08 Upper level rec player - possible to break into travel at age 12?
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Anonymous
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I have a son born in 2008. He's played only rec so far, but has been getting steadily better and is now interested in playing travel. We live in Arlington, and he's tried out for the travel league and did not make the team.
He's at the top of his rec team, but there seems to be a big jump between rec and travel. Is there anything he can do to make a travel team? There seems to be nothing in the middle, nothing to help him get better and play at the travel level. |
Anonymous
I doubt the jump is all that huge from a top rec did to Arlington's 08 Black team, which is the 5th team. Is there anything that he can do? Sure. Is he working on his own? Is he juggling, working on footskills, kicking the ball off a wall/working on his first touch, dribbling through cones, shooting at mom/dad/sibling at the park or in the yard? Did he sign up for winter training sessions with maybe Golden Boot who has sessions in Fairfax. I think Alexandria has winter clinics as well. Did you sign him up for any winter leagues? Alexandria futsal has a rec league. McLean has an outdoor winter rec league. Are you trying to help him organize pick up games at the local park? So there is absolutely plenty for him to be doing...on his own, with friend, in a group, with his family, ....plenty of options. |
Anonymous
Did he play ADP? That is the middle program between travel and rec in Arlington but at age 12, he just aged out. He can also try out for PAC (falls church) and McLean. Way more low key (in the bottom teams) than Arl. Depending on where you live their fields may be closer that Gunston or WMS that Arlington uses. If you want some private training, try Capstone. They are fantastic and do training with the Arl travel teams so can probably provide good feedback. |
Anonymous
| absolutely and those kids playing on the travel team will probably end up behind him in terms of skills by the time it is all said and done. |
Anonymous
He can make a team, but the kids on the travel program have been training three or four days a week minimum since they started. To the extend skill is learned through repetition, he won't surpass them unless he is a better natural athlete. |
Anonymous
Yes it's possible, just depends on the club and needs/availability and of course if the kid is good enough. One of my kids' travel teams is about same age as your son's and picked up a kid who only began playing the sport a couple years ago--kid had honed his footskills on his own and stood out in the SFL enough to be offered a tryout and a spot on the team. He will probably be a sub to start. Now this travel team isn't an ECNL team or a team of worldbeaters by any stretch. I see no reason why, if he's good enough, he couldn't make a lower level travel team. Just the matter of finding the right one(s). May also be easier to do in late spring when teams are conducting tryouts for fall... |
Anonymous
| Try PAC, premier athletics club, based in Falls Church. He will not be treated like a number in a big system there like they do in Arlington |
Anonymous
PAC would be a good place to break into travel, VYS, also, could be a good entry point. |
Anonymous
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Why does he want to play travel ?
His best chance for spring tryouts is to ask the coach of the team he did not make to explain why and recommend some teams to try out for. And ask other teams if he can try out for this spring and get their feedback. |
Anonymous
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It's not necessarily that he is any worse of a player than the kids currently on the travel team, but if the team randomly dropped travel players that had been paying for and succeeding in the system for several years in favor of new rec players that are comparable, that would be a bad look. Now, if the rec player was far superior, the club would do it, yes.
Also, by U13, the kids are slated for positions to a degree. Meaning that, if your kid is tiny, they are not going to make him a center back, and if a center back is what they need, it's not going to be him that they select. If your kid is relatively slower, he's not going to be selected if they need wings. |
Anonymous
| OP, if the location is feasible for you, have him to to NPCs tryout (check their website for the date and location - it is soon). Their travel teams are not super competitive, but it was helpful for my son to do it for a year to learn skills to get on a more competitive team. The coaches were nice and had good feedback. |
Anonymous
You live in Arlington but did he tried out at ASA? They have 5 levels, if he didn't make any of them then you'll have to start paying for one-one coaching and really see if he's Travel material. |
Anonymous
| Try our for Vienna. At the older ages the kids start dropping so they are always looking for more kids |
Anonymous
| +3 for PAC many Arlington kids to carpool with in non-Covid times too. Practice is at Luther Jackson near mosaic. |
Anonymous
| I recommend getting in touch with one of the coaches from PAC and Arlington 08 team. My son plays for an Arlington team (not 08) and they have openings on the team. Your son may be invited out to a one on one tryout to join a team for the spring season. This would perhaps give him a leg up for tryouts for next year. |