How are sports tryouts conducted at your school? Is it transparent or it is it political?

[Anonymous]

New to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

a) How would we really know?
b) As far as I can tell, very transparent. Huge # of kids trying out this last week (HS) and this week (MS). An appropriate number will make it. They seem like the best, but how would a parent actually know?

[Anonymous]

From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the school and sport.

DC's friend's HS school we heard there is a lot of communication about how the steps they are taking to ensure everyone gets a fair look. This is a big school.

At DC's school no communication at all and parents who observed said it looked like coaches had already determined who was going to be in. Not sure whether they coached these kids privately before or what was going on. This is for winter team sports. DC did not try out in the winter so this is just second hand from parents we know at different schools talking together.

This spring for DC's sport, track, it's all about times so pretty clear who made it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

This.
If you see coaches favor certain kids or pick kids seemingly out of thin air the coaches probably know them from their club teams or summer programs. It's ethically iffy but that's how it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

With large High Schools, sports and theater are really competitive.

[Anonymous]

Cuts have been made for the spring sports. You are a week late. Having said that if you were the baseball coach and there was a pitcher who won five games as a sophomore and seven games as a junior plus throwing a no hitter would that kid be an automatic selection?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

This.
If you see coaches favor certain kids or pick kids seemingly out of thin air the coaches probably know them from their club teams or summer programs. It's ethically iffy but that's how it works.

That’s how it works at our HS. You have to do the coach’s summer/off season club team to make the school team. We’ve seen this and the coach told us this. It is not fair or right in general (conflict of interest, added $$ for families, etc) and also specifically it’s not fair because you have to know and this information is not shared widely or publicly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

This.
If you see coaches favor certain kids or pick kids seemingly out of thin air the coaches probably know them from their club teams or summer programs. It's ethically iffy but that's how it works.

That’s how it works at our HS. You have to do the coach’s summer/off season club team to make the school team. We’ve seen this and the coach told us this. It is not fair or right in general (conflict of interest, added $$ for families, etc) and also specifically it’s not fair because you have to know and this information is not shared widely or publicly.

THIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

This.
If you see coaches favor certain kids or pick kids seemingly out of thin air the coaches probably know them from their club teams or summer programs. It's ethically iffy but that's how it works.

That’s how it works at our HS. You have to do the coach’s summer/off season club team to make the school team. We’ve seen this and the coach told us this. It is not fair or right in general (conflict of interest, added $$ for families, etc) and also specifically it’s not fair because you have to know and this information is not shared widely or publicly.

I don't think this has to be an awful thing that people make it out to be. For DD's sport, the money is paid to the school booster program and helps support the team. It's widely advertised and open to anyone. It's cheaper than any other training that I've ever seen and free to kids eligible for free and reduced meals. If anything, it takes some pressure off of tryouts because the coaches have worked with the kids for a couple of years by the time they get to high school. On the other hand, I know a coach in another sport who has a club team that seems to be a prerequisite for making the high school team. If that was DD's sport, I'd probably file a formal complaint with the county because it's flat out official corruption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

This.
If you see coaches favor certain kids or pick kids seemingly out of thin air the coaches probably know them from their club teams or summer programs. It's ethically iffy but that's how it works.

That’s how it works at our HS. You have to do the coach’s summer/off season club team to make the school team. We’ve seen this and the coach told us this. It is not fair or right in general (conflict of interest, added $$ for families, etc) and also specifically it’s not fair because you have to know and this information is not shared widely or publicly.

I don't think this has to be an awful thing that people make it out to be. For DD's sport, the money is paid to the school booster program and helps support the team. It's widely advertised and open to anyone. It's cheaper than any other training that I've ever seen and free to kids eligible for free and reduced meals. If anything, it takes some pressure off of tryouts because the coaches have worked with the kids for a couple of years by the time they get to high school. On the other hand, I know a coach in another sport who has a club team that seems to be a prerequisite for making the high school team. If that was DD's sport, I'd probably file a formal complaint with the county because it's flat out official corruption.

No this would totally be a problem because not all kids are going to be on the Coaches out of school team, nor should they have to be. What about the kid who may want to do a different sport or activity but still is just as good? What about the kid who moved into the district later in the year so never even knew about this Coaches club team.

[Anonymous]

I know of a soccer coach who also coaches a club team and favors their own players from that team. But then, it's one of the best teams in the county so those kids are probably the best in the school (and of course, others make the team, as well). Maybe it's political, but I'm guessing it is reducing uncertainty-- it's tough for coaches to get a good view of all of the kids during tryouts, so if kids are on the bubble, they take the one they know has a good work ethic, etc.

[Anonymous]

Why doesn't MCPS have standards for how tryouts should work and an ethics contract for coaches?

DC's school tries hard to be fair by explaining the tryout process, making sure every kid gets as much exposure as the next gal/guy, but I do know they also have one of those summer courses and that many of the kids on the team if not all attend those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know of a soccer coach who also coaches a club team and favors their own players from that team. But then, it's one of the best teams in the county so those kids are probably the best in the school (and of course, others make the team, as well). Maybe it's political, but I'm guessing it is reducing uncertainty-- it's tough for coaches to get a good view of all of the kids during tryouts, so if kids are on the bubble, they take the one they know has a good work ethic, etc.

That's a definite conflict of interest. That coach deserves a reprimand.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/gcara.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From our experience, HS sports are very competitive. If your child is interested in a specific sport make sure to find out if the coach also runs a club team or summer program for that sport so your child can get involved early. Without that connection it's hard to get onto some of the teams. This was definitely true with baseball and soccer at our HS.

This.
If you see coaches favor certain kids or pick kids seemingly out of thin air the coaches probably know them from their club teams or summer programs. It's ethically iffy but that's how it works.

That’s how it works at our HS. You have to do the coach’s summer/off season club team to make the school team. We’ve seen this and the coach told us this. It is not fair or right in general (conflict of interest, added $$ for families, etc) and also specifically it’s not fair because you have to know and this information is not shared widely or publicly.

How do we find out about these summer teams? Ask the coach directly? My DC did not make the tennis team so does this happen for tennis as well?