USYSA regionals in Hawaii next year

[Unregistered]

Really? I have my opinion, you have yours. Stuck somewhere means cost. I have an actual job and my presence is helpful. Players don't perform better if they raise the money, that's just wishful thinking. If they do, something is seriously wrong with their attitude towards the game. Everyone knows that the venue won't be changed, why do you even bring that up? There are pools in most hotels, but not Waikiki Beach. So reality to you if being a negative person? My guess is that your player is more mature than you. You don't seriously think that Region IV folks aren't advertising that their regionals are in Hawaii? How about the flower lei in the advertising? The copy that says, in effect, play hard, you'll go to Hawaii? It certainly isn't time to rotate back to Honolulu. I don't hate it, but I'm sure I could find, along with most people, a more reasonable place to play soccer.

Amateur psychologist that I am, you and I will just need to disagree regarding the attitude of kids when they actually earn something - be it by their play or their personal fundraising or a combination. You need to take the top 2-3% out of the equation - they will play their best at any level. On the other hand, 97-98% of youth soccer players will take the game more seriously if they have earned the right and the opportunity to be there rather than just having it handed to them - be it by peer pressure, guilt, the satisfaction of having actually earned something, etc. That doesn't mean there is something "seriously wrong" with their game. These are kids.
There also are distractions at every venue. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how a couple kids can be at the beach by themselves for so long that they were useless the next day without someone noticing. I'd be more concerned with that than I would with the kids being tired.

Re the Hawaii ad - please. It's no different than this year with PHX - kids playing in the desert sun - last year with ID and the year before with NM. Happens every year.

I'm not saying HA is the best, but so long as they have the facilities, it will be in the rotation schedule. Yes, it's their time in the rotation schedule among the states that want to host and that also have the facilities to host (similar to the Super Bowl). I'm all in favor of having a central location every year, but until that happens, HA has some great attributes and if handled properly, should be a great experience. There is absolutely no reason that it has to be a negative as some have conveyed.

BTW, I have a job too. At regionals in HA and NM, we planned for a week with the family as did a number of families. It was a calculated risk that the team would lose early, but I sure as heck didn't look at that as a negative or as being "stuck." If the team lost, I get more time with the family. If the team won, great. Hurrying back was not a high priority.

[Unregistered]

Are all the other States left out of the rotation because Hawaii was just a couple of years ago. That rotation does not make sense.

Not every state can host or wants to host. Depends on the facilities and the host state. Think of Reach 11 and Simplot v. anything that PDX has.

[Unregistered]

You think that is rough, try doing it in New Mexico. One airport, miles from the fields. Hotels that are mile from the fields, add that to the temp and altitude and it was almost unbearable.

Hotels were mandated by the tourney and its official agency.

I did the post that you replied to and agree with the problem with NM. Ditto for the elevation combined with heat exhaustion issues. Players in the hospital hooked up to ivs happens at a lot of these regionals locations. Yes. same can be said for other tournaments, but the requirements to stay for a full week is an expensive endeavor for many families.

AZ, CO, HI, ID, NM, NV, (used to include soCal and UT)...few choices for regionals based on the USYS minimum fields requirement.

[Unregistered]

We will disagree

Amateur psychologist that I am, you and I will just need to disagree regarding the attitude of kids when they actually earn something - be it by their play or their personal fundraising or a combination. You need to take the top 2-3% out of the equation - they will play their best at any level. On the other hand, 97-98% of youth soccer players will take the game more seriously if they have earned the right and the opportunity to be there rather than just having it handed to them - be it by peer pressure, guilt, the satisfaction of having actually earned something, etc. That doesn't mean there is something "seriously wrong" with their game. These are kids.
There also are distractions at every venue. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how a couple kids can be at the beach by themselves for so long that they were useless the next day without someone noticing. I'd be more concerned with that than I would with the kids being tired.

Re the Hawaii ad - please. It's no different than this year with PHX - kids playing in the desert sun - last year with ID and the year before with NM. Happens every year.

I'm not saying HA is the best, but so long as they have the facilities, it will be in the rotation schedule. Yes, it's their time in the rotation schedule among the states that want to host and that also have the facilities to host (similar to the Super Bowl). I'm all in favor of having a central location every year, but until that happens, HA has some great attributes and if handled properly, should be a great experience. There is absolutely no reason that it has to be a negative as some have conveyed.

BTW, I have a job too. At regionals in HA and NM, we planned for a week with the family as did a number of families. It was a calculated risk that the team would lose early, but I sure as heck didn't look at that as a negative or as being "stuck." If the team lost, I get more time with the family. If the team won, great. Hurrying back was not a high priority.

I think you just like to argue untenable positions. High level players, may a third or fourth of the teams that go to regionals, are motivated by the game itself. I'm sure that they have a certain satisfaction in knowing that they helped get there themselves. I feel this is great. You seem to feel that anyone disagreeing with you is being negative. If you had a really high achieving player in the family, all of this would be self-evident. I certainly would not profess to have amateur status as a soapbox psychologist. By the way, did I say the players were at the beach by themselves? No, they were with their equally irresponsible parents.

[Unregistered]

I think you just like to argue untenable positions. High level players, may a third or fourth of the teams that go to regionals, are motivated by the game itself. I'm sure that they have a certain satisfaction in knowing that they helped get there themselves. I feel this is great. You seem to feel that anyone disagreeing with you is being negative. If you had a really high achieving player in the family, all of this would be self-evident. I certainly would not profess to have amateur status as a soapbox psychologist. By the way, did I say the players were at the beach by themselves? No, they were with their equally irresponsible parents.

I'm not the same poster, but I believe the original comments were in response to an initial comment that "I hope my team doesn't go to Hawaii." My children have all played very high level soccer, and also have been on teams that have fundraised and on teams where the parents simply wrote the check. Sorry, but you're dead wrong if you believe it doesn't make a difference when they get to a tourney - at even the highest level - except for a very small percentage of players. I can guarantee you that a trip to the beach would not happen, and that's more from teammates' attitude moreso than parents.
As a practical matter, if you're OPL you have a choice. Personally, I will push the team to do both OPL and OYSA state cups.