Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgetaboutit.

Your last real vacation was last summer. If he is serious - and the team has some talent - consider the summer of 24 (for all intent and purpose) over.

My son (not Moco) played all summer in league games with JV and varsity, practiced nearly every day - 2x. Weight training, running for distance and sprint drills. It was exhausting.

Started week after 8th grade ended.

A year from now, if your boy is good he likely won’t want to play for high school. Enjoy while you can!

I had to laugh at this. We were just talking about our options for vacation and the dates. Essentially, you have the two weeks between the end of school and July 1 to vacation and enjoy your summer. Starting July 1, the teams can have summer workouts. They are not officially tryouts, just voluntary work outs. But, they are not as voluntary as the term voluntary would imply.

So, seriously, for the next four years, your window of opportunity is between about June 14 or 15 and June 30.

Neither of my kids played summer league. My son did strength training. If your kid is fast and aggressive he’ll be fine. Even if he loses the ball. Any other type of play and he’ll ride the bench.

But kids who want to be competitive ARE playing summer league…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be prepared as some coaches set tryouts at ridiculous times at 7am during August.

In addition to a small-sided Summer League run by Bethesda with local high schools, there are a few HS prep camps that run 1-2 weeks before HS tryouts.

The reason for the ridiculous try out times is two-fold: 1. different sports are competing for limited field space, and,
2. Its damn hot and humid in August. I'd much rather my kid be at soccer or football practice at 7am in August than anytime between 11-3

That’s foolish. Why not say 5pm instead of 11-3pm. Also, parents work. So unless players are of driving aga, who the hell is driving them?

Summer leagues can be important to help kids meet the other players and build rapport on the field. Coaches are supposed to remain disconnected but many will be there and they will hear about the strongest players and will lookout for those players during tryouts.

The coaches of the better programs already know who the top players are but there is always the opportunity to impress. My daughter had a teammate from her club who wasn't on the top team and was not a starter on the MS team but between the summer of her 8th and 9th grade years worked her butt off and came into tryouts unknown but impressed the coaches so much that she started every game as a freshman defender on a varsity team that was ranked in the WaPo, was a contender for the MD 4A State Final and included more than a half dozen players that went on the play college soccer at elite DI and DIII programs.

Tryouts are August 9, I think.
If he makes the team there may be an exhibition game that weekend and then practices. For our school tryouts were brutal. I think they took maybe 2 income 9th graders out of about 70 trying out. And those 70 basically all play travel soccer. They filled the JV team almost exclusively with sophomores an maybe some juniors.

Anonymous wrote:Be prepared as some coaches set tryouts at ridiculous times at 7am during August.

In addition to a small-sided Summer League run by Bethesda with local high schools, there are a few HS prep camps that run 1-2 weeks before HS tryouts.

The reason for the ridiculous try out times is two-fold: 1. different sports are competing for limited field space, and,
2. Its damn hot and humid in August. I'd much rather my kid be at soccer or football practice at 7am in August than anytime between 11-3

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgetaboutit.

Your last real vacation was last summer. If he is serious - and the team has some talent - consider the summer of 24 (for all intent and purpose) over.

My son (not Moco) played all summer in league games with JV and varsity, practiced nearly every day - 2x. Weight training, running for distance and sprint drills. It was exhausting.

Started week after 8th grade ended.

A year from now, if your boy is good he likely won’t want to play for high school. Enjoy while you can!

I had to laugh at this. We were just talking about our options for vacation and the dates. Essentially, you have the two weeks between the end of school and July 1 to vacation and enjoy your summer. Starting July 1, the teams can have summer workouts. They are not officially tryouts, just voluntary work outs. But, they are not as voluntary as the term voluntary would imply.

So, seriously, for the next four years, your window of opportunity is between about June 14 or 15 and June 30.

Neither of my kids played summer league. My son did strength training. If your kid is fast and aggressive he’ll be fine. Even if he loses the ball. Any other type of play and he’ll ride the bench.

Anonymous wrote:Forgetaboutit.

Your last real vacation was last summer. If he is serious - and the team has some talent - consider the summer of 24 (for all intent and purpose) over.

My son (not Moco) played all summer in league games with JV and varsity, practiced nearly every day - 2x. Weight training, running for distance and sprint drills. It was exhausting.

Started week after 8th grade ended.

A year from now, if your boy is good he likely won’t want to play for high school. Enjoy while you can!

I had to laugh at this. We were just talking about our options for vacation and the dates. Essentially, you have the two weeks between the end of school and July 1 to vacation and enjoy your summer. Starting July 1, the teams can have summer workouts. They are not officially tryouts, just voluntary work outs. But, they are not as voluntary as the term voluntary would imply.

So, seriously, for the next four years, your window of opportunity is between about June 14 or 15 and June 30.

Be prepared as some coaches set tryouts at ridiculous times at 7am during August.

In addition to a small-sided Summer League run by Bethesda with local high schools, there are a few HS prep camps that run 1-2 weeks before HS tryouts.

MPSSAA sets the dates foe all MD HS sports.

http://www.mpssaa.org/mobile/information-center/references/

On the site site above, scroll to "2024-25 Quick Reference Calendar" and you'll see the exact date (sorry, I've tried to post the direct link multiple times and have given up)

MD HS soccer practices will officially start Aug 14 in Fall of 24. Be aware, most HSs team captains will run practices prior to that date (won't be 'official' practices because that's not allowed, but trust me, your kid should be there for the week prior)

Anonymous wrote:Forgetaboutit.

Your last real vacation was last summer. If he is serious - and the team has some talent - consider the summer of 24 (for all intent and purpose) over.

My son (not Moco) played all summer in league games with JV and varsity, practiced nearly every day - 2x. Weight training, running for distance and sprint drills. It was exhausting.

Started week after 8th grade ended.

A year from now, if your boy is good he likely won’t want to play for high school. Enjoy while you can!

My moco kids have never played summer league.

Forgetaboutit.

Your last real vacation was last summer. If he is serious - and the team has some talent - consider the summer of 24 (for all intent and purpose) over.

My son (not Moco) played all summer in league games with JV and varsity, practiced nearly every day - 2x. Weight training, running for distance and sprint drills. It was exhausting.

Started week after 8th grade ended.

A year from now, if your boy is good he likely won’t want to play for high school. Enjoy while you can!

Generally two weeks before school starts, but there are frequently unofficial "player run" practices over the summer that will help your player.

Tryouts are in August several weeks before school and practices begin in August.

Varies based on school.

If you mean tryouts, they can’t begin before a certain date in August. It’s usually early-mid August. But our school does summer leagues and trainings, even for potential rising 9th graders who want to tryout (only about 30-40% make it).

If you mean time of day some are right after schools some delayed an hour for clubs others early evening. I believe all would be over by dinner.

I have an incoming 9th grader who wants to try out for the boys HS soccer team this summer. Do practices begin before school starts? Trying to figure out our summer schedule. Thx!