Softball Tryouts - Best (or least painful) way to break the bad news?

[FastpitchFan]

Cutting players is not fun for either coaches or players. However, it has to be done.

Following another thread in this section, how should coaches announce or break the news to those who did not make it?

Posting a list?
Email?
Phone calls?
Individual meetings with players? with parents?
Etc.

What are the pros and cons of each way?

Coach Marc

 

[mad hornet]

I took my youngest to tryout for the Lasers in Ohio two years ago. They travel to 7 cities and host tryouts with hundreds of kids. Before it started the head of the org stood up and told everyone, "if we want you, we'll call. If we don't we won't because there are just too many people to do that".

I had no problem with that. Of course, we did get a call.....

Now with the team I coach we don't get that kind of turnout. If I know a kid is specifically coming to tryout for my team and doesn't make it, I will call the parents and tell them and also let them know what she needs to work on. In a few cases I have been able to hook them up with another team that is a better fit. Sometimes it just sucks but I think its the right thing to do.

 

[Michael N]

Not quite softball but my Eldest Daughter is a cheerleader at her high school . They held tryouts and then posted on their website who made it . I don't know if the coach contacted the girls who didn't make it .

 

[Sparky Guy]

Posting a list?
Email?
Phone calls?
Individual meetings with players? with parents?
Etc.

What are the pros and cons of each way?

It depends on the situation. I know for my DD's HS team they would have over 120 kids tryout for softball. The coach would put a cut list up after the first day of tryouts. That usually eliminated half the kids instantly. The final cuts were also done with lists which is about the only way handle that many kids.

If you have a dozen or so kids to cut a phone call is best. Anything else should be with a list.

Individual meetings I would reserve for cutting a player who was on the team last year and did not make it. As the coach you at least owe that to the player.

I would never use email to cut a player unless it was a mass email of a cut list, only to confirm they are part of the team after a phone call.

 

[absdad]

I am guessing that many coaches have been coaching long enough, that they've been eaten alive by a parent or two in their day. Communication works both ways, if an email is impersonal for letting someone know they weren't picked up, then it should be impersonal to extend an offer. I'd imagine that with 100 girls showing up over a couple of tryout dates, calling 88 girls to tell them NO, takes quite a bit of time. Maybe it's a regional thing, but in all the tryouts my dd has ever been to, I've only had ONE coach call to tell no. But we spoke on the phone for a good while and he explained his reasoning and was very helpful in extending advice. That was 4 years ago. We're now good friends with that coach. This year, my dd has been to 4 tryouts, and got offers from two on the spot. Different coaches, are looking for different things. And I think when you're dealing with existing teams, they have an idea of what they want/need, so your dd may just not be what they're wanting. I was pretty sick with the no-calls the first year or so, but now I'm kind of understanding it a bit. In the past, I used to follow up with an email or a phone call, just to show my dd's interest, and gauge the coach's interest in her. I didn't do that this year, if they want her, they'll make an offer.

 

[NJSOFTBALL]

I was just wondering how much it costs?

 

[CoachAl]

Timely thread as I just got done making phone calls and sending emails myself. No matter what you do tryout season is horrible. I realize it has to be done, but I actually have felt sick after making some of these calls, especially if it is a player that has been on your team and then you have to let her go because the needs of the team change as you move up. And to screwball.....oh yeah, been a little teary eyed more than once! There are coaches out there who do this w/o blinking an eye...no idea how! Maybe I'm jealous of that in some small way. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent....like I said very timely!

 

[undergroundga]

We went to a tryout this past Sunday. Afterwards the coach gathers all the parents together and tells us that if we don't hear from him by Sat. then they didn't make team. There were only 15 girls trying out. We thought that was pretty lame. Out of 15 girls they were picking ten and he couldn't take the time to call or send an email, or let other girls know what they needed to work on. I guess his team is so outstanding that we are supposed to sit around all week and wait.
We even played for their org, last season. Dd's 8u coach called last night to let me know not to have high hopes. The tryouts were just a formality. He had already invited the girls he wanted and had his team picked before the tryouts. Which is fine, we mainly used tryouts to prepare for next one, where we really want dd to play. Still, why not just have invite girls he wanted to a closed tryout, why even have an open tryout?
Between the fake open tryouts and not notifying the few girls that didn't make it we were pretty soured about org. But are better off.Still it hurts to have your dd rejected. She didn't mind, but was up early this morn. to practice, and with a determination in her eye that wasn't there before.

 

[Coach JV]

There is no 'best way'! You are delivering bad news, a phone call is more personal
as email can be taken out of context and sound harsh. We are all faced with this obstacle,
personally, it eats me alive when I have to deliver bad news to a player who has skills that
top out in the 12U age group. Once the move is made to 14U and higher, the speed of the
game changes and the athlete needs to stay on the curve. In the spring I had to release a
girl who had been on my team for almost 2 years, it broke my heart to make the call. Fortunately,
her dad told me he fully expected it as he saw her as the bottom of the talent pool. She had the
heart of a champion but could not hit fast pitching and her reaction time was marginal. When
moving to 14U there are no more bad pitchers who issue 5-6 walks a game.