The Tryout race is on!

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I remember when my DD's and I got involved in travel ball 8+ years ago. Tryouts, if I remember right, were always in September. A few years ago they started to move to the end of August. Now I see them the week after Nationals. I just wanted some feed back on what people thought the reason was.

 

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Actually I remember seeing some in March several years back...

As to the reasons for moving them up, most of what I hear is related to the "requirement" by some of the teams to give them an immediate answer; i.e. it pays teams competing for athletes in the same talent pool to get their offers in before the teams requiring an immediate response.

 

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You can't tell me a week after Nationals that you are ready to get down to business and have tryouts!! ?If a kid or the parent sees a team they really want to play for or tryout for they will wait for that tryout. I know alot of good players have the confidence and know they can make the team they want to play for. And as far as the early commitment on new players that is nothing but trying to pressure a kid. Hopefully the parents will look at what the team offers and not some coach telling them we won this or that and we need your commitment today. Remember girls teams change yearly success is a team effort by players and coaches. Good Luck to all the girls!!

 

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If you wait until September to hold tryouts, you hear girls and parents say they are rusty because they haven't played for a month or more.

Also, with certain tournaments (Colorado Fireworks, Boulder, etc.) requiring applications to be submitted by mid-August, it is imperative to have a plan in place. Also, many teams are starting to play more fall tournaments beginning in early September.

Finally, since pretty much everything for the current season is done by early-August, why wait to have tryouts? What is gained by waiting until September?

While I agree with those who say beware of teams requiring an immediate decision, teams can't just leave offers out there for several weeks. What happens if an offer is open to a girl for a month, she turns it down, and in the meantime a half dozen other girls have gone elsewhere?

There are no good solutions that I know of, either for the teams or the players.