HS Spring Sport Tryouts in LoCo--Why so Cutthroat?

[Anonymous]

Sports are like this in much of the eastern states. If you aren't playing travel/club for years before high school, you don't stand a chance.

My rising freshaman has an chronic injury that has required that he stop his long time sport. Unfortunately, he won't make the team in any other sport. It's pretty messed up, but it's just how it is around here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of the parents experienced this? We're talking Western LoCo HS girls' sports here. It seems like everyone tries out for everything and sometimes 30-40 girls show up to try out for 10-12 slots and 2 slots allocated for incoming freshmen. Some are not even decent or close to it. Our freshman was SHOCKED and didn't expect this at all and she is certainly above average at this particular sport.

What planet are you from? In FCPS, Mclean and Langley HS tennis tryouts has 55+ boys and 30+ girls for about 14 spots on the varsity if I am not mistaken. It's been like this for years.

Why would there be 14 spots? I’d think there would be fewer than that.

Usually 12 spots and a few extras for the girls' tennis, boys are usually kept at 12 slots.

[Anonymous]

Girls can usually walk right onto the field hockey team, and boys can walk onto the wrestling team. Although our high school wrestling team is about 1/3 girls and transgender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA acceptances are at stake. It’s dog eat dog.

OP--+1,000,000....it's all about UVA for the top 10%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sports have always been competitive in rural areas. Probably just more people.

LOL - Western Loudoun isn't exactly 4H and FFA anymore.

Don't tell them that. They may have to pave their quaint gravel roads

-Eastern Loudoun resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA acceptances are at stake. It’s dog eat dog.

OP--+1,000,000....it's all about UVA for the top 10%.

And UVA LOVES seeing varsity team accomplishments.

[Anonymous]

In our FCPS high school, there were 120 boys who tried out for the soccer team last year. Only 36 were chosen (18 each for JV and V). It's incredibly competitive. The coaches do seem to know who they're going to take before the first tryout though. The guys who were strongest at tryouts were not necessarily the guys who made the team. There were definitely some chosen that left everyone scratching their heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our FCPS high school, there were 120 boys who tried out for the soccer team last year. Only 36 were chosen (18 each for JV and V). It's incredibly competitive. The coaches do seem to know who they're going to take before the first tryout though. The guys who were strongest at tryouts were not necessarily the guys who made the team. There were definitely some chosen that left everyone scratching their heads.

+1

I live next to James Madison HS and I enjoy watching soccer, tennis and lacrosse tryouts during Spring season for the past 20 years. I also played D1 soccer so I think I know a little bit about sports. What the PP said is absolutely true. It seems like the "expert" coaches seem to know who they are going to take before the first tryouts. I've seen many of the best athletes at the tryouts didn't make the team on either soccer or lacrosse. There is a culture of favoritism, nepotism and corruption between the coaches and the parents who know the coaches before the tryouts. The coach has the final said on who can make the roster. It makes me sad for those superb athletes that didn't make the team in favor of the inferior one because of the favoritism between the coaches and parents.

The exception sport is tennis where in the tryouts, they institute match play where everyone has an equal stake in making the team. You can have a freshman knocking out the #1 player from the previous year and take over the #1 spot. It is a new year and everyone starts out equally. You're what the record said you're. At the end of the tryouts, the team selection and the position is based on the record during the tryouts. The coach has very little said, if any, on who will be selected for the team.

When the coach has so much power on who can make the team, corruption will creep in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA acceptances are at stake. It’s dog eat dog.

OP--+1,000,000....it's all about UVA for the top 10%.

And UVA LOVES seeing varsity team accomplishments.

UVA cares more about GPA and test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our FCPS high school, there were 120 boys who tried out for the soccer team last year. Only 36 were chosen (18 each for JV and V). It's incredibly competitive. The coaches do seem to know who they're going to take before the first tryout though. The guys who were strongest at tryouts were not necessarily the guys who made the team. There were definitely some chosen that left everyone scratching their heads.

+1

I live next to James Madison HS and I enjoy watching soccer, tennis and lacrosse tryouts during Spring season for the past 20 years. I also played D1 soccer so I think I know a little bit about sports. What the PP said is absolutely true. It seems like the "expert" coaches seem to know who they are going to take before the first tryouts. I've seen many of the best athletes at the tryouts didn't make the team on either soccer or lacrosse. There is a culture of favoritism, nepotism and corruption between the coaches and the parents who know the coaches before the tryouts. The coach has the final said on who can make the roster. It makes me sad for those superb athletes that didn't make the team in favor of the inferior one because of the favoritism between the coaches and parents.

The exception sport is tennis where in the tryouts, they institute match play where everyone has an equal stake in making the team. You can have a freshman knocking out the #1 player from the previous year and take over the #1 spot. It is a new year and everyone starts out equally. You're what the record said you're. At the end of the tryouts, the team selection and the position is based on the record during the tryouts. The coach has very little said, if any, on who will be selected for the team.

When the coach has so much power on who can make the team, corruption will creep in.

I think coach wants to make sure some team members from prior years make the cut. A profound difference in how he feeds the balls to incoming freshmen and members from prior years, certainly giving them unfair advantage (deep for freshmen and base line for juniors-seniors. So, there is that in tennis as well. He also does not play the freshman class against prior year members....which is a puzzle to me.