Reflections on Tryouts

Here it comes – the annual tryout season for club hockey.

Even for those who have been on a championship team the previous year, it’s still a time of nerves, pressure and stress.  While I know tryouts are stressful in all club sports, it’s especially stressful in Southern California hockey, where limited ice results in a limited number of teams and in turn, a limited number of players.  The first time I attended one of these tryouts, I swore I’d never go again.  Kids outnumbering the available slots 10 to 1.  An hour-long wait before the final roster is posted.  Kids (and parents) sobbing when they’re not selected.   Coaches trying to explain to parents how the decisions were made.

As parents, we must prepare our children for both success and failure, because nothing in life is ever guaranteed.

Tryouts teach many lessons, mostly about how actions speak far louder than words.  A coach may have raved about how talented an athlete your child is. You may even have a letter from clubs recruiting your child to play for them. These words mean little for some programs, and a lot for others –– it is the integrity of the people delivering the words that make the difference.

And so to each athlete: you can only control what you can control –– your unrelenting hustle during practice, your passion for the game, and your attitude and commitment to your  teammates and coach.  Whether you make your first choice team or not, continue to become the best player you can be, and have an amazing relationship with a sport that you love.  And remember: no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.