Parents rearrange work schedules.
Families spend entire weekends in convention centers.
Vacations get planned around tournament schedules.
Younger siblings spend long days sitting on bleachers eating overpriced pretzels while waiting for the next match to start.

And somewhere along the way, most parents discover that tournament weekends somehow turn into a full family event that costs far more than originally planned.

Coaches have a responsibility to correct mistakes, teach accountability, and push athletes to improve. That is part of development. But there is also a fine line between coaching a mistake and emotionally crushing a player in the moment.

Unlike tournaments or formal tryouts, open gyms tend to create space for athletes to relax a little, compete naturally, and play more freely.