why the tryout rush?

[quietstorm02]

I always thought that the first weekend of December was a good time to do spring tryouts. It made sense. The fall season would end in mid-to-late November for most teams, after which there would be a small holiday break before teams began cranking things up for the spring.

Maybe it's because of the Ebola outbreak, but it seems an inordinate number of teams - which means "coaches" - are trying to drive some sort of public panic in the softball community this year. I don't remember who the team was, but someone posted they were having their organization's tryouts on Dec 6th. Then someone else said they were going to do theirs on Dec 3rd. Then the next group decided to claim Nov 29-30th. Then someone else came along and said they were going on Nov 22nd. So then the next guy wanted Nov 21st. Then came Nov 20th, Nov 18th, and Nov 17. Not to be outdone, the final salvo was fired by a guy who said "I'll take your DD now, just give me a call!!"

Obviously, there are some coaches out there who are always trying to replace your daughter from the moment they make her an offer, so those guys who are always giving the hard recruiting sell year-round are a known commodity. But what's everyone else's excuse? Is that really the coach you want to be at 12u?

Unless the next great "superteam" is the best kept secret in Sacramento and is coming to rain fire on Foskett Park, I'll be very surprised if the overall landscape is significantly different in spring from what it was this fall. I'd love to be proven wrong (unlikely), so given that reality, what's the rush?

Stay thirsty, my friends.

[tbjd33]

I always thought that the first weekend of December was a good time to do spring tryouts. It made sense. The fall season would end in mid-to-late November for most teams, after which there would be a small holiday break before teams began cranking things up for the spring.

Maybe it's because of the Ebola outbreak, but it seems an inordinate number of teams - which means "coaches" - are trying to drive some sort of public panic in the softball community this year. I don't remember who the team was, but someone posted they were having their organization's tryouts on Dec 6th. Then someone else said they were going to do theirs on Dec 3rd. Then the next group decided to claim Nov 29-30th. Then someone else came along and said they were going on Nov 22nd. So then the next guy wanted Nov 21st. Then came Nov 20th, Nov 18th, and Nov 17. Not to be outdone, the final salvo was fired by a guy who said "I'll take your DD now, just give me a call!!"

Obviously, there are some coaches out there who are always trying to replace your daughter from the moment they make her an offer, so those guys who are always giving the hard recruiting sell year-round are a known commodity. But what's everyone else's excuse? Is that really the coach you want to be at 12u?

Unless the next great "superteam" is the best kept secret in Sacramento and is coming to rain fire on Foskett Park, I'll be very surprised if the overall landscape is significantly different in spring from what it was this fall. I'd love to be proven wrong (unlikely), so given that reality, what's the rush?

Stay thirsty, my friends.

I'm not thirsty...NorCal is filled with moaning and groaning. Just let the girls play who cares!

[MommyBaller]

and Black Friday starts on Thursday this year

[CTCBAT]

Teams who stopped playing two weeks ago their coaches have nothing to do but to prepare for the next season. Teams who are still playing aren't worried about it. The kicker is when teams are posting tryout information and there is still things going on. It screams I'm breaking this thing up!

Above all why wait if you don't have to? You're more likely to get rained out or something to that effect in December than November. Not all teams are really looking either, so a tryout isn't all that important.

I wouldn't call it thirsty but rather where does having a tryout fit in your schedule?

[quietstorm02]

Good call on the rain. Lots of teams have been doing and scheduling indoor tryouts, but unless you already know what a player can do, those indoor sessions are usually pretty worthless.

Only a couple of the Sac 12u teams are full, so it's somewhat refreshing to know that not every player-parent got swept up in the November rush. It's possible that everyone will be rained out this weekend, so hopefully parents will still be patient as they seek the best possible fit for their players, though the amount of player movement seen so far seems to contradict what I said about patience.

[guero_gordo]

Never been a fan of early tryouts either, but I can tell you it was really nice to have the rollercoaster ride over before Thanksgiving so she could rest before HS open fields start. Previous years, these weeks were full of drilling, making lists and marking up the calendar.

[CTCBAT]

Good call on the rain. Lots of teams have been doing and scheduling indoor tryouts, but unless you already know what a player can do, those indoor sessions are usually pretty worthless.

Only a couple of the Sac 12u teams are full, so it's somewhat refreshing to know that not every player-parent got swept up in the November rush. It's possible that everyone will be rained out this weekend, so hopefully parents will still be patient as they seek the best possible fit for their players, though the amount of player movement seen so far seems to contradict what I said about patience.

It almost always rains or is cold the 1st weekend of December. I used to coach soccer and that weekend is a huge tournament. It got to the point where we came with camping gear as a team. The weather was usually bad.

What I have learned in this whole process is get in where you fit in and stay as long as you can. If you're trying to get into a national championship type situation do that, but if not stay in a place where you're happy.

[quietstorm02]

What I have learned in this whole process is get in where you fit in and stay as long as you can. If you're trying to get into a national championship type situation do that, but if not stay in a place where you're happy.

Seems like you're that rare sort of softball person who sees the Big Picture. Every program (read: coach dad) has different goals, but when all is said and done, there's so little difference in talent and ability among a MAJORITY of teams that the only things that really matter are opportunity and compatibility. Opportunity means having your kid on a team where she'll get significant playing time against comparable competition and compatibility includes all the other intangibles that make a team a good fit for your family.

Looks like the rush is over for now, but as per normal, I suspect there will be a bit more movement not long after the New Year. No one needs to be in panic mode as there are still several teams that will be looking for players in January.

[CTCBAT]

What I have learned in this whole process is get in where you fit in and stay as long as you can. If you're trying to get into a national championship type situation do that, but if not stay in a place where you're happy.

Seems like you're that rare sort of softball person who sees the Big Picture. Every program (read: coach dad) has different goals, but when all is said and done, there's so little difference in talent and ability among a MAJORITY of teams that the only things that really matter are opportunity and compatibility. Opportunity means having your kid on a team where she'll get significant playing time against comparable competition and compatibility includes all the other intangibles that make a team a good fit for your family.

Looks like the rush is over for now, but as per normal, I suspect there will be a bit more movement not long after the New Year. No one needs to be in panic mode as there are still several teams that will be looking for players in January.

You learn through experience. It's important to understand how good your kid is. I think there is a group of kids who are just as athletic as the next. Training and instruction especially at early ages is critical. The other thing that I've learned is it's really up to the individual families to figure this all out. Orgs and coaches do what's best for them. It's great when that aligns with your kid's talent level. It sucks when it doesn't as I've been on both sides. The kids and families need to create who they're going to be.

Which brings me to the next point. If you're going to try to make a roster coaches don't necessarily want to bring in someone who is as good as someone they already have. Unless you can be a game changer or fit in at the top of their roster chances are you're not going to crash a championship type roster. The exception is pitching and catching.