USA Ultimate

TRYING OUT

Spring brings the climax of the college season, as well as the beginning of club. Most club teams hold some sort of tryout; without adding new talent they are sure to fall off of the map sooner rather than later.

At this point in the year, thousands of ambitious players are cleating up to show that they are worth a precious roster spot. We asked our panel to give us their thoughts on the tryout process in general. Their answers demonstrate the complex nature of tryouts, both from the tryout's perspective as well as from the viewpoint of the decision-makers.

If you are trying out for a team, or even if you are interested in how captains of various teams approach their tryout process...keep reading. The responses show a commitment to improving each team, but in a variety of different ways.

Below are several of the sub-questions we asked to provide structure for the panel's answers:

• Do young players have any chance of making the team as an offensive player? What about as a handler? As a hucker? What would they have to show you to prove their worth?
   
• Is calm, conservative play better? Or do you want to see highlight reel moves, throws, and catches?
   
• Say you are a young player with a specialty throw (something out of the normal repetoire). You are confident in that throw, but it doesn't really fit easily into a team's offense (rather, they could change how they play to take advantage of this talent).
   
• Should you show this in tryout scrimmages?
   
• What is most important: practices or tournaments?
   
• How should tryouts behave and carry themselves? Some captains and coaches love people that ask a ton of questions, and others want people that want a lot of feedback. Or give their opinions. Or are silent, strong teammates. What are you looking for? Does the personality of a player figure large into whether they can make the team? What about an obnoxious player with tremendous talent?
   
• Is there anything about the tryout process that you think teams should do more often?
   
• Does everyone try out, or are returning players safe?
   
• How long are your tryouts? Is this optimal?
   

For everyone trying out this year, we hope the answers to these questions from our writers proves to be helpful. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to get in touch with us at thehuddle@usaultimate.org.
 

(Note: this issue is a reproduction of an issue originally published on the-huddle.org)