High school tryouts

[Nimrod]

My daughter didn't make her high school varsity team. She is on JV. That is fine. I respect the coach's decision. Daughter is over it. But I am curious to ask this and thought this is a good board to do it.

Tryouts were 3 days and got backed up for several days because of weather. They never went outdoors. Evaluations were made based on them throwing the ball around in a half sized gym and hitting wiffle balls or doing tee work and side toss and stuff like that. My daughter's strengths are hitting and playing outfield. She didn't get to hit any front toss or live hitting or anything on a softball field. She never got to catch a fly ball or hit a cutoff man or demonstrate her arm. Everybody that made the team played either varsity or JV last year. My daughter is a freshman. No freshmen made it. One junior who made it is terrible.

I'm not asking for sympathy and I'm not looking to bash high school softball or coaches. But is this a fair way to do a tryout? I really doubt any player has worked harder over the winter to prepare for this tryout, hitting 4 and 5 times a week. And if she isn't good enough, that's fine. But did she get even get a tryout?

 

[Cannonball]

So, the school doesn't have cages? If not and with bad weather along with the other conditions, how do you expect for a coaching staff to do cuts? Being on JV doesn't mean that she won't get a chance to be on varsity. If she gets off to a good start she might just catch the varsity coach's attention. I know that has happened with me many times.

 

[ThompsonUSSSA]

Fair? Maybe not, but timewise if that is all the time and facilities coach has to work with they have to choose and move on.
There is a lot of evaluation some coaches can make off of throwing mechanics and some basic swing mechanics. Whether that coach is that good of an evaluator is TBD.

Typically, just because you start at JV doesn't mean you finish there. Go out and prove what you can when you can get on the field.

My 2nd oldest DD as a 9th grader was worried about her evaluation from HC, as he had most of his roster ideas based off of summer rec ball looks (and she didn't play with his summer program for last 2 yrs as was not feasible with her TB schedule.).
Started off slow with playing time 1st couple scrimmages, by 4th game regular season she was full time and not coming out of his starting lineup (except Senior night...).

Main thing is, don't jump off a bridge or cause issues with coaches this early in regards to their decisions...plenty of time for it to play out for the better. And if it doesn't, have the DD approach the coach and ask politely "What can I do more to earn that spot / position etc"?

Best of luck!

 

[canyonjoe]

I always say that baseball or softball is the hardest sport to tryout particularly indoors. Particularly tough if you aren't a good infielder (2nd,SS,3rd) as that's often the drills they do inside.

 

[Lenski]

But is this a fair way to do a tryout?

Every player that tried out was under the same constraints. It appears that the coaches made it as fair as they could under the circumstances. Obviously, they knew the talent of the girls that played last year. Was there anyone that had never tried out for the team before make varsity? If not, maybe they played it safe and everyone that tried out for the first time was put on JV until they see them on the field.

 

[Nimrod]

So, the school doesn't have cages? If not and with bad weather along with the other conditions, how do you expect for a coaching staff to do cuts?

THey do have 1 cage, maybe 2 outdoors. They might have been muddy. Not sure.

They split teams into varsity and JV on Monday. Today it's warm and they can go outside. First game is Friday, and it's a non region game against a weak team. First region games are next week, so people could argue that they could have kept tryouts going 2 more days until they can get outdoors.

 

[Nimrod]

I always say that baseball or softball is the hardest sport to tryout particularly indoors. Particularly tough if you aren't a good infielder (2nd,SS,3rd) as that's often the drills they do inside.

She can hold her own in infield but won't stand out.

 

[Nimrod]

Every player that tried out was under the same constraints. It appears that the coaches made it as fair as they could under the circumstances. Obviously, they knew the talent of the girls that played last year. Was there anyone that had never tried out for the team before make varsity? If not, maybe they played it safe and everyone that tried out for the first time was put on JV until they see them on the field.

All true. Although I might have used the word fair, I don't mean to have sour grapes. She did have the same chance as any other new player. More than playing it safe, I think they had their minds made up. I think they knew who was going to make varsity before it started. That's OK. Unfortunate that not you don't get a real shot to prove that is maybe wrong.

 

[iMlearning]

Tryouts

Our coach has a policy of having at least 1 day outside before making cuts. Last year tryouts seemed to go on forever because they couldn't get outside. This year we barely have enough to fill both teams so at this point he is keeping everyone and doesn't need the outdoor tryout.
Hang in there and she just might get moved up like the others said. Happens all the time.

 

[Nimrod]

Also will say that my daughter isn't too upset. She got over it quicker than some JV players that quite frankly weren't even close to making varsity. This is more about me making sense of it. I am not one to be negative. The coach has done this for a long time and did what she thought was best for team and school. There is the competitive daddy in my that says that if she had sat on a bucket behind a pitching screen and given each girl 20 swing that she would have a very different assessment of a couple of girls.

I also will say that daughter has played on travel teams with a couple of the sophomores who made varsity who she thinks she's better than. I know I am just daddy but there are 2 or 3 that could not make her current travel team that made varsity. But they played on JV last year and the coaches know what they can do. I understand and accept that. Obviously that's just my opinion that it was all about seniority, but I think it was obvious enough that it helps my daughter understand and just be happy that she'll play JV and bat high and play all the time.