Tryouts

[coolstuff]

Any stories to tell? Any rumors to spread? How's it going?

[clayface74]

someone said there were 108 girls at the indy blast 14u tryout...does that seem excessive????

[Stratos]

Some teams have folded, some teams merged.

[bucketboy]

How about the emails or phone calls from the parents touting their kid as the next coming and then they show up and can't catch a cold or hit the hat off and old man's head in a 100mph tail wind.

[Stratos]

How about the emails or phone calls from the parents touting their kid as the next coming and then they show up and can't catch a cold or hit the hat off and old man's head in a 100mph tail wind.

Or get the call from the parent touting their kid as a pure homerun hitter because "thats just what she does."

Or the three page softball resume from tee ball on.

Or the parent that cant figure out what the goal of the team is. Even after they were given the year tournament schedule, practice shedule, camps, and 2 lengthly emails explaining it.

Or they played for so and so coach on so and so team, and one phone call to the coach comes up nothing.

Or the best one so far. "She is being recruited by UCLA, Arizona, Alabama" (You can fill in the college)

Do they realize the coaches communicate with each other. Whether it is to discuss rosters, or to rib them about their team and or just talk about schedules.

Oh the joys of silly season.

[gunshy]

Years back I had an open tryout for my then 10u team. We had 36 kids show up and at the end of the general skills evaluation part, I asked how many players were pitchers; 34 kids raised their hands. I was then obligated to evaluate ALL 34 8-10 year olds pitching. I asked one "pitcher", who appeared to weigh 50 lbs soaking wet, how many different pitches she threw. She quickly replied "Seven", and named them off quickly, as if her last name were Finch.
Now, not one of her pitches ever made it to the catcher, but she was "working on it". I would love to talk to the pitching coach that was teaching an 8 year old a drop curve, thrown at 35 feet.
On another note, if the 104 number is accurate for tryouts, someone needs to get a grip for allowing that many kids to try out. 104 kids a one tryout would take about 15-20 people to run the tryout and mean that the head coach would have to make about 95 unpleasant phone calls to explain why each player was NOT chosen; even if they were being recruited by UCLA, Michigan and Notre Dame.

[slapperdad]

"104 kids a one tryout would take about 15-20 people to run the tryout "

If there's a coach who can handle it, it would be Chad!

[ntheknow]

It's funny seeing you guys talk about "travel" parents. Have you ever pondered why they act the way they do? Look in the mirror fellas.

[bucketboy]

It's funny seeing you guys talk about "travel" parents. Have you ever pondered why they act the way they do? Look in the mirror fellas.

I think we all look in the mirror and I have way too much gray hair could it be the softball that did it? I have walked both sides of the fence as a travel coach and as a travel parent and now back as a coach that is having a tryout tomorrow if you will to fill 2 or maybe 3 roster spots at 18u. I have received around 20 emails from interested players or their parents and I have tried to prequalify the kids we are bringing out to look at. I don't want to waste my time or their time if they are not what we are looking for and even at the upper age levels still have parents touting how good their kid is and when I ask them what colleges are recruiting them or did they make all conference, county all state for their high school teams they don't return the email.

My favorite email so far was sent to me by the interesed player herself and I can't wait to see this kid, because she was brutally honest with where she was and where she wants to go with the game and I hope she is a fit as it was very refreshing to get an honest answer to the questions that were posed to her and I am looking forward to watching her tryout tomorrow.

[gunshy]

Glad you jumped in there Bucketboy. That was what I was getting at with the 104 player tryout; surely some of those players could be excluded as position players that a team does not have a position FOR, or the team is playing at a level that is appreciably higher or lower than some of the players skill/experience levels who are inquiring.
Good to hear you are coaching again, look forward to seeing you pace 3rd baseline.