Less than one day?

[Darylldixon]

Can someone tell me if it is normal to have a day or less to respond to an offer from a tryout? I don't think it is realistic for coaches to think that a girl will only tryout for teams that they are willing to accept an offer from immediately before trying out for any other teams. I can maybe see that if you are 16 or older as you should pretty much know if a team you are trying out for will accept you. However, at the younger ages there are so many girls trying out for teams and you never know what they need, etc. you would be crazy to try out for only teams you would say yes to without any question or any further attempts at other teams. That seems to me to be an easy way to come out of tryouts without an offer.

I understand not stringing a coach out for a long time, but one day seems unreasonable. It looks like it will just force us to say no and keep looking even though they may have been a contender after all of the tryouts are over. What is a reasonable time period and how do you handle this without offending the offering team?

 

[FPMom2000]

We had that happen to us and we turned down the offer. We were not going to make a decision in 24 hours (this was prior to most tryouts starting) but this was from the new coach of her previous team. While I understand she wanted a commitment, my DD couldn't give it to her. I think that she knew she wanted to move on, so maybe that made it easier. If this is the team your dd want to be on, then it should be a no brainer. If you are struggling, then that is a flag for me. Its a double standard for me though because I wish coaches would tell you within 24-48 hours yes or no they would like you. Its pure torture for these girls. The waiting game stinks. We have since had a few offers and they have asked for answers within a few days, since they still have tryouts left and might need to fill that position. That seems more reasonable to me. Good luck and I hope it all works out!

 

[CARDS]

If the team is only looking for one or two and they have more than two that they feel can fill their needs yes, they will go with the lady that does not have to think about playing for them. The bigger / better the club and the better tournament play the more this happens...

FPMOMN, Most of the teams that have been there done that have a core group returning and are only looking for a few.
Teams that advertize "all positions open" can at times be a red flag because that means they are looking for a lot...

Darlell you will not offend any team by waiting. The danger is, if it is one of the bigger organizations after you go to a few other tryouts their offer most likely will be filled or they may say come on board but the offer now is for position B. I would suggest doing your homework in July...Have a list of teams that fit your needs and DDs abilities. If you get no offers from your list there will be a fit somewhere...
Know where you want to go. Do not dream about it plan for it. Set goals and Make It Happen!

 

[CoachTEA]

Here is what I do when it comes to giving offers and waiting for answers: Yes, some players *really* want to be on your team, have done their research, and will accept on the spot. Others need time to think. What I do is make an offer and tell everyone when they ask for more time to mull over there decision, that they can take as much time as they want but I will continue to make offers until I fill my roster. This way I am not waiting on a response and potentially missing out on a great player. Basically I don't "hold" a spot for someone except by "laying back" and not making more offers. Right now I have one roster spots open and two players with offers. They are checking out other teams and trying to determine best fit (which is fine and encouraged - I want it to be a good fit), but nothing precludes me from making another offer if the "right one" comes along.

 

[Louuuuu]

CoachTEA, well said! More coaches need to think like you - this is a "business" proposition, with each side needing to make the right decision. A lot of coaches make it more "personal" and get their knickers in a bind if you don't accept on the spot.

 

[Darylldixon]

Thanks for the coach perspective. So are we to assume if we didn't hear back from a sat tryout when she heard back from every other one with offers on the same day or first thing the next day that she didn't make it?

 

[Louuuuu]

... or that the coach is making calls to his 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices, and if they all say "No Thanks", then you will get the call. I think you know what to do at this time.

 

[Darylldixon]

I thought that was the case but I get mixed messages.

 

[Darylldixon]

Other than this forum, a team's website, google and word of mouth, how else would you go about evaluating a team you don't know a huge amount about? The older teams in the program have had some recent success yet I have not been able to find out much about the team we tried out for and the real story of what the future looks like. I want to hear something from a neutral 3rd party but am not connected enough to have someone that knows. I looked on their website and it only lists 5 tournaments from last year and they are all odd ones (not the normal ones the teams in the area go to) and then NSA states and usssa World Series. The schedule does not seem on par with the older teams. How do I find out if this is not a good situation? It seems very odd.

 

[rubsomedirtonit]

Mixed messages could be a way to keep you on the hook in case some other choices dont pan out for the team in question. If you have other offers, they wont wait around forever.

 

[Darylldixon]

"They won't wait around forever" : that is an understatement! On one hand people tell you to weigh your options, don't feel pressured, avoid a team that wants a decision now yet on the other hand you hear that it is totally normal to be given a day or two to give a response. And I totally understand from the other side- that teams want to be set and girls on the bubble need to know also within a day or two if they have made the team. But in that circumstance I have quickly learned that if you don't get a call in 2 days they just don't want you or they will use you if some pandemic wipes out their team and you are still dutifully waiting for their call.

Maybe it would be helpful if there was a tryout time period during which no team could extend offers (some teams would probably cheat though). That way you get to try out for all of the teams you want before you need to cut anything short and make a decision. Or if a coach would say that you have a guaranteed offer until Monday and after that the offer stands until all positions are filled. At least then you know you have the opportunity to go to a few tryouts and make an informed decision. Especially bad is when people close to you have put a good word in for you with a team and having to make a quick decision forces you to not even attend that tryout or not wait for that team's decision. What a way to burn a great bridge. This is not a sport where you want to burn bridges-- much too small and close.

 

[rubsomedirtonit]

I agree the whole process can be maddening. It is stressful to say the least, and i imagine that goes for coaches as well as players and parents. I just went through the same thing. Had an offer we weren't very excited about and one wink wink nod nod unofficial offer that kept dragging on. Fortunately the team she really wanted offered her after a couple days so it worked out for us. There comes a point where you just have to contact the coaches you are dealing with and tell them you need to make a decision. If they still waiver its time to move on. I dont think there really is a good answer.

 

[coachjwb]

I know I have some friends out there who will disagree with this, but I think it's total BS that any team insists on an answer the same day or even 24 hours. If a coach expects families to give a commitment for a full year, they need to give those families at least 48-72 hours to talk about it and decide. This is no different than most things in life ... accepting a job, making a major purchase, etc. If you can't wait that long for the family to make the decision, then you must not really want them and that goes for the most elite organizations to rec teams.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

As OP has learned, people can't have it both ways. The amount of time teams give players to make a decision directly affects how long it takes them to fill their spots and make final decisions on players.

People that have done their homework go to a tryout knowing what they need to find out about the team in order to make a decision. People that need 48-72 hours either haven't done their homework or that team isn't their first choice. If the coach has a comparable alternative, they should move on to them rather than risk not getting any of their top choices. Coaches have a responsibility to do what's best for their team.

 

[The3dm]

I have always liked the approach that you give the player until your next tryout to accept or decline the position, after that the position may be offered to someone else. The key is that the players need to feel comfortable enough to turn you down as early as they know, this way you can move on as well.

Let the players know if they turn you down that is okay, but you need to know asap if that is the case to be fair to the others that were not made first choice offers. JMHO

 

[Klump]

Giving 24 hours or less is BS in my opinion. It is a hard decision that families need time to think over. It sounds like a coach trying to strong arm a player into signing whether it's the best option for the player or not. Usually ends in disaster because if it's not the best fit for the player, the whole team will pay for it throughout the season. If a coach tells you they need to know by 24 hours........walk away.

 

[AkronCarPro]

Can someone tell me if it is normal to have a day or less to respond to an offer from a tryout? I don't think it is realistic for coaches to think that a girl will only tryout for teams that they are willing to accept an offer from immediately before trying out for any other teams. I can maybe see that if you are 16 or older as you should pretty much know if a team you are trying out for will accept you. However, at the younger ages there are so many girls trying out for teams and you never know what they need, etc. you would be crazy to try out for only teams you would say yes to without any question or any further attempts at other teams. That seems to me to be an easy way to come out of tryouts without an offer.

I understand not stringing a coach out for a long time, but one day seems unreasonable. It looks like it will just force us to say no and keep looking even though they may have been a contender after all of the tryouts are over. What is a reasonable time period and how do you handle this without offending the offering team?

Just tell the coach that you need more time, and you understand if he fills the spot with another player in the interim. Believe me, if after a few days your DD decides that she wants to play for said coach, and he has a need that she can fill, he will accept her onto the team once she has made her choice.

 

[The3dm]

Did anyone bother to mention that this org (if it is the one known for this in my area) is a FOR PROFIT. Not sure if that makes it better or worse, but I always had an issue with the practice.

 

[papadog]

What if the coach ask you to come back for a second tryout.Do you take 48-72hrs to respond, or say no thanks?

 

[The3dm]

What if the coach ask you to come back for a second tryout.Do you take 48-72hrs to respond, or say no thanks?

If you don't want to play for the org, why wouldn't you just simply say no thank you? If you want to play for the org, than accept the offer and give it your best shot.