Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:which would you rather have, staying in rec with friends or losing 9-0 every single weekend to superior teams whose players actually belong in a travel league
Thought I would come back to this thread. I'm the PP who wound up putting my DD on VYS U9 Gold. They are 5 games in, so about halfway through the fall season.
What a great experience! Other than a few minor niggles (better parking at Jones Branch?) I'm not sure what else I could ask for.
- They did wind up putting Gold in ODSL, which I think was a good decision.
- Games have generally been very well balanced. There have been a couple of 8-0 or 6-3 games this season, but VYS has been on the winning side of those. They are 3-1-1.
- The coaching and practice seems well run, organized, dedicated (they play rain or shine), and I like what the coach emphasizes WRT player development.
- Attendance is good, and they run a small bench, which means the girls get tons of playing time.
I don't know how VYS house has been this season, but this was absolutely the right decision for our DD. I suspect VYS is pleased from an Academy perspective, as they get increased revenue and a larger pool of girls to funnel into next year.
I think the big question will be what happens next season. Can they sustain 5 teams at U10 (I'm guessing not, but maybe)? Some girls will leave - Move out of the area, leave for other sports, leave for other clubs, etc. On the flip side, they will probably get some additional house players who try out again next year and make it.
I think the other question will be how much player movement between teams VYS pushes. As I suspected during tryouts, team placement was not a perfect exercise (and how can it be?), and there are a few girls on gold and silver that will likely move straight up to black or red at some point. The more aggressively they promote / relegate players, the more competitive their top teams become, but you could also get into a situation where gold and silver are no longer competitive with other teams.
I'm sure others have seen all of this play out in the past. How is VYS going for your DC?