Let's just get the "hot weather" issue out of the way first -- anything that a kid does outside in the summer in this part of the country is going to be hot: soccer camps, other sports/activities, etc. (Yes, I suppose if there is a nice indoor futsal activity to participate in, that's great.) So then, what's Super Y? In my kid's case, it's a couple of 90 minutes practice sessions 2x per week (in the evenings) and a weekend game for roughly 1 hour (of which he'll play 30-45 minutes). So, less than 4 hours of soccer per week. I don't even know exactly how long the Super Y season is, but in 10 weeks it would be roughly equivalent to the amount of time a kid would spend playing soccer in one of those week-long, full-day soccer camps. Maybe it's not the best option for touches on the ball or technical skill development, but if kids like it and enjoy the competition that comes with playing games, it's better than many other options. In our case, we're using Super Y as a chance to play with a different club, and play up a year, to get some exposure to different teammates and different coaching and playing styles. Maybe the Super Y hate comes from people who have had a miserable time sitting on the sidelines in the middle of hot summer games; parents typically won't be sitting and watching their kids playing at a weeklong soccer camp, but for the players it's just as hot! Certainly that's an argument for skipping it. But for those kids who want to play games on a team -- maybe they don't have many friends in the neighborhood and miss playing soccer with other kids during the summer -- it's great. |
RSD - in your book about why American men's soccer will never win it all did you include a chapter on how kids and parents are too fragile to play in anything above room temperature? Because the last time I checked - there are a hotter climates in the world than the DC area. And I bet those kids sure aren't complaining. |
We did Super Y with Vienna a few years ago. I'm happy to not play in the league again until the league improves. Practice was fine and I don't mind the heat, but there were a couple of times that we drove to PA for games to play on crappy fields - and the other team didn't have enough players and had to forfeit. There are lots of summer options just as there are lots of tournament options or league options or extra training options. If VYS or any other club can't offer a good experience, then I don't hold it against them for not fielding a team in any particular league/event. |
Please never get involved in coaching because you'd have a team full of patsies. |
The division is all Northern Virginia with Bethesda thrown in. There are no trips to PA. The league has expanded and is quite well organized. |
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VYS? Who are they? Are those the kids who get rejected by McLean and Bethesda?
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Bethesda? Not even close enough to consider. McLean? Not good enough to consider. My son refuses to play there despite my pleading for him to play closer to home. He’d rather play elsewhere with better talent. I think SYC’s second team boys will now become McLean first teams, right? |
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‘Pleading’ really? are you kidding me
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Haha insecure much? |
My son’s VYS team did lose to Bethesda, but had repeatedly beaten McLean’s top team in his age group. So, no. |
| That's because VYS specializes in offering soccer babysitting services at the younger ages and doesn't really push the players that hard. Then when they get older you can see that they don't have that aggression that other teams do. |
We used to be with Vienna and left two years ago because we got tired of being outhustled by inferior teams. Our son is with another club now and they all work throughout the entire game. While maybe not the most polite term to say "soft", it's probably an accurate description in general of VYS teams. |
Work rate is going to be highly influence by the coach. I am sure it varies, but my son's coach at VYS pushes them to hustle every game. |
| "aggressive" and "kids who grow up in Vienna" don't really go together in the same sentence. |
So now I guess your kid is on an inferior soccer team. Congrats. |