Tryouts While Current Season is Still in Progress

[TMoney]

As a person that has been involved with this sport for a while, I can tell you that the "stench" does come from both sides at certain times. I am by no means pointing a finger at you or anyone else in this forum. I have seen teams/coaches/organizations play all kinds of games trying to schedule their tryouts to compete with other teams, scheduling tryouts early, sending spies to other teams tryouts, using strong arm tactics to try to force early decisions, etc. I have also seen families/players play all kinds of games too. Going to tryouts with absolutely no interest in the team, flat out lying to coaches about their interest, accepting a spot only to change their mind 2 weeks later (and then again dumping yet another team). Ultimately what it has lead to is a system where players/families find it difficult to trust coaches/teams/organizations and vice versa. And unfortunately, I do not see that changing any time soon. But when you do find a situation where both sides really do trust each other, it can be a lot of fun.

Worst time of the season for all of the reasons you stated. I have found that if you run, or find a good program, and by that I mean making girls feel loved, needed, and appreciated, most have no desire to leave.

 

[sbmom19]

Thing is, I would prefer if tryouts were in July, rather than August, for every team.

Look at it this way. Can't take a vacation in the fall, because of fall tournaments. What about winter break? We are taking a vacation then, but it might interfere with her winter training. Can't take a vacation during spring break, because of HS ball. (DD 3 did that this year, and was told in no uncertain terms never to do that again).

Pretty much, that leaves August for vacations. If tryouts are in August, well, that's another month you can't have vacations. Makes for 12 out of 12 months.

The last time DD 3 switched teams, she was on vacation, visiting me in NYC where I had just started a new contract position. She missed tryouts for the team she wanted to play on, but the coach had scouted her, and she was on the list of girls he was trying to recruit for his team, so he let her in without a tryout.

5 years ago we were all on vacation in NYC when DD 1 got an offer to try out for a team run by a former LL coach of hers. She was still out of town during the main tryouts, but she was back by the makeup date.

In a few weeks my family and I will head off to Nashville to visit my cousin and watch the eclipse. It will be nice to be able to take a vacation in August knowing DD 3 is secure on her spot on the team.

Vacation? What's a vacation? Haven't had one of those since DD started playing travel ball when she was 13...

 

[grcsftbll]

This doesn't really bother me. Don't go if you think it's too early. Most of the time they have more later on, or you can do a private one. Seems like a strange thing to get worked up about. JMO.

 

[Eric F]

Vacation? What's a vacation? Haven't had one of those since DD started playing travel ball when she was 13...

I just spent a week in Reno, NV. On Monday, co-workers asked how my vacation was. I had no idea what they were talking about.

 

[MightyMO]

The early tryout thing is annoying but it will just continue to get worse. In our area it used to be lower level teams who held the early tryouts to try and find talent before the big orgs were done with the season but now almost everyone is doing it. The problem isn't really that tryouts are early, it's that tryouts are spread out over a month. Couple that with coaches who demand commitment from girls within a day or two of offering and you end up with girls who have to decide on which team to join without getting to really look around. That leads to players committing and then quitting when another offer comes along that looks more attractive or committing and quitting after the season starts when they realize they made the wrong choice.

It will never happen but the best option (for families) would be group tryouts with multiple teams where players and parents get to meet coaches and after the tryout any coaches that were interested could make offers and families could decide from there.

 

[CMMom1740]

The early tryout thing is annoying but it will just continue to get worse. In our area it used to be lower level teams who held the early tryouts to try and find talent before the big orgs were done with the season but now almost everyone is doing it. The problem isn't really that tryouts are early, it's that tryouts are spread out over a month. Couple that with coaches who demand commitment from girls within a day or two of offering and you end up with girls who have to decide on which team to join without getting to really look around. That leads to players committing and then quitting when another offer comes along that looks more attractive or committing and quitting after the season starts when they realize they made the wrong choice.

It will never happen but the best option (for families) would be group tryouts with multiple teams where players and parents get to meet coaches and after the tryout any coaches that were interested could make offers and families could decide from there.

And there's a domino effect. Team A offers Girl X a spot. Girl X still has a tryout for Team B in a week or so and doesn't want to commit just yet because she'd rather play for Team B than Team A, but doesn't want to risk turning Team A down. Meanwhile, Girl Y really wants Team A, but has an offer from Team C and is holding that offer. I've said this before, but I wish there was a system similar to a consortium of the private schools in our area. The schools agree that everyone sends acceptance letters on the same day. Families have a two-week period to choose and put a deposit down to hold a spot. Schools are not permitted to contact applicants during that two-week period to avoid pressuring or trying to coerce them. Sometimes there is movement on a wait list during the two weeks as applicants accept or reject offers. It's not a perfect system, but it works pretty well.

 

[Softball scholar]

Vacation? What's a vacation? Haven't had one of those since DD started playing travel ball when she was 13...

Me too, my DD is 16 and haven't had a vacation since she was 13. August vacation is a good idea, except school starts in the middle of August, I have no vacation left except a few days saved for fall tournaments, and I have no money left from all the hotel money I spent this summer. But I would like a vacation.

 

[_MIA_]

Me too, my DD is 16 and haven't had a vacation since she was 13. August vacation is a good idea, except school starts in the middle of August, I have no vacation left except a few days saved for fall tournaments, and I have no money left from all the hotel money I spent this summer. But I would like a vacation.

We live Oklahoma and my parents live in MA and my wife's parents live in HI. We visit every summer to see grandparents..which is fun but once DD starts playing travel next year we will cut out one of them at least and I will likely be richer because of it even with TB expenses...

 

[sbmom19]

me too, my dd is 16 and haven't had a vacation since she was 13. August vacation is a good idea, except school starts in the middle of august, i have no vacation left except a few days saved for fall tournaments, and i have no money left from all the hotel money i spent this summer. But i would like a vacation.

exactly!!! :d

 

[Seattlecoach]

Where do you live? Around here the fall season goes a week or 2 into October. If we wait until mid to late August to hold tryouts that leaves maybe a month and a half to practice and play outdoors before we are forced inside? We hold our tryouts early.