Some things we learned in our first year of travel ball tryouts.

Farmdad

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1. "We will let you know either way" = We will only contact you if your daughter makes the team. Coaches, you shook my hand when you said this. If you don't want to deal with parents on the phone, you have my email and you can text me. My wife can send me 20-30 texts in under a minute (all over 100 words), so there is no excuse for not letting us know.

2. If a coach tells me and my dd you will let us know by next Monday and my dd sees you skulking around the parking lot at another tryout two weeks later, her feelings will be hurt. If you would have told us up front that my dd didn't have what you wanted, my dd would have been disappointed, but she would not have lost respect for you and asked me if all coaches were lying to her.

3. Travel ball is really a "small world." My dd actually made friends with girls she saw so many times at different tryouts.

4. Travel ball is REALLY a "small world." I met a poster from this site at a tryout. I was able to identify said poster because the comments they made here were the exact same things they said to me during our conversation!

5. "Hello...is this thing on ?" I would love to see a coach (or anyone) address the parents before the tryouts begin. Introduce yourself, your assistants, and give us three minutes on how you plan to run the tryout and your plans for letting parents know if their kid makes the team. At most of the tryouts I felt like I was playing Clue trying to identify the head coach... "the man with the red shirt, leaning against the backstop, with the sunglasses. "

6. The "friends and family plan" is not a phone carrier thing...it is the number of girls that will make a certain team. Example..."I'm not sure about your chances for this team, dd; they seem to have a lot of members in their f and f plan."

7. I'm confident things will only get better now that dd made a team!!
 
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Yes, introductions and organized tryouts will do wonders for parents unsure on which org to go with. I appreciate orgs who realize they're 'trying out' for families too!
 

JoeA1010

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It takes a bit of work, but it's really not that hard to thoroughly organize tryouts. It takes pride. Those that aren't organized well are run by people who don't care enough. They might end up with a good team because they might start with a great pitcher, but the team will not be organized and getting information will probably be a nightmare.
 

kc0602

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#5 HUGE!!! I was SHOCKED at a tryout we went to in Columbus area to what I 'thought' was going to be a descent organization due to rave reviews from other, plus their website and information listed was impressive. Granted they are fairly new however, the coaching staff showed up 10 minutes late from the start time. One person showed up sporting their team logo shirt, we 'ASSumed' was a coach. He walked up into bleachers and sat down. Girls all in dug out, some walking around, us as parents thinking..... what the.... all of a sudden he comes down to dug out, tells girls to go warm up that coaches will be here soon. Still no address to parents. Most parents were spread out, so I will give him that one. Coaches show up 10 minutes late, still.. no word to parents around. Walk onto field, tell girls to keep warming up and then got them ready for fielding. Once the try out got going, they were very organized in how it ran from that point forward. 2 hours later, they finish up except pitchers and catchers, still no announcement to any parents. Parents of non pitching/catching girls start walking toward dug out where their dd were, only to hear dd say one coach told them to just sit and wait as he will come and get each of them individually to speak to them. Again.. no a word out of any coaches mouth to parents. Naturally as girls are getting pulled away, parents instantly walk and include themselves. We were last in the 'lineup' at which point pitchers and catchers were finished and packing up. As we stood waiting, all but 2 girls and our dd gone, coaches packing things up, still no introduction of who they were. I finally asked as one walked out with arm full of stuff... "So which one are you? I'm trying to match up your faces to your website..." He laughs and tells us his name. But seriously, I was doing that. Trying to match faces to names.

Finally, coach pulls dd, tells us his name and just says, "I'll cut to the chase we have a spot for her. Cost is anywhere from A-B, girls work for positions, and you can think about it lest us know." (WHAT????) Then proceeded to tell us none of the people there are even the coach for the team our DD would be on. The girl helping MIGHT be an assistant, and his daughter the coach.

From such a 'high dollar displayed' organization.. how do you run a tryout like that?!? We find out on drive home, one girl who played for them before said they are always late!! WHAT??? Doesn't set a good example for us. The lack of communication to the group as a whole is the first we have ever experienced. We went through 5 tryouts and not a one ran that way. Thank goodness!

Your list is spot on and I hope you and your dd found what you feel is a great fit for you! Enjoy and best of luck!

1. "We will let you know either way" = We will only contact you if your daughter makes the team. Coaches, you shook my hand when you said this. If you don't want to deal with parents on the phone, you have my email and you can text me. My wife can send me 20-30 texts in under a minute (all over 100 words), so there is no excuse for not letting us know.

2. If a coach tells me and my dd you will let us know by next Monday and my dd sees you skulking around the parking lot at another tryout two weeks later, her feelings will be hurt. If you would have told us up front that my dd didn't have what you wanted, my dd would have been disappointed, but she would not have lost respect for you and asked me if all coaches were lying to her.

3. Travel ball is really a "small world." My dd actually made friends with girls she saw so many times at different tryouts.

4. Travel ball is REALLY a "small world." I met a poster from this site at a tryout. I was able to identify said poster because the comments they made here were the exact same things they said to me during our conversation!

5. "Hello...is this thing on ?" I would love to see a coach (or anyone) address the parents before the tryouts begin. Introduce yourself, your assistants, and give us three minutes on how you plan to run the tryout and your plans for letting parents know if their kid makes the team. At most of the tryouts I felt like I was playing Clue trying to identify the head coach... "the man with the red shirt, leaning against the backstop, with the sunglasses. "

6. The "friends and family plan" is not a phone carrier thing...it is the number of girls that will make a certain team. Example..."I'm not sure about your chances for this team, dd; they seem to have a lot of members in their f and f plan."

7. I'm confident things will only get better now that dd made a team!!
 

HITTER23

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Do we like shitty tryouts ??????? NOOOOOOOO . NAME THEM, NAME THEM, OHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHH.
 

wow

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Yes its a small world after all... I love the comment about friends and family plan! That's soooo true! I really wish everyone would admit tryouts are a waste of time. At least after about 12U. Sure there are diamonds in the rough. However for the most part, the backroom deals start early and most teams are set or close to it by early July. There were three teams at Stingrays this year who either folded, rebranded, or retooled and that was just the first week of July! If you are new to fastpitch you get lured into this premise that everyone is objective and the best kids make the best teams. Its just not that way. Personalities, politics, and promises (the 3P's) drive many of the decisions. Now add so many private try outs, which helps in prescreening, as not to waste anyone's time however these are showing up in June? Attending a mass event and just hoping you have a great showing?

And #7? Nope there will always be challenges. ALWAYS! Playing time/player positions/batting order/daddy/mommy ball... Making a team is not the end its the beginning.
 
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FastBat

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4. Travel ball is REALLY a "small world." I met a poster from this site at a tryout.

I met a fellow OFC'er on an airplane a few years ago! It really is a small world!
 

Warren4

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What we learned in addition....
Coaches asking their returning players to NOT wear the team's jersey makes for an inviting environment and shows class. Showing up to see a field full of the team's players is not welcoming to new prospects. Parents don't dig it much either.
 

coachtomv

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What we learned in addition....
Coaches asking their returning players to NOT wear the team's jersey makes for an inviting environment and shows class. Showing up to see a field full of the team's players is not welcoming to new prospects. Parents don't dig it much either.

I disagree with this one. At tryouts the other players / parents want to see the returning talent. If you know who they are, you can see if they are the level your looking for, by seeing them join in the tryout. You can do this in a private practice with a team also, but at tryouts having the team Jersey on lets you know who the players are your DD will play with. My 2 cents.
 

Hilliarddad3

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I too don't care what shirt anyone wears either, you know there are girls that are coming back, so have your daughter prepared to rise up to the challenge. Have her engaged in the entire tryout process, cheering on the other girls trying out, see how they click with the girls even returning ones. Is she smiling and enjoying the tryout, or is she quiet, timid and get down on herself when she misses one, or trips, or can't connect the ball on the bat? Stuff happens and good coaches know that, they understand the pressure of the tryout, but that's nothing compared to the pressure of the season and how they handle themselves is also looked at by quality teams....Sometimes teams have returnees going to see if they see something in a new girl. Remember' they are the ones who will be side by side with her....

Our company has our associates in the interview process sometimes, so why not let them wear it?
 
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