The DECISION! :( page 2-VENTING!! DD's soccer tryouts...

[NHAnn]

Need to sputter and get some perspective and not get DD any more agitated than she already is! DD was the goalkeeper last year for her HS JV team, and given the team MVP award by the JV coach at the end of last season. The Varsity keeper graduated in June. DD went off to tryouts hoping as a junior to be picked as varsity keeper, knowing there was a strong sophomore behind her as well who was MVP as keeper on the freshman team last year. The program is pretty big here, lots of cuts anticipated among the field players...and a new Varsity coach to boot. So off they all go Monday Tuesday and today for the whole morning each day for tryouts...teams to be named today. Well, the teams were named...EXCEPT for the keepers!! DD and the other keeper were told that because of the volume of field players being reviewed ( 70 girls for 40 spots), V coach wants them each to play 1/2 in a scrimmage tomorrow against a neighboring town, and then she will decide which is going to be varsity keeper and which will be JV. She couldn't get a good enough handle on it over the 12 hours that they were there this week?!?! Why couldn't she be looking at the keeper skills as they were scrimmaging and being shot on in the field player drills??? So now these two girls have an additional, under-pressure "tryout" uuugghhh! DD will accept whatever happens, she enjoyed playing for the JV coach last year, but feels that this was not handled very well -- in that she and the other girl busted their butts for the last three days assuming they would be named to a team at the end of tryouts when everyone else got their results. But now they have an additional tryout under more pressure because the coach was not really looking at them, but at the field player decisions. Bummer. Thanks for letting me vent - I know it's not the end of the world no matter how it turns out - just want to sputter and then lend a calming perspective to DD who sputters worse than me instead of getting her more uptight because I feed her my frustration

 

[kinlaw6450]

These are the days I am glad my DD is only old enough for Rec teams. Whew! But her day is coming...

Good luck to your daughter...sounds like she's a tough one!

 

[SeaSpray]

I can understand your frustration, I'm sure I'd feel the same way. I can only hope that the coaches didn't plan this, and only realized at the last minute that they weren't really paying attention to the keepers, although, how could they NOT pay attention to them???

Good luck to your DD, I hope she makes Varsity!!!

 

[Indyman]

That really makes no sense. The varsity coach must not be very experienced at this level. The keeper position is obviously the most critical individual position on the field and the should have plenty of opportunity to evaluate them during the two days they were there. In my opinion, half a scrimmage game is hardly enough to evaluate a goalie. In that half a goalie will touch the ball a very limited number of times, or not at all. I wish your daughter the best.

 

[cinlee3]

I know it is difficult. I wonder why the coach doesn't put both players on Varsity. Most schools will take more than one keeper to give them more experience. Then they can prove themselves during the games. My son's club coach always wants more than one keeper - he likes to keep the pressure on everyone.

If the competition between two players is close his H.S. coach always goes with the upperclassman. H.S. is not as big as club around here.

Good luck to your DD!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Ooooo... Ya know, I live in RI...perhaps we could meet half way and sputter like mad with each other about soccer. DD just started tryouts last night for the middle school team which go on DAILY (weekdays) for the next 3 weeks (2 1/2 hours/day). I can't even talk about the aggravation I've dealt with over the last couple of years with regard to soccer teams/coaches...I'm in too good of a mood so far today to risk screwing it up.

Well, good luck to your DD! I always tell myself and my kids that this sort of thing is a wonderful learning experience that builds character ...hopefully my kids believe it more than I do.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Just let me add...we've also had some WONDERFUL coaches and team experiences too. Just this past weekend, we had a GREAT time at a tournament in Scarborough Maine. It didn't even really matter that they came in 13th out of 18.

 

[Ricola]

Perhaps the coach(es) just want a little more time to make their decision. Just because they haven't decided yet does not mean they weren't watching during the tryouts.

I understand that sports can be a pressure situation, but I'm sure that picking the team and making cuts are a very difficult part of the coach's job. In the long run, what difference does playing in half a scrimmage before knowing what her ranking will be matter?

 

[Sharon A.]

Goalkeeper is a high pressure position. Maybe the coach wants to see who handles the pressure better. Not a fun situation to be in as a player though.

I also don't understand why he's not taking two keepers. What is he going to do if one has to miss a game?

 

[nativetxn]

Good luck to your DD, I hope she gets the team she wants.

 

[NHAnn]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I'll keep you posted on what happens. This coach IS new to coaching at the high school level and to our local program. And I understand that she wanted to select the teams herself without information or feedback from the JV and freshman coaches as to the prior performance or team assignments of the returning girls. Apparently a girl who was on the Varsity as a freshman last year was cut...didn't even make the JV team this year. So there is a lot of venting and gossiping and second-guessing going on this afternoon amongst the players and some of the parents. The girls were spoken to individually at the conclusion of tryouts (well, except for my DD and the other keeper, who were spoken to together) as opposed to the previous method of reading the varsity and then JV rosters to the group at the conclusion. It does seem more sensitive this way but resulted in the girls burning up the phone and internet lines or gosspiing in the parking lot this afternoon! LOL
As far as having only one keeper, I have to agree it doesn't make a lot of sense......last year the V team had a senior keeper as "starting" keeper, and a girl who played defense as well as back-up keeper if the starter was hurt or they wanted to give her a rest occasionally for a half or something. The backup is a senior this year but apparently didn't go out for soccer... so no matter which of the girls gets which spot, neither has another goalie on their team, unless the freshman have more than one that can be moved up ..........And DD said that the coaches said they wanted to reduce the rosters from 20 to 18...which makes things even more limited. It's very confusing to me.
But we are just going to take the high road.....DD is just kind of irritated at the way it was handled at this point, but feels she is in a win-win situation. If she makes varsity, great- if she gets the JV spot she's OK with that too as she really likes the coach and the players that she knows of at this point who made that team. Interestingly enough, there is a Booster Club meeting tonite where they are going to be talking about parent liaison duties and fund raising activities and so forth.....scheduled for AFTER the team selections are made so people can know what if anything they are committing too. Methinks I might go and see if there is any to-do about the process. Should be interesting!

 

[glo]

Bog good lucks to your DD Ann. She has a great attitude and you should be very proud of her!!! I hope everything works out for her and you can relax a little!!!

hugs

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

Good luck to your DD Ann...I hope she makes it!!
I know all too well how stressful it can be!

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I have to agree that makes NO sense whatsoever! I can't imagine a varsity team playing with just one goalkeeper! Has she never heard of injuries? Even on my 9 year old team where they rotate all the positions (theoretically) I have 2 "keepers"

 

[Kermit]

I agree that it doesn't sound like the coach is handling this as well as she could. I didn't like the thought of basing a year's decision on half a game in your first post, and I especially don't like that she didn't talk to anyone who was there last year. Those coaches may have known which girls have the most aptitude, which ones are willing to work the hardest, and which ones are most dedicated and will show up at every game. It sounds like she's dismissing a valuable source of information so that she can be the only one whose opinion matters.

 

[Kallison]

1/2 a game of scrimmage to make a decision for the whole season does not sound reasonable to me. Don't they need two goalies? I played field hockey and we always had two. One played most of the game, but then the back-up got lots of time also.

 

[Tinkbell]

Wow. Talk about pressure. I hated the days of High School tryouts. Good luck to your daughter. You'll all feel better when it's over.

 

[poohandwendy]

I'm confused, she doesn't want the previous coaches evaluations to sway her before she sees them play or she doesn't want their opinion at all? I think she absolutely should at least weigh their opinion, they have after all, worked with these girls. I also don't understand not taking on 2 goalies. I wonder if she wants to keep them both but hasn't yet made up her mind about who is starter and who is backup?
Good luck to your DD, I hope all of the wrinkles (especially of having a newbie coach) work out quickly!
wendy

 

[cotye]

Well hope your DD got the position. Doesn't sound right the way the coach is making them try out under those circumstances.

 

[NHAnn]

Welllllllll...........
scrimmage is over and as DD says "waaahhh! I still don't have a 'home' - I just want to have a 'home' and bond with my girls-whoever they may be " LOL I'm glad she is (at least outwardly) handling this so well. She played the first half, made 4 saves on 4 shots. One was awesome...the coach was not looking at that point Actually the coach was not looking a LOT of the time ..she was talking to the girls on the bench. HELLLLLLLLO! I THOUHGT THIS WAS THE REST OF THE KEEPER TRYOUT! At least watch while the play is on that half of the field!In the second half the other keeper got scored on but also saw a lot more shots and made a lot of saves too. The scrimmage ended at 1-1. The keepers were then told that they should both come to the varsity practice tomorrow and coach would keep them a half hour after everyone else, to work with them. She told the entire Varsity and JV teams on the bus on the way to the scrimmage "I want to tell you what's going on with the goalkeepers. They are still in "tryouts"...that's what's going on" .
Meanwhile...the JV team lost their scrimmage 4-1 ...they had someone in goal that didn't normally play goal, and their coach was overheard to say..."girls, don't get flustered, we will have a regular goalie eventually and thing will fall into place"
So...the saga continues...I will keep you posted! Thanks again for all the thoughts and comments!