Tryouts

Tryouts are generally held one or two weeks prior to the start of each sport. Tryouts are held after school and generally last until 4:30pm. Students are expected to attend all tryout sessions. Students are placed on teams based on standards established for each sport, which include height, weight, grade and skill level. In some cases, where there are limited coaches available or there is not adequate competition in the neighboring schools, it may be necessary to limit the number of students playing in a particular sport. It is the intention of the athletic program to encourage all students to try out for all sports in which they have an interest. It is also a reality that there are often more students interested in a sport than can participate on a team. When this occurs, it is difficult and uncomfortable for the coach to have to make cuts during the tryout period in order for the team to be within maximum limits. Each coach labors over these decisions.

Please understand that the Valley Junior High School Athletic League is a competitive league, not solely recreational in nature. In a competitive league the goal is to win. During the regular season the goal is for coaches to play all players, but not necessarily equally. During playoffs, the goal is to put the best players in the game in order to win and advance. Playing time is at the sole discretion of the coaches. You must realize that every coach has a different philosophy and you need to respect the coaches right to coach. Any questions regarding the placement of a student or specific concerns during the season should be directed to the coach.

A typical tryout schedule will be as follows (this is subject to change depending on certain circumstances):

• FIRST TWO TRY-OUT DAYS (for everyone interested in playing)
• FIRST CUT (depending on the number of students trying out the coach invites a certain number of players to return to the next try-out)
• SECOND CUT (after the first cut if the team still has too many players the coach may decided to do a second cut in order to narrow down the field even more before deciding on the final team. Keep in mind that some teams may not require two cuts.)
• FINAL CUT (this is when the final team is chosen)

Students must be present at try-out days in order to be eligible to make the team. However, if a student is able to make all the try-out days, but has to miss the last day before the second cut his/her status will be based on previous observations. If a student misses the try-outs due to illness a doctor’s note is needed before a student is considered for the team. There are no students accepted for try-outs after the first cuts. (The only exception to this rule is if a student were playing on another Lawson sports team when the try-outs were taking place)