Son did not make middle school team in 6th grade. He was crushed as he had always been an all-star in Little League (big deal in younger days). The worst part was some of the boys that made it made it known how "superior" they were that they were on the team and he wasn't. He worked hard to be sure it didn't happen again. Made the team the next year as the starting SS & pitcher and those "superior" players rode the pine. They were still riding the pine last season on JV while son played on varsity. Looking back, it was a big learning experience that paid off.