Everyday is a Tryout

Everyday is a tryout is a mantra I repeat to my teams on an almost daily basis. My teams are a strange combination of dictatorship and meritocracy. I strive to give as much ownership of the team as possible to the players while retaining final say on certain matters to preserve order for the common good. Sometimes I wonder if the message being sent is the same as the message being received.

Everyday is a tryout. Four words that can define a process, a life even. They go to the very heart of what has become known as the daily grind. What you earned yesterday should be but a platform for what you will earn today. What you earn today is the starting point for tomorrow's growth.  This is what a meritocracy is.  This is what life is.

I have begun meeting with potential leaders of next years team. These are the players who have expressed interest in being captains. What I am seeking to determine is which of this group understand everyday is a tryout. Who among them understand that leadership is an action word, a verb, long before it becomes a noun?

(Hit the jump for the rest of the article)




The position of leadership is earned on a daily basis.  It's part of the grind we hear so much about in today's athletics. In this regard leadership is truly a meritocracy.

I learned about demerits long before I even knew what the word merit meant. As a child, if one misbehaved in school we received a demerit. After one accumulated a predetermined number of demerits it warranted a trip to the principal's office. A paddling might have resulted. Some form of attention getting punishment was certainly meted out.  The word "merits" was most definitely not used as often as the word "demerit" was.  Yet we knew recognition and rewards as earnings for expectations being met and work well done.

A pre-season roster accompanied a recent assignment to the potential leaders of the team. Each of the potential leaders present was asked to secure the help of two teammates for a fundraising project. One of the comments made was "I don't even know most of these people."  For well over a year we have stressed that leadership is about building relationships. How can one not know their own teammates and expect to lead them?  I'm not exactly sure how to label the comment, but given the tone it was uttered in I feel confident it was not from the perspective of having just been presented with an opportunity to build relationships, to lead.

There was a deadline attached to the assignment which two of the four players met. Two of the players did not meet the deadline. Everyday is a tryout. Two were successful in their tryouts and two were not successful in their tryouts. Meritocracy at work.

A meritocracy is a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead based on their achievements. Lack of achievement or demerits are not penalized or even recognized. Achievements are rewarded. The result is the fostering of an elite group of people whose progress in the process is based on ability and talent rather than on class, entitlement or privilege.

This meritocracy to determine captains for next falls team has been underway since the end of last season. This process will continue at least until the end of team camp in mid July. Those who hear the message that everyday is a tryout and put in the effort on a consistent basis will earn the right to captain their team. Consistent positive attitude and effort to promote achievement and cohesiveness within the team will eventually carry the day.  Those individuals who are driven to earn a captaincy will demonstrate this and earn their way.  This is what a meritocracy in action looks like.