Spring Travel Soccer Tryouts 2018
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Anonymous
Yes. My son was offered a spot on the top team and moved to the B team as soon as the season started. A few new kids appeared after the initial roster was set and it was clear they would need to make space on the top team for them. They were undeniably better than any of the existing players. It was disappointing for our son and I felt like it was a bait and switch. A few weeks into the season, my son was over it and so was I. The B team was still a strong team and I think it’s a better fit for his skill level. If I couldn’t clearly see that the new players were better than my son, I probably would have had a tougher time accepting it. |
Anonymous
Although the situation does suck in the long run it's probably best for him as he likely gets a lot more playing time than he would have had on the top team. He has an opportunity to continue developing and build some confidence so that next year he can challenge for the top team. |
Anonymous
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Arlington tryout dates for 2010 birth dates have been posted.
https://arlingtonsoccer.demosphere-secure.com/programs/travel/tryout-information/tryout-schedule-notification-info Tryout Dates Saturday, April 28 Sunday, April 29 Saturday, May 5 Sunday, May 6 (Make Up - times tbd) Williamsburg Middle School Tryout Times Girls - 5:15 to 6:30 PM Boys – 6:30 to 7:45 PM |
Anonymous
So the letters really do not mean anything? |
Anonymous
I'm much happier that my kid at U-little plays on a B team, rather than A teams. First, it is a lot more fun to watch the games where your kid makes a big difference in the outcome of a game, Second, less stress and yelling by the coach if they mess up a play, Third, DC still practices and scrimmages against the top team, and Fourth, the A team parents are pretty intense / crazy, always yelling at their kids during the game what the kid should be doing. I'm sure at U11, DC will be called up to A team, but we're enjoying the lesser stress at this time. The part that sucks is when DC or another gets called up to play with the A team at a tournament or game, leaves our B team weaker. |
Anonymous
Anyone have any predictions on the strength of Arlington's 2010 boys ? Did any/many play up this year? |
Anonymous
I couldn't agree more. A teams, especially at top Clubs, have a pressure to win, win, win and most will do anything beginning at U9 to do that which flies in the face of developing these players for how they will be at 16/17/18 years old and beyond. They tend to pigeonhold kids to position. They tend to be joysticked more. They tend to play in more tournaments and have games farther away. They have the expectation that they have to purchase every additional training the Club offers. They have the pressure to not miss a single practice or game---even when it is a family wedding or something that will be so much more important than an 8-year old's soccer game in life. I also agree there is an intensity on the sidelines of almost all 'A' teams from parents. They exude stress. They are always looking at other kids as the enemy. God forbid a kid from one of the 'lowly' teams guest plays for them. Being on a B team in the younger years allows the kids to scrimmage the A team at practices. It allows the players a lot more freedom and leeway in terms of missing practices or deciding not to play futsal or to get individual training somewhere on their own not affiliated with the Club. The parents, for the most part, tend to much more relaxed. They tend to have a bigger picture and a long-term development in mind. I look at our A teams crazy schedule and crazy, butt-clenched so tight they could polish quarters and I am so glad my kid is playing in a relaxed environment. With older kid, we have seen the benefit now that he is entering teen years. Most of those A team kids started dropping the sport by middle school, burned out or they no longer could hang on the A team and couldn't handle a demotion. Of course, there are exceptions. However, they tend to be few. |
Anonymous
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13:45 - the letters are supposed to mean stuff, but it's not a perfect system. Last year my daughter played on the F team, and I had some opportunities to watch all 6 teams at her age level. The A and B teams were REALLY GOOD, with the A team being just slightly better than the B. The C and D team were pretty comparable to each other but not at the level of the A/B, and the F team ended up beating the E team. But the difference between the A team and our team was pretty dramatic given that all the girls are roughly the same age. We had a couple of A players in one tournament and a couple of B players in another one, and they really raised the level of play.
It's hard to tell in a few tryout sessions who is A v. B or even B v. C, etc. So sometimes there are shake-ups once the season starts. Kids move up or down or out between years - our F team lost 3 girls to C, 2 girls to D and 2 girls to E. A and B stayed pretty constant. The thing that can be hard about playing for an E or F team is that many clubs don't have 5 or 6 teams - they have 3. So your F team is playing their C team and they might just be better than you, so you get crushed in every game. It can be a tough adjustment for a kid who is used to winning all their Rec games, to all of a sudden being low man on the totem pole and losing all your games 7-1 or 6-0. As for the "just about any kid can make a travel team", that really depends on the gender and the year. In our year and the next one, there weren't really many girls trying out, so most girls who came out made a team. On the boys' side, there were at least twice as many boys as there were travel team slots, so many, many kids did not make travel. And some did not make developmental either. |
Anonymous
Oh God, here we go Arlington...time to get all freakin' worked up about a bunch of 7 year olds. |
Anonymous
| LOL. Yes, here's the prediction. There will be a bunch of really little kids running up and down the pitch and a bunch of insane parents yelling as if it's the Champions League final. |
Anonymous
I asked that question, and my kid plays Rec for a county near Arlington, but not Arlington. If my DC played for Arlington, I'd probably have a sense for its competitive level. |
Anonymous
They have first and second grade academy one day per week on top of the Arl rec program. Kids that do that in addition to rec usually have an edge up. If they had behavioral issues though it can work in the opposite direction. But--they always like players from outside of Arlington. You will get a special look then the ones they've known for a few years. Like to keep the completion in house. |
Anonymous
There were 11 kids on my son's U10 A team. 9 of them are in DA now (U14). I agree many great players were on B team when they were young. But saying most of A team players will burn out or drop maybe is not making too much sense. |
Anonymous
PP here. I do want to add that I also know many good players were on B, C or even D team at younger age. So no need to rush to A team too early. |
Anonymous
Is this THEIR own Club's DA where they started and stayed when they were U10? That is a very different thing then leaving their home Club and making DC United's U14 team. The former is essentially the same coaches and the same team as their old A team. Very few kids after puberty and different development spurts, lack of growth, other kids growing, stay in the same spot for 4 full years. |