pitches were in her favorites spot etc. You could also see a girl who is a phenomenal player but happened to have a really bad night at home, fought with mom all the way to practice and she performs terribly. If you made your decision based on what 1 time seeing the two you'd probably make the wrong choice. A travel ball season is a long season. So it's always best to take the time to really find out what the player is like over the long haul to avoid mistakes based on 1 tryout and find out how her personality fits with others on the team.
It's also GREAT for you as a parent and her as a player. Any coach can put on the happy face 1 week for a tryout. How do they act week after week? Do they do the same thing week after week on the field or are they always doing something new? Do they keep the tryouts/practices moving along? How do the other players act as they get more comfortable seeing each other? Does your daughter continue to improve with that coach week after week? Etc.
Best of luck as you begin this CRAZY life that is fastpitch softball.
It's actually a VERY GOOD procedure. During tryouts you can see a girl who is a rotten player and just has a great day because the ball bounced right, the pitches were in her favorites spot etc. You could also see a girl who is a phenomenal player but happened to have a really bad night at home, fought with mom all the way to practice and she performs terribly. If you made your decision based on what 1 time seeing the two you'd probably make the wrong choice. A travel ball season is a long season. So it's always best to take the time to really find out what the player is like over the long haul to avoid mistakes based on 1 tryout and find out how her personality fits with others on the team.
It's also GREAT for you as a parent and her as a player. Any coach can put on the happy face 1 week for a tryout. How do they act week after week? Do they do the same thing week after week on the field or are they always doing something new? Do they keep the tryouts/practices moving along? How do the other players act as they get more comfortable seeing each other? Does your daughter continue to improve with that coach week after week? Etc.
Best of luck as you begin this CRAZY life that is fastpitch softball.
Would a coach string a player along? You better believe it, there are all kinds out there.
Going to 2 or 3 tryouts for the same team is ridiculous unless they are consecutive day tryouts on a single weekend. The coach obviously wants to see what else shows up before he will make an offer to a player he thinks is marginal.
That might be acceptable if tryouts have very poor turnout, ie not enough to field a team so they do it again, etc. But most likely you are reading the situation correctly.
Now the flipside, a coach can have all kinds of girls play with a team as pickup players, even practice with them, and when they ask if they should tryout....they tell them yes. That does not mean that they have any intention of picking them up. It all depends on who else shows up for tryouts, if it is a weak showing, they might be. Unfortunately, a lot of girls take that as a sign the coach has interest and are extremely dissapointed when they dont make it. Parents too.
Going to 2 or 3 tryouts for the same team is ridiculous unless they are consecutive day tryouts on a single weekend. The coach obviously wants to see what else shows up before he will make an offer to a player he thinks is marginal.
That might be acceptable if tryouts have very poor turnout, ie not enough to field a team so they do it again, etc. But most likely you are reading the situation correctly.
Now the flipside, a coach can have all kinds of girls play with a team as pickup players, even practice with them, and when they ask if they should tryout....they tell them yes. That does not mean that they have any intention of picking them up. It all depends on who else shows up for tryouts, if it is a weak showing, they might be. Unfortunately, a lot of girls take that as a sign the coach has interest and are extremely dissapointed when they dont make it. Parents too.
Generally, I agree with Mudbug...most likely, the coach likes some things about your DD, but is not convinced she is a good fit for his team.
If it were me, I would have my DD attend the 3rd tryout, and that would be that.
If it were me, I would have my DD attend the 3rd tryout, and that would be that.
From a coaches perspective... if it was close... I'd give preference to the girl who looked like she genuinely wanted to be on the team. Part of that would be attending all the tryouts she could possibly make. Its also better for you to get an idea of how you like the team as well.
Did you watch the tryouts yourself ? Did things seem like they should be As far as picking the top players or was it a team of favorites and the tryout just a way to find one or two vacated spots?
It can be hard to say whats "normal " Like druer said. How much softball has she played ? Are the girls she is up against way above or below her?
Like someone said there is lots of coach types try to find out what kind this one is.
You will definatley want to make the best decision for both you and your daughter Good luck.
It can be hard to say whats "normal " Like druer said. How much softball has she played ? Are the girls she is up against way above or below her?
Like someone said there is lots of coach types try to find out what kind this one is.
You will definatley want to make the best decision for both you and your daughter Good luck.
