I don't know the number of players attending the first tryouts to know how many may have been cut. Maybe someone can get that information from SCYSA.
Usually the state selects 30-36 players in each age group to participate in the final tryouts. Obviously, if only 25 players in an age group from the entire state register for tryouts, you might not have players cut before final tryouts. If hundreds or thousands (as you might have in some states) register for tryouts, players will be cut. (That difference in numbers may be part of the reason states like GA and NC have more money available to send players to events like the subregionals without passing the cost on to the players attending.)
SC used to have 3 tryout events beginning with a district tryout. Players surviving district tryouts would gather for state tryouts to select the 30-36 players that would attend the final weekend of tryouts to determine the 18 player state roster plus alternates. I can remember 60+ players at an upstate district tryout the last year district tryouts were conducted. These days it seems a major achievement to get 50 players statewide in an age group for initial tryouts.
As far as previous experience at this type of event is concerned my guess is half of the 93's attending have never attended region camp (lot of new faces), and a number of those have probably never attended this event. This is the introduction year for the 97's, so they've never attended, and I believe the 96's have only gone as far as the June subregional camp in Spartanburg. After this weekend nearly half of the players attending will be cut, except the 93's. Their next list will probably be sorted to team and alternates.
For the youngest age group this event used to mark the end of the ODP experience for the year. It wasn't until 6 or 7 years ago, when the June subregional in Spartanburg was created, that the youngest group continued to train together through Spring. BTW, I believe the creation of the June event was a result of the youngest groups not being able to get together for the January games as a result of cancellations due to weather. SC was covered in ice that weekend.
Bringing all of the age groups together and putting them up in a hotel for the weekend event is not the norm for training. Normally, after the selection process each team trains seperately based on schedules determined by the coach of each team. (As to whether those schedules represent getting your money's worth from ODP, that would be a whole other discussion.) However, for the 7 years my children have participated in the process, the final weekend of tryouts as conducted this past weekend has always been a part of the SC ODP selection process.
There was more going on this past weekend than just getting together for training.
Last edited by DeltaDog; 01/11/10 09:53 PM.