# Club Soccer + High School Cross Country



## mlx (Aug 16, 2019)

So, my son tried out for the XC team at his HS and he got in. Everything was perfect until I realized (yeah, it was dumb of me not to think about this when he told me he wanted both and I said "sure!") some of the meets will be in days where he has Club league game.

Has anybody dealt with this? Any tips (other than cloning him)?


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## jpeter (Aug 16, 2019)

Tough to do with the Fri & Sat meets until Nov at least.  Silverlakes actually has meets. 

Either too tired from the Fri meets or the Saturday invitationals to have good legs for the weekend games.   Regular season is pretty short unless you make CIF but there is not alot of events to be missed.

Not sure how  serious of a club team your with? but it's difficult to manage  but not impossible if your on a regular 2 day a week soccer training schedule and not all about finishing top of table, etc


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## ForumParent (Aug 16, 2019)

Following—I was wondering this, too.


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## SoccerFan4Life (Aug 16, 2019)

It’s  very tough to do. He will be fine for Sunday games and maybe Saturday late afternoon games.  
Good news is that not all Cross country races fall on Saturday’s.    Some happen during the week.  He will probably miss about 6 to 8 soccer games.


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## timbuck (Aug 16, 2019)

Maybe he’ll realize he loves Cross Country and will not be too upset if he has to miss a little soccer once in a while.


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## ForumParent (Aug 16, 2019)

SoccerFan4Life said:


> It’s  very tough to do. He will be fine for Sunday games and maybe Saturday late afternoon games.
> Good news is that not all Cross country races fall on Saturday’s.    Some happen during the week.  He will probably miss about 6 to 8 soccer games.



Is there any tolerance by the high school coach to miss any weekend cx-c meets? I’m sure it depends, but curious.


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## SoccerFan4Life (Aug 16, 2019)

ForumParent said:


> Is there any tolerance by the high school coach to miss any weekend cx-c meets? I’m sure it depends, but curious.



Possibly.  To be honest if your son can run the 5k at a 17:30 range or below,  he is better off doing cross country.   My son also played soccer until the beginning of 9th grade. He did very good in XC as a freshman  and he has a chance for scholarships if he can get to below 16 minutes on a 5k by his senior year.


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## Bubba (Aug 16, 2019)

Did not happen to my son , but one of his  teammate.
Club coach gave him heartache over missing league games and benched him. XC coach told him if you miss 3 meets he would fail P.E for unexcused absence.


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## Own Goal (Aug 16, 2019)

For my kid if there’s a conflict soccer always takes priority except for League finals, CIF and state.


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## timbuck (Aug 16, 2019)

I know at our school, the cross country coach recognizes that soccer is a priority for the freshman and sophomores. But once you are a junior or senior-  you need to make a choice.


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## electrichead72 (Aug 16, 2019)

There are rules and then there are injuries.

My son ran XC in middle school and was making good times for his age groups. Problem was he was working his body too hard and pulled a muscle. Groin or abductor or whatever they call it and had to sit out of everything for about 3 months or so.

I wouldn't recommend doing a meet or invitational on the same day. That's when my son pulled his muscle. I know everyone is different, and some kids do it, but it has to be tough on them and their body.

He decided to give up XC, as he didn't want to injure himself again, instead concentrating on soccer and track.

We go to a small school, so we worked it out with the XC coaches to miss XC practice on soccer practice nights. It's too much to do both.

My oldest daughter is running XC this year, her senior year. She's not that serious about it but is enjoying the benefits of the added endurance during her soccer games.


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## Hdyldemapples (Aug 17, 2019)

Yes, you can manage both if you have a club coach and XC coach who are understanding.  But, if you have an asshole coach that sits your kid because they miss a game for running CIF or State then find another
club coach.


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## Juergi (Aug 21, 2019)

My incoming Freshman DD spoke with her club soccer coach (prior to me paying registration fees) and had a frank conversation about her desire to run HS XC.  He was supportive, asking her to prioritize soccer matches over XC meets whenever possible (League/CIF/State XC meets obvious exceptions).  She also spoke with the HS XC coach & had the same conversation.  The coaches asked for each other's information so they could collaborate if needed.

With soccer & XC schedules posted last week, I put together a sheet showing all the potential conflicts and she spoke with each coach at practice and talked through which games/meets she could attend & which she would miss.

I think my DD owning those blunt discussions with both coaches early in the season is critical to coming to an agreement.  Both coaches have been very supportive so far & are making allowances to training/mileage activities to minimize chance of overuse injuries.  I am very impressed with both of them as I can think of many coaches who would not be as supportive or would push her to over-train.

It will be a lot on her plate & I know she will need to pick one or the other by Junior year (if not Sophomore year) but she loves both sports & I am happy she is able to make her own decision on trying to do both for as long as she can.


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## thedudeabides (Aug 26, 2019)

mlx said:


> So, my son tried out for the XC team at his HS and he got in. Everything was perfect until I realized (yeah, it was dumb of me not to think about this when he told me he wanted both and I said "sure!") some of the meets will be in days where he has Club league game.
> 
> Has anybody dealt with this? Any tips (other than cloning him)?


Not sure this is the answer you want but hear but this was our experience that I wanted to share because most of the responses are focusing on the time commitment and there is another element.

We had two players that were varsity level cross country runners and on a very high level club team. From a physiological perspective, what we noticed was that over time, they actually became slower because their strides were more elongated and they had lost "quick feet". Their bodies also became too lean. They were getting pushed off the ball too easily and their ability to defend was diminished. There is no question they had excellent stamina but that could not compensate for the aforementioned deficits. If we were a mid level team it would not have been as pronounced but we were playing at the highest level.

As far as time commitment, it finally took it's toll. We were very flexible with them as was their cross country coach. On game days in the fall we had a big roster and allowed them to go to meets because they were varsity runners and bench players for us. Ultimately, the CC coach told them they had to pick because he was demanding a lot of hours from them training. I think it was getting to the point that they would have gotten injured; there was just too much combined training. I believe they made the right choice of choosing the sport their bodies were better suited for, that they had more success in, and I believe made them happier. They are probably bummed on some level but life is about tough choices and prioritizing.

I'm sure some make it work but with our experience, they are not compatible if you want to do both at a high level.


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## espola (Aug 26, 2019)

thedudeabides said:


> Not sure this is the answer you want but hear but this was our experience that I wanted to share because most of the responses are focusing on the time commitment and there is another element.
> 
> We had two players that were varsity level cross country runners and on a very high level club team. From a physiological perspective, what we noticed was that over time, they actually became slower because their strides were more elongated and they had lost "quick feet". Their bodies also became too lean. They were getting pushed off the ball too easily and their ability to defend was diminished. There is no question they had excellent stamina but that could not compensate for the aforementioned deficits. If we were a mid level team it would not have been as pronounced but we were playing at the highest level.
> 
> ...


HS cross country for most athletes should be treated as an amateur 5k road race.  Truly serious CC runners should treat it as their only sport (or combined with HS track) since hard-core distance training will cause physical changes - loss of body fat, changes in lung and heart function, etc.  HS athletes hoping to compete in other sports in other seasons should realize those changes will occur and take that into consideration.


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## MWN (Aug 26, 2019)

My son goes to Great Oak, which in the world of High School X-Country is like being on the Patriots (currently ranked No.1 in Nation).  He does not run cross-country, but some of his friends did and if you make the Varisty XC team you give up everything else given the high profile of the team.  One of my daughters friends got a scholarship to a school up north because she was a XC runner at Great Oak (wasn't even in the top 6 runners based on time).  

All I know is every morning these XC runners are all over the place before school, during the weekends, etc.  They eat and breath XC.  I suppose, as another person mentioned that if he is on the JV team, no big deal, but if he is in the top 6 to 9 on the team, he needs to pick one.


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## espola (Aug 26, 2019)

MWN said:


> My son goes to Great Oak, which in the world of High School X-Country is like being on the Patriots (currently ranked No.1 in Nation).  He does not run cross-country, but some of his friends did and if you make the Varisty XC team you give up everything else given the high profile of the team.  One of my daughters friends got a scholarship to a school up north because she was a XC runner at Great Oak (wasn't even in the top 6 runners based on time).
> 
> All I know is every morning these XC runners are all over the place before school, during the weekends, etc.  They eat and breath XC.  I suppose, as another person mentioned that if he is on the JV team, no big deal, but if he is in the top 6 to 9 on the team, he needs to pick one.


When my oldest started HS, one of the opportunities at the first parent night was to speak with the CC coach.  His program awarded a varsity letter to anyone who stuck with the program for all four years, no matter if they ever competed at a high enough level to win a varsity CC letter by one of the usual ways, such as finishing well enough to affect the scoring in a varsity meet.  I think that means the first 5 (or in some cases the first 7) in a meet.  You could tell the really serious runners - bones sticking out everywhere.


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## MR.D (Aug 26, 2019)

MWN said:


> My son goes to Great Oak, which in the world of High School X-Country is like being on the Patriots (currently ranked No.1 in Nation).  He does not run cross-country, but some of his friends did and if you make the Varisty XC team you give up everything else given the high profile of the team.  One of my daughters friends got a scholarship to a school up north because she was a XC runner at Great Oak (wasn't even in the top 6 runners based on time).
> 
> All I know is every morning these XC runners are all over the place before school, during the weekends, etc.  They eat and breath XC.  I suppose, as another person mentioned that if he is on the JV team, no big deal, but if he is in the top 6 to 9 on the team, he needs to pick one.


My dd just joined the XC team at Great Oak.  I agree with you, those kids are insanely dedicated to their sport.  She's using XC to stay fit for T&F(sprints) and plays on a high level 05 team with club soccer, so won't be on the Varsity team.  Like @espola said, will just stick with the 5K's.


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## forsomuch (Aug 26, 2019)

If you are on a highly competitive, top soccer team I don't think you can do both. 

If you are on a top tier x-country team and want to be varsity I don't think you can do both.

 If you are rec level in both then you probably can.

 But running 30-60 miles a week (60-90 for top runners) and trying to do practice soccer a 2-3 times and play games every weekend is not for everyone. 

All 3 of my kids wanted to both but I had one son do just soccer, my daughter did just x-country and my other son tried to do both his freshman year and ended up getting hurt and not doing well in either sport. 

You can do both recreationally but it is extremely difficult to do both competitively.


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## mlx (Aug 26, 2019)

Thanks everyone for the insights. There's a lot of info to chew on. I guess he will have to make a decision; I'll guide him with the pros, cons, etc.


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## Soccer Cat (Aug 27, 2019)

My kid is playing club and doing varsity cross country.  Several kids on the team are.  Only been a couple weeks now but we leave XC practice early for soccer practice.  Those two days are long days though, hoping there’s no burn out.  Just make sure your kid is up for it, and you are..its been super busy with both.


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## coachsamy (Aug 28, 2019)

mlx said:


> So, my son tried out for the XC team at his HS and he got in. Everything was perfect until I realized (yeah, it was dumb of me not to think about this when he told me he wanted both and I said "sure!") some of the meets will be in days where he has Club league game.
> 
> Has anybody dealt with this? Any tips (other than cloning him)?


Another thing you have to keep in mind is that right after XC is done, the HS soccer season comes, then most kids that enjoyed their time in XC end up in the TF team. You are looking at possibly your son doing 3 sports during his HS years, so there maybe some consideration in which time of the year he should be taking a break. Not to scare you (injuries) but at the end of the school year, you should have a conversation with him about what he wants to do in regards playing year round soccer vs becoming a 2/3 sport HS letterman.


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## Technician72 (Aug 28, 2019)

Soccer Cat said:


> My kid is playing club and doing varsity cross country.  Several kids on the team are.  Only been a couple weeks now but we leave XC practice early for soccer practice.  Those two days are long days though, hoping there’s no burn out.  Just make sure your kid is up for it, and you are..its been super busy with both.


What works for us:

Have your kid and XC coach have honest / realistic conversations, at best my DD will make 1/2 of the practices / races and that's all there is to it. She's doing XC for fun, as academics and soccer are her vehicles for college. No illusions of being an all star runner.

My daughter has her schedule planned out and it was part of her agreeing to do XC and having the coach be okay with it.

Academics 1st, Soccer 2nd, XC 3rd and that means purposely avoiding too many back to back practices and having a full day off from sports in the middle of the week. She got lucky with her soccer schedule this year.

If at any point XC starts to infringe on academics or soccer, it was a nice try but that's that.

Best of luck to everyone's kids performing the balancing act!


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## Own Goal (Aug 28, 2019)

The challenge comes when your child plays soccer at a very competitive level and they are also a talented runner . Throw in one or even worse both coaches who are not supportive of the other sport and it creates an almost impossible situation for the athlete who wants to make the most of their high school experience


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