"Everyone should start out on equal footing at tryouts every year"
I do not agree.You have kids who have played for a coach for a year or more and have been seen in 20 practices and over 30 games and you want them to be judged by how they do in a 1 1/2 hour try-out. Yes how they do at the try-out has to have some bearing on what team they make but a good coach will also use past experience of the kids he knows to make the roster up.Some kids perform better in practice and others perform better in games.