FPYCparent wrote:It looks like tables aren't enabled for posting here, so here is my first cut at a:

Club Info Summary via Google Sheets.

This document is very much a work-in-progress. Therefore, I'm not letting the entire world edit it. (: Feel free to download a copy and muck with it on your own.

[...] I need to find a way to enable anonymous comments on the spreadsheet. Feel free to send private messages for now, I guess.

If this is fairly well received, I'll start a separate thread in a few days ... after I've added more stuff.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP who asked about the Arlington tryout process and color team assignment for U10 (2009 birth year) boys. Thanks very much to all who have responded! Your posts have been very helpful.

It sounds like boys coming from ADP can and do make travel teams ever year, but, realistically, only the bottom three teams. We'll leave it to DS to decide whether he wants to tryout or stick with ADP. I'm still conflicted about the best advice to give him. On one hand, he loves his ADP team, pro coach, and parent coaches, and has learned a lot this year. But at some point, he will age out of ADP, and I want him to still have options to play competitive soccer at that time (if he's still interested).

Some people tell me that it's no problem for kids to play ADP for three (or four, with the new age groups) years and then get into travel soccer as some of the kids who started playing travel at U9 begin to drop out. While others say that the training deficit is too great by that time, and after three years in ADP, you've fallen too far behind to get into travel. I'm not sure what to make of this. A MS age neighbor played ADP for several years and got into travel after that, and is now on a top (red) Arlington team. So I know it's possible, but I don't know whether it's exceedingly rare.

Of course, my goal for DS isn't to be on a red/white team at all costs. It's to find a team he enjoys while continuing to develop skills and preserving a range of playing options in the coming years. If ADP preserves those options down the road, we will probably stick with what we already know and like. The only thing giving me pause is the ADP pro coach, who has been very clear that he thinks DS is playing in the wrong "league."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BRYC is Elite, then Blue and then they have Black teams that are NCSL/ODSL. They also still have the ODSL teams run out of the rec side.

That is outdated info for BRYC. Now it is ECNL, then Elite for U13 and above (when there is a second team). Blue only exists at U12 and below, and only when there need to be separate "teams" for tournaments -- otherwise it is an Academy pool at those ages.

Black (and sometimes Silver) are NCSL/ODSL teams separate from the true travel side.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question about ASA tryouts (2009 Boys, if it matters). For the kids who make it through the "cattle call" tryouts, does ASA assign them a color team before the deadline to accept/decline the ASA travel roster spot?

DS tried out (with ASA) last year, made the first cut into the travel program, and attended the "sorting" tryout (I don't know what it's called, but the session for all the kids who had made it through the cattle call tryouts, and were now being sorted into the color teams). We were on the fence between doing travel and doing ADP, and ultimately decided on ADP. We declined the travel offer a couple of days before the deadline for decisions, and before DS had been assigned to a color team.

Now we're back in the same travel vs. ADP quandary again this year. DS has had a wonderful ADP experience, but is still interested in travel. If he were to make it through the travel tryouts, it might be helpful to know what team he would be on before deciding whether to accept the roster spot (and forgo ADP). Perhaps the weakest travel team isn't a big enough upgrade over his (rather good) ADP team to justify the increased cost and time commitment?

Does anyone know how this process works? We short-circuited it last year, and didn't get to see how the order of operations works at the tail end of the tryout process. Any thoughts on the relative merits of lower travel teams versus ADP?

Any age after U9 - you will be told the team color with offer.

Only U9s go through the second sorting/placement tryout.

I assume your kid is a U10 this year.

Since you are mentioning ADP I assume this is Arlington—guessing this isn’t ASA (Alexandria also ASA) or Annapolis.

Thanks, PP! Yes, I am asking about Arlington. Sorry for the confusion caused by mentioning ASA (I'm obviously new here!).

DS will be U10 this year, so thanks for explaining how things will differ from the U9 tryout process. It's good to know that the team color will come with the offer. I wonder how good a job the coaches do of "sorting" and placing the kids on to color teams during the tryouts, while also weeding out all of the kids who won't make the travel program at all? I suppose most of the kids who make it through the tryouts will already have played U9, so the coaches will already have a good idea of which color team they will assign them.

Any thoughts on how worthwhile the training/playing experience is on the lower Arlington teams?

Any coming in from ADP at u10 will make blue at best, probably black if good, and the rest gold/silver. ADP is a great program, unless you are red/white level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^well-known Type A Arlington parent strategy.

Start ‘em in travel in first/second grade to get ‘em seen.

anyone see the k'garteners at the girls u9 tryouts?!

Please tell us you are joking.

Dead serious. I am waiting for preschoolers to start showing up next year.

These people want a 'red team' designation so bad and they know if their kid starts travel early they will drop down later to age group and the red team. Of course, totally ignoring the fact that this most likely isn't age-appropriate given the structure and schedule for kids that age. Even in Spain, kids that age practice no more than 60 minutes at a time...and 2 days per week...going to 3 days at age 9. But--hey---this is America. We are better than anyone.

So U6 babies trying out for U9!? I understand the occasional one year play-up. but two years?

Anonymous wrote:BRYC is Elite, then Blue and then they have Black teams that are NCSL/ODSL. They also still have the ODSL teams run out of the rec side.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^well-known Type A Arlington parent strategy.

Start ‘em in travel in first/second grade to get ‘em seen.

anyone see the k'garteners at the girls u9 tryouts?!

Please tell us you are joking.

Dead serious. I am waiting for preschoolers to start showing up next year.

These people want a 'red team' designation so bad and they know if their kid starts travel early they will drop down later to age group and the red team. Of course, totally ignoring the fact that this most likely isn't age-appropriate given the structure and schedule for kids that age. Even in Spain, kids that age practice no more than 60 minutes at a time...and 2 days per week...going to 3 days at age 9. But--hey---this is America. We are better than anyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^well-known Type A Arlington parent strategy.

Start ‘em in travel in first/second grade to get ‘em seen.

anyone see the k'garteners at the girls u9 tryouts?!

Please tell us you are joking.

Dead serious. I am waiting for preschoolers to start showing up next year.

These people want a 'red team' designation so bad and they know if their kid starts travel early they will drop down later to age group and the red team. Of course, totally ignoring the fact that this most likely isn't age-appropriate given the structure and schedule for kids that age. Even in Spain, kids that age practice no more than 60 minutes at a time...and 2 days per week...going to 3 days at age 9. But--hey---this is America. We are better than anyone.