HS Tryout Process

[Unregistered]

We actually have a rule in our school that you can't cut a senior. If a player makes the team in their Junior year they are there the following year unless THEY choose to not be there. That is not the coaches policy, it is the headmaster's policy. Quite frankly every other school I have coached at has had the same rule. Now a senior may not play at all during the season, because we do play the players who we think give us the best shot at winning, but the senior will get the roster spot if they want it.

I'm not aware of a school where this isn't the policy. And I see nothing wrong with it presuming the basis for selection was sound leading up to that point which were based on merit (juniors who can play, make it, juniors who can't get cut).

This doesn't really relate to the OP's issue really, at least in terms of the claim that the policy exists preventing from freshmen from making varsity (whether there are lesser seniors carried or not).

Until that OP has the balls to name the school, I call bull**** on the claim that the policy exists, written or unwritten, and instead see it simply as another whacko parent who can't set bias aside in favor of objectivity.

[Unregistered]

My son's HS went one step further than not cutting seniors. New coach this year who had apparently heard that the prior coach took heat for cutting some seniors who has stayed with the program all 4 years. New coach's solution? 90 or so tried out and he didn't cut anyone! All seniors who tried out (even the ones who hadn't played the year before) made varsity. JV has 29 players (all juniors and sophs). Weakest 6-8 sophs were assigned to the Freshman team in order to balance out the numbers -- they can't play on the freshman team but have to practice with them. I think for a lot of HS coaches, the first priority is not winning, it's avoiding taking too much heat from the parents and AD.

No ****ing way. This can't be true. Aside from the coach being brain dead, the AD should be fired.

[perspective]

What an arrogant *****. No wonder your kids couldn't get into the schools of their choice. Like the old man they probably thought they were superior to everyone else. Must have been a bummer to realize they weren't. That's probably the reason behind your constant tirades about spectacular kids not getting what they want.

What is it like to go through life pawing through the dark? Are you the same poster that links me as a devout liberal to gaybashing too?

Where did I suggest my kids didn't get into schools of their choice?

And tirades? My intention regarding what can happen with "spectacular kids" isn't about my kids per se. It is more a cautionary posture for those coming through who may have a very distorted view of academics and athletics. If you just listened to TS you might believe that playing a good level of D3 is easy. It's very difficult, and I am one of the people here who doesn't believe most good to excellent D3 players could have played D1. That's a compliment to D1, because it's no cinch to make D3 rosters and actually play. And elite college admissions are tough. Let's put aside the argument about who is truly exceptional and let's assume that at the top level it's not sort of like a lottery. It's still tough, and for those seeking elite admissions they should be clued in about what they are about to deal with. The degree of competitiveness out there, both academically and athletically, shreds to pieces any notions of a "medals for all" or "feminization" trend seriously denting what is by any measure a very competitive landscape. The poster (whoever it is) arguing with me about truly exceptional vs normal exceptional and I are really saying the same thing. Those who do qualify at the very highest levels are even better and smarter and more talented than you think they are.

And someone else was correct (maybe btdt?). If your freshmen kid is THAT good, everyone will make sure the coach knows what a mistake he or she is making. The whole community will riot and make sure the kid plays on varsity. So, no worries.

[Unregistered]

I was excited to play hs soccer this year as an incoming freshman. I hoped to tryout and hopefully make varsity. However, I quickly figured out my town automatically grouped the freshman together and has not allowed us to participate in any sort of tryout with upperclassman. I am now on a team with kids from the lowest level town teams which I left behind years ago and the level is so poor. We recently scrimmaged another town and beat them by about 8 nothing. After years of doing club I don't know how long I can hang on playing like this, but my coach really doesn't care and seems to be dealing with a lot of political factors. Any suggestions?

Have your father go to the next varsity practice, get in the coach's face and scream at him for being so blind and stupid for passing up the chance to have you play where you belong because of a rule you "figured out".

[Unregistered]

nice to see Perspective is back hard at work posting anonymously

[Unregistered]

nice to see Perspective is back hard at work posting anonymously

Please identify the post. I'm only asking hoping for a good laugh.

As one who is regularly and wrongly accused of posting as an anonymous BTDT by Perspective, I'd find it pretty funny to now be accused of being an anonymous Perspective.

[perspective]

nice to see Perspective is back hard at work posting anonymously

I was going to respond to this until I saw you're going to do this routine on every thread you can. Your imaginative capacities obviously are quite limited.

Hint: I still haven't figured out how to use bold.

[perspective]

Please identify the post. I'm only asking hoping for a good laugh.

As one who is regularly and wrongly accused of posting as an anonymous BTDT by Perspective, I'd find it pretty funny to now be accused of being an anonymous Perspective.

Would you mind pointing me to a couple of examples where I was incorrect with you? I apologize. Will try to be more careful.

[Unregistered]

Perspective=ball of yarn to a kitten.

[Unregistered]

Would you mind pointing me to a couple of examples where I was incorrect with you? I apologize. Will try to be more careful.

My mistake in making the Perspective reference. I should have made the distinction that it was as Cyberman and I don't think it's been since you've registered (which seems like it's been some sort of turning point for the better, conscious effort or not).

[perspective]

My mistake in making the Perspective reference. I should have made the distinction that it was as Cyberman and I don't think it's been since you've registered (which seems like it's been some sort of turning point for the better, conscious effort or not).

Thanks buddy :)

Would you mind sharing something about your interests, views, affiliations, etc? Vague is fine, but I seriously would like to understand how and why I screwed up. Whether it's apparent or not, and whether as Cyberman, anonymously, and in my current signing in commitment, I DO appreciate and value precision with data and arguments.

[Unregistered]

Meanwhile all this banter and not a single school named as having a policy forbidding freshmen from playing varsity...

[Unregistered]

This may not be "medals for everyone" but the comments in this article (which don't appear to be satire) come close enough.

Soccer without a ball so everyone can imagine they are good (not inferior to anyone else) is really, really ****ed up. Imagine for a minute that more than a sliver of the most insane people in our society bought into this view? We could kiss athletics good-bye.

Fortunately the reality is that it's fringe and not mainstream.

http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/blog/20...cer/index.html

[Unregistered]

This may not be "medals for everyone" but the comments in this article (which don't appear to be satire) come close enough.

Soccer without a ball so everyone can imagine they are good (not inferior to anyone else) is really, really ****ed up. Imagine for a minute that more than a sliver of the most insane people in our society bought into this view? We could kiss athletics good-bye.

Fortunately the reality is that it's fringe and not mainstream.

http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/blog/20...cer/index.html

I'm not Canadian but I suspect September 3 must be kind of like April 1 in the US.

Helen Dabney-Coyle? Sounds like a name that The Onion would make up...

[Unregistered]

I'm not Canadian but I suspect September 3 must be kind of like April 1 in the US.

Helen Dabney-Coyle? Sounds like a name that The Onion would make up...

https://twitter.com/CBCThisIsThat

They don't "just discuss the issues, they fabricate them."

Score one for the medals agenda is bogus column.