Open Tryouts

[Sam]

for the most part when they say all positions are open they are unless its a team run by a bunch of dads then it should say all positions open except for where my DD plays.

unless i'm looking for a pitcher or Catcher i would post looking for a SS. If i want a good team to compete in Nationals I need 6 SS. Now can there parents handle there DD not playing SS but playing on a team that will compete that is a whole other issue.

You might do what you say...but you wouldn't even last the fall season.

A) If it wasn't for dads coaching, there would be NO game.
B) If you think a returning team will cut loyal players for a player that may be a little bit better...but who is certainly willing to change teams, you are dreaming.
C) I'm betting all the things you say you would do, you have never done....and will never do.

[sbfan]

I agree that if we did not have the Dads to step up and coach we would not have SB out there. I was not trying to be too negative to dads coaching. I guess i should say is find out what position the coachs's daughters play on the team and consider your daughter having to play another position if that is the team you want to play for.
For some that is just fine

I have seen posts with teams looking for SS wanting to play RF for a TEAM that is pretty good. Now if they find that player that is great.

In a open tryout if i was a coach i would be looking for a bunch of SS type players and fill a team. yes very hard but i have seen some teams do just that. that would never happen to a younger team.

But I bet some of those Gold teams that are pretty good have a few girls that there prime position when they were younger was SS.

[TulsaEliteGold]

SBFAN, I couldn't agree more about a team full of SS; just hard to get most parents and players to understand that concept. I would bet that most of the top Gold teams are all made up of mainly former shortstops. We will actually have 8 girls on our roster this year who have played shortstop for either their HS or Travel teams or both in the past.


As for open tryouts:
Team USA has "Open" tryouts every four years... Do you honestly think they don't have a good idea of who they will be returning & adding ahead of time?

When we do our annual tryouts in August, we have a general idea as well of who all we will be returning & adding, but we want to see if there are any kids who we may not know about or may not know they were wanting to make a move (we do not believe in trying to recruit athletes away from teams unless they show up to our tryouts).

We have two rounds of tryouts. Round 1: "Open" Tryout open to any athlete who feels they have the abilities we are looking for; Round 2: "Inivitation Only" Tryout which is open only to athletes we invite back.

The biggest reason we do this is we want to see kids show up that we may not have previously known about or may not have known they were wanting to make a move. I promise you we always have amazingly talented kids show up that we didn't know about before the tryout.

Last year we had a girl show up that we didn't know because she was a Sophomore from a small town and played 14U that summer. She really stood out and had a lot of potential in the tryouts so we invited her back. She started off the fall batting 8 hole for us and rotating at SS and 3B. She ended up being our starting Shortstop & 3-hole all year, hit .460, verbally committed to the University of Oklahoma and played in the UnderArmour All-American game on ESPN last month. That unknown athlete was Javen Henson who is well known now.

Incidently, we had this year's First Round of Open tryouts on Sunday and again had several athletes we didn't previously know about. Sure glad we have open tryouts.

[coachkev]

From a coach's point of view Maybe not all coaches but at least mine.

I enjoy teaching the game and feel when an athlete comes out for an open workout, I look for things like hustle, listening skills, and how well they follow instruction. This is why I tend to post "Open Try-Outs". I feel if I have athletes that do these things well I can offer the guidance and instruction needed to develop the athlete into what the team needs. I enjoy a project especially when it pays off by seeing an athlete succeed.

That is my reasoning for open workouts. I am looking for athletes I can coach no mater what positions I have open.

Another thought to chew on is when you are confronted with an interested party for your team try-out. When you ask where does she play? The answer is almost 99% of the time P/SS/IF/OF and she caught a while back. You need to see them out on a field to get the best look at what skills they truly pocess. "Open Try-Out" gives you that chance.

Just my .02

[Sam]

From a coach's point of view Maybe not all coaches but at least mine.

I enjoy teaching the game and feel when an athlete comes out for an open workout, I look for things like hustle, listening skills, and how well they follow instruction. This is why I tend to post "Open Try-Outs". I feel if I have athletes that do these things well I can offer the guidance and instruction needed to develop the athlete into what the team needs. I enjoy a project especially when it pays off by seeing an athlete succeed.

That is my reasoning for open workouts. I am looking for athletes I can coach no mater what positions I have open.

Another thought to chew on is when you are confronted with an interested party for your team try-out. When you ask where does she play? The answer is almost 99% of the time P/SS/IF/OF and she caught a while back. You need to see them out on a field to get the best look at what skills they truly pocess. "Open Try-Out" gives you that chance.

Just my .02

coachkev,

The OP was concerning "all positions open and earned." What are your feelings about that?

[NumeroUno]

How about this, we need a #1 pitcher and catcher that can hit and have speed. All positions are open except for my daughters position who doesn't really want to be there because she likes boys better. My assistant coaches dd positions are safe also even though they both think their kids are better than they really are. Please come to our tryout where you will see a new side of daddy ball and a few mothers who drink to much.
Private workouts are available.

[coachkev]

Open & Earned---?? I use " Positions are not set and Roster is Un-confirmed"

To me in TB all positions and playing time is earned. Earned through the work you put forth and the dedication you show. All positions after a season ends are open as I was informed ASA releases all players from a team roster after championship play is over. From my short experience the majority of players attend several try-outs (Yes we know) and us as teams hold several try-outs. Teams have not locked in a roster and are in the market for potential players to replace previous rostered players that may not return, or are not returning, as well as needs the team may have showed in the previous season. It is a constant need to keep improving as a team and as a coach that drives my desire to find new talent. I am still a newbie in the TB world and my opinion may not be shared by anyone else. I was reading through and thought I would chime in with one piont of view.

[coolstuff]

SBFAN, I couldn't agree more about a team full of SS; just hard to get most parents and players to understand that concept. I would bet that most of the top Gold teams are all made up of mainly former shortstops. We will actually have 8 girls on our roster this year who have played shortstop for either their HS or Travel teams or both in the past.

They might as well get used to it if they plan on playing college ball.

My DD played SS for years in rec ball and her first year of travel, simply because she was the best at the position among the girls on the team. In her second year of travel, the team recruited better SSs. The coach told DD that with her speed she should be playing OF, and really encouraged her and convinced her that she could excel in the OF. She took to it and now that's all she wants to play. It actually makes it easier when you go to a tryout and say, "I want to play OF!"

To me, "open tryout" doesn't mean all positions are open, it means that the tryout is open to anyone who wants to show up and try to get one of the open spots. Compared to a "closed tryout" that is invitation only but you're still competing only for certain open spots. I guess if you want to consider that it means "all positions are open" (except the coach's DD), and you played SS all last year, but a better SS than you shows up, you better get used to playing OF this year. So I guess the important thing is to ask a lot of questions about what positions are truly "open" and which one is the coach's daughter.

[Sam]

Open & Earned---?? I use " Positions are not set and Roster is Un-confirmed"

To me in TB all positions and playing time is earned. Earned through the work you put forth and the dedication you show. All positions after a season ends are open as I was informed ASA releases all players from a team roster after championship play is over. From my short experience the majority of players attend several try-outs (Yes we know) and us as teams hold several try-outs. Teams have not locked in a roster and are in the market for potential players to replace previous rostered players that may not return, or are not returning, as well as needs the team may have showed in the previous season. It is a constant need to keep improving as a team and as a coach that drives my desire to find new talent. I am still a newbie in the TB world and my opinion may not be shared by anyone else. I was reading through and thought I would chime in with one piont of view.

Would you cut a kid that had been with you for two years for a kid that plays for a different team every year, but is a better player than your returning player? I wouldn't....but I was never in danger of having more than 5-6 kids at my tryouts...because I told parents calling me that I was keeping all the players that chose to return to my team....and let them know that I had only one pitching position available....or that I already have 2 catchers...etc. I felt it was my responsibility to give them as much info as possible in order for them to choose the best team and tryout for their child.

[addiction]

How about this, we need a #1 pitcher and catcher that can hit and have speed. All positions are open except for my daughters position who doesn't really want to be there because she likes boys better. My assistant coaches dd positions are safe also even though they both think their kids are better than they really are. Please come to our tryout where you will see a new side of daddy ball and a few mothers who drink to much.
Private workouts are available.

HO-LEEE CHIT

sad but true