Every aspiring professional athlete’s future depends on one thing: tryouts. While the thrilling aspect of showing off skills and determination is something one can enjoy, the times to do so can differ significantly. With over 57 sports teams at CHS running from freshman to varsity, the announcements for tryouts have been flowing out frequently. Although this universal experience is something many can relate to, the expectations alter between every sport.
Each team has different tryout times depending on the season. For example, this year, the girls’ tennis held theirs during August for three days. On the other hand, girls’ soccer held their tryouts for two weeks during October. Both are competitive fields for athletes, yet the time and duration were completely different. One reason is the contrast between the evaluation criteria—some coaches may favor skills over mindset, while others find sportsmanship better than expertise. This rubric, however, might not be able to be measured in one day unlike some sports. Many sports require different abilities when playing, which could ultimately make tryouts longer or shorter. A sport with a one-day tryout pushes their athletes to give it their all, while a tryout of one week pushes them to adapt and add better technique over time. Finally, contributors like competition, the number of students trying out, and overall selection from coaches can be hard to exact for all sports. These factors end up contributing to what each sport expects from its players, whether it be endurance or strong mindsets. Coach Allison Smith for the JV girls’ tennis team shares her insight.
“I prefer sportsmanship because that is going to carry over into other aspects,” Smith said. “The sports are different, there are so many people coming out and you might need a few days to be able to assess everybody equally. Some people have better days than others and some are nervous the first day, but they come out the second or third day with a little more confidence and a little bit more relaxed.”
While coaches play a huge role in tryouts, the students themselves are the main highlight. Having motivation can be difficult, especially if the process feels daunting. Individuals can feel disappointed with their effort and find tryouts to be harsh. Having more days to show their hard work can uplift players and diminish any mental battles. This also means building up skill sets and showing better performance. Others, however, may feel better giving their all in one day. The feeling of giving maximum effort can drive better motivation and allow players to have stronger focus or determination. CHS freshman Solani Herrera, a part of the girls’ freshman basketball team, shares her experience.
“With the coaches this year, it was very easy for me to motivate myself and keep pushing,” Herrera said. “From the tryouts I have experienced, I was fine with it being one day. I think you have to get used to the pressure and if it is not your day, I think that is part of the competition, part of the sport. I also think a lot of these skills can improve and build on each other.”
For all the student athletes out there, keep pushing. Whether your tryouts are one day or two weeks, do not let that difference take down your motivation. Sport tryouts will always differentiate between fields, but the level of your determination and hard work should remain high.
