Made the Flight 1 A Team - mistake or suck it up?
- Thread starter LilStriker
- Start date
This is the biggest misimpression about elite schools. They generally look for people who are "well oblonged". You have to have a well rounded set of interests and hobbies, as well as check off the obligatory charity and sport, but you don't need to excel at all of them. The other big misimpression is that being social/popular isn't important-- one of the areas you are evaluated in is whether you'd be "a good rommate". But you do need one or two things you are passionate about....and those things should make sense in the overall scheme of your application (if you are going into polisci, doing robotics competitions isn't a good fit...unless you have a really good and unusual explanation....same with the premed major that does dance team and isn't interested in continuing dance competition....doesn't show a whole lot of passion just that you are doing it to get into a good college to become a doctor). The degree of oblongedness varies from school to school, year to year.
NoGoal
DA
Yup, IMO this poster is catfishing!
LilStriker
SILVER
I actually had never played college ball, nor even played soccer, this is our first kid, the whole college recruiting thing is entirely new to us, it's all from reading/lurking these forums and talking with friends who are just starting the process... so I'm really thankful for everyone chiming in. We obviously feel our DD has some potential - she certainly loves the game, they were on an A team before, but also at a smaller club where it's more "family" I guess - less intense. We were really anxious/excited anticipating whether or not we would make this team - we had all these backup plans if we didn't. My OP was asking if this culture at top tier clubs was typical and basically trying to understand the consequences of leaving or asking to switch to the B team. If DA is the "gate" to college ball and that's her goal, then well, we better suck it up - it's a means to an end that can help her achieve her longer term goals. If there are other paths, then, it certainly helps to know that.
My spouse is also a legacy alumn at one of the Ivy's - so that's also why I pay more attention to it. I clearly see the difference in her college experience and mine - that's one of my regrets, I was a pretty talented kid but I went about it the wrong way - was good at too many things instead of just picking one and being great, my parents did the best they could, but had no idea what they were doing... I never knew the path to get to where I wanted to be. I've been fortunate and have had the opportunity to be around very successful people and that's the thing I've learned - there's no guaranteed success in life, but the most common reason people are successful is because they understand what it takes to achieve their goals - the path to take. So it's very personal for me to make sure I help my kids find the best path to achieve their goals - they still have to do the work, but it's my job to make sure they're not wandering the desert for 40 years.
I didn't learn that from college recruiting or soccer, I just learned that from life...
LilStriker
SILVER
The soccer community is a lot smaller than you think...
besides, it's a no win for me - if I state age group, you guys will either be like, you're crazy, they're too young! or you're crazy, it's way too late, your kid will never make it if they haven't already!
The better question would be - does it make a difference what age group she's in and at what age group would the decision shift?
Eagle33
PREMIER
Of course it does, it makes a huge difference. No college coach will be looking at 9yo on a Flight 1 team
LilStriker
SILVER
So at what age does it start mattering? 12? 13? 14? We know this year isn't such a big deal, but if we switch to the B team and a year or two from now they still aren't looking for players from B team for the DA team, then we've screwed ourselves. Seems like a lot of folks on these threads show concern about certain clubs preferring to recruit from outside for their A teams rather than from their B.
rocket_file
BRONZE
So you have a 9 or 10 year old daughter, who plays on a 'top flight 1 team', but doesn't start. However in her father's opinion she is 'easily top 3' in speed and skills. And based on this you are thinking about ivy league soccer and USWNT?
"Multiple outside coaches have said she should play ODP" and "She has no flaws in her game"
These are clearly made up facts.
Get a life.
"Multiple outside coaches have said she should play ODP" and "She has no flaws in her game"
These are clearly made up facts.
Get a life.
LilStriker
SILVER
I dunno buddy... let's see, 48 replies to a topic that I'm sure plenty of folks experience at any age level - if this thread doesn't interest you, seems to me that you're the one who needs to get a life, no?
btw, re: "These are clearly made up facts" so which is it, are these facts or are they made up? make up your mind. you can't just make up a fact dumbass. do i need to explain it you?
Lambchop
GOLD
Getting the right coach who will teach her and her team to play good soccer with solid skills is probably the most important thing to consider especially for 14 and under.
chargerfan
GOLD
I think people had no problem with your basic question - if your daughter is unhappy, should you consider moving her to b team. You probably should have just left it at that, without the discussion of Ivy League, uswnt, your opinion that she's top 3, random opinions she is an odp player, her robotics and computer programming genius, her musical genius, etc. It comes across as either being a joke or just seriously obnoxious and out of touch with reality.
LilStriker,
Not quite sure why you seem fixated on Ivys. There are a ton of great colleges/universities that will get your kids to where they need to go in life without the added pressure of having to get into those handful of institutions (much less play soccer for one). I'm on the admissions committee for a university medical school and believe me, whether the applicant comes from an Ivy or one of those other quality institutions does not make a difference (at least not in my field). My DDs were both on the second team at DA/ECNL club before coming up to first teams after GU12/13. Keep the pressure off and if they have fun and love the sport they will excel. Key (as stated by lambchop) is to find the right coach that will develop their technical skills and comfort on the ball at youngers, then tactical awareness in the older age group. But having them continue to love the game is key as I'm sure you know, a minority of Ulittles in a top team will actually persevere and continue to the Uolders at college scouting ages. Enjoy the ride with your DD but don't take the fun out with undue pressure/expectations in my opinion.
Not quite sure why you seem fixated on Ivys. There are a ton of great colleges/universities that will get your kids to where they need to go in life without the added pressure of having to get into those handful of institutions (much less play soccer for one). I'm on the admissions committee for a university medical school and believe me, whether the applicant comes from an Ivy or one of those other quality institutions does not make a difference (at least not in my field). My DDs were both on the second team at DA/ECNL club before coming up to first teams after GU12/13. Keep the pressure off and if they have fun and love the sport they will excel. Key (as stated by lambchop) is to find the right coach that will develop their technical skills and comfort on the ball at youngers, then tactical awareness in the older age group. But having them continue to love the game is key as I'm sure you know, a minority of Ulittles in a top team will actually persevere and continue to the Uolders at college scouting ages. Enjoy the ride with your DD but don't take the fun out with undue pressure/expectations in my opinion.
For anyone interested, here's a Google doc that tracks soccer commitments (girls) by college, club, year, etc. You can see the players and their pedigree/accomplishments for each school (Ivy's included) in the recruiting class.
https://sites.google.com/site/soccerrecruits/
https://sites.google.com/site/soccerrecruits/
48 replies of which nearly a dozen are from you. And another 5 or so asked what age group.
Here is why age group matters:
- A kid prior to middle school should LOVE everything about her team. Her coach, her teammates, the parents on the sideline, and the amount of time she has outside of soccer to do other things she cares about (school, friends, another sport, walking the dog, etc) . Being excited about practice; being excited about going to lunch with some of the team after a game; looking forward to a carpool to a far away game; and getting quality training will instill her love for the game. Which hopefully will translate into her wanting to put in extra work outside of practice.
- Puberty can be a big game changer for short or long term. The kid that was a little small and a little slow all of the sudden is a bit bigger and a bit faster. The speedy, mature kid packs on some weight before she hits a growth spurt and slows down a bit. The kid who plays like a bull in a china shop and never rests, gets an overuse injury and needs to sit out a few weeks.
- This is why it's important to have a good sideline that recognizes a lot can change and will support the players. And a coach that can recognize this also.
- If the kid is 9 years old and joined a club because they have DA or ECNL for you in a few years and you are worried that moving to the "b" team will have a lasting impact- Take a look at how many coaches move around each year. And how many kids move around each year. By the time she is 13, I'm willing to bet that some of the current DA teams will change (they'll either leave the program, will get acquired or go out of business).
LilStriker
SILVER
Appreciate the comment. The only reason I brought it up was to provide context - because yes, she's not starting and there are a-holes out there that would automatically say that she must suck, give it up - so I wanted to provide context with true feedback we've received - essentially that coaches around us all felt she had potential - she's not there today and she may go nowhere with soccer - but she has potential as of now and she wasn't one of the players taken just because they needed to finish the roster. By no means was it intended to be obnoxious. I am proud of my kid, just like most other parents - I also know more than anyone her faults, flaws in her game, and everything else - I never complained she was on the bench, but I know she needs playing time to develop.
The reality is, most of us whether we post it in the forum or not, from day 1, felt that their kid had potential. It could all change dramatically in a matter of days - especially in their teens with hormones, etc... but so long as the potential is there and the desire is there, we want to help give them the best options possible, right? The last thing I want to do is to guide them in a way that will hinder their future prospects. We're all still figuring this out and that's why I posted... I'm sure I will look at this years from now and laugh - I don't blame you guys for thinking I'm crazy and to relax. but right now, it's stressful - especially when you're on a team where all the other parents are crazy too and this is all they talk about.
LilStriker
SILVER
Well, like I said in op, I'm well aware that there are assholes out there and have no problem dealing with them... and my kid gets it too, but I'm sure most would agree that if given the choice, you wouldn't want to be on the same team with them. =)
rocket_file
BRONZE
LilStriker
SILVER
Appreciate the post. This makes complete sense and it's great perspective. I'm sure it's easy to see in hindsight - but the reality also is that for these larger/stronger clubs, a LOT of players try out and it can be very difficult to get noticed or stand out. No matter what, you are still going to have to earn it - but it can make things a heck of a lot easier if all the coaches already know you from the A team and you've been guesting with that other coach vs oh yeah, she's that player from the B team - don't you think? For a lot of these clubs, it seems like their teams were already determined well before state cup - whether through open practices or other...
But yes, I agree that lots can change.
I guess bottom line, what I'm hearing is basically, don't worry about playing on the A team if she's not having fun - get her on a team with a good coach where she feels welcome and fits in and gets to play.
My follow up question then is, at what age does she need to start thinking about which teams she should really try to make if she wants to pursue college ball?