Announcement

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 02:27 PM

Have to say, this is a tough one. Let me first flip it around:

Why is she on this team? Would another one be a better fit?

The good news is that be doing all this crap earlier, if it's not something she wants she can still have her high school years left.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 02:36 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Have to say, this is a tough one. Let me first flip it around:

Why is she on this team? Would another one be a better fit?

The good news is that be doing all this crap earlier, if it's not something she wants she can still have her high school years left.

She loves the team and training environment. The competitive nature keeps her on her toes and pushes her to improve. Traveling and showcases are part of the deal so she'll do it. But for her it's really about the 3 or 4 days a week she competes with and against other members of the team.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 02:40 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

She loves the team and training environment. The competitive nature keeps her on her toes and pushes her to improve. Traveling and showcases are part of the deal so she'll do it. But for her it's really about the 3 or 4 days a week she competes with and against other members of the team.

I get it. For some (our included) it's the internal competition/camaraderie which drives her.

The showcases may seem wasteful, especially if she's a year behind. But, she's young. If she's being pushed and is happy with it, and it's not out of her abilities, it will set her up later on.

Hard to tell what that will lead to, but as long as you concentrate on the training aspects of things I think your head is in the right place.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 02:48 PM

Sophomore is big year with some phenoms getting picked up in 8th and 9th, but with the recruiting changes, sophomore year is big with direct contact Sept. 1 junior year.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 03:00 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

My daughter is a grade younger than her teammates. She is traveling to several "college showcases" next year that will require air travel. She is a middle of the team player and I don't see her as an early recruit. She is probably on a d2 or 3 timeline.

My question is this: As an 8th grader at that level how many years will she attend showcases with no recruiting benefit? I'm anticipating two full years of these showcases meaning nothing. As a sophomore playing with mostly juniors it will probably mean more. Does this sound right? Not sure what to expect having a younger player.
.

Did exactly this with one of mine (same level of player as well) and honestly not only was it a complete waste of money but it ended up being emotionally destructive as well. Couple of things to think of..

Coaches recruit based upon the timeline their program is on. You are not going to get them to come out a year early and when they eventually do come out to look at your daughter I can pretty safely bet that you are going to find that most of the older girls will have put it into cruise control by then and that will not only take away a lot of the training benefits but make it harder to show well.

Your kid is going to have to be emotionally strong watching the other girls go through the "excitement" of their chase while she won't be. I think you will find it will be much tougher than you think, especially for a girl.

After all is said and done I think you will find that the cons will have outweighed the pros in your situation. I would recommend moving her to a good solid team in her own age group.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 03:43 PM

Some might find this idea nuts, but ask if your D can only go to one instead of all of them. It is good for her to get the experience so I wouldn't skip all. But unless she's on an early recruit track (few are) then that's really all she'll get is experience. Is that worth spending $1500 on and miss a decent amount of school as well? The club might be happy to use her slot for a somewhat older player who isn't recruited yet. It would give her teammates more PT too if they're down a player

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Did exactly this with one of mine (same level of player as well) and honestly not only was it a complete waste of money but it ended up being emotionally destructive as well. Couple of things to think of..

Coaches recruit based upon the timeline their program is on. You are not going to get them to come out a year early and when they eventually do come out to look at your daughter I can pretty safely bet that you are going to find that most of the older girls will have put it into cruise control by then and that will not only take away a lot of the training benefits but make it harder to show well.

Your kid is going to have to be emotionally strong watching the other girls go through the "excitement" of their chase while she won't be. I think you will find it will be much tougher than you think, especially for a girl.

After all is said and done I think you will find that the cons will have outweighed the pros in your situation. I would recommend moving her to a good solid team in her own age group.

Thanks, I appreciate your perspective. She is playing in her own age group but is born in the last couple months of the year. Any team she plays on she will have this issue as an 04. Could she look around for a lower team made up of mostly late birth year 04's? Possible if that exists but again, she has a good training environment and who knows what a new situation would bring.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Some might find this idea nuts, but ask if your D can only go to one instead of all of them. It is good for her to get the experience so I wouldn't skip all. But unless she's on an early recruit track (few are) then that's really all she'll get is experience. Is that worth spending $1500 on and miss a decent amount of school as well? The club might be happy to use her slot for a somewhat older player who isn't recruited yet. It would give her teammates more PT too if they're down a player

I am hesitant to not seem committed or supportive of the other kids. If it comes down to not being able to afford the team though this is something to keep in mind. In all likelihood she'll go to everything because we made a commitment but I will warn her ahead not to get carried away with nerves or excitement. None of this really matters to her for two plus years and she has to keep her emotions in check.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 04:03 PM

Sharing experience of 02 in same situation. Late month birthday, she was freshman this spring playing with majority Sophomores. Exposure was excellent, and her capabilities were vetted against older/better players. Coaches are smart enough to know Birth Year spans grades and they read Graduation dates on bio sheet.

It's all just noise at this point, and for all I know the pressure will drive her to date the hockey team next year, but I feel she has a head start. For an 8th grader, I like the idea of going to some but not all the Showcase events. Get the experience, but don't drain the bank account

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 04:19 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Sharing experience of 02 in same situation. Late month birthday, she was freshman this spring playing with majority Sophomores. Exposure was excellent, and her capabilities were vetted against older/better players. Coaches are smart enough to know Birth Year spans grades and they read Graduation dates on bio sheet.

It's all just noise at this point, and for all I know the pressure will drive her to date the hockey team next year, but I feel she has a head start. For an 8th grader, I like the idea of going to some but not all the Showcase events. Get the experience, but don't drain the bank account

Me too. When you add up all the $ spent over several years it's staggering. Skipping just a few pays for four years of college books. To the OP have her go to the first one and see how it goes before deciding on the next.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 04:28 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Sharing experience of 02 in same situation. Late month birthday, she was freshman this spring playing with majority Sophomores. Exposure was excellent, and her capabilities were vetted against older/better players. Coaches are smart enough to know Birth Year spans grades and they read Graduation dates on bio sheet.

It's all just noise at this point, and for all I know the pressure will drive her to date the hockey team next year, but I feel she has a head start. For an 8th grader, I like the idea of going to some but not all the Showcase events. Get the experience, but don't drain the bank account

Thanks for sharing your experience. Maybe this year is the "wasted" travel year and next year can be looked at as good experience and exposure for the year that follows. I will keep in mind the idea of only attending certain showcases too. It would be nice to save the money for the years that recruitment takes place.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 06:09 PM

On the same lines, I am also wondering how this will work. My daughter attended an ID clinic. How would a coach get in touch with a Freshman? Would it be expected that my D email the coach after the clinic? Any info would be appreciated.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 06:33 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

On the same lines, I am also wondering how this will work. My daughter attended an ID clinic. How would a coach get in touch with a Freshman? Would it be expected that my D email the coach after the clinic? Any info would be appreciated.

Yes absolutely she should drop him a note. The coach cannot respond back, however, there are ways around it. Utilize her club coach to set up a time for her to call him (he can't call her). Technically they're not supposed to talk about "recruiting" but that's a new rule and unlikely to be followed and tough to prove.

**Unregistered** · 07-09-2018, 06:37 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Yes absolutely she should drop him a note. The coach cannot respond back, however, there are ways around it. Utilize her club coach to set up a time for her to call him (he can't call her). Technically they're not supposed to talk about "recruiting" but that's a new rule and unlikely to be followed and tough to prove.

Coaches will always contact the club coach if they are interested in certain players from their ID camps, even as freshman.