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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Coaches might insist that they love to see a lot of players at tryouts, but they know more players means more cuts. And more cuts means more heartache, sorrow resentment and anger directed at the coach, other players or the sport.
The solution? Nasty little ways to encourage players to cut themselves. I call them the five Roster Reducers:
1. The five-mile kickoff run » For a lot of field sports, such as lacrosse, soccer and field hockey, tryouts begin with a long, timed run. The dreaded run becomes legendary in the off-season, a reminder of the pain inflicted on the first day, before anyone has a chance to demonstrate flashy stickwork or sprint speed.
But a long run is a poor gauge of athletic talent and a terrible training technique. College soccer and lacrosse coaches avoid - sometimes even ban - long runs. These sports rely more on sprint speed, which can be hindered by distance training. The top coaches know long runs have no impact on how an attacker breaks to the goal or how a defender contains an opponent on the wing
But that’s not the role of the run in high school. It is designed to scare away players who are not committed to offseason training.
2. The varsity call-up » This is a post-season strategy that convinced plenty of players to hang up their cleats. After two years on junior varsity, sophomores are often invited to dress for varsity during the post-season, an unspoken promise of a roster sport the following year. Those not afforded the courtesy call-up have nine months to analyze that decision before the next season gets underway. Was the coach rewarding players for working hard on junior varsity? Or was he or she warning the non-callups that their high school career is over? At most schools it’s a little of both. Freshmen who are called up are earning the coach’s appreciation. Sophomores who aren’t called up are getting a subtle warning. Some of them won’t return.
3. Juniors on JV » Beware the benevolent coach who wants to keep players involved by announcing that junior varsity will be open to high school juniors. There are teams whose policies are designed to let more students participate in sports. But the varsity coaches are rarely interested in those players down the road. So the junior varsity coaches must decide what to do with players who are not being prepared for varsity roles. In most cases, this puts the oldest players at the bottom of the developmental pools. The older players are out of place on and off the field and in the mostly younger social network.
4. Off-season teams » Coaches have enormous — though often stealth — roles in selecting off-season training teams. It’s a good guess that players not selected for the school’s limited spot training team won’t have much shot at a spot on the official roster.
5. Playing time » Long-time coaches have predictable track records for playing time. Those with reputations for keeping starters on the field are also sending a message: It’s a long season to ride the bench. It’s a message some players heed before they fill out the paperwork for tryouts.
In the end there are few kind ways to cut players from high school teams. The social status alone of being the member of a varsity roster means many student athletes and their parents ignore the clear message being sent by the Roster Reducers.
Instead of Roster Reducers, schools and recreation leagues should work together to find alternative opportunities for students who lack the skills for high school teams but still have a passion for the sport and can still learn the many great lessons from sports outside of high school.
Effie Dawson writes about high school and youth sports. She can be reached at edawson@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
4:21 AM MST on Mon., Jul. 21, 2008 re: "Jousting: An age-old tradition is alive and well in the land of pleasant living"
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7:41 PM MST on Sat., Jul. 19, 2008
re: "Jousting: An age-old tradition is alive and well in the land of pleasant living"
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3:21 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008
re: "Superstars not needed for family sports fun"
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1:27 AM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008
re: "Superstars not needed for family sports fun"
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4:37 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 13, 2008
re: "Stressed out? Out of shape? Go for a run"
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9:46 AM MST on Mon., Jun. 2, 2008
re: "Baltimore needs to expand its proud lacrosse tradition, advance the sport"
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10:24 AM MST on Fri., May. 30, 2008
re: "Baltimore needs to expand its proud lacrosse tradition, advance the sport"
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10:51 AM MST on Fri., May. 9, 2008
re: "History vanishes into the night"
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11:49 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 23, 2008
re: "Who’s No. 1? We’ll probably never know"
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6:42 AM MST on Wed., Mar. 26, 2008
re: "Sometimes life’s lessons are the hardest to learn"
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9:02 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 13, 2008
re: "A sad tale everyone should take to Hart"
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7:28 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 23, 2007
re: "Let kids be kids first"
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5:47 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 23, 2007
re: "Let kids be kids first"
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7:51 AM MST on Wed., Oct. 10, 2007
re: "Parents need to be positive or silent"
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Examiner Reader said:
Thank you for a wonderful article and capturing the spirit of an equine sport we love. Vicki Betts, President, Maryland Jousting Tournament Association
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Effie- What fun to read- What a great Maryland tradition that is being kept alive-Thanks this was fun to read.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Attila the Hon said:
Please disregard the previous comment. He didn't even explain himself. Pretty gutless, I think. It's great to see a Baltimore-area newspaper columnist finally show some love for Crystal Palace Baltimore. I always look forward to the Examiner's refreshing coverage of this very highly deserving team. Puts to shame The Sun which almost always ignores Palace and deserves its declining readership. Keep up the good work. GO PALACE! UPSET NEW ENGLAND!
9 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Worst. Column. Ever.
8 agree | 13 disagree
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The Undertaker said:
People in this country are too fat, lazy, and stupid.
9 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"These days Maryland kids often get their first sticks before their first tricycles. College coaches flock to the state for showcase camps and recruiting tournaments. And lacrosse has deep roots in the business and political communities, where former players maintain connections far stronger than academic degrees." Laugh out loud. This is a paragraph supporting lacrosse? In truth it is an indictment of all that is wrong with the sport. Kids SHOULD get trikes before sticks. Most lacrosse families consist of semi-talented white athletes (who couldn't compete in other sports) pushed hard by parents who live vicariously through them, and hope to achieve greater social status through their "Excellent play". So sad.
9 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Please don't say the l word around baseball people.
11 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This Annapolis woman, who has taken Rafael Alvarez spot on page six is BORING. BRING BACK ALVAREZ, he is from Baltimroe, where we who live in BALTIMORE can read about our town.
9 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Bravo! I totally agree! With a daughter on the John Carroll team, I know they'd welcome a game to determine the mythical "champion"! What a blast that would be.
9 agree | 10 disagree
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A Mother of Boys said:
Thank you for your insights on the life lessons for this young man. He has carved a hard road for himself, and forced the grown ups around him (parents, coaches, authorities) to make hard choices about his future. We, like you, are praying that he gets a second chance, and makes the most of it. That's another life lesson.
10 agree | 9 disagree
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examiner reader said:
This guy should be hillary's running mate
71 agree | 54 disagree
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Not...paying attention said:
The writer actually points out the fact that children know the score and are competative. She is correctly trying to make the point that youth sports should be about learning the fundamentals of the game and sportsmanship. For young children, the experience should be FUN. Winning is much less important to most 6-7 year olds than their parents. Most children would much rather play in the game than watch their "team" win. Children who enjoy the experience will be much more likely to develop a passion for the sport and a commitment to self development. This provides a much stronger mental foundation for the player when they hit High School and College when sports are rightly focused on winning and losing. It is a shame that children no longer experience the sand lot version of sports where parents are no where to be found. Yes, we kept score but it was forgotten as soon as we started the next game. We played because it was FUN!
101 agree | 125 disagree
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Not said:
"But those wonderful first years of athletic participation are not the time to teach kids that sports are all about winning." They do not have to be taught this. Kids keep score on everything competitive and naturally seek to win. This mamby-pamby false protectiveness of children is precisely the kind of crud that is counter intuitive for chidren.
118 agree | 125 disagree
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Don said:
I'm glad I am done with all of that sports stuff, and competition dance is even worse....been there, seen it done it. Its no small wonder why older people have grey hair.
139 agree | 138 disagree
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