Show notes
Are tryouts for 7 year olds ridiculous? A mom in Des Moines wrote to me because her son has to try out to keep playing with basically the same kids he already plays with, and she wants to know if she's the crazy one. In this episode I give her the record on the record: no. Evaluating seven year olds is astrology with cones. The kid who dominates Saturday might just be the one who ate breakfast, and everything credible about development says you can't sort seven year olds meaningfully, and don't need to.
So why does the tryout exist? It's for the org: selective feels premium, premium justifies fees, and the sorting-has-begun seed gets planted in parents early. Then the practical plan: manage the transmission so your kid experiences a fun scrimmage with extra adults, no pep talks, stakes kept in your head, same pizza either way, because teams at this age are arrangements, not verdicts.
I also cover the polite question that makes the club explain itself in full sentences, the difference between balancing rosters and calling it a tryout, and the bigger picture: the sorting machine runs all the way up, but your house decides how much power it gets. A kid who reaches ten still thinking sports are about playing got away with something wonderful.
Got a question for the show? Email me at hey@heysammi.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
