Tryout Meetings

I just recently held my tryout meeting for the upcoming school year, and it occurred to me the day of that I should probably write out an agenda so that I stay on track while delivering information.  I do tend to spiral out of control when I get on a tangent!

As I sat at my computer my mind went blank.  I have been coaching Cheerleading for 18 years and I don't think my mind has ever gone blank when preparing for a meeting!  If one of my coaching friends were to call me and say that they had a meeting that night and wanted to know what to include I would have been able to spew out an agenda right quick!  But here I was sitting in front of a blank screen. 

I finally decided to look at it from a parents point of view.  When I remarried a few years ago, I became step mom to two teens. One of which is a three sport athlete. I put myself at one of the football, wrestling or track meetings and thought about what I needed to know for my own student. 

I started with introductions. Not just a " hi, my name is..." But I made sure to tell a little bit about myself and my coaching style.  I also made sure to introduce my assistants and talk about their coaching experience. 

Next, I spoke to the parents about the cheer program. What it's goals were and how we accomplish them. I spoke a out the responsibility and expectations from the school and community and the time commitment. 

This lead well into the calendar and how much time this program takes. I also went over costs and fundraisers and any other expectations. 

I then went in to the actual tryout process. What we taught, what we were looking for and what to expect. I explained what to wear, times, locations, material,the importance of attitude and when they would find out if they made the team. 

I did a quick review of the team rules and the required forms for tryouts and then was available for questions. 

I was happy with the meeting and that the parents seemed to walk away with the information they needed. I made it clear that i have an open door policy and that communication is KEY to a successful season! 

I hope that you were successful with your meeting!  If you have already had it, maybe send out an email or discuss things with them at the next meeting. Too much communication is better than none!!

Cheers!

*\o/*

CW3