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The captains of the team run the tryouts in the fall, and unless some early decisions are necessary, will run throughout the fall season, beginning in early September and culminating at the end-of-season tournament in the middle of November. Although cuts are not made until after the season, the traveling roster will be limited so that no one tournament has too many individuals attending. After the end-of-season tournament, the captains will consult with the coach(es), as well as other veteran returning players, and make a decision with respect to the final A team roster for the spring season; the remaining players will be strongly encouraged to play for the B team. Decisions are communicated by the captains individually; although it may not be easy for peers to cut another player, I encourage everyone to do this in person and to provide constructive feedback so that the players that did not make the team can identify their weaknesses and work to improve them. With the final roster settled, the team ceases organized fall practices until indoor practice resumes at the onset of second semester. (During this downtime, however, all players, including rookies, are expected to begin adhering to the team's workout regimen in advance of the demanding spring college season).

Simply put, the goal is to create a roster that will be as competitive as possible in the spring. After taking into consideration losses from the previous year's graduating class, the team leadership will try to identify players who will be able to make both an immediate impact in the upcoming season, as well as those individuals who would make good additions to the team in years to come.

There is always a delicate balance between too few players on a roster—which may be great for certain college tournaments but makes conducting quality practices very difficult—and too many—where a team has plenty for practice but perhaps too many when it comes to tournament time. This balance varies from team to team, and many factors (team goals; overall experience level and depth; etc.) should be taken into consideration in determining a roster size. I think a good size for a college team that aspires to compete successfully at regionals and nationals is 21-23, though there should always be some flexibility and willingness to sacrifice some benefit in the short term (e.g., by taking on a really large class that has great potential) in exchange for positive returns years down the road.

Some players new to Ultimate just "get it" and are ready to compete on the elite college ultimate scene in some shape or fashion right away. For others, it takes some time and they may not see much playing time at all in college series games until they have a full season under their belt. Playing time will be determined on a number of factors, including overall skill level; athleticism; commitment to the team; attitude; and the specific needs of the team. The coaches, together with input from the captains, are responsible for subbing during both pre-series and series tournaments. In order for rookies to have the confidence to contribute at the end of the season, it is especially important to give them opportunities at early season tournaments; players frequently need to make mistakes in a tournament setting in order to learn from them in the future, and it is always better for those mistakes to occur early in the season rather than later.

We like to see all players learn the offensive and defensive schemes, and develop basic offensive disc skills in particular, so that they can execute in game situations when called upon; in my experience, we've typically placed asked these players to serve varying roles on the D-Line (e.g., serving as a point in the zone or playing man defense on a handler). Unless a rookie displays exceptional technique as a downfield receiver (or quickly develops advanced throwing skills), we tend to limit their participation on the O-Line until they have a little more experience under their belt.

It is important to maintain an open line of communication with all players, and I do not make much distinction between rookie and veteran in this respect. Because rookies have not yet gone through the rigors of the college season, I do take a little extra time one-on-one to make certain that they understand the purpose of drills that are run at practice that the veterans have seen time and time again. Further, as rookies come from many different athletic backgrounds in high school and have not experienced the rigors of the college ultimate season, I check in with them to make sure that they are taking care of their bodies and not overdoing it early in the season. In terms of pitfalls, rookies are oftentimes unaccustomed to spending significant time on the bench, and it is important for them to stay "checked in" with the team as well as focused on their individual goals so that they do not become disinterested or dissatisfied because they are not getting as much playing time as they believe that they may deserve. The coaches and captains should try and identify these circumstances as they occur, and speak directly with the player to hear their concerns and in turn voice their perspective as well.

On any team, rookies that buy-in to the team's goals and dedicate themselves to attending practices, workouts and tournaments will set themselves up for individual success in both the short and long term. Based on my experience, those rookies that go the extra mile outside of practice (e.g., by putting in extra hours throwing with the team's veterans), and display a great willingness to learn the nuances of the sport will be the ones to improve most quickly and contribute minutes on the field in the team's end-of-season tournaments.