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    Obsession with rating and comparing clubs

    What is up with the proliferation of threads like Clubs in Decline, Up and Coming Clubs, Stars Downfall, Scorps Downhill, NEFC the New Regional Power, etc, etc, etc.??? Do we need any further proof that parents are the problem? I mean it is just unbelievable. Posts about how Rovers have peaked. Posts about who is dominant at U11. Posts about who is going to win U13 state cup. People literally sitting on edge waiting for the release of the latest MM totals.And then the posts that parents really aren't influencing their kids at all, although it is obvious that so many live and die every week with these soccer games and fret over where there kid is in relation to some dream the parent is chasing. It really is pathological.

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    What is up with the proliferation of threads like Clubs in Decline, Up and Coming Clubs, Stars Downfall, Scorps Downhill, NEFC the New Regional Power, etc, etc, etc.??? Do we need any further proof that parents are the problem? I mean it is just unbelievable. Posts about how Rovers have peaked. Posts about who is dominant at U11. Posts about who is going to win U13 state cup. People literally sitting on edge waiting for the release of the latest MM totals.And then the posts that parents really aren't influencing their kids at all, although it is obvious that so many live and die every week with these soccer games and fret over where there kid is in relation to some dream the parent is chasing. It really is pathological.
    Yes and the clubs fuel it to make money.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Yes and the clubs fuel it to make money.

      I would say it is mostly at the U14 and U15 level. After that the parents mostly stop caring. Their kids have either quit, been demoted, or asked their parents to butt out of their sports lives. The U18 years in MAPLE were the most peaceful. The parents who showed up didn't care. Many didn't show up.

      The majority of posts from this crowd come from the scholarship-my kid is gonna be pro-crowd.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Cujo View Post
        I would say it is mostly at the U14 and U15 level. After that the parents mostly stop caring. Their kids have either quit, been demoted, or asked their parents to butt out of their sports lives. The U18 years in MAPLE were the most peaceful. The parents who showed up didn't care. Many didn't show up.

        The majority of posts from this crowd come from the scholarship-my kid is gonna be pro-crowd.
        Cujo, you may be right that U14-15 is one of the peak periods but I have seen it all ages. Someone could do a great senior thesis or even doctoral dissertation studying and graphing the peaks and valleys of the typical MAPLE/Region 1/DAP/ECNL, etc. parent who is "in the the scene" for at least 3-4 years and preferably from U10 all the way through U18. I would agree that the drop-off really happens at U18 when acceptance (or perceived confirmation of all efforts) comes in terms of the end-game. The last big peak is at U17 during which parents are still holding out hope and when the determination about whether college soccer (and at what level) is in your kid's future generally gets decided.

        I have certainly had my own obsessional periods. It is exhilarating at U8 to have a pretty good player and see that sort-of-real pitch with sort-of-real goals for the first time. Then at some point in U10 or at U11 you think your kid is the best kid in your town or in a 3 or 4 town area, and at that age one has little comprehension about how little that means. The dream is alive, college soccer seems like a legit pursuit, and we're off and running. Maybe many years later your kid being an engineer or a lawyer or just having a decent life will seem pretty good, but at the time it is very seductive to think about one's kid being a star athlete. You look for the best club around, start club bashing your rivals, and then if you have to change clubs because the plan is getting sidetracked, well, then you start bashing your prior club. You hear someone mention this thing called "ODP" and then ask about that. And now we ask about DAP and ECNL. Even if our kid is still doing pretty well as we get to U13 and U14, we still think they're better than others are recognizing. There's potential there that isn't being fully appreciated, so we keep trying out, push the coach as much as we think we can get away with, complain within out cliques on the team, maybe get some private training. Oh, I forgot the Coerver/skills videos stage! If you've got a good player at U13 who is on an elite club's "2" team you're hearing that you've got to get her on the "1" team or change clubs to get her into Maple D1 at a minimum and preferably into Region 1. Puberty throws a wrench into things.....either helping early or hindering by coming late....and finally by U16/U17 we start seeing probably what we're going to end up with. But the thinking and maneuvering, and beliefs about untapped or unrecognized potential die very hard. Maybe some special camps, maybe a PG year, anything we can think of to pull it out of the fire in the end.

        Unfortunately, the journey with all of its vicissitudes is not something people who have gone through it can explain to those just starting out. Most seem to have to go through the whole damn thing themselves. I remember when an experienced guy in our town told me U8 wasn't a big deal and why (and now I do that), but for me at the time it was a big deal and I wanted that pitch to be perfect.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          Cujo, you may be right that U14-15 is one of the peak periods but I have seen it all ages. Someone could do a great senior thesis or even doctoral dissertation studying and graphing the peaks and valleys of the typical MAPLE/Region 1/DAP/ECNL, etc. parent who is "in the the scene" for at least 3-4 years and preferably from U10 all the way through U18. I would agree that the drop-off really happens at U18 when acceptance (or perceived confirmation of all efforts) comes in terms of the end-game. The last big peak is at U17 during which parents are still holding out hope and when the determination about whether college soccer (and at what level) is in your kid's future generally gets decided.

          I have certainly had my own obsessional periods. It is exhilarating at U8 to have a pretty good player and see that sort-of-real pitch with sort-of-real goals for the first time. Then at some point in U10 or at U11 you think your kid is the best kid in your town or in a 3 or 4 town area, and at that age one has little comprehension about how little that means. The dream is alive, college soccer seems like a legit pursuit, and we're off and running. Maybe many years later your kid being an engineer or a lawyer or just having a decent life will seem pretty good, but at the time it is very seductive to think about one's kid being a star athlete. You look for the best club around, start club bashing your rivals, and then if you have to change clubs because the plan is getting sidetracked, well, then you start bashing your prior club. You hear someone mention this thing called "ODP" and then ask about that. And now we ask about DAP and ECNL. Even if our kid is still doing pretty well as we get to U13 and U14, we still think they're better than others are recognizing. There's potential there that isn't being fully appreciated, so we keep trying out, push the coach as much as we think we can get away with, complain within out cliques on the team, maybe get some private training. Oh, I forgot the Coerver/skills videos stage! If you've got a good player at U13 who is on an elite club's "2" team you're hearing that you've got to get her on the "1" team or change clubs to get her into Maple D1 at a minimum and preferably into Region 1. Puberty throws a wrench into things.....either helping early or hindering by coming late....and finally by U16/U17 we start seeing probably what we're going to end up with. But the thinking and maneuvering, and beliefs about untapped or unrecognized potential die very hard. Maybe some special camps, maybe a PG year, anything we can think of to pull it out of the fire in the end.

          Unfortunately, the journey with all of its vicissitudes is not something people who have gone through it can explain to those just starting out. Most seem to have to go through the whole damn thing themselves. I remember when an experienced guy in our town told me U8 wasn't a big deal and why (and now I do that), but for me at the time it was a big deal and I wanted that pitch to be perfect.
          I miss kidergarten soccer, aka "Herd Ball". Little munchkins running up and down the field in one big mass. And then, finally, one kid grasps the concept, and steps out from the herd, and waits for the ball to escape the herd, and takes the ball down the field and scores! Remember those days? LOL

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            I miss kidergarten soccer, aka "Herd Ball". Little munchkins running up and down the field in one big mass. And then, finally, one kid grasps the concept, and steps out from the herd, and waits for the ball to escape the herd, and takes the ball down the field and scores! Remember those days? LOL
            That was my son!. He was the best one out there! (:

            Comment


              #7
              Again Cujo is wrong. If you look at the threads from the last five days you will find, Girls u11,u13,u14,u16,u17 and girls college list for 2010 which would be U18. Boys you will find u13,u16,u17. So much for the theory its mainly 14 and 15 age group. Haven't seen a u15 in awhile.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                I miss kidergarten soccer, aka "Herd Ball". Little munchkins running up and down the field in one big mass. And then, finally, one kid grasps the concept, and steps out from the herd, and waits for the ball to escape the herd, and takes the ball down the field and scores! Remember those days? LOL
                aka "dust bowl". Played on all those less than "grass" fields.

                Comment


                  #9
                  obsession

                  Just a carry over from the My BMW is better then your Mercedes crowd.

                  Just ignore them and have fun watching your kid beat up on little mia.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    Cujo, you may be right that U14-15 is one of the peak periods but I have seen it all ages. Someone could do a great senior thesis or even doctoral dissertation studying and graphing the peaks and valleys of the typical MAPLE/Region 1/DAP/ECNL, etc. parent who is "in the the scene" for at least 3-4 years and preferably from U10 all the way through U18. I would agree that the drop-off really happens at U18 when acceptance (or perceived confirmation of all efforts) comes in terms of the end-game. The last big peak is at U17 during which parents are still holding out hope and when the determination about whether college soccer (and at what level) is in your kid's future generally gets decided.

                    I have certainly had my own obsessional periods. It is exhilarating at U8 to have a pretty good player and see that sort-of-real pitch with sort-of-real goals for the first time. Then at some point in U10 or at U11 you think your kid is the best kid in your town or in a 3 or 4 town area, and at that age one has little comprehension about how little that means. The dream is alive, college soccer seems like a legit pursuit, and we're off and running. Maybe many years later your kid being an engineer or a lawyer or just having a decent life will seem pretty good, but at the time it is very seductive to think about one's kid being a star athlete. You look for the best club around, start club bashing your rivals, and then if you have to change clubs because the plan is getting sidetracked, well, then you start bashing your prior club. You hear someone mention this thing called "ODP" and then ask about that. And now we ask about DAP and ECNL. Even if our kid is still doing pretty well as we get to U13 and U14, we still think they're better than others are recognizing. There's potential there that isn't being fully appreciated, so we keep trying out, push the coach as much as we think we can get away with, complain within out cliques on the team, maybe get some private training. Oh, I forgot the Coerver/skills videos stage! If you've got a good player at U13 who is on an elite club's "2" team you're hearing that you've got to get her on the "1" team or change clubs to get her into Maple D1 at a minimum and preferably into Region 1. Puberty throws a wrench into things.....either helping early or hindering by coming late....and finally by U16/U17 we start seeing probably what we're going to end up with. But the thinking and maneuvering, and beliefs about untapped or unrecognized potential die very hard. Maybe some special camps, maybe a PG year, anything we can think of to pull it out of the fire in the end.

                    Unfortunately, the journey with all of its vicissitudes is not something people who have gone through it can explain to those just starting out. Most seem to have to go through the whole damn thing themselves. I remember when an experienced guy in our town told me U8 wasn't a big deal and why (and now I do that), but for me at the time it was a big deal and I wanted that pitch to be perfect.
                    Good post. I have a good friend who didn't let go of the dream until he realized that as a sophomore in College at a solid D2 school that his daughter was playing solely because it was his dream for her to play. She hated her college experience. She now plays in the women's league and is having fun again at age 21.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      Again Cujo is wrong. If you look at the threads from the last five days you will find, Girls u11,u13,u14,u16,u17 and girls college list for 2010 which would be U18. Boys you will find u13,u16,u17. So much for the theory its mainly 14 and 15 age group. Haven't seen a u15 in awhile.
                      For most teams, players, and parents it peaks at those ages. That is just my experience from being a parent, coach, and official. That being said it is probably different for the the handful of elite teams such as the Stars and the NotStars. I imagine that the intensity is still building into the U17/18 ages but I am speaking for the 98% of youth players that are not elite. Don't forget that nearly half of all players stop playing at U15 so right there "Cujo" is right based on that little reality check fact.

                      But I am sure your kid is one of the special few elite players who will get a $1.4M per year deal when she graduates Summa from UNC and is drafted by the Breakers. Oh yeah, and a $4M / 3 yr endorsement deal from Nike.


                      But I am talking about the other 179,000 kids playing youth soccer.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Nmr4bg

                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        What is up with the proliferation of threads like Clubs in Decline, Up and Coming Clubs, Stars Downfall, Scorps Downhill, NEFC the New Regional Power, etc, etc, etc.??? Do we need any further proof that parents are the problem? I mean it is just unbelievable. Posts about how Rovers have peaked. Posts about who is dominant at U11. Posts about who is going to win U13 state cup. People literally sitting on edge waiting for the release of the latest MM totals.And then the posts that parents really aren't influencing their kids at all, although it is obvious that so many live and die every week with these soccer games and fret over where there kid is in relation to some dream the parent is chasing. It really is pathological.
                        Maybe IS pathological, but mostly it's just the approach of Tryout Season!

                        Comment

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