Tryouts

General Information
Initial tryouts and an invitation call back tryout are conducted for players who wish to participate on Classic teams in the U-10, U-12, and U-14 divisions. The results of initial tryouts will be used to invite players back for an invitation only call back final tryout in June. Players who would like to play on a Classic team must (1) attend one of the two initial tryouts; (2) be invited to the call back tryout; and (3) attend the call back tryout. The results of the initial tryouts will determine which players are invited to the final call back tryout. The call back tryout results and player evaluations from the previous year will determine which players are assigned to the Classic team in each division. The Boys and Girls Coordinators are responsible for determining how many players will be invited to the call back tryout and the number of Classic teams to be formed in each age group.

Invitations to the call back tryouts will be issued by the Boys and Girls coordinators after the May 28th initial tryout but before the call back tryout in June (date to be announced soon).

Players who choose not to participate in the tryout process will automatically be assigned to a Recreational Plus team. Players who participate in the tryout procedures who are not selected for the Classic team will be assigned to a Recreational Plus team.

The initial and call back tryouts will be held at Bridebrook Park using the following schedule :

Timeslots for the initial tryouts on Tuesday May 27 and Wednesday May 28

U-10		(Players 8 years of age and older but not yet 10 years of Age on August 1st)		5:30 to 7:15pm
U-12		(Players 10 years of age and older butnot yet 12 years of age on August 1st)		7:30 to 9:30pm
U-14		(Players 12 years of age and older but not yet 14 years of age on August 1st)		7:30 to 9:30pm

Players may only attend one, NOT BOTH, of the initial tryouts either May 27th or May 28th unless they are trying out for more than one age level.

The schedule for the call back tryout in June will be announced shortly

Players unable to attend either of the two initial tryouts should contact either the Boys (Steve Dinsmore) or Girls (Kevin Northcutt) Coordinators

Players may elect to try out for an older age division. Players trying out for an older age division team will only be assigned to a team outside of their proper age division by being selected to a Classic team as a result of their skills demonstrated during tryouts. Players trying out for an older age group and not being selected for a Classic team will be assigned to a team in their own age division. To be assigned to a Classic team in their own age division, the player must participate in the try outs for their own age group.

New tryout format
This year, tryouts will focus on 4 basic skills: running speed, dribbling, passing accuracy under pressure, and ability to receive a pass (also known as "first touch"). For each skill, the scores will be purely quantitative with no personal judgement from the ajudicators. The skill tests are based on a much more extensive system used by Anson Dorrance, head coach of the Univ. of Carolina Womens Soccer Team. Specifically:

Running speed		How fast can they run a shuttle run?
Dribbling		How fast can they dribble through a zig-zag course?
Passing accuracy		How many balls can they pass with each foot through one of two gates in a minute or two, depending on age
First touch		How many times can the player bounce the ball off of the kick wall in one minute first receiving the ball with one foot, then the other. No one-touch passing allowed and the player must be a age-defined minimum distance away from the board

As a result of this quantitative method for testing skills, it should not take a player long to go through tryouts. Thus a player does not have to arrive at start time for their group, nor will they be kept there the entire time span.

Contact Steve Dinsmore (Boys) 860-739-2756 or Kevin Northcutt (Girls) 860- 739- 0421 for more information.