First time OPD Parent

[Unregistered]

So I survived my first OPD experience...I think. My son went to tryouts for the 97 East squad in Fayetteville. I have tons of questions, so I'll just throw some out there.

It is my understanding that the staff will not be releasing players this week and are planning on waiting to do so until Dec. Is this normal?

There were about 56 boys that showed up for the 97 tryouts on Sunday. I thought the numbers would be much higher. Is this number typical?

"They" say that the selection of players is political. Of course this must be taken with a grain of salt. How exactly does the staff choose who is going to play at the sub-regional games in January?

Last question for now. Thanks in advance for the help.

[Unregistered]

They continue to release players all the way through. Your kid could stay or be cut after any training session. 56 is a small number. I heard girls were shy numbers too. This may partly be due to the fact that they are also allowing the 98s to tryout. I would stay away from calling this political. If politics means that coaches pick players that are known to them, well then so be it. It is human nature to pick what you already trust. However, their goal is to pick the most talented kids they see, and they will not pass on or pick someone simply for political reasons. As for how exactly they pick for the sub-regional, they pick the players they think are the best based on what they saw at tryouts. I can't say what each evaluator is concentrating on, but usually tactical, technical, physical and emotional aspects are evaluated.

[Unregistered]

They continue to release players all the way through. Your kid could stay or be cut after any training session. 56 is a small number. I heard girls were shy numbers too. This may partly be due to the fact that they are also allowing the 98s to tryout. I would stay away from calling this political. If politics means that coaches pick players that are known to them, well then so be it. It is human nature to pick what you already trust. However, their goal is to pick the most talented kids they see, and they will not pass on or pick someone simply for political reasons. As for how exactly they pick for the sub-regional, they pick the players they think are the best based on what they saw at tryouts. I can't say what each evaluator is concentrating on, but usually tactical, technical, physical and emotional aspects are evaluated.


Are you kidding me? It is as political as it gets. The most important thing is to not let your kid believe that they HAVE to play ODP to be successful.