Fast forward to the year 2025. Stanford, UCLA, North Carolina, and the other national championship contenders are preparing scholarship offers to the class of 2027.
College Coach (CC): We think you're a great player and have all the qualities we look for in a player. But...I was looking through your bio and I noticed that you didn't win the U11 Blues Cup Championship back in 2019. Can you tell me what happened?
Player (P): There's this forum online called SoCal Soccer forum and some users put a stacked team together and knocked my team out. But that was when I was in fifth grade. Two-thirds of those girls stopped playing before we got to high school.
CC: So you didn't win?
P: No, but I told you, it was in fifth grade.
CC: *sigh* I don't think you understand. The Blues Cup is a PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL TOURNAMENT. In fact, reaching the finals is a prerequisite for joining our program. I'm sorry, but I don't think you're UCLA/Stanford/NC material.
P: I was 10 years old! I've grown 7 inches, gained 30 pounds, my technique is top notch and I've been called in to USYNT national camps multiple times. I don't understand why a tournament I played in 5th grade, before I even went through puberty, would have an impact on your decision.
CC: Our decision is final. Good luck to you.