As kids get older and move up in organized
sports, there will come the time when everyone
does not make the team. This is the unfortunate
reality of sports. While no one (the player,
coach, or parent) looks forward to the cut,
there a number of things that you can do as
a coach to make the situation less traumatic.
Speak to the player(s) whom have been cut on
an individual basis. I am sure most of us remember
how players were notified if they made the team
or not. A list was posted on some wall and all
the players were jumping over each other to
see if there name was or was not on the list.
Remember the player has taken the time to tryout
for your team. The least you can do is speak
to them about what happened.
Speaking to the player will also give you the
opportunity to tell the player why they did
not make the team. You can inform the player
what skills they need to improve upon and more
importantly what skills the player performed
well. Encourage the player to stick with it,
join some other league or clinic and tryout
next time. Remind them that Michael Jordan was
cut from his High School team.
With busy schedules, meeting each player may
be difficult to accomplish. If you can not meet
with the players face to face, at least have
your discussions over the phone.
Also, if you meet the players on an individual
basis, make sure you don't call all the players
to the location at the same time. Depending
on the child, this can be a very emotional moment.
You don't want a child walking out crying into
a room full of other children waiting their
turn.
Hey, no one likes to deliver bad news; especially
to children. And it's probably easier just to
publish your team roster on the wall. However,
being cut from a team is an important growth
lesson for a child. And if the process is done
correctly, the experience can be less painful
for the player.
