Making the Most Out of Getting Cut

So your young athlete got cut from the team. What do you do next? You can browse the advice ladled out by various sports team websites, but your response will vary depending on a number of factors - how your kid handles it, what other options are available and so on. Dealing with adversity is always a challenge for kids, especially when it comes in the form of finding out they’re “not good enough” to play for their team of choice. The way you and your athlete handle negotiate that difficulty can set the tone for success later in life.

There are a few routes you should consider, but none of them include sulking, whining, blaming or pitying.

• Offer to stay on as a practice player or manager.
  It will require an athlete to swallow his or her pride, but it could end up paying dividends in the long run. It will show the coach that the player is committed to helping the team in whatever way possible, and especially at the high school level and under, that is a huge mark of value. Coaches don’t ignore that dedication. Additionally, spending time in the system and with the team will allow your youngster to integrate, learn the playbook and understand the culture. In the case of a player who just isn’t quite good enough to make the cut, this option puts him or her a lot closer to earning a spot on the team by senior year.
• Use the snub as motivation to improve.
  There are many famous examples of athletes using perceived disrespect - even when it isn’t there - as a means of working harder. Michael Jordan was famously cut from his high school team because he wasn’t tall enough. The rest is history. If an athlete truly believes he or she deserved to be on the team, the player should use that frustration as motivation and make it impossible to ignore the work and level he or she has achieved in the offseason.
• Go in a different direction.
  It is possible that the sport just isn’t the right match, and that isn’t always a bad thing. Olympic steeplechaser Donn Cabral played soccer his freshman year of high school and wasn’t getting the playing time he wanted. So he joined cross-country and won the State Championship meet back-to-back years on his way to a 2012 Olympic bid.

Whatever the route you take or sports websites you read, know that getting cut can ultimately lead to bigger and better things.