Tryouts

It is likely a player has a significant advantage repeating with the same age as last year.  However, this might mean the player is also on a team where most of the kids are a year below her grade level.  Playing on grade level might provide a higher level of competition, and that will help sharpen a player’s skills.  It’s important a player plays where she can compete and continue to develop skills; key factors in the development of a player include:  the abilities of those around the player who challenge her, the coaching, and the challenge of tournaments. A challenge on the club’s side during this difficult decision players and parents face is that the club is filling teams immediately following the tryout, so if a player has an offer for a younger team (repeating last season’s age) but is waiting on a tryout to now “play up” due to the June or July birthday, the younger team cannot form.  Obviously, this is a quandary that can affect all of the kids waiting to receive an offer.  If the lower age division is signing before the older age’s tryout even occurs, this also creates a dilemma for the club and other families.  Every situation is unique, and we want to help each player navigate the situation the best way possible.  Traditionally, we want kids to play in the age division determined by the date of birth, but we recognize there may not be a one-size-fits-all solution.  If the player can attend clinics for both ages, that might provide the best data to help align the player to the best team for the upcoming year.  Feel free to reach out at the clinic and let us know we have a player with a birthday that might allow for playing up or repeating an age.