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I am wondering how some teams pick their captains. Any thoughts on this?
Do the coaching staff pick them? Do they have the next years team pick them?

My feeling is this is an important role for the team, and should not be a popularity contest. A captain should be someone who can relate to the team players as well as the coaches. The coaches should just assign them.

I know of a current coach who has the team pick two player names and put their name in a hat, then they are unveiled during the banquet. Problem is, the coach ends up picking who he wants anyway. This is known because the girls talk, they know who was voted for. He is not fooling anyone.
Then he changes his rules each and every year. He opens it up for just seniors one year, then juniors one year. Even down to the Sophomore ranks one year. Just because he wants someone special in.

However a high school coach chooses to go about this, it has to be taken seriously. If the coach is going to have the final decision, make sure the players know that. Tell them why their "votes" are not the deciding factor, if they are not. You are right, if you make it a sham process, they will know for sure and the coach will lose respect of the players. Deal with it straight up. One thing about girls, and probably boys too. There are no secrets. Make sure it's on the up and up and support your or their decisions.

Nordic wrote:I am wondering how some teams pick their captains. Any thoughts on this?
Do the coaching staff pick them? Do they have the next years team pick them?

My feeling is this is an important role for the team, and should not be a popularity contest. A captain should be someone who can relate to the team players as well as the coaches. The coaches should just assign them.

I know of a current coach who has the team pick two player names and put their name in a hat, then they are unveiled during the banquet. Problem is, the coach ends up picking who he wants anyway. This is known because the girls talk, they know who was voted for. He is not fooling anyone.
Then he changes his rules each and every year. He opens it up for just seniors one year, then juniors one year. Even down to the Sophomore ranks one year. Just because he wants someone special in.

Sounds like you didn't agree with who was chosen as captains?

I know for my daughters team the coach has all the players nominate 3 players for captains. They have to state reasons for why they should be selected, and he goes with the most votes as the "c" and the next 2 get the "a".

Every program and coach has a different way they do this. Bottom line it's a coaching decision and all have to deal with that as no guideline or set way this has to be done.

Agree that thee are many methods, but whatever is used should be transparent. Some are popularity contests and are not good measures of someone's captainworthiness.
One example that still makes me cringe, this wasn't HS, but we had one Bantam coach pick a captain because he was the tallest (the coach's own words) and presumably would appear the most authoritative.
Others methods are based on legacy or giving someone a nice college resume item or seniors only or other criteria. It's really tough to have a checklist for teammates to fill out of captain-y attributes like leadership, goal-setting, driving for success, inspiration, inclusiveness, support, team-building, etc. Again, there are some good methods and some terrible ones, but the coach should at least be honest and transparent. The kids absolutely know what is going on, to SECoach's point.

I think the coaches should pick the captains. Now if the coaches have a kid on the team then the players should vote on it. After the vote then the coaches can count the votes. Well you all know what happens next...

Coach should select ONE capitan now. Need someone to keep the ship together through out the off season.

After the new team is selected, the players vote in the remaining captains and / or ACs.

I'm a believer that there should be at least one senior in there. I've never been in favor of just giving it to the best player. A captain should be someone that can carry the coach's message to the players and the players' messages to the coach.

Do they name captains at the end of the year banquet at most schools?

D6 Girls Fan wrote:I'm a believer that there should be at least one senior in there. I've never been in favor of just giving it to the best player. A captain should be someone that can carry the coach's message to the players and the players' messages to the coach.

Do they name captains at the end of the year banquet at most schools?

Some do. Quick way to wreck the banquet in my opinion.

SECoach wrote:

D6 Girls Fan wrote:I'm a believer that there should be at least one senior in there. I've never been in favor of just giving it to the best player. A captain should be someone that can carry the coach's message to the players and the players' messages to the coach.

Do they name captains at the end of the year banquet at most schools?

Some do. Quick way to wreck the banquet in my opinion.

Or....a good time for parents and players to grow up,look in the mirror and respect the player vote or coaches decision.

36Guy wrote:

SECoach wrote:

D6 Girls Fan wrote:I'm a believer that there should be at least one senior in there. I've never been in favor of just giving it to the best player. A captain should be someone that can carry the coach's message to the players and the players' messages to the coach.

Do they name captains at the end of the year banquet at most schools?

Some do. Quick way to wreck the banquet in my opinion.

Or....a good time for parents and players to grow up,look in the mirror and respect the player vote or coaches decision.

Some would think so. I feel there are many times for that, but the banquet is not one of them.