2013-2014 Boys U11 Top Teams (MA)

[perspective]

Haha...well said. For all those with older kids that have gone through the process and experienced broken hearts when their kids didn't reach levels originally anticipated, or for those that had successful outcomes but saw many others get cut along the way...LET US EXPERIENCE OUR OWN HEARTBREAK...THE DREAM IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT...THE JOURNEY...NOT THE ENDING....so stop trying to steal our journey. That's like telling a college kid not to fall in love, because it'll probably just end in heartbreak. So what? That's part of life. That's part of what make's life worth living. Let us LIVE! Even if we're living vicariously through our kids...so what? We only get to parent each of these kids once....so none of us are going to listen to a veteran youth parent and say "oh, we shouldn't care so much about this, or dream about Johnny playing in college, b/c it didn't work out for all these senior youth parents". I'll take the ups and downs, the heartbreaks, the disappointments along the way...by being there with my kid when they experience these things....that's a chance for bonding, and life learning lessons. And, you can argue that it's all about the kids, and what they want and dream about...and yes, that's true...but U11 kids have no idea about what future prospects await them, unless we start to educate them a bit...and what parent doesn't want to set a high goal for their kids. SO, I always tell my kids..."dream big"...but, of course, they need a back-up plan...and the back-up plan has a much much higher % chance of happening then becoming an elite athlete...but what's wrong with striving for something big? Is it wrong because they might fail? That's a loser's mentality. As you know, the only time you lose in life is when you stop trying. Each "loss" along the way should be a stepping stone to building character. And, you can laugh at that, poke fun at it...write "zzzzzzzz" all you want....it's the truth. Teach these kids to dream, teach them hard work pays off, teach them that winning and losing, especially losing, helps you learn lessons that you can carry with you and that will make you stronger in time...and feel free to dream with your kids, because that's ok! There's something wrong with you if you're not excited about your kids' dreams. The line gets crossed when you want it more than your kid, and that comes out in yelling at or demeaning your child, or being disappointed in them because they aren't giving the effort you expect them to. They have to do that part on their own...but being excited about the process and helping them craft their dreams, because they aren't old enough yet to really know how it all works...that's all good stuff. Keep up the excitement U11 parents, and don't let any jaded seniors slow you down!

I might be about 24 hours early in regard to my self-imposed "ban," and I'm sure I'll address that later today, but this post was too great and too important to pass up.

This is a REALLY important post. I have browsed through this thread and had the thoughts that I'm sure most have had about a bunch of overzealous U11 parents jabbing and prodding each other and essentially making fools of themselves. But that said, and this is what I was trying to communicate in my Field of Dreams post, you and your kids have every right to live all of the same highs, embrace all of the same delusions if indeed they are delusions, make too much of some tournament or indoor game triumph that no one else cares about, and experience all of the heartbreaks and reality checks as you so well described as any of the rest of us did. Part of the ride is going through that whole journey as passionately as you want if that is what you want to do.

Despite all the supposedly gut-wrenching critiques, others being SOOOO worried about our financial health for us, etc, etc, and as I have pointed out, you will NEVER find those same critics or virtually anyone here say that they wish they hadn't done any of it. And here is the biggest point. The admonitions are ALWAYS about SOMEONE ELSE'S child and someone else's situation. These supposedly valuable lessons are NEVER turned towards the mirror...because almost everyone believes that their kid is the .001% exception, or can be with harder work and the right "path" and all of that, and if one does have a special kid then that parent wants everyone else to get down on their knees and ADMIT how much an enormous gulf there is between his or her kid and yours. Deep down all of us care about our dreams, and the pretense, and HYPOCRISY, of warning/instructing/lamenting about your dreams FOR YOU is absolutely nothing but protection and underscoring of THEIR dreams being more special and more legit than yours. And if a third-tier player thinks he is all of that, and the first-tier player can't stand thinking the third-tier player thinks highly of him/herself anyway, well, then, who is it that really has a problem?

[Unregistered]

Shut Up with your drama. Go get therapy somewhere else. Soccer is obviously more about your dreams than your kids dreams. You sound like one of those drunken hags that throws themselves at the other players fathers and coaches. Have another drink honey!!!!!

Patriots are coming on so get your 12 pk and Brady jersey and take your sexist crap somewhere else!!

[Unregistered]

Patriots are coming on so get your 12 pk and Brady jersey and take your sexist crap somewhere else!!

The truth hurts. The same could be said about you sweetheart. However, you will trade your Patriot jersey and twelve pack for a club jersey and Vodka in a Dunkin Donuts Cup. Ain't fooling anyone sweetheart!

[Unregistered]

you are spot on with this. reminds me of...

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat".

Yes, but "all glory is fleeting" Gen. George Patton.

"For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting."
- Gen. George C. Patton

[Unregistered]

Yes, but "all glory is fleeting" Gen. George Patton.

"For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting."
- Gen. George C. Patton

Wow this is getting pretty heavy into the philosphy stuff. I think both sides have valid points. The kids should dream, the parents should dream, most parents always want better for the kids then they had or have. Just be careful how much you push if you do. Watch 2 movies to see what I mean-1. The Great Santini and 2. Fear Strikes Out. If anyone has seen these films you will know what I am talking about. The 2nd film is a true story about Red Sox Player, Jim Piersall.

[Unregistered]

Well said

I might be about 24 hours early in regard to my self-imposed "ban," and I'm sure I'll address that later today, but this post was too great and too important to pass up.

This is a REALLY important post. I have browsed through this thread and had the thoughts that I'm sure most have had about a bunch of overzealous U11 parents jabbing and prodding each other and essentially making fools of themselves. But that said, and this is what I was trying to communicate in my Field of Dreams post, you and your kids have every right to live all of the same highs, embrace all of the same delusions if indeed they are delusions, make too much of some tournament or indoor game triumph that no one else cares about, and experience all of the heartbreaks and reality checks as you so well described as any of the rest of us did. Part of the ride is going through that whole journey as passionately as you want if that is what you want to do.

Despite all the supposedly gut-wrenching critiques, others being SOOOO worried about our financial health for us, etc, etc, and as I have pointed out, you will NEVER find those same critics or virtually anyone here say that they wish they hadn't done any of it. And here is the biggest point. The admonitions are ALWAYS about SOMEONE ELSE'S child and someone else's situation. These supposedly valuable lessons are NEVER turned towards the mirror...because almost everyone believes that their kid is the .001% exception, or can be with harder work and the right "path" and all of that, and if one does have a special kid then that parent wants everyone else to get down on their knees and ADMIT how much an enormous gulf there is between his or her kid and yours. Deep down all of us care about our dreams, and the pretense, and HYPOCRISY, of warning/instructing/lamenting about your dreams FOR YOU is absolutely nothing but protection and underscoring of THEIR dreams being more special and more legit than yours. And if a third-tier player thinks he is all of that, and the first-tier player can't stand thinking the third-tier player thinks highly of him/herself anyway, well, then, who is it that really has a problem?

Thanks for this post...well said and spot on. Hopefully people reading these posts, take a few minutes to absorb them, because there are some good "nuggets" of info in here.

Separately, for the poster making all the sexist remarks. Your presumptions are incorrect. It wasn't a woman that wrote the "drama" as you called it. And, I'm sorry to break it to you, but the stuff that made you seem "cool" at 18, doesn't exactly translate as an adult. So, if you are an adult, you should know that you sound illogical, ill-informed, uneducated, and extremely close-minded. And I'm sure your gut reaction to that is to respond with some sort of hateful tirade against a man who would write such drama...and you'll probably make some assumptions about his sexual orientation, and then use some extremely offensive language to describe why that type of person would be so dramatic. Listen, we've all known people like you over our lives. Thankfully, as a society, we've moved dramatically away from such bigotry and hatred, but there will always be those that never quite "get it".

So, continue to respond, as I know you will. But, I would venture to guess there are very few on this thread that share your points of you, and you're highly unlikely to convert anyone else to your way of thinking...so you might as well spend your valuable waking hours on other endeavors, and leave us be with our collective "drama".

[Unregistered]

Haha...well said. For all those with older kids that have gone through the process and experienced broken hearts when their kids didn't reach levels originally anticipated, or for those that had successful outcomes but saw many others get cut along the way...LET US EXPERIENCE OUR OWN HEARTBREAK...THE DREAM IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT...THE JOURNEY...NOT THE ENDING....so stop trying to steal our journey. That's like telling a college kid not to fall in love, because it'll probably just end in heartbreak. So what? That's part of life. That's part of what make's life worth living. Let us LIVE! Even if we're living vicariously through our kids...so what? We only get to parent each of these kids once....so none of us are going to listen to a veteran youth parent and say "oh, we shouldn't care so much about this, or dream about Johnny playing in college, b/c it didn't work out for all these senior youth parents". I'll take the ups and downs, the heartbreaks, the disappointments along the way...by being there with my kid when they experience these things....that's a chance for bonding, and life learning lessons. And, you can argue that it's all about the kids, and what they want and dream about...and yes, that's true...but U11 kids have no idea about what future prospects await them, unless we start to educate them a bit...and what parent doesn't want to set a high goal for their kids. SO, I always tell my kids..."dream big"...but, of course, they need a back-up plan...and the back-up plan has a much much higher % chance of happening then becoming an elite athlete...but what's wrong with striving for something big? Is it wrong because they might fail? That's a loser's mentality. As you know, the only time you lose in life is when you stop trying. Each "loss" along the way should be a stepping stone to building character. And, you can laugh at that, poke fun at it...write "zzzzzzzz" all you want....it's the truth. Teach these kids to dream, teach them hard work pays off, teach them that winning and losing, especially losing, helps you learn lessons that you can carry with you and that will make you stronger in time...and feel free to dream with your kids, because that's ok! There's something wrong with you if you're not excited about your kids' dreams. The line gets crossed when you want it more than your kid, and that comes out in yelling at or demeaning your child, or being disappointed in them because they aren't giving the effort you expect them to. They have to do that part on their own...but being excited about the process and helping them craft their dreams, because they aren't old enough yet to really know how it all works...that's all good stuff. Keep up the excitement U11 parents, and don't let any jaded seniors slow you down!

Great. Yet another moralistic and self-indulgent gas bag. That's exactly what we needed.
Here's a clue. If you write more than a few sentences you need a new hobby.

[Unregistered]

Great. Yet another moralistic and self-indulgent gas bag. That's exactly what we needed.
Here's a clue. If you write more than a few sentences you need a new hobby.

Actually it is the mean spirited toads like you that have ruined TS. This used to be a place where impassioned discussions took place and you could learn something from someone else's opinions/experience. People with your attitude have no respect for anyone else's opinion and you would just rather there be no conversation at all than a conversation that you didn't agree with. The awful part of this is you are probably a club coach and by shutting down the conversation that allows you to control your message so your families only here what you want them to hear. That is how people get duped in this environment.

[Unregistered]

Actually it is the mean spirited toads like you that have ruined TS. This used to be a place where impassioned discussions took place and you could learn something from someone else's opinions/experience. People with your attitude have no respect for anyone else's opinion and you would just rather there be no conversation at all than a conversation that you didn't agree with. The awful part of this is you are probably a club coach and by shutting down the conversation that allows you to control your message so your families only here what you want them to hear. That is how people get duped in this environment.

Actually it means you all have to get a life.

[Unregistered]

Any good games.... This " gas bag" wants details from this weekend.

[Unregistered]

Wow this is getting pretty heavy into the philosphy stuff. I think both sides have valid points. The kids should dream, the parents should dream, most parents always want better for the kids then they had or have. Just be careful how much you push if you do. Watch 2 movies to see what I mean-1. The Great Santini and 2. Fear Strikes Out. If anyone has seen these films you will know what I am talking about. The 2nd film is a true story about Red Sox Player, Jim Piersall.

Oh for gods sake. This is just a fun thread to talk about U11 soccer.

[perspective]

Great. Yet another moralistic and self-indulgent gas bag. That's exactly what we needed.
Here's a clue. If you write more than a few sentences you need a new hobby.

Yet another arrogant hack who couldn't write his way out of a paper bag. Please direct us to some of your aphoristic gems.

[perspective]

Actually it is the mean spirited toads like you that have ruined TS. This used to be a place where impassioned discussions took place and you could learn something from someone else's opinions/experience. People with your attitude have no respect for anyone else's opinion and you would just rather there be no conversation at all than a conversation that you didn't agree with. The awful part of this is you are probably a club coach and by shutting down the conversation that allows you to control your message so your families only here what you want them to hear. That is how people get duped in this environment.

Thanks buddy! I agreed with you entirely until you ruined it beginning with "The awful part is..." Especially since this is an anonymous (mostly) board why do you always assume so quickly that you are responding to a club coach trying to micromanage messages and make sure the herd continues getting duped??? Never even crossed my mind that you were responding to a club coach, especially when that poster had jabbed a poster who was defending participation. Time to change or at least clean the cassette playing in your head.

[Unregistered]

there are always a few the F it up for the rest.

[Unregistered]

there are always a few the F it up for the rest.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz