The right choice?

Not sure where this is coming from because my player is quite coddled by us. She does know that real life is not what we provide her. At the same time she is well prepared for what is out there. D1 coaches don't coddle players they aren't parents. If you are so wet behind the ears to realize this then please keep feeding your kid lies and make her wish for rainbows and unicorns. Sports are competitive. Coaches must win or face the loss of their livelihood. Expectations are high and unless your player is going to a PAC 12 or Big Ten school then the scholarship is one year. Florida State had half of their 8 man 2016 recruiting class reaccomodated and it might be 5 of 8 by the summer. Many of you Ulittle parents want to focus on the GDA but Florida St treats everyone like a pro. Do well and thrive. Non-contributors go home. Every year new foreign recruits come in along with top domestic talent. What you have it all wrong if you think that college soccer is a game. It isn't. It's a business. Please if you are serious about your player making it to college soccer, get the fluffy ideas out of your head.
1000% true. Way too much rec league mentality on the form and on the sidelines these days.
 
Everyone is saying the same thing- it's just the way we deliver it. We are all here because we love our kids and take the time to research and find mentors and parents who have walked the journey before us.
I interpreted the post much differently . From the original post I got that a kid will need their own focus and grit in order to make it in a D1 environment.
I hope everyone keeps posting and helping those of us who don't know a lot about the landscape but want the best for our kids.
Years ago I got a rude awakening from MAP and NG. It hurt. I realized I had my kid in the wrong place AFTER some private discussions. They gave me real tools to work through that - tools I didn't know about or have the connections to consider. I am indebted.
@Lambchop you are a smart poster and I enjoy your posts a lot. They also make me think. My daughter has only had "yelling joystick" coaches and she's a very cerebral player. I wonder if she does continue to play how that will affect her college and her decision to play.
 
1000% true. Way too much rec league mentality on the form and on the sidelines these days.

I think it's the society. We are told we are special.
Coaches run a business- they do not have the absolute freedom at the club level to make all the choices they want because of politics.
We have leagues for everything. We have patches for everything.
The DA should have been limited and the top 20 in SOCAL- elite of the elite. Now the myth is perpetuated.
For me I have a late bloomer. RAE killed her with the age change. Now she has to work through it
 
I think it's the society. We are told we are special.
Coaches run a business- they do not have the absolute freedom at the club level to make all the choices they want because of politics.
We have leagues for everything. We have patches for everything.
The DA should have been limited and the top 20 in SOCAL- elite of the elite. Now the myth is perpetuated.
For me I have a late bloomer. RAE killed her with the age change. Now she has to work through it

If she wants it she can have it. Power to the girls!!
 
I think it's the society. We are told we are special.
Coaches run a business- they do not have the absolute freedom at the club level to make all the choices they want because of politics.
We have leagues for everything. We have patches for everything.
The DA should have been limited and the top 20 in SOCAL- elite of the elite. Now the myth is perpetuated.
For me I have a late bloomer. RAE killed her with the age change. Now she has to work through it
I agree, we as parents are told and sold a lot. My frustrations are not with the MAP's of the world but rather those that lack the desire to educate themselves. If your DD is good then fantastic. Too many parents just show up and expect DD to play DA, or ECNL on a high level team. If more MAP s were on the sidelines it would clear the field maybe a little more and then competition would be the only true metric. Not good vibes and unicorns.
 
I agree, we as parents are told and sold a lot. My frustrations are not with the MAP's of the world but rather those that lack the desire to educate themselves. If your DD is good then fantastic. Too many parents just show up and expect DD to play DA, or ECNL on a high level team. If more MAP s were on the sidelines it would clear the field maybe a little more and then competition would be the only true metric. Not good vibes and unicorns.

I always say not enough clubs really educate their parents in various important topics. What is development? Club priorities? College recruiting education? etc so they assume things and all hell breaks loose at some point. They say what you want to hear so those checks keep coming
 
I always say not enough clubs really educate their parents in various important topics. What is development? Club priorities? College recruiting education? etc so they assume things and all hell breaks loose at some point. They say what you want to hear so those checks keep coming
The biggie is the college recruiting education. I learned the most from SoCal Blues! They do an excellent job of helping their parents through the recruiting process. I would add, it is important for the college coach to believe in your DD. The reason is, the head coach gives their opinion about your DD to the college head coaches. They have no benefit in overselling a player, because the college coaches are asking for their feedback. If they oversell any particular player and they don't perform at their program. I'm sure a college coach would think twice about the next player at that club who is interested in their program.
 
The biggie is the college recruiting education. I learned the most from SoCal Blues! They do an excellent job of helping their parents through the recruiting process. I would add, it is important for the college coach to believe in your DD. The reason is, the head coach gives their opinion about your DD to the college head coaches. They have no benefit in overselling a player, because the college coaches are asking for their feedback. If they oversell any particular player and they don't perform at their program. I'm sure a college coach would think twice about the next player at that club who is interested in their program.

club coaches shouldn't oversell players.....good joke :) I agree but 3/4 of the coaches in so cal do this. Sometimes it works out and other times it doesn't. They even oversell to the actual club player sometimes!
 
I agree with all of the above. My current ECNL-level players will stay with their DA club, but will request the second team if they are offered DA for next season.

I got so many likes to the post above, I figured I needed to provide an update.

DD got offered Academy and wants to accept it. She's nervous about playing time, but she just really loves the team and coach. To be honest, it's nice to see her excited about something.
 
I got so many likes to the post above, I figured I needed to provide an update.

DD got offered Academy and wants to accept it. She's nervous about playing time, but she just really loves the team and coach. To be honest, it's nice to see her excited about something.

What club?
 
Once the anger dissipated the discussion became great.

I just wrote a long detailed post and deleted it.

My girl loves 4 days of smart, intense, focused practice with higher level players with a similar mind state. Her DA is using the US Soccer guidelines which is perfect for her to showcase her mental and physical games. Her coach is as blunt, honest and fair to her as her mother and I are and believe me when I say we don't sugar coat a damn thing.

She was constantly overlooked in the kick ball system. She can play it, but simply refuses to and her performances were never constant or up to her potential. The DA that found her is the perfect fit for her and the other girls they found.

So for those wondering what to do: Get in where you fit in. These coaches will be fired if they cannot bring the programs that pay them success. Take your kids somewhere they will be assets and reap the benefits. You know, the same thing we do when looking for a job.
 
Once the anger dissipated the discussion became great.

I just wrote a long detailed post and deleted it.

My girl loves 4 days of smart, intense, focused practice with higher level players with a similar mind state. Her DA is using the US Soccer guidelines which is perfect for her to showcase her mental and physical games. Her coach is as blunt, honest and fair to her as her mother and I are and believe me when I say we don't sugar coat a damn thing.

She was constantly overlooked in the kick ball system. She can play it, but simply refuses to and her performances were never constant or up to her potential. The DA that found her is the perfect fit for her and the other girls they found.

So for those wondering what to do: Get in where you fit in. These coaches will be fired if they cannot bring the programs that pay them success. Take your kids somewhere they will be assets and reap the benefits. You know, the same thing we do when looking for a job.

Thanks for the update. Finding a team/coach/system where your player is happy and continues to develop is always a good choice. Please give us an update after the season starts, it will be interesting to understand how the fewer games and new subtitution rules impact teams and players over time.
 
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