Some districts are easier than others

If you were at a 1A or 2A school you would be good to go and your DD would definitely make the team without changing course or doing anything extra.

Churchill is a 4A school in an area where soccer is very popular and there are lot of good travel teams. Even a lot of "good" players will not be selected. Tryouts should be coming up soon for preseason, why don't you go to a tryout day and observe, see how many girls show up and the level of play.

I will add -- the level of play at a given high school is entirely dependent on the level of club play of the kids who go there. A high school coach has really no time to work on skill development or fitness. So, who walks in the door really determines the shape of the team. If the area has quite a few top level clubs then there is a pretty decent chance that a good many of those kids will end up on the high school team.

This can be a surprise for parents (but not really for their kids). Here they are thinking their kid is doing okay on their middle school team, and then first day of high school tryouts a bunch of kids show up who were playing fairly high level club ball year round while in middle school,and so did not play for the middle school team.

So -- a high school coach has their tryout, and basically is hoping to see a bunch of club players show up. They then are going to focus on trying to figure out positions for the varsity team. It is not an easy task. And, for girls in particular, they will likely be mixing up 9th graders through 12th graders. That's easier for girls as 9th graders are often fully grown whereas the senior guys may be way bigger than the 9th grade guys.

It would be a good idea to go to a couple of the girls high school games this Fall. Check the schedule. It will be on-line.

You and your daughter can get a feel for the level of play. You don't have to stay for the entire game. Have her bring a friend who plays on her team and will attend the school too. You can stay for the first half if it is boring for them.

It is always a good idea for younger kids to watch what skilled older players are doing up close (and your high school team may not be exceptionally skilled). I enjoyed the high school games my kids played in, and will watch a few minutes of a game now if I am nearby.

Anonymous wrote:All that will matter is speed. The first cut for the HS team is based on speed. Not experience.

I had assumed this was true at all the local high schools after hearing the same from friends with kids on Churchill. Our kid is fast and extremely fit (and very skillful), but small and not particularly aggressive. Turns out that at tryouts for our school, there was no fitness test and no races of any sort.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. As PP said, I'm not thinking so much of tournaments (once in a while sounds fun). I know parents who've pulled out of travel because even the"local" games are clear on the other side of the DMV and take almost all day, with the driving, pre-game warm up, game, and driving home. That's a lot of time for dd to play an hour's worth of soccer. Plus, I have two other kids that I like to spend time with, too!

Thanks for the advice from everyone. I'll seriously look into travel for the following year, and maybe add in some clinics, etc. to keep her on the right trajectory til next year's tryouts.

The other aspect of HS soccer and soccer in general that isn't being discussed is overall fitness. HS requires a level of fitness that only a dedicated athlete will be able to achieve. Playing soccer at a rec level will not build the level of fitness that will be necessary to play.

If you are avoiding travel soccer because of the inconvenience to your lifestyle my guess is other sports are viewed in the same way. I would predict that your kid would be severely sucking wind if DC isn't very physically active otherwise. The HS season is to short and intense to get into shape during the season. HS coaches want kids fit and ready to go at the start.

All that will matter is speed. The first cut for the HS team is based on speed. Not experience.

Sounds like a sound approach. You will have plenty of time next Spring to re-assess her goals and engagement.

OP here. As PP said, I'm not thinking so much of tournaments (once in a while sounds fun). I know parents who've pulled out of travel because even the"local" games are clear on the other side of the DMV and take almost all day, with the driving, pre-game warm up, game, and driving home. That's a lot of time for dd to play an hour's worth of soccer. Plus, I have two other kids that I like to spend time with, too!

Thanks for the advice from everyone. I'll seriously look into travel for the following year, and maybe add in some clinics, etc. to keep her on the right trajectory til next year's tryouts.