Mass Tryouts

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Feb 27, 2019
137
28
Well...DD and I went to our first mass tryout and I'm disgusted. It was the most impersonal thing I've done around the game. Kids were cutting each other off for fly balls during BP, collisions happened. How do you get a read on if a kid is coachable and a team fit in a situation like that? Also that feeling when all eyes are on you kid and she makes a bad throw. Just venting a bit but I now know why there is so much disdain for the mass tryouts here.
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
DD's team has had two open tryouts this summer, and the coach requested that all returning team members attend. It's gotten a little crowded, but the coaches were able to foster an atmosphere of controlled chaos. If the tryout you're attending is out of control, that probably says something about the coaches as well as the whole organization (DD's org has coaches from all levels pitch in during tryouts).
 

sjw62000

just cleaning the dugout
Sep 1, 2018
93
33
North Carolina
Just venting a bit but I now know why there is so much disdain for the mass tryouts here.
I second your emotion. DD attended a mass tryout when moving to 10U, it was so bad she didn't play TB that year. Frankly, the mass tryout seemed to be a money grab ($25 to attend) and was not well run.

I suppose with proper staffing and a viable plan a "mass tryout" could be productive, but I imagine that would be few and far between.

Fortunately, she had the bug and attended a couple tryouts the next year and had an excellent experience and continues with the organization she chose.
 
May 1, 2018
659
63
So our organization has a breakdown for every drill that we want to run, time included for water even. Depending on how many girls we have trying out we might separate existing players. But everything we do is designed to be organized and measured. Towards the end of try outs we do some hitting and I put on my glove and just go field balls with girls who are "shagging" and have some fun with them. 1. they are trying us out too, so if a coach is too stiff...where is the fun in that. 2. It brings out their personality.
So if it's a cluttered mess of girls doing whatever..... your probably looking at the wrong team.
 
May 20, 2016
433
63
Team my DD plays for does tryouts where there is up 50-70 girls that show up as they do two year groups on the same day. They are very organized though. Also 8-10 coaches and board members there to evaluate. Comes down to mileage may vary. Our org doesn't have a tryout fee though.
 
Aug 19, 2015
1,118
113
Atlanta, GA
I loathe these things. Most of the time they involve your kid standing in line waiting to bat for the majority of the 3 hours (or whatever). Sometimes, the fielding drills are run more efficiently, but I've been to org cattle calls where the coaches are standing around shooting the breeze and no one is even watching (especially when catchers are warming up pitchers). How many of the coaches here have given out offers to girls at org tryouts that they have never seen before? In other words, are the only offers going out to girls that coaches already know by reputation or can a complete unknown come to one of these and stand out enough to get an offer? I would argue that the ones getting offers are ones who were already on the coaches' radar and just sealed the deal at the mass tryout.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
DD went to a mass tryout five years ago, and that was her last. We only did individual tryouts after that, and even those don't really tell either side that much. IMO, the best way to find a team is to pick up with them for a tournament. Even better, practice with the team and then pick up with them for a tournament! You'll find out most everything you need to know right then about how the team functions, how the kids get along, and how your kid fits.
 
Feb 27, 2019
137
28
I loathe these things. Most of the time they involve your kid standing in line waiting to bat for the majority of the 3 hours (or whatever). Sometimes, the fielding drills are run more efficiently, but I've been to org cattle calls where the coaches are standing around shooting the breeze and no one is even watching (especially when catchers are warming up pitchers). How many of the coaches here have given out offers to girls at org tryouts that they have never seen before? In other words, are the only offers going out to girls that coaches already know by reputation or can a complete unknown come to one of these and stand out enough to get an offer? I would argue that the ones getting offers are ones who were already on the coaches' radar and just sealed the deal at the mass tryout.

A teammate from the org we want to leave was there, I think I overheard them receive and offer. They were a hired gun that came to us in the spring after she had played baseball until then. I think they were waiting to see who around had the best talent in her age group to commit to (she hadn't officially joined the team for four months). The org we went to last night had been trying to get her since she showed up on the local softball radar. Yeah so I think it was a formality for a few players. I did talk to the HC for a few minutes and he said a lot of girls in the area come just to get offers for leverage with their current teams.
 
Mar 26, 2019
82
18
Central Ohio
I loathe these things. Most of the time they involve your kid standing in line waiting to bat for the majority of the 3 hours (or whatever). Sometimes, the fielding drills are run more efficiently, but I've been to org cattle calls where the coaches are standing around shooting the breeze and no one is even watching (especially when catchers are warming up pitchers). How many of the coaches here have given out offers to girls at org tryouts that they have never seen before? In other words, are the only offers going out to girls that coaches already know by reputation or can a complete unknown come to one of these and stand out enough to get an offer? I would argue that the ones getting offers are ones who were already on the coaches' radar and just sealed the deal at the mass tryout.
Not all players are already on the radar. Two years ago my DD did the open tryout format with three teams. None of the coaches had ever seen my daughter play prior to the tryouts. She received offers from all of them. These were "B/C" level teams at the time, so I think the open tryout is more common. One year ago, we did small group private tryouts with three "A" level teams. One of the three teams was familiar with my DD. She received offers from all of them. Private tryouts are more common and sometimes the only option on the higher level teams. She went from being one of the best players on her "B" team to one of the lower talent players on the "A" team that she chose. It was all for the better. She is staying with her same team next season, so finally a year without tryouts.

I've never witnessed a tryout like the OP witnessed. Usually they hit fly balls to specific players rather than players cutting each other off for fly balls. Doesn't sound like a team you would want to be a part of. Practices are probably just as disorganized.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
Well...DD and I went to our first mass tryout and I'm disgusted. It was the most impersonal thing I've done around the game. Kids were cutting each other off for fly balls during BP, collisions happened. How do you get a read on if a kid is coachable and a team fit in a situation like that? Also that feeling when all eyes are on you kid and she makes a bad throw. Just venting a bit but I now know why there is so much disdain for the mass tryouts here.
I felt same way about the only mass tryout DD attended two years ago. it really felt like they had 75-90% of team picked out, and were looking only for a few stud standouts. I could see no way they were evaluating enough girls to fill a single team, let alone two (they had 12s and 10s in same tryout, nevermind 10s should be using different ball.)
 

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