Anonymous wrote:No public high schools in the DC suburbs are that small. Competition to make sports teams is fierce. So it is likely your experience is not helpful at all for OP. Thanks and maybe take a break from this thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:B.S. I don't particularly care if you want to make yourself feel good, but misinforming others about a soccer players chances of making. H.S team when they stop playing at 12 years old travel and move to rec on this forum is frustrating. So has your DC only played soccer two days a week, has he been practicing on his own, did his rec soccer coach turn out to be a really great teacher and avoids the three 3 L's?

The facts of the story just don't add up.

I'm not misinforming anyone -- the fact of the story are exactly as I conveyed them. My son stopped travel soccer after U12, played rec/house for a few years, and now he's playing on the JV team as a freshman in high school. His school has around 1,500 students, so not a "small private school." I don't know whether they're particularly strong, weak, or average in soccer, but so far based on the games they've played to date (both JV and Varsity) I'd say they're about average.

Remember -- the OP was talking about a travel player who was burned out and needed a break, not asking whether skipping travel soccer altogether is a good idea. Obviously, if a kid never played competitive soccer, only played rec/house his entire childhood, he might not be as good as a kid who used to play travel but then stepped back a bit. My son is obviously a good athlete and has some natural soccer talent, and also benefitted from learning some good basic skills early on in his soccer days from professional coaches that you get with travel soccer, but he's nothing special at soccer.

Anonymous wrote:B.S. I don't particularly care if you want to make yourself feel good, but misinforming others about a soccer players chances of making. H.S team when they stop playing at 12 years old travel and move to rec on this forum is frustrating. So has your DC only played soccer two days a week, has he been practicing on his own, did his rec soccer coach turn out to be a really great teacher and avoids the three 3 L's?

The facts of the story just don't add up.

Anonymous wrote:NP here with a younger child and new to the travel system. Is playing for the middle school/high school team more desirable than club soccer? Or if kids make the school team are they still playing travel soccer as well?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest played travel soccer from U8 up to U12. His enthusiasm waned during his U12 year. The coach wasn't great and the kids on his team didn't click very well; I knew those were contributing factors. But it was also true that his interests were changing.

So the next year he switched to house/rec soccer with the same club; that meant only 1 day of practice per week, plus 1 game per week. That was enough to keep him happy playing, give him some exercise, and let him take a mental break from soccer for a while.

We stuck with house for a few years, until this year when he started high school. He made his high school JV team and has been having fun playing with his schoolmates; his enthusiasm and interest have gone back up; he's practicing every day after school and having fun.

He will never have a soccer "career" as a professional player, but I hope and expect that he will continue to enjoy representing his school and playing soccer with his friends over the next four years of high school.

B.S. I don't particularly care if you want to make yourself feel good, but misinforming others about a soccer players chances of making. H.S team when they stop playing at 12 years old travel and move to rec on this forum is frustrating. So has your DC only played soccer two days a week, has he been practicing on his own, did his rec soccer coach turn out to be a really great teacher and avoids the three 3 L's?

The facts of the story just don't add up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest played travel soccer from U8 up to U12. His enthusiasm waned during his U12 year. The coach wasn't great and the kids on his team didn't click very well; I knew those were contributing factors. But it was also true that his interests were changing.

So the next year he switched to house/rec soccer with the same club; that meant only 1 day of practice per week, plus 1 game per week. That was enough to keep him happy playing, give him some exercise, and let him take a mental break from soccer for a while.

We stuck with house for a few years, until this year when he started high school. He made his high school JV team and has been having fun playing with his schoolmates; his enthusiasm and interest have gone back up; he's practicing every day after school and having fun.

He will never have a soccer "career" as a professional player, but I hope and expect that he will continue to enjoy representing his school and playing soccer with his friends over the next four years of high school.

B.S. I don't particularly care if you want to make yourself feel good, but misinforming others about a soccer players chances of making. H.S team when they stop playing at 12 years old travel and move to rec on this forum is frustrating. So has your DC only played soccer two days a week, has he been practicing on his own, did his rec soccer coach turn out to be a really great teacher and avoids the three 3 L's?

The facts of the story just don't add up.