Pre-Season and Tryouts

Open program practices for returning players (from all open HS programs/teams) will begin prior to the first day of school (the week of 8/24-28). We recognize that many families will have travel plans during these days, consequently, these practices are not mandatory, but anyone who is in town on these dates should attend. The first mandatory tryout-practices of the year will be the first week of school (9/1-3). The tryout period will run approximately two weeks. Specific dates and times will be communicated later in the summer, but you can anticipate that practices will be at Memorial Park sometime between 3:45-6:30.

We will run an array of drills and scrimmages during tryout practices that are designed to facilitate coaches’ evaluation of player’s skills and potential. We will also conduct our pre-season combine during tryouts, including speed (40 yard dash), agility (three-cone drill) and endurance (beep test) evaluations..

Players should aim to reach/exceed the following targets/benchmarks:

• Varsity: beep test – level 10+ | 40yd – <5.5 sec | 3-cone drill – <8 sec
• JV: beep test – level 9+ | 40yd – <6.0 sec | 3-cone drill – <8.5 sec

These benchmarks are intended to present players with a goal to train toward over the course of the summer and will provide metrics that can be used to assess individual improvement over the course of the season (we may repeat these evaluations intermittently over the course of the year so you can gauge your progress). Tryout preparation advice and suggested workouts will be distributed soon.

These combine evaluations will play an important part in roster decisions, but are not make-or-break. Players will be evaluated on the basis of skill/aptitude, spirit, game sense, rules and strategic knowledge as well as their speed/athleticism. Each player will receive specific feedback at the end of the tryout process including rationale for team placement.

In addition to on-field performance, we are looking for players to demonstrate the following:

• Attitude: Are you positive? Do you encourage others? Do you complain or take each challenge on with determination?

• Teamwork: Do you support your teammates on and off the field? Is it clear that you care about the team as a whole? Do you stick with the team during stretches, on the sidelines, etc.

• Sideline behavior: During scrimmages/drills, are you paying attention and encouraging your teammates? Are you paying attention to what’s happening and ready to provide constructive feedback? You should be focused on the field AND off the field. 

• Resilience: How do you respond to challenges and mistakes?

• Responsibility: Do you come to tryouts prepared and on time? Do you hold yourself accountable? 

If you have any questions about summer expectations or the tryout process, please reach out.

Best,

Coach Sean and the rest of the open coaching staff