Opinion on Tryouts

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May 20, 2016
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Org my DD plays for is pretty competitive. You have to try out and earn your position every year, starting at 12U. No one is "invited back" to the team. Most make it because of the competitive atmosphere, but always a couple that don't make the team.
 
May 31, 2018
227
43
Allen TX
Org my DD plays for is pretty competitive. You have to try out and earn your position every year, starting at 12U. No one is "invited back" to the team. Most make it because of the competitive atmosphere, but always a couple that don't make the team.


I do like the idea of each girl trying out to earn a spot.

I think my hesitation is based on how we have done it every other year. We have always invited most/all girls back, and I think each family assumes the same thing will happen again this year. If I ask everyone to tryout, I do risk the chance that a few of our better players may want to go to other tryouts too. Maybe I am overthinking it since we have not done true open tryouts in the past.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
I do like the idea of each girl trying out to earn a spot.

I think my hesitation is based on how we have done it every other year. We have always invited most/all girls back, and I think each family assumes the same thing will happen again this year. If I ask everyone to tryout, I do risk the chance that a few of our better players may want to go to other tryouts too. Maybe I am overthinking it since we have not done true open tryouts in the past.

It depends on where you are and plenty of other factors, but might be safe to assume your best players are trying out. We try out every year, just to test the waters and make contacts.
 
Dec 6, 2019
382
63
Org my DD plays for is pretty competitive. You have to try out and earn your position every year, starting at 12U. No one is "invited back" to the team. Most make it because of the competitive atmosphere, but always a couple that don't make the team.

This is nonsense. If a coach doesn't know who the player is after having her for an entire season, another 2 hour workout on Sunday afternoon isn't going to change that.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
This is nonsense. If a coach doesn't know who the player is after having her for an entire season, another 2 hour workout on Sunday afternoon isn't going to change that.

I took that message more to mean that no one is guaranteed a spot because they were on the team the previous year. If a new player shows up and has a great tryout they may displace a girl who was not that good the previous year. And sometimes girls show up who the coach has seen play many times.

I could be wrong.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
The message had bad delivery.
Not a fan of that communication style.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
You all making this complex...

Most of the best teams rarely have tryouts or are looking to fill up 1 or 2 positions at most. They invite the players they want to join the following season, and the ones they don't want to keep, are told that as the invitees say yes or no. It is rare these teams have tryouts - and will do so only to see if there is something unexpected that might shake out (people new to the area, a great player on a team that no one knew was unhappy, etc).

For most teams - and this is how our org tells our coaches to do it - if your team is going to continue:

1) You wrap up the girls you want back NOW or ASAP.
There is no reason to make them 'try out' or 'earn a spot'. They already did that by being who they are on your team already. You do it privately with the parents. You make them come to tryouts so other people can see what their DD would be playing with but they KNOW they have a roster spot.

2) A couple (at most) of marginal players: You tell them they need to tryout and that there is no promise of a roster spot. And outline where you want to see improvements. These are the ones you think might make it, or that you are totally unsure whether something better comes along. But in general, there are probably plenty of like-for-like out there. We ALWAYS tell our coaches there shouldn't be many of these; you know what is out there and if you know there is not likely a major upgrade you would take, keep what you have and move her to the girls you go ahead and offer

3) The ones you don't want returning; you tell them they need to try out, but there is no guarantee and we encourage you to look to make sure you have a place for DD to play. If there is ZERO chance you will take them even if they are the best player out there; tell them that.
 
Apr 1, 2017
535
93
This is nonsense. If a coach doesn't know who the player is after having her for an entire season, another 2 hour workout on Sunday afternoon isn't going to change that.

We have returning go through the tryout, but they have roster spots. Really, its more so the potential new players can see who we have on the team, how they interact, and where they might fit in. Also, we can get the returning players feedback on the personalities/attitude of the new players.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
We have returning go through the tryout, but they have roster spots.








Really, its more so the potential new players can see who we have on the team, how they interact, and where they might fit in. Also, we can get the returning players feedback on the personalities/attitude of the new players.
This should be advertised as
"Tryouts with our team"

Like tryouts where everybody meets and coaches and players can make an assessment.
 
Feb 20, 2020
377
63
You keep the girls who want to return. They've been foundational for you, and it's just kind of crappy to tun them loose. You let everyone know you're expand your roster another couple of spots, and you find the girls you like.

Then you have in-team tryouts on a very regular basis. You give girls the chance to compete for positions. Make it as empirical as you can -- you hit this many grounders to girl A, this many to girl B. Whoever fields the most clearly gets the start that week. Same thing with pop flies for OFs -- what err criteria you want to use, use it and give any girl who wants to compete for that spot the chance. The girls who don't win will have a reason why, and they can decide to try harder or they can understand. You're not creating a culture of shoving people out when they aren't useful to you anymore, and everyone can feel as though they have a real chance to play.

One of the things that has been missing on a lot of teams I've been around is accountability. A coach designates someone a shortstop, or an outfielder and other players don't get a real chance to compete for the position. The coach's eye may be right, but it's better for everyone if the anointed one has to prove it week in and week out. Plus, because you've got others vying for the position, you've got someone who's been working at it when you need to sub. And if the two girls you're questionable about are given the chance/shown they have to compete for their positions, they may take things a lot more seriously next year.
 
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