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We try to let all our players know whether they will be invited back at least a week before tryout season begins. And we ask them to respond to us before tryouts as well so we can advertise accurately as to our needs.
I know there are some who believe that we are passing up the opportunity to improve the team by making everyone earn their team membership at the open tryout, but I think that the stability for the team created by keeping a core group of girls cannot be overestimated. We've got a whole database (three years now for several of our players) based on actual experience, and by "database" I'm not talking just about statistics. Things like how the families will get along, whether the parents are supportive of the program even if their daughter sits some, whether the girls and the parents are willing to invest the time and expense into proper mechanics . . .hard to predict these things if you are willing to commit to a wholesale turnover of players. Keeping a core is, I think, a HUGE advantage in reducing drama during the travel season.
I like this Carol and am of the same mindset. Perfect example of an organization that is more worried about developing those they have than trying to recruit nothing but studs every year. I'm sure with this kind of "database" you can easily see the girls that are working to improve versus the girls that just aren't in the game anymore. Kudos!