Tennessee Middle School

In All Things Excellence

4/26/2023

Dear Parent and Athlete,

Tryouts for Girls Basketball at TMS will be held at two different times during the 2023-2024 school year and we would like to give more information about the process. This is an exciting time but can also be a time of high emotions and tension for parents, players, and coaches. TMS offers two teams, one Junior Varsity and one Varsity. The Varsity team will consist of 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders and JV will consist of 6^th and 7^th graders. Since there is a high number of students interested in playing girls basketball, we must hold tryouts.

• Players must have a Physical and Health Data Form on file to try out.
  • PLEASE have your athlete attend the physicals at Tennessee High School (Viking Hall Gym) on Saturday, May 6^th at 8:00 to 10:00 AM.  The cost is $10 cash only.
  • They may also get their physicals at their regular doctor.
• Players must attend all tryout dates to have a chance at making the team.

Many factors go into the decision on whether a player makes the team or not. Our coaches do the best they can to fairly evaluate each player on tryout day. Coaches use the same evaluation system for each player and we often bring in coaches from the high school level to help us evaluate players. Some factors considered are:

1. The player’s fundamental skills
2. The player’s effort and attitude
3. How the player functions as a teammate and leader

Students who do not make the team are encouraged to continue working on their skills and to tryout again in OCTOBER. Almost every year, we have students who make the team in grade 8 who did not make the team in grade 7 because they continued to play and work on their skills. There are many ways to improve, such as playing in other organized leagues or by attending one of the many camps that are offered in our area. If a player does not make the team and wants to know what they could work on to better their chances next year we encourage them to ask the coaches. They can either approach the coach after tryouts. We encourage you to allow the athlete to have this discussion, as it is a great life skill. If you have questions about this process, please feel free to contact myself or Matt Richardson.

• Day 1 Tryouts will be Thursday, June 1^st at 10:00 to 12:00 in the morning at TMS Gym.
• Day 2 Tryouts will be Friday, June 2^nd at 10:00 to 12:00 in the morning at TMS Gym.

Respectfully,

Elizabeth Arnold – [email protected]

Matt Richardson - [email protected]