When DD was coming up through the softball ranks and we were a small independent team we would try to schedule our tryouts before the marquee organizations in order to pickup a few girls who liked our coaching style and team chemistry. We could not compete head-to-head with the big organizations and if we scheduled tryouts after them, we would get nothing but leftovers and players with baggage (psycho softball parents).
Tryout Etiquette
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When DD was coming up through the softball ranks and we were a small independent team we would try to schedule our tryouts before the marquee organizations in order to pickup a few girls who liked our coaching style and team chemistry. We could not compete head-to-head with the big organizations and if we scheduled tryouts after them, we would get nothing but leftovers and players with baggage (psycho softball parents).
Yeah, ours is a catcher. At 14U, catching is often something you don't have as many kids to chose from as some other spots, and it takes a bit to turn a good athlete into one. Probably not as hard to develop a catcher as a pitcher, but there are also some innate traits you almost have to have to make a good catcher that every kid doesn't have.
Our daughter decided to go with the offer on the table when we put it to her. I think she was just having some anxiety about continuing tryouts at the same time as she moves into high school next week. She had a concussion received at a college camp after taking a wild ball to the temple in a warm up that had her out of ball for nine months last year with migraines, that also had the side effect of giving her anxiety issues (that didn't exist before the post concussion syndrome). So for fall at least, I think she was done with working her self up. She might have gotten a more "known" team's offer, but another two weeks of the craziness probably wouldn't have been fun for her.
Hopefully the team is a good fit. What we've seen so far seems fine, it's just we haven't seen a lot. Her old team didn't really get much of a chance to play this one, so we've not seen the coaches on the field.
Being a sports agent for a 14 year old is an underpaid career choice.
- Jun 12, 2015
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Tryouts are stressful enough for me as the parent of a 10 year old when softball is really not supposed to be such serious business. I can imagine at 14 when emotions tend to run high anyway, it would be really stressful. I'm sorry about her anxiety issues. I hope those pass as she heals from the concussion.
As a parent of a second year 10u there is no stress at all for me this year. I like my DD's old team, she like's the old team. There are 6 returning players from the previous season so I know they'll be pretty good. Plus, I know my DD is good enough to play at this level and I know there is a team out there for her. Just sit back, relax and let her do her thing. I'm in PA/NJ area and I can't tell you how many posts on the local message boards there are for teams that need players throughout the year. We have tryout season in August and then team hopping season in Feb/Mar right before the start of the season.
- Jun 12, 2015
- 3,848
- 83
We're getting back to our roots this year and I'm expecting a fun and relaxing year. We're building a team (kind of. Org had a combo 05/06 team last year, we're starting with the 4 06s from that team), so the stress is on the other side. But we have 7 committed including pitchers and a catcher. So I'm fairly relaxed this time, most days.
Yeah, us too. We have both our starting and back-up catchers returning plus 3 of our 4 pitchers coming back. Last year at this time, the team only returned 2 players from the previous season, no catcher or pitchers. Different perspective this time around.
Honestly, I don't care what players trying out wear. If it's a fit for them and us, they will be in our team's gear soon enough. I know they came from somewhere, and if they still wanted to be there, they wouldn't be trying out with us.
We have one player who showed up the first time in her aunt's practice shirt from our organization (aunt is only about 5 years older than her). I took it as a sign of her desire to be on the team, which is not a bad thing.
We have one player who showed up the first time in her aunt's practice shirt from our organization (aunt is only about 5 years older than her). I took it as a sign of her desire to be on the team, which is not a bad thing.
