High School and Middle School Coaches....PLEASE DON'T!!!

It makes you nauseas, just the thought of it. The amount of sleep you’ll lose because of it, the angry and hurt e mails and phone calls soon after. The looks into the eyes and the awkward meetings ahead; it’s a Greek tragedy playing out right before your eyes and it’s ALL under your direction.

Welcome to High School and Middle School tryouts!

They are right around the corner and most coaches who have overseen programs and teams at these levels know what we’re talking about. Years ago, it was a list posted on the wall of the gym. Then Parents and accountability came into play and coaches had to stat tryouts, have a reason as to why a kid wasn’t chosen for the freshman, J.V. or Varsity programs, write letters or have individual meetings so no athlete could be seen reacting to the roster. Never mind they showed up in skater vans and cut offs and walked to the baseball field having no idea what was ahead, coaches need to give reasons why now. Parents wanted to know why their daughters or sons didn’t measure up. Why did this coach HATE their child?

There is no formal study or data to be found but it wouldn’t be out of the sphere of plausibility to say that volleyball loses thousands of players in the months of August and September after tryouts take place. Kids that are cut, that once may have gritted their teeth and worked harder to get on the team next year, walk away and try another sport or activity. or sadly, nothing. No one can live through being cut TWICE from the same sport, right?

Perspectives are odd things. Big schools having to cut dozens of athletes from their younger teams, some of them club players who feel ripped off that they spent the money to get better training but didn’t get their pot of gold at the rainbow’s end. Other’s feel none of this because their school is just 150 kids and a total of 18 girls has to play all four sports throughout the school year. Some kids come to every open gym, play rec and city leagues, YMCA or beach! Some others play 3 other sports before their tryouts begin. All body shapes and sizes are represented, all kinds of mental processes at work. In the end, there are only enough uniforms, only enough coaches and resources and if there are too many kids trying out, subtraction is put into effect.

However here is an idea that might help with the phone calls, the e mails, the hurt feelings, the angst and agony of being cut

Don’t.

Don’t make cuts. Your school has resources it uses for the teams you have: coaches and gyms and volleyballs and nets. So let’s use them to make those kids that didn’t make the cut to keep playing. Yes it’s more work, yes it’s more time but the advantages are overwhelming.

First, imagine a tryout where you were going to have to make cuts with this proposal: “You aren’t going to be named to our school team at this time however we’d still like you in the program to see how you develop. We’d like to offer you a Sunday every week for just a couple of hours to see if you are a hard worker, coachable and wanting to improve. Would you be willing to be a part of a very low cost or free program like that?”

Now the onus is on the kids and their parents. They haven’t been told they aren’t good enough, they’ve been told they aren’t good enough YET! Some kids might say no and walk away. But some, and in fact hopefully for your program, MANY might come back at you and agree. What’s in this for you?

First, simple math: if you have 50 kids in your program as your base of talent and you field three teams from them after tryouts, you can be pleased OR you can have 80 kids in your program and take three teams worth. Would the teams be different? Would the one with the talent pool of 80 be higher?

Secondly, what do these names have in common: NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, Lionel Messi, future Baseball Hall of Famer Orel Hershiser, Carmelo Anthony and Michael Jordan. Okay, the last one gave it away but yes, all of these players were cut from their high school teams!

Sure, one could say that is a small sampling of the millions of high school athletes and for the most part, coaches probably DO get it right. But how many of those kids that were cut might have been a USA National team player if given one more chance? Of course, sadly, we’ll never know.

Facts are these: according to the Centers for Disease Control, “During puberty, you may experience a ‘growth spurt,’ or period of fast growth. Most girls start their growth spurt between ages 9 and 11, reaching their full height between the ages of 15 and 18. Some girls grow as much as 4 inches per year.”

Freshman tryouts for these “normal” bodies put their growth spurt at or around freshman tryouts. How would YOU do at any sport, knowing what you know now as a coach, if you tried out for a sport before you hit puberty full force? You may not be where you are today if someone had limited your options back then.

Maybe those girls you just cut have not even started growing yet. Their eye hand coordination might be behind; their “athleticism” might be suspect as they try to find a sport. Maybe their financial situation precludes them from club or even buying a ball to practice with. We can look past all these things but should we?

What would it cost your High School or Middle School program to have a Sunday “league” where players got to play! Maybe your teams coach them for NHS hours or community service, or even more importantly, a better footing as a program? It might cost you some time and energy, but what are the payoffs?

• A bigger base of athletes to choose from. 
• A chance for your athletes to become better players by coaching.
• A great opportunity for you to grow the game in your area. 
• A restful night’s sleep the day before tryouts. 

Of course these ideas are flexible: maybe it’s Friday afternoons, maybe it’s a small fee, etc. But the premise remains: Don’t handicap your program by limiting its size and scope. Give kids a chance to grow into their bodies and talents. Give your school, neighborhood or area an alternative to just walking away from the sport.

If we can help with anything, please let us know at outreach@azregionvolleyball.org.