Chicago643 posted:CaCO3Girl posted:At my sons high school there are certain knowns:
1. An 8th grader will not be permitted on the High School team. Yes it's allowed by GHSA rules but when you have 50+ kids trying out you pick from 9-12th. 8th grade will wait their turn.
2. NO 9th grader will make the varsity team, it doesn't matter how good you are. If you are truly spectacular at the end of JV you will be called up for the remainder of the Varsity season, which lasts about a month longer.
3. Seniors will be preferred over juniors, juniors over sophomores, sophomores over freshman. This is high school, specially it's their high school team. It's their picture in the year book, it's the people they have played with and against for most of their life, and for most it is the last team they will be on. The memories of the kids should trump the wins/losses statistic.
Create your own "KNOWNS" and you could create a winning culture.
If your coach isn’t interested in putting the best players, regardless of age, on the varsity squad - and in turn putting the best of those on the field, regardless of age - then you are playing daddyball. I have seen countless times at my son’s school where freshmen are not only ready for varsity but become key contributors as freshmen. You are either ready or not. Carrying a player because they are older but won’t help the team is senseless. That would be like saying Seth Beers should have sat his freshman year because he was a freshman, and that ain’t gonna happen. Play Rec League if who is in your team picture trumps competing at the highest level!
Competition is fierce at my kids school, it is the largest division in GA and they had over 70 kids tryout last year but we don't have a 9th grade team. MANY decent travel ball players were cut. The HC won't play a senior guy who is a bumbling idiot, but we haven't had those because the training and commitment is intense. We did have 2 Juniors on JV but we also had two 10th graders started on Varsity last year, but when you have the two MIF's from one of the best travel teams in the country that is what you do, they still had to wait until they were in 10th.
HC doesn't play the seniors at all costs but he will keep a senior who isn't as good as he once was on the team with limited playing time and ask him to be a leader and a good example to the other players, rather than cut the guy who has played there for 3 years. When you have over 20 kids on a varsity roster you can have some compassion that this is THEIR senior year. There are things more important than winning....but they win their fair share.