🥏 Tryout Week Info (9/9 and 9/11)
Hi all,
Tryout week is here! Here's everything you need to know.
✅ Step 1: Get cleared in Final Forms
Per Seattle Public Schools policy, players must be fully cleared in Final Forms before they can step on the field, for tryouts or any practice. This is an SPS rule, not something we control, and there are no exceptions.
- If your player hasn't finished the full sign up process, they should have received a direct email today.
- You can check your status any time at madisonultimate.org/signup.
🏃 Huge turnout: 100+ kids signed up!
We're thrilled with the interest this year. Here's the breakdown by grade and gender identification:
| Gender | 6th | 7th | 8th | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bx | 46 | 11 | 8 | 65 |
| Gx | 21 | 12 | 4 | 37 |
| Total | 67 | 23 | 12 | 102 |
📅 Tryouts are split by grade
To make a group this size manageable, we're splitting tryouts across two days:
- Wednesday, 9/9, 2:45 - 4:15pm: 7th and 8th graders
- Friday, 9/11, 4:00 - 5:30pm: 6th graders
Can't make your grade's assigned day? Let us know in advance and we'll have you join the other day instead (for example, a 7th grader who can't make Wednesday would come Friday with the 6th graders).
🎒 How to prepare
- Bring plenty of water, and start hydrating before you arrive.
- It's fine to bring a snack to eat before we get going after school.
- Dress to run around and work hard; cleats are recommended for tryouts and will be required for the season.
- Do your best!
🏆 How we'll evaluate players
We can't take everyone, so here's what we're looking for, in priority order:
- Team values first. Above all else, we're looking for players who exude our team values: best effort, inclusivity, resilience, safety, and fun, along with Spirit of the Game (Madison has earned the top Spirit score in its division three seasons running, and we want to keep that going). Coaches will be watching how players treat teammates, respond to coaching, and handle mistakes, not just how they perform on a given rep.
- Core skills, including throwing and catching, positioning and game awareness, and general athleticism (speed, quickness, change of direction).
- Experience helps, but it isn't everything. Having played before is an advantage, but it's not a guarantee of a roster spot, and a lack of experience doesn't rule anyone out either. Plenty of players who are brand new to the sport make teams every year on attitude, effort, and coachability alone.
We know cuts are hard, especially for a sport where many players are new to the game. We'll communicate placements by the end of the weekend (9/13).
As always, reach out to [email protected] with any questions.
Good times!