As a person who has been cut from many sports, tryouts are very hard for me, so this could be taken as a bitter attempt to call out the sports and coaches who cut me. This isn’t about that. It is about bringing light to a rather untalked about topic.

Regardless of when tryouts are, it seems like coaches already have their minds made up by the summer, if they have summer camps or if they coach a travel team. While talking to other students around LHS there are people who tend to agree.

That is not fair to those who have a job or are out of town for that camp because they are already behind everyone who was at the camp, and they should not be penalized for these other commitments.

In addition, some summer camps allow coaches to choose players for a summer league where they compete against other high schools, such as basketball, for example. The coaches are choosing the players that usually are going to make the team. That sounds like a tryout to me, but I thought it was summer camp?

If the coaches are evaluating players as if it was a tryout, then it should be called a tryout, not a summer camp.

To continue, there is a another factor that creates unfair tryout scenarios: injuries. There have been situations at Libertyville where players weren’t able to try out due to an injury or were limited from doing all things needed in a tryout. For example, in baseball, some players have been unable to take batting practice.

If an athlete is injured for a few weeks only, that’s okay, but some kids have been out months and still made the team; how do the coaches know that he or she is still capable? Because of summer camp? What about the kid who is injured and couldn’t make it to summer camp because he had a job? Is that fair?

For the people who don’t make the team, it is a heart-breaking moment when you see the injured kid walk out with a picture form and you’re left holding the sheet letting you know you won’t be back at the plate.

Those players not only made the team but some were even placed on the A team. Is that because of the summer camp? Or because of a relationship with the coach? Also, some coaches not only coach high school but they also coach feeder programs, and if that has anything to do with anyone making the team as well, these factors should not be taken into consideration, because it’s an unfair advantage to those who played and have a relationship with that coach.

Tryouts are a very stressful and nerve-racking process for many athletes participating in them. Athletes work hard, going to lifting sessions or open gyms, giving up their time for the sport. If the coaches have their minds made up by summer, and the injured kids who can’t try out make the team, then it is unfair and a waste of time.

Tryouts week is dreaded. Without any understatement, the stress, social and territorial aspect between students in “what team you make” coupled with the added physical strain and mental desire to do your best the whole time takes a toll on your body.

Yet, tryouts successfully construct a team in the only way that is reasonable to assess and assign athletes to their correct team.

For certain sports like basketball, where only five people play at a time, it is understandable for tryouts to be in place. Yet for other sports, it is understandable to do away with the elimination process within tryouts, keeping a greater number of people on the team, like track, where there are a multitude of events and more possibilities for everyone to compete.

Even the process of sports tryouts is meticulous, rarely taking place for just one day, instead more likely to last a whole week. They allow an equal opportunity for all athletes to showcase their skill and prove what team they are qualified for.

They don’t discriminate against certain people or have the intention to be unreasonably selective. For coaches, it is an in-depth and well thought-out process that sometimes is necessary to cut athletes from their team. Furthermore, in lieu of injuries or other uncontrollable situations, it is up to the coaches’ judgement to provide a solution to some conflict that might arise in efforts to be objective and accommodate external circumstances.

The nature and intensity of tryouts can amplify weaknesses and illuminate strengths. They motivate and bring out the very competitiveness that helps accomplish things as a team.

Logistically, how would it work if all sports were no-cut and every team had a large number of players? Having immense numbers would create countless problems. It’s better to eliminate kids at the beginning of the season rather than giving them false hope that they would remain on the team or get any playing time, for that matter.

There are countless reasons as to why tryouts are in place. In the end, some opposing opinions might feel that tryouts are unfair on a personal level, but the process as a whole isn’t.

While the process to get on the team may not be the most ideal, tryouts remain the best option. Think about it. What’s the alternative?