MYTH:  You will spend the entire weekend, from November to March, at tournaments.

FACT:  Most tournaments are 2 days with a minimum of 3 games per weekend.  Depending on the grade level, there are 8-10 weekend tournaments between November 1st and March 15th.

MYTH:  'Traveling' means we will be going to tournaments that are fifty or more miles from home.

FACT:  A majority of the tournaments we participate in take place around the north Metro.  There is typically one overnight tournament per season in Rochester otherwise overnight tournaments are rare.

MYTH:  Only the highest level players are allowed to play and develop.

FACT:  All players are given the opportunity to develop their game due to balanced playing time and access to various team and individual development opportunities.

MYTH:  The teams are decided based on the previous years teams.

FACT:  All players participate in an impartial and fair tryout process prior to each season.

MYTH:  Practices occur every night and usually last for several hours.

FACT:  Typically, teams practice two nights per week with each practice lasting at most 1.5 - 2 hours.

Here is the AGTBA's policy on playing time, taken from our by-laws document:

Section 6.2 Games.

a) 4th grade coaches will focus on the development of all players. Coaches will schedule equal playing time for all players.

b) 5th and 6th grade coaches will focus on the development of all players. Coaches will attempt to schedule fair playing time for all players.

c) 7th and 8th grade coaches will continue to focus on development, but greater emphasis will be placed on how a player is performing to earn playing time.

d) As a general rule, coaches will play all players in the first half. Playing time in the second half is also expected, but playing time at the end of the game will be based on creating an opportunity to compete and play at the team’s highest level.