Tryouts and team announcements for next season timing

[Anonymous]

Our team had tryouts for next season and are now starting to make announcements about cuts/offers despite the fact that we have several more weeks left in the season. Anytime we e had tryouts it’s at the end of the season so team announcements go out after the season concludes and I assumed that was standard operating procedure. Anyone else run into this? What did the kids who didn’t get invited back do—did they finish the season with their current team or bolt? Did newly recruited players start playing with the current group? I anticipate some changes and very unhappy kids and parents on the horizon

[Anonymous]

What sport?

[Anonymous]

Lacrosse but purposefully put this in general sports because I’m interested in hearing about peoples experiences across other sports. Basketball? Soccer? Baseball? Hockey? Kids are playing year round so it seems like there’s constant tryouts and movement.

[Anonymous]

This happens in soccer. Tryouts and offers before the seasons end. Kids just keep playing on their current team through the season and may start practicing with their new team.

[Anonymous]

For the past few years (at least) this has been happening in softball. And there was a whole long thread in here this spring about it happening in baseball.

It's becoming more common due to the immense proliferation of teams and everyone trying to snap up what actual travel-level talent exists before all the other teams get to the kids.

Yes it can lead to a lot of awkwardness and is part of the way youth sports are becoming increasingly toxic in the name of keeping adults paid and/or fluffing parental egos.

[Anonymous]

Towards the end of a season in bb, it's clear who will be cut. They sit on the bench for most of the game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our team had tryouts for next season and are now starting to make announcements about cuts/offers despite the fact that we have several more weeks left in the season. Anytime we e had tryouts it’s at the end of the season so team announcements go out after the season concludes and I assumed that was standard operating procedure. Anyone else run into this? What did the kids who didn’t get invited back do—did they finish the season with their current team or bolt? Did newly recruited players start playing with the current group? I anticipate some changes and very unhappy kids and parents on the horizon

Different sport, but I had a kid demoted along with a few teammates to make room for outsiders. They ended up at another club and quit the original team. The last few games and end of the season tournaments were forfeited. Lots of angry e-mails from the coach and team mom, but my kid was happier as a practice player for their new team until the next season rather than playing for a club they knew didn't want them.

[Anonymous]

Hockey has rules which are intended to prevent formation of teams for next season until after the current season ends. It generally works, but plenty of informal discussions take place regarding "next year" as early as two months into a 6-month season. When I was involved (my kid is in college now), I always hated discussion of "next year" while the season was still going on, but I understood why it happened.

[Anonymous]

You see this "arms race" in baseball and softball as well.

I hate it. It adds so much unnecessary stress to the kids and parents.

I am a softball coach for a 12b team and I refuse to do it.

In fact, I have my fingers crossed that I can just cancel tryouts entirely this year, if every girl commits to coming.

Sure, an open tryout may result in one new girl joining the team, but that means I'm making a cut. And I'd rather just skip the whole thing and roll with the group of kids I have.

[Anonymous]

I don't have an issue with tryouts but would like to see those reduced to once a year vs 2-3 times a year and would like them to start when kids are 13/14--or whatever age makes sense for the development curve for your sport. USA Hockey did a huge overall on their coaching best practices and part of that tracked youth development arcs for boys and girls. When kids are younger than a certain age, training/play is on development, but then pivots more toward competition as kids get older. Tryouts really should be timed with the competition phase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have an issue with tryouts but would like to see those reduced to once a year vs 2-3 times a year and would like them to start when kids are 13/14--or whatever age makes sense for the development curve for your sport. USA Hockey did a huge overall on their coaching best practices and part of that tracked youth development arcs for boys and girls. When kids are younger than a certain age, training/play is on development, but then pivots more toward competition as kids get older. Tryouts really should be timed with the competition phase.

St James would rather call it travel and charge you 9 year old $3,500 than call it rec or developmental and charge $1,250

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have an issue with tryouts but would like to see those reduced to once a year vs 2-3 times a year and would like them to start when kids are 13/14--or whatever age makes sense for the development curve for your sport. USA Hockey did a huge overall on their coaching best practices and part of that tracked youth development arcs for boys and girls. When kids are younger than a certain age, training/play is on development, but then pivots more toward competition as kids get older. Tryouts really should be timed with the competition phase.

St James would rather call it travel and charge you 9 year old $3,500 than call it rec or developmental and charge $1,250

As someone who has watched several friends try St. James and end up really unhappy, this made me laugh (at St. James, not my friends who have generally found better circumstances).

But it's unfortunately not just them. And it's not just the organizations. Parents just can't handle the kid in the dugout who doesn't want to be there, or the flaky family or 4 who make it hard to know if you'll even have the numbers for the game this weekend or whatever. And as a family gutting rec out with kids who love their sport, every season I see more and more why the travel experience is attractive. But then I hear the horrible stories from places like the St. James and I...decide we can make rec + lessons work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have an issue with tryouts but would like to see those reduced to once a year vs 2-3 times a year and would like them to start when kids are 13/14--or whatever age makes sense for the development curve for your sport. USA Hockey did a huge overall on their coaching best practices and part of that tracked youth development arcs for boys and girls. When kids are younger than a certain age, training/play is on development, but then pivots more toward competition as kids get older. Tryouts really should be timed with the competition phase.

St James would rather call it travel and charge you 9 year old $3,500 than call it rec or developmental and charge $1,250

As someone who has watched several friends try St. James and end up really unhappy, this made me laugh (at St. James, not my friends who have generally found better circumstances).

But it's unfortunately not just them. And it's not just the organizations. Parents just can't handle the kid in the dugout who doesn't want to be there, or the flaky family or 4 who make it hard to know if you'll even have the numbers for the game this weekend or whatever. And as a family gutting rec out with kids who love their sport, every season I see more and more why the travel experience is attractive. But then I hear the horrible stories from places like the St. James and I...decide we can make rec + lessons work.

Your comment about the families not being able to handle other families/kids being on the same page is very true. BTDT. We aren't gunning for a scholarship for junior, but our sport is very painful to watch when a kid who has zero interest in being there (yet their parent keeps signing them up) and it's even worse when that kid has zippy skill (and their parent can't see that either). When we moved to travel, we accepted tryout BS because overall DS is happier with a group of kids who are truly interested in being there and getting better. We have not run into the tryouts for the next year's team overlapping with current season though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have an issue with tryouts but would like to see those reduced to once a year vs 2-3 times a year and would like them to start when kids are 13/14--or whatever age makes sense for the development curve for your sport. USA Hockey did a huge overall on their coaching best practices and part of that tracked youth development arcs for boys and girls. When kids are younger than a certain age, training/play is on development, but then pivots more toward competition as kids get older. Tryouts really should be timed with the competition phase.

St James would rather call it travel and charge you 9 year old $3,500 than call it rec or developmental and charge $1,250

As someone who has watched several friends try St. James and end up really unhappy, this made me laugh (at St. James, not my friends who have generally found better circumstances).

But it's unfortunately not just them. And it's not just the organizations. Parents just can't handle the kid in the dugout who doesn't want to be there, or the flaky family or 4 who make it hard to know if you'll even have the numbers for the game this weekend or whatever. And as a family gutting rec out with kids who love their sport, every season I see more and more why the travel experience is attractive. But then I hear the horrible stories from places like the St. James and I...decide we can make rec + lessons work.

Your comment about the families not being able to handle other families/kids being on the same page is very true. BTDT. We aren't gunning for a scholarship for junior, but our sport is very painful to watch when a kid who has zero interest in being there (yet their parent keeps signing them up) and it's even worse when that kid has zippy skill (and their parent can't see that either). When we moved to travel, we accepted tryout BS because overall DS is happier with a group of kids who are truly interested in being there and getting better. We have not run into the tryouts for the next year's team overlapping with current season though.

The kids who openly don't want to be there ruin a sport with playing time rules. DC's rec basketball team has to play everyone at least a half. There are two girls who are openly there just because their parents are forcing them to do an activity. They don't participate in practice and they just stand around when they get put in a game

[Anonymous]

Going back to the original topic—I don’t think I would force my kid to finish out the season if they got cut from the team. Unless they desperately wanted to stay for the last whatever weeks, I’d be fine with writing off the season and focusing attention of finding a new team.