high school fastpitch

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need some feedback... what are the pro's and con's of picking your varsity team a week before the season .

 

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do you mean a coach deciding before tryouts?

 

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All I can think of are cons. Sounds like a coach who doesn't want to have parents angry at him until it is completely unavoidable.

The coaches know who they want...name your team and let the ladies get to work!!!!

 

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On the positive side, it gives the girls a longer period of time to show what they are worth.

 

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the teams will not be picked until a week before the regular season.

 

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My philosophy always was give them enough time to show what they can do, but try to get the various teams set as soon as possible so that you can begin to work with them as teams and get them ready for the season. We usually did that at the end of the first week once everyone reported. With everyone now reporting at the same time a couple of weeks earlier, I could see taking 2 weeks but can't imagine why you'd need or want any longer. While coaches no doubt have a good idea and talk with their staffs about probable teams before tryouts start, I have to say that we were always either pleasantly surprised or somewhat disappointed by someone during the tryout period, and I think you're doing the girls and yourself a disservice if you pick the teams in advance or say on the first day.

 

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Maybe he or she is afraid kids will quit if they were told they will be playing JV.

after all you have made that point about lake county.;&

 

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We did have a few years where we told 1-2 girls that they had made the team, but that we weren't sure yet whether it would be on varsity, JV or some of both. Of course you have to be prepared that if they end up on JV that they may quit. Hopefully they buy into the idea of being considered part of varsity, but getting more actual playing time on JV.

 

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Picking them 1 week before regular season games start would be the normal wouldn't it? Besides, I wouldn't think it's an issue if you have a reserve team. Should you miss picking a shining star you can always call them up from the reserve roster just as you can send an injured girl down to hone her skills. I've always felt an open door between the reserve and varsity was the best choice. Once the girls accept the idea, it works very well when they realize the potential for more girls to get a varsity letter.

 

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Maybe he or she is afraid kids will quit if they were told they will be playing JV.

You may be right, but if they're going to quit, I'd rather see them leave early - so there's more time for the team to make adjustments...

 

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For naming varsity vs jv I feel one week out may work but to not have cuts till then seems like a bad idea. You need to build team chemistry and spend your time working with players you will keep.

 

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You may be right, but if they're going to quit, I'd rather see them leave early - so there's more time for the team to make adjustments...

I agree, I'm just answering the question of why coach would do that.

 

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i would like to see the girls practicing together as a team. there are so many things on defense that need to be addressed. girls need to play together as soon as possible so they can work things out. you don't want to start the first game possibly working on things that needed to be taken care of before hand.

 

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Our coach picked his varsity team after one week. Having said that, girls were told they can move up or down during the season. Building chemistry and working on kids individually is the reason for separating players. So I would agree early decision of teams would be more ideal.

 

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If you were a new Head Coach to the program and you have never seen any of the players before. I would understand extending the tryout process. But, any returning coach should have a idea of their projected starting lineup before tryouts begin. Yes, there is the upcoming frosh that make an surprize impact,but they tend to be exceptions to the rule. I would go as far to say, a coach should have to rough idea of what the folllowing years team should be as well.

 

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There are some girls who work really hard in the off-season on their game, and/or who sometimes develop a little later than others who can surprise a coach. Two of the years I coached high school we had a girl who we didn't figure in the mix at all prior to tryouts, but who showed us enough during tryouts to make the team, and then who continued to work hard and improve and ended up moving into the starting lineup eventually and being one of our best hitters.

 

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Coachjwb - Glad to see a coach keeping an open mind and paying attention to the players at tryouts. Too many coaches plan their starting lineup prior to tryouts and miss out on good players just because the player was not on the coaches radar.

 

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I could see a scenario of waiting if you had girls still making a tournament run in basketball. Once they are done, and had sometime to fairly show their stuff... then make the announcement of teams and get after it. Other than that, i don't see many Pros to that situation.
All Varsity coaches should be keeping up with JV squad and coach , and if a players performance warrants a move to Varsity then it should happen. That would allow a late bloomer their shot.

 

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I have been coaching HS for 11 years and have only had a JV a few times. This year we have 22 out and will have a JV squad. I had told them the first day of practice that we would have tryouts at the end of the second week. Today I informed them that I was going to wait longer because each day I was seeing something different out of different girls and it kind of has me scratching my head. We don't have our first scrimmage for another 20 days!!! I have some underclassmen, including some freshman that have a real good shot at varsity, and I think two weeks in a gym is just not enough time to give a fair assessment, and be cut and dry on a set varsity team. I have told them several times this week that some girls will float back and forth.

I do agree that if you are making cuts, waiting till one week before the season is not right. But if you know you are going to have a fair amount of girls going back and forth, why set things in stone so early. Let them show you what they got, which will strengthen your case to an unhappy player or parent, and/or those who are on the bubble may falter down the stretch. I think it's perfectly ok to wait. FWIW

 

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Lady_Knights you have nailed it straight, we also have kids that float. In just about every other sport you have the same senario, (floating v to jv and back). Kids develop during the year, some for the good some not so good, you also always have the injury factor and several other good reasons not to have a roster etched in stone when you have both v and jv squads. It's never perfect and it never will be, you will always have parents who think the coach is wrong in their choices or that their kid is getting the shaft. Its just the way it is. Bottom line is do what is right for your program and team, it is not about the individual player, it's about the team, the team, the team to quote one of the best coaches ever.