Had a long conversation with the soccer coach at my kids university he said your best bet to get you kid noticed is to have them play ODP, more recruiters attend those tournaments and begin tracking the kids than any club tournaments or high school! A Nationally ranked school like Lasalle gets national attention, but how many kids that attend there actually make the team! He said all teams have one or two good players but many go unnoticed as they don't play on the bigger stage. Not saying RI ODP is anything great but, if you think you kid is that good might be worth it to look into it
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Not only is RI ODP "not anything great", it is terrible. If you think your kid is good, steer clear of it.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post -
Last year we actually sent an email to all the college coaches at the Rider Cup explaining that since RI ODP was so bad, we would not be participating. We explained that our daughter was too good for RI ODP. Still waiting to hear back from any of them, but it seemed like a better idea than actually playing for ODP. Any thoughts?Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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That is where they go to look at kids to see how they compare on a larger stage......They won't waste time. Going too see them individually unless all the coaches are praising a certain kid. So in many recruiter s minds if your kid is decent and deserves a look that is where they should be competing. They really don't care what a parent has to say, and there is no club team that is dominating the scene
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My daughter has been invited over the past several years. To be completely honest, in the past when we saw the list of players, we felt that the level was not going to be of any benefit to her (ie too many weak players included). However, this year we are going to give the tournament in NJ a try. In my opinion, if this was really supposed to be such a big deal (honor) to play ODP, then why doesn't SRI sponsor the training and the tournament? Maybe I am cynical but to me it seems like just another way for someone to make a buck...Comment
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State ODP vs National ODP
My kid refuses to put any effort into State ODP. She did qualify for National ODP camp through Super Y and meet Peter Mueller (sp?) and a bunch of college coaches who now know her.
As some of the State ODP coaches told us . . . "it is for players whose parents have money and can't succeed on their club teams."Comment
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As some of the State ODP coaches told us . . . "it is for players whose parents have money and can't succeed on their club teams."[/QUOTE]
I think that was just the coaches way of telling you and your daughter not to bother with RI ODP.Comment
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Probably not. There are some good players there but not all the good players. And the actual best players are definitely not there. If you have the money and your family enjoys it, go for it.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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[QUOTE=Unregistered;763778]Last year we actually sent an email to all the college coaches at the Rider Cup explaining that since RI ODP was so bad, we would not be participating. We explained that our daughter was too good for RI ODP. Still waiting to hear back from any of them, but it seemed like a better idea than actually playing for ODP. Any thoughts?[/\
ODP is meant to be the best kids. There is no local club that is national news worthy so they get to see kids from all over at the Ryder cup, unfortunately that is where the kids are beginning to get tracked! RI ODP is not run very good to say the least and it is better than it used to be,but if all the best showed up it would beneficial to all the good players in the long run. Each local team has at least one kid that looks promising, but that kid will never have a chance on a mediocre teamComment
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This discussion is always better done when talking about division 1 - 2 - 3. If your kid is going to a 2 or a 3 then any quality tournament in that area will get your kid seen. These people don't have big recruiting budgets and they don't travel to far to find players. Even local division 1 college coaches may send an assistant to local college showcase tournaments to see if there is a diamond in the rough they missed.
Division 1 colleges almost the same applies really. Want to go to college in Texas then get your team to a quality tournament in Texas. ODP discussed in general is not the same for all. Sure coaches may see a Rhode Island kid at Ryder cup but the reality is that they see that New Jersey or New York kid year round.
Region 1 coaches the good ones are centralized lower in the region. So you really have to stand out at ODP camp and Ryder camp to get noticed. Local ODP coaches will promote their best players. So when we have quality ODP people as coaching directors more kids may get noticed than other years. Depends on how many Region 1 big shot coaches they personally know.
Parents need to remember that division 1 college sports is not for everyone even if the kid has the talent. Many kids lose the passion by college and prefer to channel their passion towards a career. For many of these kids a quality division 2 or 3 college where they can still play but practice less is the best choice. Kids who have never sat a bench sometimes are not capable of sitting a bench in division 1. Tough choices for every parent.
My oldest kid got lots of letters and calls from New England coaches from just 2 tournaments. She turned down all the division 1 coaches and focused on the division 2 as she wanted more school and a bit less soccer. She also did not love soccer enough to sit a bench for a few years. She played 4 years, had a great time and got a great education at a Mass. college. We feel we made the best choice. We paid a bit more due to no scholarship money but it worked out and she was right about her level of passion for the sport. If she went to a division 1 she would have quit and she had a fair amount of friends, boys and girls who in fact did end up quitting at division 1. They have good careers now and they are all happy but it was sad to see them quit.
My two cents, no expert just my 2 cents to add. I have a younger one now so we'll see how it goes. In the end what they want is more important than what we want and it is more realistic in many cases.Comment
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