Rec to travel at u12

[Anonymous]

My kid has been to a lot of tryouts and no club ever asked which team we were trying out for before hand.

[Anonymous]

What I wish someone told us, but never did. Probably the best way for your DC to make the top travel team. At my DC's club years ago, the kids on the top travel team were the kids whose parents knew enough to ask to get their kids playing up a year on travel the year before they were supposed to (mostly parents with older kids that figured it out the hard way for their younger children). Those kids almost all played on the lowest travel team playing up. However, when their normal first year travel came the next year, they were almost all the kids who made the top travel team and stayed on the top travel team. This is the way to do it. We were not informed of this, but were one of the lucky 2-3 that were given the opportunity to play up by the coach.
If he did not already know my DC, we would have been left behind. The first year playing up on travel is what makes or breaks whether your DC gets the looks for the top travel team their first year. And, as you have read many many times on here, there is very little movement between top and second team after the first year. Push for your child to play up on travel before they are supposed to. This is how they get the looks they need when they need it. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I wish someone told us, but never did. Probably the best way for your DC to make the top travel team. At my DC's club years ago, the kids on the top travel team were the kids whose parents knew enough to ask to get their kids playing up a year on travel the year before they were supposed to (mostly parents with older kids that figured it out the hard way for their younger children). Those kids almost all played on the lowest travel team playing up. However, when their normal first year travel came the next year, they were almost all the kids who made the top travel team and stayed on the top travel team. This is the way to do it. We were not informed of this, but were one of the lucky 2-3 that were given the opportunity to play up by the coach.
If he did not already know my DC, we would have been left behind. The first year playing up on travel is what makes or breaks whether your DC gets the looks for the top travel team their first year. And, as you have read many many times on here, there is very little movement between top and second team after the first year. Push for your child to play up on travel before they are supposed to. This is how they get the looks they need when they need it. Good luck.

Our son also made the top team this way despite us having no idea how the system works. They offered him a spot in the one year up travel team after seeing him play in rec. And then the following year when his age group started to have travel teams they put him on the top team. There were a few other kids who joined the team that way but not everyone. After the first year they sent three players down, but all the kids who started playing one year up remained on the team. As far as I know none of the parents asked. They just got spotted in rec and moved to travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I wish someone told us, but never did. Probably the best way for your DC to make the top travel team. At my DC's club years ago, the kids on the top travel team were the kids whose parents knew enough to ask to get their kids playing up a year on travel the year before they were supposed to (mostly parents with older kids that figured it out the hard way for their younger children). Those kids almost all played on the lowest travel team playing up. However, when their normal first year travel came the next year, they were almost all the kids who made the top travel team and stayed on the top travel team. This is the way to do it. We were not informed of this, but were one of the lucky 2-3 that were given the opportunity to play up by the coach.
If he did not already know my DC, we would have been left behind. The first year playing up on travel is what makes or breaks whether your DC gets the looks for the top travel team their first year. And, as you have read many many times on here, there is very little movement between top and second team after the first year. Push for your child to play up on travel before they are supposed to. This is how they get the looks they need when they need it. Good luck.

Our son also made the top team this way despite us having no idea how the system works. They offered him a spot in the one year up travel team after seeing him play in rec. And then the following year when his age group started to have travel teams they put him on the top team. There were a few other kids who joined the team that way but not everyone. After the first year they sent three players down, but all the kids who started playing one year up remained on the team. As far as I know none of the parents asked. They just got spotted in rec and moved to travel.

While I agree this can work to get on the top team in year 1, it may not work in the long run if at all. I can think of 5 kids who did that in my kid’s age group. Of the 5, four were placed on the top team the following year and one on the second team. Two of the four were moved down in year two. The second team kid never moved up. Meanwhile my own kid started travel “on time” on the second team and is now one of the best on the top team. Some of the kids who played up early were just bigger and more aggressive. Other kids caught up with and passed them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I wish someone told us, but never did. Probably the best way for your DC to make the top travel team. At my DC's club years ago, the kids on the top travel team were the kids whose parents knew enough to ask to get their kids playing up a year on travel the year before they were supposed to (mostly parents with older kids that figured it out the hard way for their younger children). Those kids almost all played on the lowest travel team playing up. However, when their normal first year travel came the next year, they were almost all the kids who made the top travel team and stayed on the top travel team. This is the way to do it. We were not informed of this, but were one of the lucky 2-3 that were given the opportunity to play up by the coach.
If he did not already know my DC, we would have been left behind. The first year playing up on travel is what makes or breaks whether your DC gets the looks for the top travel team their first year. And, as you have read many many times on here, there is very little movement between top and second team after the first year. Push for your child to play up on travel before they are supposed to. This is how they get the looks they need when they need it. Good luck.

Our son also made the top team this way despite us having no idea how the system works. They offered him a spot in the one year up travel team after seeing him play in rec. And then the following year when his age group started to have travel teams they put him on the top team. There were a few other kids who joined the team that way but not everyone. After the first year they sent three players down, but all the kids who started playing one year up remained on the team. As far as I know none of the parents asked. They just got spotted in rec and moved to travel.

While I agree this can work to get on the top team in year 1, it may not work in the long run if at all. I can think of 5 kids who did that in my kid’s age group. Of the 5, four were placed on the top team the following year and one on the second team. Two of the four were moved down in year two. The second team kid never moved up. Meanwhile my own kid started travel “on time” on the second team and is now one of the best on the top team. Some of the kids who played up early were just bigger and more aggressive. Other kids caught up with and passed them.

I am not claiming it works for everyone, but it seemed to work in our team. All the kids are still on the team 4 years on and they are actually not the biggest kids. Our club in general does not seem to put teams together based on size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has been to a lot of tryouts and no club ever asked which team we were trying out for before hand.

We did tryouts with 2 clubs. Both had it as a field in the PlayMetrics registration form. Wasn’t required, but they absolutely read it because he was placed on the appropriate field for where we were coming from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I wish someone told us, but never did. Probably the best way for your DC to make the top travel team. At my DC's club years ago, the kids on the top travel team were the kids whose parents knew enough to ask to get their kids playing up a year on travel the year before they were supposed to (mostly parents with older kids that figured it out the hard way for their younger children). Those kids almost all played on the lowest travel team playing up. However, when their normal first year travel came the next year, they were almost all the kids who made the top travel team and stayed on the top travel team. This is the way to do it. We were not informed of this, but were one of the lucky 2-3 that were given the opportunity to play up by the coach.
If he did not already know my DC, we would have been left behind. The first year playing up on travel is what makes or breaks whether your DC gets the looks for the top travel team their first year. And, as you have read many many times on here, there is very little movement between top and second team after the first year. Push for your child to play up on travel before they are supposed to. This is how they get the looks they need when they need it. Good luck.

My DD played travel 1 year early and she was so far ahead of the other girls that started to play at U9. She was on the top team right off the bat and scored 26 goals in the fall time. Playing travel 1 year early gets your kid noticed and gets a jump at the top team spot. My problem was, we were on the top team at a small club...and that advantage was gone after 2 years at the small club. When we changed to a large club w a national program, my DD was related back down to 2nd team status.

So, aside from starting travel a year early, you also have to choose a good club with a national program otherwise it won't matter if your kid is on the top team at a small club.

This post if off topic to the thread "Rec to travel at u12," but yes to the OP, your DD can still join travel teams at U12. Then depending on how good of natural athlete they become, they can move up easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I wish someone told us, but never did. Probably the best way for your DC to make the top travel team. At my DC's club years ago, the kids on the top travel team were the kids whose parents knew enough to ask to get their kids playing up a year on travel the year before they were supposed to (mostly parents with older kids that figured it out the hard way for their younger children). Those kids almost all played on the lowest travel team playing up. However, when their normal first year travel came the next year, they were almost all the kids who made the top travel team and stayed on the top travel team. This is the way to do it. We were not informed of this, but were one of the lucky 2-3 that were given the opportunity to play up by the coach.
If he did not already know my DC, we would have been left behind. The first year playing up on travel is what makes or breaks whether your DC gets the looks for the top travel team their first year. And, as you have read many many times on here, there is very little movement between top and second team after the first year. Push for your child to play up on travel before they are supposed to. This is how they get the looks they need when they need it. Good luck.

My DD played travel 1 year early and she was so far ahead of the other girls that started to play at U9. She was on the top team right off the bat and scored 26 goals in the fall time. Playing travel 1 year early gets your kid noticed and gets a jump at the top team spot. My problem was, we were on the top team at a small club...and that advantage was gone after 2 years at the small club. When we changed to a large club w a national program, my DD was related back down to 2nd team status.

So, aside from starting travel a year early, you also have to choose a good club with a national program otherwise it won't matter if your kid is on the top team at a small club.

This post if off topic to the thread "Rec to travel at u12," but yes to the OP, your DD can still join travel teams at U12. Then depending on how good of natural athlete they become, they can move up easily.

Ever kid’s path is different. u12 is not too late. The nonsense in this forum is crazy to me.

My kid started on the third team a year or so after the other kids started and she made the first team after a few years because she likes it and tried hard. She also never scored 26 goals in the fall, but that is an oddly specific metric to meet.

[Anonymous]

It's kind of late at this point. Most clubs started tryouts in February. Most have their rosters set for next year by now. If she's great, you can likely still get ID sessions somewhere for the next few weeks. Bigger clubs start summer/preseason by July.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of late at this point. Most clubs started tryouts in February. Most have their rosters set for next year by now. If she's great, you can likely still get ID sessions somewhere for the next few weeks. Bigger clubs start summer/preseason by July.

Nonsense. Most tryouts this player would be intersted in were in April/May. Lots of roster spots still available for girls.

[Anonymous]

A lot of clubs offer various offseason camps that are occasionally staffed with salaried staff coaches there to supervise the camp. It's not a bad way to get a foot in the door.

[Anonymous]

Loudoun only looks at other club players or all-star kids at u12 and below. Go look at other clubs; most leave a spot or two open for post tryout players to join. The u12 bottom team for next year is rec travel at best at Loudoun so you're not missing much not making that team and spending $1,000s on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of late at this point. Most clubs started tryouts in February. Most have their rosters set for next year by now. If she's great, you can likely still get ID sessions somewhere for the next few weeks. Bigger clubs start summer/preseason by July.

Nonsense. Most tryouts this player would be intersted in were in April/May. Lots of roster spots still available for girls.

This is very true. They aren't going to be the best most competitive teams but there are a lot of entry level travel teams still looking for players. ODFC, LFC, FPYC, Herndon, BYRC, VSA, Valor, etc are all still looking for players from what I've heard/seen.

[Anonymous]

There is no reason not to start at U12 if your DD wants to play. It might be a nicer tryout for her too since they will probably just invite her to the training session for an existing team, which means she can actually meet the kids on the team and work with the coach (who may or may not be the same one for next year, of course).

[Anonymous]

My DC went from rec to travel at U11. A little difficult adjustment at first but worked up to becoming a starter. It’s not too late at U12.