Ages 8-16 · Book 3, Confidence · 4,299 places
Tryouts and Selection
Including what happens to the children who are not selected, who have just been handed a verdict on themselves and no follow-up.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Magic Triangle — “Turn fear into confidence, one step at a time.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Read the story and find the wall the child is standing under
- Session 2
Commit out loud, before anybody feels ready — that is step one
- Session 3
Do the reps, count them, and expect them to be ugly
- Session 4
Name what got better, using the count and not a feeling
- Session 5
Confidence is the last step, and it is earned in front of them
Questions leaders ask
Is tryouts and selection in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is confidence — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 8-16. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
When in a your area season does this fit?
Preseason for the first three sessions, then one mid-season and one at the end. Ten minutes before practice, sitting on the floor, is the whole footprint.
Our coaches are volunteers with no time. Is that a problem?
No. The script is one page per session and assumes the coach read it in the car park. The point is the athletes talking, not the coach presenting.
The rules that make it work
Confidence is earned, in that order, every time
Commitment, then competency, then confidence. Almost every adult teaches it backwards by trying to install the feeling first, and children can tell.
Ugly reps are the work, not a warning sign
A child promised that practice feels good quits on the third attempt. Say in advance that it will look bad, and the bad-looking part stops meaning anything.
Praise the count, never the talent
"You're a natural" is a compliment a child cannot use and cannot rebuild from. Sixty reps is a fact they own and can do again.
Nobody is compared to anybody
The count is against last week's count. A room where children are ranked teaches the ones at the bottom to stop starting.
Adults commit out loud too
A coach or a parent naming a thing they are bad at and are practising anyway is worth more than any session on effort.
This is a character story, not a performance program
Technique belongs to the coach and the teacher. This handles the part that has nothing to do with technique, and never scores a child on either.
Tryouts and Selection by metro area
Northeast
- Tryouts and Selection — New York, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Philadelphia, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Boston, MA
- Tryouts and Selection — Pittsburgh, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Providence, RI
- Tryouts and Selection — Hartford, CT
- Tryouts and Selection — Buffalo, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Rochester, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Bridgeport, CT
- Tryouts and Selection — Albany, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Worcester, MA
- Tryouts and Selection — Allentown, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Syracuse, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Harrisburg, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — New Haven, CT
- Tryouts and Selection — Portland, ME
- Tryouts and Selection — Scranton, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Lancaster, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — York, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Springfield, MA
- Tryouts and Selection — Waterbury, CT
- Tryouts and Selection — Reading, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Manchester, NH
- Tryouts and Selection — Trenton, NJ
- Tryouts and Selection — Atlantic City, NJ
- Tryouts and Selection — Utica, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Norwich, CT
- Tryouts and Selection — Erie, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Binghamton, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Barnstable, MA
- Tryouts and Selection — Burlington, VT
- Tryouts and Selection — Kingston, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Amherst, MA
- Tryouts and Selection — Chambersburg, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Bangor, ME
- Tryouts and Selection — State College, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Vineland, NJ
- Tryouts and Selection — Lebanon, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Johnstown, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Pittsfield, MA
- Tryouts and Selection — Glens Falls, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Altoona, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Lewiston, ME
- Tryouts and Selection — Williamsport, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Watertown, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Gettysburg, PA
- Tryouts and Selection — Ithaca, NY
- Tryouts and Selection — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Tryouts and Selection — Chicago, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — Detroit, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Minneapolis, MN
- Tryouts and Selection — St. Louis, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Cincinnati, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Kansas City, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Columbus, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Indianapolis, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Cleveland, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Milwaukee, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Grand Rapids, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Omaha, NE
- Tryouts and Selection — Dayton, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Des Moines, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Madison, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Akron, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Wichita, KS
- Tryouts and Selection — Toledo, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Springfield, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Lansing, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Fort Wayne, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Youngstown, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Flint, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Canton, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Davenport, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Ann Arbor, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Peoria, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — Lincoln, NE
- Tryouts and Selection — Rockford, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — Green Bay, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — South Bend, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Sioux Falls, SD
- Tryouts and Selection — Duluth, MN
- Tryouts and Selection — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Evansville, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Fargo, ND
- Tryouts and Selection — Kalamazoo, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Appleton, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Champaign, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — Topeka, KS
- Tryouts and Selection — Rochester, MN
- Tryouts and Selection — Lafayette, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Columbia, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Joplin, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Elkhart, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Springfield, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — St. Cloud, MN
- Tryouts and Selection — Racine, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Saginaw, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Iowa City, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Muskegon, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Eau Claire, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Oshkosh, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Bloomington, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — La Crosse, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Terre Haute, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Waterloo, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Kenosha, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Janesville, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Bloomington, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Jackson, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Traverse City, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Rapid City, SD
- Tryouts and Selection — Monroe, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Jefferson City, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Niles, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Sioux City, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Bismarck, ND
- Tryouts and Selection — Wausau, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Manhattan, KS
- Tryouts and Selection — Springfield, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Battle Creek, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Ames, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Mansfield, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Lawrence, KS
- Tryouts and Selection — St. Joseph, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Sheboygan, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Muncie, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Sandusky, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Michigan City, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Kankakee, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — Grand Forks, ND
- Tryouts and Selection — Mankato, MN
- Tryouts and Selection — Fond du Lac, WI
- Tryouts and Selection — Bay City, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Lima, OH
- Tryouts and Selection — Dubuque, IA
- Tryouts and Selection — Decatur, IL
- Tryouts and Selection — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Tryouts and Selection — Columbus, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Kokomo, IN
- Tryouts and Selection — Midland, MI
- Tryouts and Selection — Grand Island, NE
- Tryouts and Selection — Minot, ND
South
- Tryouts and Selection — Dallas, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Houston, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Atlanta, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Washington, DC
- Tryouts and Selection — Miami, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Tampa, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Orlando, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Charlotte, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Baltimore, MD
- Tryouts and Selection — San Antonio, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Austin, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Nashville, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Virginia Beach, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Jacksonville, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Raleigh, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Oklahoma City, OK
- Tryouts and Selection — Louisville, KY
- Tryouts and Selection — Richmond, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Memphis, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Birmingham, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Tulsa, OK
- Tryouts and Selection — Greenville, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — New Orleans, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Knoxville, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — McAllen, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Charleston, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — Baton Rouge, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — El Paso, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Columbia, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — Cape Coral, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Lakeland, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Greensboro, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Little Rock, AR
- Tryouts and Selection — Deltona, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Winston-Salem, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Palm Bay, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Augusta, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Durham, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Fayetteville, AR
- Tryouts and Selection — Jackson, MS
- Tryouts and Selection — Chattanooga, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Huntsville, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Pensacola, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Lexington, KY
- Tryouts and Selection — Killeen, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Wilmington, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Corpus Christi, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Ocala, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Savannah, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Brownsville, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Gulfport, MS
- Tryouts and Selection — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — Lafayette, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Asheville, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Naples, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Mobile, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Spartanburg, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — Beaumont, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Tallahassee, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Fayetteville, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Montgomery, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Shreveport, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Hickory, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Lubbock, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Huntington, WV
- Tryouts and Selection — Gainesville, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Clarksville, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Columbus, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Roanoke, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Hagerstown, MD
- Tryouts and Selection — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Kingsport, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Waco, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Longview, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — College Station, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Laredo, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Slidell, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Amarillo, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Lynchburg, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Daphne, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Tyler, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Lake Charles, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — Macon, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Fort Smith, AR
- Tryouts and Selection — Panama City, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Charlottesville, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Gainesville, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Athens, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Monroe, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Punta Gorda, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Jacksonville, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Johnson City, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Lexington Park, MD
- Tryouts and Selection — Warner Robins, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Auburn, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Florence, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — Charleston, WV
- Tryouts and Selection — Houma, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Bowling Green, KY
- Tryouts and Selection — Dover, DE
- Tryouts and Selection — Midland, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Burlington, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Abilene, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Jackson, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Greenville, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Blacksburg, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Odessa, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Decatur, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Hattiesburg, MS
- Tryouts and Selection — The Villages metro area, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Florence, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Dothan, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Sherman, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Valdosta, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Winchester, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Wichita Falls, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Rocky Mount, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Alexandria, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Dalton, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Texarkana, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Albany, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Morgantown, WV
- Tryouts and Selection — Hammond, LA
- Tryouts and Selection — Harrisonburg, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Jonesboro, AR
- Tryouts and Selection — Wheeling, WV
- Tryouts and Selection — Cleveland, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Salisbury, MD
- Tryouts and Selection — Staunton, VA
- Tryouts and Selection — Morristown, TN
- Tryouts and Selection — Elizabethtown, KY
- Tryouts and Selection — Lawton, OK
- Tryouts and Selection — Goldsboro, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — San Angelo, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Brunswick, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Anniston, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Owensboro, KY
- Tryouts and Selection — Steubenville, WV
- Tryouts and Selection — Sebring, FL
- Tryouts and Selection — Pinehurst, NC
- Tryouts and Selection — Beckley, WV
- Tryouts and Selection — Sumter, SC
- Tryouts and Selection — Gadsden, AL
- Tryouts and Selection — Paducah, KY
- Tryouts and Selection — Rome, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Victoria, TX
- Tryouts and Selection — Hot Springs, AR
- Tryouts and Selection — Hinesville, GA
- Tryouts and Selection — Parkersburg, WV
- Tryouts and Selection — Enid, OK
- Tryouts and Selection — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Tryouts and Selection — Los Angeles, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Phoenix, AZ
- Tryouts and Selection — Riverside, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — San Francisco, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Seattle, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — San Diego, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Denver, CO
- Tryouts and Selection — Portland, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — Sacramento, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Las Vegas, NV
- Tryouts and Selection — San Jose, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Salt Lake City, UT
- Tryouts and Selection — Fresno, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Tucson, AZ
- Tryouts and Selection — Honolulu, HI
- Tryouts and Selection — Bakersfield, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Albuquerque, NM
- Tryouts and Selection — Boise, ID
- Tryouts and Selection — Oxnard, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Stockton, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Colorado Springs, CO
- Tryouts and Selection — Provo, UT
- Tryouts and Selection — Ogden, UT
- Tryouts and Selection — Spokane, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Reno, NV
- Tryouts and Selection — Modesto, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Santa Rosa, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Visalia, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Vallejo, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Salem, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — Santa Maria, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Salinas, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Anchorage, AK
- Tryouts and Selection — Eugene, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — Greeley, CO
- Tryouts and Selection — Fort Collins, CO
- Tryouts and Selection — Boulder, CO
- Tryouts and Selection — Kennewick, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Olympia, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Merced, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Bremerton, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Bend, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — Yakima, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Santa Cruz, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Tryouts and Selection — Bellingham, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Las Cruces, NM
- Tryouts and Selection — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Tryouts and Selection — Yuma, AZ
- Tryouts and Selection — Medford, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — St. George, UT
- Tryouts and Selection — Chico, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Billings, MT
- Tryouts and Selection — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Tryouts and Selection — Yuba City, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Redding, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — El Centro, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Idaho Falls, ID
- Tryouts and Selection — Pueblo, CO
- Tryouts and Selection — Grand Junction, CO
- Tryouts and Selection — Logan, UT
- Tryouts and Selection — Maui, HI
- Tryouts and Selection — Santa Fe, NM
- Tryouts and Selection — Hanford, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Flagstaff, AZ
- Tryouts and Selection — Mount Vernon, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Napa, CA
- Tryouts and Selection — Albany, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — Bozeman, MT
- Tryouts and Selection — Missoula, MT
- Tryouts and Selection — Wenatchee, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Tryouts and Selection — Twin Falls, ID
- Tryouts and Selection — Farmington, NM
- Tryouts and Selection — Longview, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Cheyenne, WY
- Tryouts and Selection — Corvallis, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — Helena, MT
- Tryouts and Selection — Fairbanks, AK
- Tryouts and Selection — Pocatello, ID
- Tryouts and Selection — Grants Pass, OR
- Tryouts and Selection — Great Falls, MT
- Tryouts and Selection — Casper, WY
- Tryouts and Selection — Lewiston, ID
- Tryouts and Selection — Walla Walla, WA
- Tryouts and Selection — Carson City, NV
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