Rising U13

[Unregistered]

Maybe you might be 10 percent right if your town has a lot of club players on its HS team and the team is top ranked. For most the thought of head hunting soccer and long ball is not desirable if your kid is a top tracked ECNL player. Why do so many parents think its such a huge deal to make and play varsity as a freshman? If you couldn't make varsity as a freshman then how could you be a top ECNL player?? The kids and parents will weigh it out and then decide. I bet club wins out more than half of the time with the 02 Freshman. Why would they risk losing their place in the spring?

If your kid is a top tracked ECNL freshman they will benefit more by playing against juniors and seniors than against other top tracked ECNL freshman. If you are that worried about holding your kid's place on the Stars roster then I would suggest that you got more to think about than JD's vengeance. True studs don't have to worry on bubble players do.

[Unregistered]

If your kid is a top tracked ECNL freshman they will benefit more by playing against juniors and seniors than against other top tracked ECNL freshman. If you are that worried about holding your kid's place on the Stars roster then I would suggest that you got more to think about than JD's vengeance. True studs don't have to worry on bubble players do.

LOL! Back to regular scheduled programming. You don't fail to entertain, if predictably so, BTDT.

Might be time to set the bottle down for the night and step away from TS, at least until 5:30AM.

[Unregistered]

in the meantime confidence can falter and coaches might write them off. That is what you need to watch out for.[/QUOTE]

This has occurred in our child. How can I help as a parent ?

[Yablu]

Maybe you might be 10 percent right if your town has a lot of club players on its HS team and the team is top ranked. For most the thought of head hunting soccer and long ball is not desirable if your kid is a top tracked ECNL player. Why do so many parents think its such a huge deal to make and play varsity as a freshman? If you couldn't make varsity as a freshman then how could you be a top ECNL player?? The kids and parents will weigh it out and then decide. I bet club wins out more than half of the time with the 02 Freshman. Why would they risk losing their place in the spring?

Agreed, If you are a top ECNL player, you should make Varsity as a freshman on most HS teams. However, most ECNL players come from top towns or go to ISL schools where making Varsity as a freshman is big deal and the experience can be a great social benefit. Don't discount that. You just might have fun as well. and one more thing, if losing their place is a concern, then they are not a top-tracked player.

[Unregistered]

in the meantime confidence can falter and coaches might write them off. That is what you need to watch out for.

This has occurred in our child. How can I help as a parent ?[/QUOTE]

First of all, get some sleep. You'll be a better parent if you aren't posting on TS at 3:30 am.

Secondly, take your child to NEFC where an individualized plan to perfectly fit your child will be formulated and he or she can participate in NEFC's state-of-the-art trauma recovery program for transfers from abusive, cut-throat clubs.

[Unregistered]

Agreed, If you are a top ECNL player, you should make Varsity as a freshman on most HS teams. However, most ECNL players come from top towns or go to ISL schools where making Varsity as a freshman is big deal and the experience can be a great social benefit. Don't discount that. You just might have fun as well. and one more thing, if losing their place is a concern, then they are not a top-tracked player.

Yablu/Pathfinder/Btdt, you're not going to destabilize the roster of a strong pre-ECNL team by trying to stir up anxieties about the glories of playing varsity as a freshman next year. The core of such a team is too good, focused, and ambitious -- and want the training under their coach. Good ECNL players aren't worried about "making varsity" any year. Surely, they won't be swayed by your pronouncements about "top-tracked players." You might as well move on from the GU13 group.

[Unregistered]

"First of all, get some sleep. You'll be a better parent if you aren't posting on TS at 3:30 am."


LOL!!! Says the parent who is the most obsessive poster in the history of TS.

[Unregistered]

Yablu/Pathfinder/Btdt, you're not going to destabilize the roster of a strong pre-ECNL team by trying to stir up anxieties about the glories of playing varsity as a freshman next year. The core of such a team is too good, focused, and ambitious -- and want the training under their coach. Good ECNL players aren't worried about "making varsity" any year. Surely, they won't be swayed by your pronouncements about "top-tracked players." You might as well move on from the GU13 group.

Every real D1 prospect I can think of from recent years has started for their varsity team regardless of where they go to school. That is really the first test. If a female player can't play up 2-3 years and have an impact as a freshman why does anyone suddenly think things will change 4 years later when they get into college? We have already established that puberty isn't going to change the female athlete all that much after the age of 13 or so, do we honestly think training alone is going to have THAT big of an impact where it suddenly jump up a player that much? Time to be a little realistic about what it actually takes to be a D1 prospect.

[Unregistered]

College coaches recruit and give money players that can impact the games they play in. That means they must be able to play "UP" against women 3 and 4 years older than themselves. If they can't show that they can do it in high school, when will they show that they can do it?

[Unregistered]

College coaches recruit and give money players that can impact the games they play in. That means they must be able to play "UP" against women 3 and 4 years older than themselves. If they can't show that they can do it in high school, when will they show that they can do it?

Did you really need to post the same thing twice???

Who cares? But do you really believe a 13 year old playing 17 year olds is the same as 18 and 19 year olds playing with 21 and 22 year olds? Time for a reality check. And when did WE ESTABLISH something about puberty? We've established that? Because of your medical expertise? Too much and too funny. Clownsville all over again.

[Unregistered]

Every real D1 prospect I can think of from recent years has started for their varsity team regardless of where they go to school...

1) That shows the limits of who you can think of.
2) The issue is playing varsity as a freshman, not playing varsity as a sophomore and beyond.
3) Sophomores are still "playing up" two years in H.S. But you expect someone to believe that a third, more distant year playing up is somehow critical? LOL!
4) Time to look to the GU12s. It's not happening at GU13 for your agenda.

[beentheredonethat]

You are really talking about two different issues

1- What age do future D1 prospects start impacting in high school
2- What do you do when the high school program isn't very good.

Having watched the ISL for 4 years now, I can safely agree that any D1 prospect I have watched play in it was making a contribution as a freshman. After now watching two kids (girls) go through a high school career I can also agree that if a kid cannot a contribution on a varsity as a freshman they are not LIKELY to explode on the scene sometime later. Remember most female prospects are now committing in their freshman or, at the latest, their sophomore year so if they are doing that then they aren't really having a problem making the varsity. That is a red herring in the discussion. The earlier point that brought that discussion to the table was really when someone expressed fear about losing playing time on the ECNL team if they didn't train with the Stars. My take on that is that is sad if you have to worry about such things. Different strokes for different folks though.

The later issue is far more complex and having been in that situation with my oldest I would suggest that the problem is more acute in the junior or senior year than it as a freshman. The freshman year might be the only year where they get a challenge from high school soccer. You might be better off taking advantage of the competition the first year and then looking at the alternatives in later years. I am one that thinks you have to play and not just train if you want to get better and I do respect what participating with high school peers can add to the whole picture so in general I would suggest doing both.

[Unregistered]

Yablu/Pathfinder/Btdt, you're not going to destabilize the roster of a strong pre-ECNL team by trying to stir up anxieties about the glories of playing varsity as a freshman next year. The core of such a team is too good, focused, and ambitious -- and want the training under their coach. Good ECNL players aren't worried about "making varsity" any year. Surely, they won't be swayed by your pronouncements about "top-tracked players." You might as well move on from the GU13 group.

You must be the coach of one of these teams. I certainly hope to stabilize the HS life of a 14-year old girl at the risk of de-stabilizing your core.

[Unregistered]

You must be the coach of one of these teams. I certainly hope to stabilize the HS life of a 14-year old girl at the risk of de-stabilizing your core.

No, I'm not. Just a parent with a kid on one of the teams. What's your connection to the GU13 group, BTDT?

[Unregistered]

No, I'm not. Just a parent with a kid on one of the teams. What's your connection to the GU13 group, BTDT?

Me too. And if she makes it, she's playing High School as a freshman. Clubs are whores, we pay them. Don't be bullied by club coach, let your D have fun. Her spots not going anywhere (as long as the check clears)