Somewhat OT - rec league tryouts

[Mark Padgett]

Our local kids rec league "tryouts" start tonight. Since no one gets cut, they're not really "tryouts". We just run the kids through some drills, the coaches take notes, then the coaches use their notes when they draft their teams.

The league is for boys and girls in grades 3-12. Based on the registration numbers to date, we expect to have about 1000 kids in the program this season. Tonight we start with 3rd and 4th grade girls. If any of you want to help, just let me know.

BTW - we don't hold our HS tryouts until after the official HS teams make their cuts. We get more players that way. We've also had 10 HS kids (so far) indicate they'd like to ref for us this year. We train them and then put two of them out to work the little kids games with a veteran official on the floor with them. They get paid $11 per game, they work a two or three game shift and the games take about 40-45 minutes each. Not a bad part time job for a HS kid.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Our local kids rec league "tryouts" start tonight. Since no one gets cut, they're not really "tryouts". We just run the kids through some drills, the coaches take notes, then the coaches use their notes when they draft their teams.

Our tryouts are next week - same system.

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Based on the registration numbers to date, we expect to have about 1000 kids in the program this season.

That's a huge number, WOW! We have two local leagues here that probably don't total up to that. We have trouble making up girls teams and have large and varied age groups there. Good for you!

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

BTW - we don't hold our HS tryouts until after the official HS teams make their cuts. We get more players that way. We've also had 10 HS kids (so far) indicate they'd like to ref for us this year. We train them and then put two of them out to work the little kids games with a veteran official on the floor with them. They get paid $11 per game, they work a two or three game shift and the games take about 40-45 minutes each. Not a bad part time job for a HS kid.

We get some good players and refs from the HS players who "don't make the cut" too.

[Mark Padgett]

Grunewar (and anyone else involved with a kids rec league) - just curious how you handle the situation regarding kids who register but don't show up for their tryouts. Our policy is that they cannot be drafted, but are put on teams as "hat picks" after all the kids who showed up are drafted. We put this policy in about 15 years ago (we're almost 35 years old) when we found out there were some coaches who knew some players were really good and told them not to show up for tryouts. Then, these coaches drafted them onto their teams without the other coaches knowing how good these kids really were!

BTW - we restrict the number of kids per team to ten, so everyone gets good playing time. We have a rule that if a kid shows up for both practices during the week, he or she must play at least 50% of the game on the weekend (HS play on Friday nights, 3-8 play on Saturdays). Fortunately, the refs are not responsible for monitoring that - parents have to file a complaint with the Board if it happens.

We also have a "scholarship" program to fund the registration fees of kids from low-income families. I administer that program. It's funded by late registration penalty fees and donations.

I'd be curious to hear any other policies other kids rec leagues have from any of you out there. Thanks.

[grunewar]

Mark, while I assist in our leagues with writing the rules, registration, tryouts, and officials training, I am certainly not as involved in the inner workings like you. However:

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Grunewar (and anyone else involved with a kids rec league) - just curious how you handle the situation regarding kids who register but don't show up for their tryouts. Our policy is that they cannot be drafted, but are put on teams as "hat picks" after all the kids who showed up are drafted.

We have had similar issues in the past and have had to "re-shuffle the deck" after a few practices to even the playing field. But, sometimes, I don't know how some of these coaches draft or what they see in some players......

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

BTW - we restrict the number of kids per team to ten, so everyone gets good playing time. We have a rule that if a kid shows up for both practices during the week, he or she must play at least 50% of the game on the weekend (HS play on Friday nights, 3-8 play on Saturdays). Fortunately, the refs are not responsible for monitoring that - parents have to file a complaint with the Board if it happens.

The number of teams in our leagues and players per team are dictated by sign-ups. If we can get eight-nine per team it usually works. Ten can be many and limit playing time if everyone shows....it can be a crap shoot a times. Science Fairs, SAT's and other sports cause us some tough weekends during the fall (summer it's vacations). Our league has similar participation rules, but they are seldom enforced. Our refs don't monitor it either, but I am certainly cognizant of it and will back a coach to the league if I see it happening.

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

We also have a "scholarship" program to fund the registration fees of kids from low-income families. I administer that program. It's funded by late registration penalty fees and donations.

We also have a scholarship program for our less fortunate families. One of our leagues has a good many of these families. The one league pays me and our refs for both classroom and on-court training sessions for which I donate all my pay to the league for its scholarship program.

[Judtech]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Grunewar (and anyone else involved with a kids rec league) - just curious how you handle the situation regarding kids who register but don't show up for their tryouts. .

Have you thought about putting the "Franchise" tag on them? What type of salary cap do you have? Do they have the same agents as AI (We talkin bout PRACTICE) and/or TO?
I have always thought an effective policy is never to re negotiate during the season if the player or their agent initiate the conversation. It gives the player too much power over negotiations. I wouldn't trade em. I would pay em and sit em. That way they can't hurt me on another team and their perceived value goes down for future negotiations for other teams the following season. Now if you can get a rising 4th grader, I might look into an inseason trade! Hope that helps and watch out for the street agents!

[rwest]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Grunewar (and anyone else involved with a kids rec league) - just curious how you handle the situation regarding kids who register but don't show up for their tryouts. Our policy is that they cannot be drafted, but are put on teams as "hat picks" after all the kids who showed up are drafted. We put this policy in about 15 years ago (we're almost 35 years old) when we found out there were some coaches who knew some players were really good and told them not to show up for tryouts. Then, these coaches drafted them onto their teams without the other coaches knowing how good these kids really were!

BTW - we restrict the number of kids per team to ten, so everyone gets good playing time. We have a rule that if a kid shows up for both practices during the week, he or she must play at least 50% of the game on the weekend (HS play on Friday nights, 3-8 play on Saturdays). Fortunately, the refs are not responsible for monitoring that - parents have to file a complaint with the Board if it happens.

We also have a "scholarship" program to fund the registration fees of kids from low-income families. I administer that program. It's funded by late registration penalty fees and donations.

I'd be curious to hear any other policies other kids rec leagues have from any of you out there. Thanks.

In our league coaches don't draft their own teams. We draft as a group. The coaches in each age group get together. We have a sheet with all of the players and their evaluations. The players are drafted onto teams and then after all of the teams have been formed the coaches draw for a number and that's the team they get. Then if the coaches kid is not on that team, they trade for him. It has to be a player of equal skill.

The philisophy is based on a parenting tool some use. If you have one piece of cake left and two kids, you let one kid cut the cake and the other gets to pick. The kid cutting is going to make sure he cuts it evenly.

The idea is to get the coaches to evenly distribute the talent because they don't know what team they are going to get until after the teams have been formed.

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Our local kids rec league "tryouts" start tonight. Since no one gets cut, they're not really "tryouts". We just run the kids through some drills, the coaches take notes, then the coaches use their notes when they draft their teams.

Maybe you could call it a "combine" instead of a tryout.