High School Soccer

[SOCCERMINION]

I really don't get all the negative banter about HS soccer. For all the countless hours and hardwork of club training and highly competative games my daugher has attended, where is the harm in her playing for fun on a less competative team. My DD's abiliy to now play the sport she loves for her high school is one of the biggest rewards my DD is looking forward to. How could I not support my DD when she wants to show her abilities on the pitch at her HS and play with friends she grew up with. Sure my Daughter loves playing at Surf Cup with her club team and playing some of the best teams in the country. But IMHO I believe its her love of the game that is nurtured by playing with her friends that is most important. Isn't there still room for her to play just for her love of the game. For me I'm still glad its still up to her regaurdless of what any coach may say. It seams dumb to me that GDA would try to take any choice like that away and try to dictate whats best for your child. Even if your DD was the Next Mallary Pugh, and she wanted to play for her HS. I'd say,"let her play".

 

[younothat]

I really don't get all the negative banter about HS soccer. For all the countless hours and hardwork of club training and highly competative games my daugher has attended, where is the harm in her playing for fun on a less competative team. My DD's abiliy to now play the sport she loves for her high school is one of the biggest rewards my DD is looking forward to. How could I not support my DD when she wants to show her abilities on the pitch at her HS and play with friends she grew up with. Sure my Daughter loves playing at Surf Cup with her club team and playing some of the best teams in the country. But IMHO I believe its her love of the game that is nurtured by playing with her friends that is most important. Isn't there still room for her to play just for her love of the game. For me I'm still glad its still up to her regaurdless of what any coach may say. It seams dumb to me that GDA would try to take any choice like that away and try to dictate whats best for your child. Even if your DD was the Next Mallary Pugh, and she wanted to play for her HS. I'd say,"let her play".

Each individual is different, my daughter couldn't wait to represent her HS and played her freshmen and sophomore years. Really enjoyed the experience, playoff run last year, etc

The competitive gap between most HS teams and say ENCL is pretty big so eventually she decided to focus on ENCL and getting ready for college rather than continue to play HS. She is still friends with almost all the HS players and supports them when she can at games and whatnot.

One thing I can tell you for sure there is a bigger risk for injury in HS games due to techniques, they way the game is played, and officiating to a limited intent. Some think the risk outweighs the reward. I don't think that's the case but your player has to find their own way, what suites them the best?

GDA is a different story, with the ages grouping fewer players will be in that league and it won't start until 2018. There are a bunch of other restrictions on who, when, and where you play, have to sign the academy wavier. No HS soccer for example.

 

[GKDad65]

Play High School soccer enjoy yourself this opportunity only comes by a few times while you're young and then it's over.

 

[SoccerDad77]

Play High School soccer enjoy yourself this opportunity only comes by a few times while you're young and then it's over.

So does getting a college scholarship/playing college soccer... No offense, but if your child is really serious about their sport and wants to be the best player they can be, taking a 3-month vacation every year for 4 straight years isn't the way to go... Fields, level of competition, level/amount of training are all far inferior to playing club competitively year round... Like others say, it's a choice every player makes individually, but you can't have it both ways.

 

[pulguita]

So does getting a college scholarship/playing college soccer... No offense, but if your child is really serious about their sport and wants to be the best player they can be, taking a 3-month vacation every year for 4 straight years isn't the way to go... Fields, level of competition, level/amount of training are all far inferior to playing club competitively year round... Like others say, it's a choice every player makes individually, but you can't have it both ways.

I guess I am a little salty now that the club career is over but I just can't help myself. I know a kid that has trained or played 6 days a week since she was 11. She has watched 2-3 professional soccer games every week (Barca of course - live or taped). She's won 3 ODP National Championships, She's been to 2 State Cup Finals and a National Cup Final and lost. She's won 3 National Cups in a Row. She has been to the last 3 consecutive National Championships. Won one, lost one in the finals and lost in pool play. She has received numerous personal awards Academic and Athletic. She received the first ever at her high school both Scholar Athlete and Athlete of the Year. She was up for County Athlete of the Year but lost to another outstanding lady that has a similar story of setbacks and achievements and will be her crosstown rival in the Pac 12 this year. Oh yeah she has played 4 years Varsity soccer won a total of 8 games her first three years versus a club team that didn't lose a game for 18 months in their National Championship year. Her senior year they won league, lost in the CIF semis and State Semis had the time of their lives. She is also in the U18 NT pool. Please tell me that she didn't have it both ways. She had it in spades and so have others. Did I mention she has had a substantial scholarship in her hands since April of her sophomore year and is currently having a blast in sunny LA.

 

[SoccerDad77]

I guess I am a little salty now that the club career is over but I just can't help myself. I know a kid that has trained or played 6 days a week since she was 11. She has watched 2-3 professional soccer games every week (Barca of course - live or taped). She's won 3 ODP National Championships, She's been to 2 State Cup Finals and a National Cup Final and lost. She's won 3 National Cups in a Row. She has been to the last 3 consecutive National Championships. Won one, lost one in the finals and lost in pool play. She has received numerous personal awards Academic and Athletic. She received the first ever at her high school both Scholar Athlete and Athlete of the Year. She was up for County Athlete of the Year but lost to another outstanding lady that has a similar story of setbacks and achievements and will be her crosstown rival in the Pac 12 this year. Oh yeah she has played 4 years Varsity soccer won a total of 8 games her first three years versus a club team that didn't lose a game for 18 months in their National Championship year. Her senior year they won league, lost in the CIF semis and State Semis had the time of their lives. She is also in the U18 NT pool. Please tell me that she didn't have it both ways. She had it in spades and so have others. Did I mention she has had a substantial scholarship in her hands since April of her sophomore year and is currently having a blast in sunny LA.

Imagine how good of a player she could have been if she didn't spend 12 months of her youth career playing bad soccer?... Obviously US soccer imagines this, as they changed the rules for the best players.

 

[SOCCERMINION]

Imagine how good of a player she could have been if she didn't spend 12 months of her youth career playing bad soccer?... Obviously US soccer imagines this, as they changed the rules for the best players.

Imagine where she would be if she was homeschooled since she was 9 so she could spend 24/7 training. Imagine if her parents controlled her diet since she was 9 and she did weight training, speed training and had private coaching daily. Imaging if she spent every weekend of her teenage years traveling and playing on youth national teams!!!!!!! What would happen, how good would she be?,....I believe it is called the Marinovich effect.

 

[espola]

Imagine where she would be if she was homeschooled since she was 9 so she could spend 24/7 training. Imagine if her parents controlled her diet since she was 9 and she did weight training, speed training and had private coaching daily. Imaging if she spent every weekend of her teenage years traveling and playing on youth national teams!!!!!!! What would happen, how good would she be?,....I believe it is called the Marinovich effect.

Don't forget that it is legal for a doctor to administer human growth hormone to any child with parental permission, and medically ethical as long as it causes no harm to the child. The rule of thumb I heard years ago was to continue treatments until your child reached the size you desired.

 

[bababooey]

I think Minion's OP hit the nail on the head here. My dd will be a freshman next year, so we have not experienced HS soccer, but she is very excited to tryout for the HS team and hopefully play all four years. I think it is well known that HS soccer is less technical than club soccer, but my dd just wants to play when possible. I am excited to see her play against older girls to see how she handles that adversity.

Also, thank you to Pulguita for his post.

 

[MakeAPlay]

I guess I am a little salty now that the club career is over but I just can't help myself. I know a kid that has trained or played 6 days a week since she was 11. She has watched 2-3 professional soccer games every week (Barca of course - live or taped). She's won 3 ODP National Championships, She's been to 2 State Cup Finals and a National Cup Final and lost. She's won 3 National Cups in a Row. She has been to the last 3 consecutive National Championships. Won one, lost one in the finals and lost in pool play. She has received numerous personal awards Academic and Athletic. She received the first ever at her high school both Scholar Athlete and Athlete of the Year. She was up for County Athlete of the Year but lost to another outstanding lady that has a similar story of setbacks and achievements and will be her crosstown rival in the Pac 12 this year. Oh yeah she has played 4 years Varsity soccer won a total of 8 games her first three years versus a club team that didn't lose a game for 18 months in their National Championship year. Her senior year they won league, lost in the CIF semis and State Semis had the time of their lives. She is also in the U18 NT pool. Please tell me that she didn't have it both ways. She had it in spades and so have others. Did I mention she has had a substantial scholarship in her hands since April of her sophomore year and is currently having a blast in sunny LA.

She had one hell of a career and it was fun to watch it unfold. I agree you can have it both and my player would never have given up high school soccer either and probably had the most fun playing for her high school. Your player isn't a normal player by the way. She has been so focused since she was 9 and honestly her path has been very unconventional (and amazing) due to this focus.

Good job dad!!

 

[MakeAPlay]

Imagine how good of a player she could have been if she didn't spend 12 months of her youth career playing bad soccer?... Obviously US soccer imagines this, as they changed the rules for the best players.

Umm we are talking about girls right? With all due respect girls aren't boys and even the best need a break. I seem to remember his player being on many teams that were below her caliber but helped make her a better player. She carried her high school team for the first 3 years and honestly I think it probably taught her almost as much as her being on all of those ODP national championship teams. US soccer is wrong on this one. Not the first time.

Just so you know I hate high school soccer. I just know that most of the girls love it.

 

[Glen]

Some people are wealthy enough to take on the risk of injury, others are not. In 20 years, a kid won't give a hoot about their HS soccer glory. They will care about their student loans.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/09/f...athletes-injury-can-spell-financial-disaster/

Maybe the risk is way overblown. Four years of HS soccer must have given everyone posting a pretty good perspective on the risk of injury. Were there no serious injuries on your teams over those four years?

I don't really buy the argument that my DD needs it for her popularity at school. That falls pretty low on the priority list.

 

[zebrafish]

Having played HS soccer, HS tennis on a state championship team, and college tennis on a nationally-ranked team (but not for a scholarship...), I can say 20+ years later that I have fond memories of the camaraderie of both sports, even though I was better at tennis. I don't have better memories of the sport I was "better" at. What I have fond memories about is the experiences as a team and with my friends/teammates. I certainly remember the wins, but they are less important.

I can also say that I ended up enjoying soccer more and for a longer period (I played soccer for 15 years after college graduation) than tennis (I haven't played a serious game since my last college match).

I'd argue that the best course of action is to take into account what your child wants to do. If your child feels like they "have" to avoid HS soccer and they feel pressure to get a scholarship, then that is unfortunate, because I'd worry that that will impact the enjoyment factor. Yes, I had student loans, but I paid them off... Eventually.

 

[MakeAPlay]

Some people are wealthy enough to take on the risk of injury, others are not. In 20 years, a kid won't give a hoot about their HS soccer glory. They will care about their student loans.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/09/f...athletes-injury-can-spell-financial-disaster/

Maybe the risk is way overblown. Four years of HS soccer must have given everyone posting a pretty good perspective on the risk of injury. Were there no serious injuries on your teams over those four years?

I don't really buy the argument that my DD needs it for her popularity at school. That falls pretty low on the priority list.

Not one serious injury on her team in 4 years. She played 4 years and only had turf burn. Injuries are a part of sports. I don't know one successful athlete that plays scared. Also if she is just playing for the scholarship then she either won't get one or will quit when it gets tough in college. And it will get tough.

 

[Glen]

Not one serious injury on her team in 4 years. She played 4 years and only had turf burn. Injuries are a part of sports. I don't know one successful athlete that plays scared. Also if she is just playing for the scholarship then she either won't get one or will quit when it gets tough in college. And it will get tough.

Have you heard of the NBA? They have some pretty successful athletes. The very best NBA players declined to play in Rio at the Olympics. Most of them declined because they were concerned about injuries. Now you know some successful athletes that "play scared" by calculating risk vs. reward. Or, consider LeBron James and Blake Griffin quitting high school football (even though they were unbelievable) because they were concerned about injury. Two more successful athletes that apparently played scared.

The majority of college football and basketball players need the scholarship. They don't quit. You all must have some deep pocket books, which is an enviable luxury. To better your circumstances in this country, the less fortunate have to make additional sacrifices to get ahead. This is no different.

zebrafish - Where did you play in college? I don't know how long ago you really played, but HS tennis is a far worse quality than HS soccer. And no serious tennis player plays two sports by the time they reach high school. With few exceptions, dual sports usually ends for tennis players by middle school. If they play HS tennis, they don't even go to HS practice.

 

[MakeAPlay]

Have you heard of the NBA? They have some pretty successful athletes. The very best NBA players declined to play in Rio at the Olympics. Most of them declined because they were concerned about injuries. Now you know some successful athletes that "play scared" by calculating risk vs. reward. Or, consider LeBron James and Blake Griffin quitting high school football (even though they were unbelievable) because they were concerned about injury. Two more successful athletes that apparently played scared.

The majority of college football and basketball players need the scholarship. They don't quit. You all must have some deep pocket books, which is an enviable luxury. To better your circumstances in this country, the less fortunate have to make additional sacrifices to get ahead. This is no different.

zebrafish - Where did you play in college? I don't know how long ago you really played, but HS tennis is a far worse quality than HS soccer. And no serious tennis player plays two sports by the time they reach high school. With few exceptions, dual sports usually ends for tennis players by middle school. If they play HS tennis, they don't even go to HS practice.

So Kevin Durant isn't one of the 2 best basketball players on the planet? I knew a college football player who's parents lived next door to Will Smith before he married Jada. Lebron didn't play because of the long playoff series. I never heard of him saying that he didn't play because of a fear of injury. He was national player of the year as a high school junior and would have been the first pick in the draft that year if it was allowed. If he was afraid of injury why did he come back and play another year of high school basketball and risk it? I know that he had a Lloyd's of London policy that would have paid 8 figures had he gotten hurt permanently. Speculation is fine. Making stuff up isn't.

 

[zebrafish]

zebrafish - Where did you play in college? I don't know how long ago you really played, but HS tennis is a far worse quality than HS soccer. And no serious tennis player plays two sports by the time they reach high school. With few exceptions, dual sports usually ends for tennis players by middle school. If they play HS tennis, they don't even go to HS practice.

I'll freely admit I don't have a kid old enough to play HS sports yet, so I could be completely clueless.

Maybe I'm just old-- certainly things may have changed in terms of athletic participation in HS sports. But I think it depends on the school and the sport.

I didn't grow up in SoCal, and I didn't go to public school (insert deep pockets dig here). There were awful HS tennis teams and very good ones both public and private. But kids from my HS tennis team played varsity tennis at quality D1 schools-- Harvard, Notre Dame, Kansas, Brown. And you're probably right-- those kids just played one sport and I played 2-- so it probably cost me achievement in a single sport. I went to a D3 college that was top 10 nationally ranked in tennis where I knew I'd play the entire time, and I did. I had to temporarily give up soccer at that point. If HS sports are now as bad as people describe, that is truly sad.

 

[Glen]

Don't be silly. You made a foolish statement and are trying to walk it back with sarcasm.

You are totally wrong about LeBron. He broke his wrist in AAU during the summer. That's why he didn't play football his senior year - he could have played the season even with the wrist, but didn't think it was a good idea. Don't know what a long playoff series comes into play. Again, all he was doing was avoiding unnecessary risk. Geez - you even note his insurance policy, which he got after he quit football. He used that to protect him for basketball his senior year - not football. Avoiding risk (or playing scared to use your negative spin) was exactly what he was doing. We all do it. You are misusing the term "playing scared" to cut down people's reasonable opinions. "Playing scared" doesn't apply to an off the field/court decision - you aren't playing.

LeBron and Curry are the best players in the world. Durant hasn't been at their level for a few years. . . since he got injured. That's not even really debatable. At any rate, you duck the fact that very successful athletes skipped the Olympics - the freakin' Olympics - to avoid injury. It makes your statement look foolish.

 

[MakeAPlay]

Don't be silly. You made a foolish statement and are trying to walk it back with sarcasm.

You are totally wrong about LeBron. He broke his wrist in AAU during the summer. That's why he didn't play football his senior year - he could have played the season even with the wrist, but didn't think it was a good idea. Don't know what a long playoff series comes into play. Again, all he was doing was avoiding unnecessary risk. Geez - you even note his insurance policy, which he got after he quit football. He used that to protect him for basketball his senior year - not football. Avoiding risk (or playing scared to use your negative spin) was exactly what he was doing. We all do it. You are misusing the term "playing scared" to cut down people's reasonable opinions. "Playing scared" doesn't apply to an off the field/court decision - you aren't playing.

LeBron and Curry are the best players in the world. Durant hasn't been at their level for a few years. . . since he got injured. That's not even really debatable. At any rate, you duck the fact that very successful athletes skipped the Olympics - the freakin' Olympics - to avoid injury. It makes your statement look foolish.

Talking about foolish you must having reading comprehension issues. I was talking about Lebron playing basketball as a HS senior and skipping THIS Olympics!

You have no idea about who is the best players in the NBA if you put Curry over Durant. Durant is a mismatch for any player!

 

[Glen]

You have no idea about who is the best players in the NBA if you put Curry over Durant. Durant is a mismatch for any player!

Last year, Curry was the first ever unanimous MVP - unanimous.