Going Through Tryouts – The Players Perspective

As part of our Monthly Educational Campaign, Chris P. –VA Rush Developmental Director– hosted an amazing Webinar with several Rush Players, who gave their insights and shared their experiences throughout one of the most stressful stages of the season.

As we reach the beginning of a season, Tryouts become the most important part for players, parents and coaches. This is obviously a huge moment for every part involved, and we want to help.

Chris P., VA Rush Developmental Director, came up with an idea: ‘Why don’t we let the players tell us how they felt and we build it from there?‘, so that’s what we did.

A big shout out to Chris P. and the players involved: Jorge from Georgia Rush, Baka from Kansas Rush, Wheeler, Isaac, Henry and Oscar from VA Rush!

Baka and the rest of the players shared with us that at tryouts they are usually excited because they can reunite with their teammates and meet new friends, but anxiety and stress also play a big part: “At Rush Select tryouts, I was very nervous as there were lots of great players and the playing system was very different, after I got into and was myself I was able to enjoy the experience”, expressed Baka.

The players also highlighted the stress post tryouts as they wait to be let known if they’ve been selected. Isaac’s advice was to try to stay busy and take the mind off things, while Henry said he tried not to over think the process.

So we asked the players for tips and ideas to make the process better, and here is what they suggested:

• Tryouts could last three or four days instead of two, to give players more time and chances to show their skills.
• Ensure there is a face to face conversation independently of the result, so the relationship built is honored. “I’d want to do face to face so we know the reasoning behind things and we then know what we have to work on”, Henry stated.