Unfair Tryout evaluations?

First of all, it does sound like there is favoritism. It is natural for coaches for to lean towards players they know, but that doesn't make it right or fair. It seems to me that, unless the playing time in scrimmages is doled out on a relatively equal basis, it will be almost a foregone conclusion that he won't be picked. The lack of playing time may well be a strong indication that the team has already been picked. Why have scrimmages at all that serve as a basis for team selection if players aren't even given a chance to show what they can do; five minutes a game is hardly enough.  One of the things that seems to be going on here, and that is a problem in youth sports across the country, is the early bloomer/late bloomer problem (check out the article  at  http://www.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/early-bloomers-late-bloomer... for more on this subject).  Especially in a sport like basketball, where height is so important, and where some kids grow taller faster than other kids, and where some kids don't "grow into their bodies" until later in high school, the early bloomer problem can be one that ends up shunting many players to the sidelines, never to return again, instead of giving them an opportunity to continue playing so that, when they do bloom, they have a chance to make the team.  I also, check out our articles on equal playing time and the practice of cutting in high school athletics, which you can find by entering those terms into our internal search engine.

Good luck.

Brooke - the camp to team selection link is very well established in youth sports.  Of course in CANNOT be admitted to, but everyone knows the link exists.  In the dirty world of club volleyball - club teams start running "camps/clinics"  even while the scholastic season is still going on.  They do this to essential "fish" for interest in their club. By 15-16-17-18 the club volleyball teams know who their chosen girls are, but they want to see what interest they can generate in attracting either a "suprise" girl or new bench players because they know the girls they abused LAST season through benching will probably be gone- the girl can't take the emotional abuse and the parents can't take throwing away the money.  BUT the club still needs those bench players to lower the average cost for the players they intend on showcasing - the starters, the "never-sit-downers".  The camp does allow a club to see if a starter from another club is, somehow, unsatisfied with her diva-esque treatment from her current team and the girl showing up at the rival club's camp/clinic gives that club the "sign" that she's available - providing that the club is willing to kiss her feet.  For the most cut-throat clubs in an area girls who are current members of the club show up at the camp/clinic because they know the club owner is ALWAYS looking to replace you with someone just a little better - and, in the case of volleyball, someone just a little taller.  It's a money maker for the club

Lorenzo - we've been at the youth sports game long enough to how much of a dangerous area "attitude" or "coachability" is.  To us it seems like a "fail-safe" fall back position a coach can always take when confronted in practices with the fact that the kid you're benching or giving next to zero real playing time to is actually just as good as your starter . . .or pretty darn close (certainly not deserving of being totally benched or receiving hardly any playing time!) Rather than go through the diffcult game planning of getting ALL your players in (and I say "difficult" just from observation because parents do marvel from the side-line why a coach will continue to play the same starters for almost all the minutes vs subb'ing in - so I assume it must be difficult) we've heard MANY coaches opt to use the "attitude" excuse for continuing to not play a child who's self-esteem is being destroyed on the bench.

"Look," they'll say "I want to play John/Sue, but his /her attitude is just so poor . . . .and I don't want to reward that."  Really, coach?  The child isn't beeming with smiles from ear to ear watching the same kids, most of whom they know they're just about equivalent to in talent, get ALL the playing minutes? Yeah . . .that's strikes me as strange too. Can't imagine why that might be the case!  Sheesh!

I do know poor attitudes can effect a team because I have seen the divas who've played ALL the minutes on some of my daughter's volleyball teams throw absolute HISSY fits if the coach ever even tries to sit them for a minute. Imagine a situation where a coach broke the back of diva-ism on his team by simpy playing ALL of his players. In upper level competitive teams I'm NOT saying equal minutes but once you select a kid to your team you've sent him/her a message that you think they're good enough to be part of the team. To then NOT play them in meaningful games, at meaningful parts of the game is figuratively the same as taking a knife and gutting their souls right out of them.  Why can't adult human being see this reality is youth sports?