The Question is: To Try Out or Not Tryout?

[FONT=&quot]TBRockers,[/FONT]


In the last month and half I have been asked a question specific to a program. I have answered the question verbally and in writing. I am lobbing this one up! I am really anxious to hear how you guys feel about the the tryout process in general


Below is my response. Agree, Disagree, Like it or Beat it up. I look forward to reading all the responses.

[FONT=&quot]Several of you have asked me about try-outs. One specific question being asked is “do you think my son has a chance to make it through the evaluation process and make the team?” I am being asked this question because as parents we hate to see our children disappointed, so we think we are protecting them by not putting them in situations that does guarantee a feel good ending.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]When being asked such a question I have to let everyone know that as a professional coach and parent I don’t buy into the always safe and feel good approach. My response to this question is based on being a parent myself, but also on the journey that was, and is, my baseball experience.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]As a baseball player I always viewed tryouts as a challenge that provided me the opportunity to rise. I didn’t always rise, but I came away with a better idea of where I ranked amongst my peers and where I needed to improve. I never viewed not making a team as failing. It was certainly disappointing, but I never felt like a failure because I tried. I was then, and I am now, still a believer that the greatest failure is not trying at all. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]As a parent I will encourage my children to accept challenges even when I know that the desired results may not be what they are hoping for. What I do know, is that my children will enjoy successes, feel disappointment, gain life experience and learn a lot more about themselves if they try things that don’t come with guarantee. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]So my answer to the question “do you think my son should try out and do you think he has a chance to make it the team?” is answered with a question: Why would he not when there is always something to be gained in the journey itself? One thing is very sure however, if he doesn’t try he is guaranteed not to make it. To have tried and failed is significantly more important to growing as a man than to not try at all. [/FONT]
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There's the answer

 

Bravo CBC

my wife always uses the saying.... it's not about the destination, but about the journey

 

The Journey

“Life is NOT a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!”


- George Bernard Shaw

 

Jeff....that's a great message for parents and players. Here is Teddy Roosevelt's take on the same theme:

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who exist in the shadows and know neither victory nor defeat."

 

Thats would be a great song!!! No really great response.

 

Great Post

Nothing great can ever be achieved if nothing is risked. The problem is some parents are so afraid that their child might fail they try to protect them from situations where there is a risk of failure. They do this out of love for their children and the desire to see them succeed. When a young man has never been faced with situations like this they do not learn how to deal with them when they are ultimately faced with them. Or they themselves run from challenges they percieve as opportunities to fail rather than see them as an opportunity to achieve.

The only way you will never strike out is to never hit. The only way you will never feel the pain of letting your team down by making and error or giving up a hit that scores the winning run for the other team is to never put yourself in that situation. And at the same time you will never know how it feels to succeed if your afraid to even try.

 

[FONT=&quot]As a parent I will encourage my children to accept challenges even when I know that the desired results may not be what they are hoping for. What I do know, is that my children will enjoy successes, feel disappointment, gain life experience and learn a lot more about themselves if they try things that don’t come with guarantee. [/FONT]
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[/FONT]Schaef, as we talked yesterday, I could not agree with you more on the above statement. This is one of many life lessons that we all go through. Well said and written!

 

This is why I miss Coach27...great responses from everyone.