Soccer

I was having lunch today with a friend whos son(rising 9th grade CMS) plays soccer(yes we are still friends) at a very high level. Kinda Like showcase/development academy baseball. well anyway, he explained that there is a new nationwide/Academy team organization that has quickly become the most elite place to play soccer for highschool kids. the kicker(pun intended) is that if you want to play for them and are good enough and mommy and daddy can strike a huge check you can BUT you are NOT allowed to play on your highschool team. they claim that playing on the highschool team would not be good for the players development as competition would not be consistant and coaching would not be good. I know of a few kids that have played showcase ball and not HS(usually because the HS coach kicked them off the team but showcase still let them play) but have never heard of a showcase organization not letting kids play for their school.................argh

 

Might be true

I have seen many high school games and seasons where the D1 studs get walked more times than they get to hit. Showcase baseball has a chance to take over most other forms of amateur baseball unless of course it keeps getting watered down each year then it will become regular baseball again!

 

Nothing would surprise me about s****r......nothing. It's a sport that many teams have had to ban fans from coming to watch.

SoccerAmerica - Klinsmann and Co. make case for 10-month club season, no high school ball 02/13/2012

 

Go figure

I asked my son about it. It is true if you play for these teams you Are not allowed to play for you Hs team. From what he tells me the good players are quoting and those with check books and desire to hear they are special are staying

 

Ooops quiting

 

... yup...

... it has been pretty prevalent for Women's Soccer for a while.

You see a bunch of student-athletes who don't play on the HS teams.

 

Article in the Charlotte Observer

This article was in the Charlotte Observer July 2nd....

Academy wants players fulltime

 

I understand the concept of full time sports (academy's that require year long participation. It goes on in baseball in certain areas around the country; especially in the Midwest. Because of the weather they can't play HS baseball. The short season won't allow it.

However, the areas that are not impeded by weather, imo, are missing out an opportunity that they will never get back...playing for YOUR High School team. The experience one gets, to play with friends in your community, is not duplicated anywhere else. To walk the halls on a rival game day, and to feel the community support at the game is something many kids will never experience again.

I actually feel sorry for the student athlete that misses that opportunity. They won't find that environment anywhere else (even in college.) If you ask a college student what some of his favorite memories in baseball are, most will say it occurred with their friends at a high school baseball game(s).

I guess I will never understand the concept of year long participation. 99% of these kids, regardless of sport, will never play professionally....and the one's that do could play for a REC team and still reach their goal. The bottom line, for me, is we are talking about KIDS. Let them have fun and enjoy an all around experience of being a teenager----with their HS buddies!

 

Many thanks for sharing good info…!!!)