Must exceptional players be on the best team to remain exceptional?

[Arsenal_U14G_Fan]

I think that club (esufc) is moving in a very positive direction. I've been around club soccer since before there was an esufc. I'm not sure what other club right now has a girls and boys director and has held down the same doc since the club began (while clubs like fc ptld have changed direction at the top multiple times over the past 3-5 years). esufc continues to add not just quality coaches, but coaches who are very well established in the coaching ranks. with the entire eastside of portland at their disposal (as opposed to the clustered westside...could be good and/or bad) and their close relationship with the portland timbers, esufc will continue to grow in a positive direction...in my opinion of course :) Just an outside-unbiased opinion as I've had experiences at several portland area clubs throughout the years....sad that my kids are done with the game :(

Thank you for your thoughtful input!! Obviously alot of people don't view ESUFC as a very strong club and it is good to hear something positive about the club that is not generated by the club :)

[Unregistered]

Academics. I won't look at someone who is lousy in school. A high GPA tells me you are focused, have determination, can follow instructions and have the capacity to learn.

I agree totally. The NCAA has academic requirements for eligibility. So, if a coach sees a lousy academic record then why offer a scholarship to a player that may risk loosing eligibility based on academics. Also, if you are great academically the scholarships go both ways. You may get a partial academic scholarship and a partial sports scholarship.

[SodiumFan[2]]

I think that club (esufc) is moving in a very positive direction. I've been around club soccer since before there was an esufc. I'm not sure what other club right now has a girls and boys director and has held down the same doc since the club began (while clubs like fc ptld have changed direction at the top multiple times over the past 3-5 years). esufc continues to add not just quality coaches, but coaches who are very well established in the coaching ranks. with the entire eastside of portland at their disposal (as opposed to the clustered westside...could be good and/or bad) and their close relationship with the portland timbers, esufc will continue to grow in a positive direction...in my opinion of course :) Just an outside-unbiased opinion as I've had experiences at several portland area clubs throughout the years....sad that my kids are done with the game :(

I will second this post. I have always considered ESUFC a quality club that has been constantly improving. The Arsenal squad has become a very formidable foe over the years and we always enjoy playing them! You guys beat us in league play and deserved the victory. You outplayed us and on that night the team that deserved to win surely did.

Good luck this weekend with your remaining games!

[KaraKwan]

Hi Arsenal_U14G_Fan, I am sure you can probably figure out who this is:p so of course I have to throw in my two cents worth of opinion! As a parent of a daughter who was one of the original ESUFC Arsenal players(since Future Stars) that took the huge leap to cross the bridge and road rage myself through the traffic of Hwy 26 for my daughter to play for THUSC, I just have to say that the grass and turf has definitely been greener on the West side of town. I can't even begin to tell you what a night and day difference it has been. One of the biggest differences I have experienced as a parent is the coaches communication with us the parents, the players and the team as a whole. Just a few weeks after she joined the team, I (and all the parents)got an email from Tom talking about the team's progression, goals, what was going right and what needed to be worked on. To say I was shocked, was an understatement because for all the years that my daughter played on Arsenal, I can not remember even one time that I had ever received an email like that! I'm not sure if I can even explain it right but what I see my daughter experiencing is a huge mental shift in how she plays. And I might be wrong here but at this age, they should have the skills in place to play and compete and it is the mental part of the game that I think is what will then take them to the next level of play. And that is where I think an exceptional player needs to be on the best team to remain exceptional because the best team is going to have those other components to take that player to even a higher level. How many times do you get in the car after a game and ask your daughter what the coach said to them about the game and she gives you a blank look and doesn't remember? Now, I ask and she actually remembers what Tom or Rochelle says and then they update us parents which makes it so much easier to reinforce and encourage what our daughters are doing right and to help change what they are not doing right. I also have really appreciated Tom's/Rochelle's approach with the girls and trying to get them to play more creatively and also holding each other accountable for how they play. So far the change in coaching, philosophy and training style has been a night and difference for my daughter and it has made her grow, stretch(even with the resisting and teenage bad attitude most of the time) and improve (except for being injured) in just a few months.

P.S. I want to add that I am not saying all of this to slam ESUFC in any way and the reason my daughter left Arsenal was because her grade age was different than her physical age so she had to move up. And because of that situation, I just am so happy that for her sake, this move ended up being the best thing for her.

[Unregistered]

I just am so happy that for her sake, this move ended up being the best thing for her.

I'd say you're jumping the gun a bit to make that conclusion. What if a new player transfers to sodium and all the sudden your child is getting less play time (e.g. dani from Hotspur)? Not to mention the reasons that you give aren't very compelling (emails from the coach???). Different coaches have different styles and some are better/worse for different kids.

But I think you're post does bring up one good thing to think about: sometimes players get in a rut and a change of scenery can be helpful to get them out of that. ODP is also helpful in this regard.

Good luck to you and your daughter.

[Unregistered]

I'd say you're jumping the gun a bit to make that conclusion. What if a new player transfers to sodium and all the sudden your child is getting less play time (e.g. dani from Hotspur)? Not to mention the reasons that you give aren't very compelling (emails from the coach???). Different coaches have different styles and some are better/worse for different kids.

But I think you're post does bring up one good thing to think about: sometimes players get in a rut and a change of scenery can be helpful to get them out of that. ODP is also helpful in this regard.

Good luck to you and your daughter.

Wow, a lot of wild conjecture there. First, didn't the original post say she left Arsenal; "because her grade age was different than her physical age so she had to move up." which means she would not be playing for the Sodium team.
Second, Rochelle does not coach Sodium.
And third, are you saying Dani from Hotspur is moving to Sodium? wow, great for them! She is AWESOME! Except that there are no facts in your post to back anything up...:(

Oh well, just sounds like another disgruntled parent to me.

[KaraKwan]

To the 2 Unregistered guests who replied to my post,

1. I never said my daughter moved to Sodium and in fact, she did not.

2. Maybe emails from the coaches in regards to the team's progress, what needs to be worked on, etc may not be "compelling" to you but for me as a parent it was so appreciated. I appreciate that the coaches are taking the time to keep us parents in the loop. The coaches are the ones that are training our daughters but it's us parents that are writing the checks, giving up our evenings to drive to practice, taking time off of work to travel to tournaments, etc and to have the coaches acknowledge that and share their thoughts and vision on how they want our daughters to succeed in soccer is pretty "compelling" to me.

3. I am not a "disgruntled" parent. The point of my post was to give my opinion in regards to the original question that Arsenal_U14G_ posted and I was giving my opinion solely from the perspective of a parent whose daughter has a new team and a new club. My point was not to list out everything good or bad about ESUFC or THUSC but to just share how positive this move was for her. Because she had played on Arsenal for so long, it was a very difficult and painful decision for her to leave and I am just very glad that this experience has ended up being a good one for her and one that I believe will continue to benefit her.

[Unregistered]

To the 2 Unregistered guests who replied to my post,

1. I never said my daughter moved to Sodium and in fact, she did not.

2. Maybe emails from the coaches in regards to the team's progress, what needs to be worked on, etc may not be "compelling" to you but for me as a parent it was so appreciated. I appreciate that the coaches are taking the time to keep us parents in the loop. The coaches are the ones that are training our daughters but it's us parents that are writing the checks, giving up our evenings to drive to practice, taking time off of work to travel to tournaments, etc and to have the coaches acknowledge that and share their thoughts and vision on how they want our daughters to succeed in soccer is pretty "compelling" to me.

3. I am not a "disgruntled" parent. The point of my post was to give my opinion in regards to the original question that Arsenal_U14G_ posted and I was giving my opinion solely from the perspective of a parent whose daughter has a new team and a new club. My point was not to list out everything good or bad about ESUFC or THUSC but to just share how positive this move was for her. Because she had played on Arsenal for so long, it was a very difficult and painful decision for her to leave and I am just very glad that this experience has ended up being a good one for her and one that I believe will continue to benefit her.

Just to clarify, KaraKwan, my post was not directed at you, otherwise it would have had your post in quotation marks. So, your defensiveness and is unwarranted. I am happy the move turned into a positive experience for you and your daughter. :)

[Arsenal_U14G_Fan]

Thanks for your comments Karakwan. I am glad that your daughter has done so well at THUSC. It was nice seeing her this weekend by the way. She looked so much older!!

I am not disgruntled with ESUFC as a club or with Arsenal as a team. There have definately been things over the years that I have not appreciated and I would likely have gone somewhere else if there were no solution. I have to say though, Justan as the ARsenal coach and ESUFC through the initiative of its coaching has done so well this past year with the girls. There were a couple of things that would have been deal breakers for me but now they have been addressed. Also, communication has taken on new meaning this past year and I honestly think there is nothing that I could not easily speak with the coach about from a parenting point of view.

Convenience is a major plus for me, but if it were to the detriment of my daughter's development I would easily waive the convenience factor. My original question was more of one of theory. If a player is playing well, able to make ODP and regional rosters, able to guest play with incredible teams, and could likely make any team in the state, do they have to be on that winning team with all the super studs to keep on growing developmental wise? I don't think there is just one answer to that question :)

Congrats that you guys are doing so well and take care!!!!

[KaraKwan]

It was good seeing y'all too! Justan has really done a great job with Arsenal this year. They looked good! Good luck next weekend!:)