OSAA and high school soccer

[Unregistered]

It seems the OSAA does not enforce their own rules.

multiple 6A schools run practices all summer with coaches on the field calling them "summer camp"

Hazing. lining kids up against the wall and having another kid kick the ball at them and if they flinch they do not make varsity.

Is OSAA just a paper tiger?

[Unregistered]

So, you are complaining without seeming to have any solution. What do you expect this forum to do about your issue? Did you contact the school, or the OSAA about your concerns, or are you just assuming that OSAA has auditors and investigators strewn about the state looking for teams that haze or have unsanctioned practices. Calling them a "paper tiger" seems abit harsh unless you have specific examples of when and where they should have intervened or taken action. Do you?

Not usre of the exact method of lining kids up against the wall and the distance, but learning how to defend in a wall is a key point of the game. It shouldnt be about flinching, more about learning to use your body to stop the ball.

[Unregistered]

No not a defensive wall but against the gym wall and balls shot at their faces.

but point taken. Lets see what they do.

[Unregistered]

It seems the OSAA does not enforce their own rules.

multiple 6A schools run practices all summer with coaches on the field calling them "summer camp"

Hazing. lining kids up against the wall and having another kid kick the ball at them and if they flinch they do not make varsity.

Is OSAA just a paper tiger?

Report the schools to the OSAA. Name them here.

[Unregistered]

Report the schools to the OSAA. Name them here.

"We showed no care for the little ones"!

[Unregistered]

It seems the OSAA does not enforce their own rules.

multiple 6A schools run practices all summer with coaches on the field calling them "summer camp"

Hazing. lining kids up against the wall and having another kid kick the ball at them and if they flinch they do not make varsity.

Is OSAA just a paper tiger?

Outside of moratorium week it's all good

[Unregistered]

They are allowed 6 hours a week of skill building outside of dead week. Almost all schools had drop ins over the summer that were either fitness or drills. If it’s not a club coach it’s not a violation. If it’s a club coach who has players on their club team and HS, it could be a violation if club is practicing or playing in tourneys. Our club coaches do not coach HS. So this may not be an OSAA violation. Lining players up against a wall in a gym and shooting at them is not safe. I would contact my AD, then my principal and then the school board. If the safety issues are not addressed. OSAA cannot police every practice.

[Unregistered]

It seems the OSAA does not enforce their own rules.

multiple 6A schools run practices all summer with coaches on the field calling them "summer camp"

Is OSAA just a paper tiger?

The member High schools decide what the OSAA will regulate, outside of the moratorium week there are literally no regulations in the Summer. Any level of school in the OSAA is free to do whatever they choose.

The hours per week provision is specific to 'open' periods during the actual in session calendar school year.

Dates for the 2018‐19 School Year
1) OSAA Fall Season.
a) Official Practices begin for Fall Team Sport Coaches – Monday, August 13 (Week 7).
b) Closed Period for all Winter and Spring Team Sport Coaches – Monday, August 13‐Sunday, September 23 (Weeks 7‐12).
c) Open Period for all Winter and Spring Team Sport Coaches – Monday, September 24‐Sunday, November 11 (Weeks 13‐19).
d) Coaching Ends for Fall Team Sport Coaches – Day Following Last Varsity Contest.


2) OSAA Winter Season.
a) Official Practices begin for Winter Team Sport Coaches – Monday, November 12 (Week 20).
b) Closed Period for all Fall and Spring Team Sport Coaches – Monday, November 12‐Sunday, December 23 (Weeks 20‐25).
c) Open Period for all Fall and Spring Team Sport Coaches – Monday, December 24‐Sunday, February 24 (Weeks 26‐34).
d) Coaching Ends for Winter Team Sport Coaches – Day Following Last Varsity Contest.

3) OSAA Spring Season.
a) Official Practices begin for Spring Team Sport Coaches – Monday, February 25 (Week 35)
b) Closed Period for all Fall and Winter Team Sport Coaches – Monday, February 25‐Sunday, April 7 (Weeks 35‐40).
c) Open Period for all Fall and Winter Team Sport Coaches – Monday, April 8‐Monday, May 27 (Weeks 41‐47).
d) Coaching Ends for Spring Team Sport Coaches – Day Following Last Varsity Contest
4) OSAA Summer Season.

a) Summer Season for Fall, Winter, and Spring Team Sport Coaches – Tuesday, May 28‐Sunday, August 18 (Weeks 48‐6).

b) Moratorium Week – Sunday, July 28‐Saturday, August 3 (Week 4).

1. Q. Under the Practice Limitation Rule (6A Pilot), may a coach work on fundamental skill development with two students a
day as was allowed previously?
A. Yes, but only during the Open Period. During the Open Period coaches may work with an unlimited number of students on fundamental skill development for a maximum of six hours each week per program. All open facility times shall beincluded in the weekly limitation. During the Closed Period coaches are prohibited from working on fundamental skill
development with any students.


Summer season is not considered either open or closed, it's wide open.

You need to read the 'paper' first, 'Tiger'.

[Unregistered]

The Truth

Okay folks, I will make it simple for you and explain what's really going on here, because I think I've figured it out.

OP has a child entering 9th grade. Kid plays club soccer. Kid is going to a high school with an organized summer workout program for soccer (not all schools have this). Kid misses all or most of the summer workouts. Parent and kid think that they aren't necessary because kid is playing club. Parent and kid also expect kid to get a varsity spot based on club experience and status on club team. Kid makes JV. Parent is flabbergasted. Kid comes home with cockamamie story about hazing, likely because kid knows that parent will freak out about not making varsity and wants to have an excuse.

Now that we all know what happened, here's my advice:

First, on the tiny, tiny chance that kid is telling the truth about hazing (kid is not), you need to investigate and report that. I say investigate first because if you go into the school guns (metaphorically) blazing, you are going to be embarrassed when you find out kid wasn't being honest.

You can investigate by first telling kid you plan to report it, and watching kid's reaction. Next, ask some other parents on the team (preferably parents of a kid or kids that made varsity) if the hazing happened. My guess is you will hear about a stupid game the kids were playing when the coaches weren't running things, and your kid blew it all out of proportion.

Second, since your kid is on JV this year, consider your options. If you have a girl and are in the Portland area, Thorns are scraping the bottom of the barrel for players and this may be a good time to switch. This would be especially good advice if you didn't listen to number 1, made a big stink at the school, and found out your kid wasn't honest about the hazing - because if that happened, you probably ruined her chances for any success on her high school team going forward.

If your kid isn't a girl or doesn't live in the Portland area, consider playing for the 8th grade fall club team. Most club coaches need players to do that. Our club tells kids in that awkward year (it's the 04's this year) to play fall club if they make JV, and that they CAN do both - just come to club games when it fits their schedule. This will be a good way for your kid to stay in some semblance of shape, because the quality of JV soccer will be poor.

Third, try to figure out what you can learn from this. High school coaches and players, for the most part, can't stand the entitled club kid who waltzes in day one of tryouts expected to be handed the keys to the kingdom. Your kid may be the best soccer player on the team, but they won't make varsity as a freshman if they didn't show up for summer workouts, develop relationships with the upperclassmen and coaches, and show that they are humble and willing to work hard and contribute. HS soccer has value for a club kid - they can play just for the fun of it (as opposed to club games which in high school often become all about winning or showcasing talent in front of college coaches), they can play for team and school spirit, they can become leaders - but the club kid needs to go into it without that holier than thou "I am above this" attitude. Hopefully you and your kid learned something from this experience.

[Unregistered]

Okay folks, I will make it simple for you and explain what's really going on here, because I think I've figured it out.

OP has a child entering 9th grade. Kid plays club soccer. Kid is going to a high school with an organized summer workout program for soccer (not all schools have this). Kid misses all or most of the summer workouts. Parent and kid think that they aren't necessary because kid is playing club. Parent and kid also expect kid to get a varsity spot based on club experience and status on club team. Kid makes JV. Parent is flabbergasted. Kid comes home with cockamamie story about hazing, likely because kid knows that parent will freak out about not making varsity and wants to have an excuse.

Now that we all know what happened, here's my advice:

First, on the tiny, tiny chance that kid is telling the truth about hazing (kid is not), you need to investigate and report that. I say investigate first because if you go into the school guns (metaphorically) blazing, you are going to be embarrassed when you find out kid wasn't being honest.

You can investigate by first telling kid you plan to report it, and watching kid's reaction. Next, ask some other parents on the team (preferably parents of a kid or kids that made varsity) if the hazing happened. My guess is you will hear about a stupid game the kids were playing when the coaches weren't running things, and your kid blew it all out of proportion.

Second, since your kid is on JV this year, consider your options. If you have a girl and are in the Portland area, Thorns are scraping the bottom of the barrel for players and this may be a good time to switch. This would be especially good advice if you didn't listen to number 1, made a big stink at the school, and found out your kid wasn't honest about the hazing - because if that happened, you probably ruined her chances for any success on her high school team going forward.

If your kid isn't a girl or doesn't live in the Portland area, consider playing for the 8th grade fall club team. Most club coaches need players to do that. Our club tells kids in that awkward year (it's the 04's this year) to play fall club if they make JV, and that they CAN do both - just come to club games when it fits their schedule. This will be a good way for your kid to stay in some semblance of shape, because the quality of JV soccer will be poor.

Third, try to figure out what you can learn from this. High school coaches and players, for the most part, can't stand the entitled club kid who waltzes in day one of tryouts expected to be handed the keys to the kingdom. Your kid may be the best soccer player on the team, but they won't make varsity as a freshman if they didn't show up for summer workouts, develop relationships with the upperclassmen and coaches, and show that they are humble and willing to work hard and contribute. HS soccer has value for a club kid - they can play just for the fun of it (as opposed to club games which in high school often become all about winning or showcasing talent in front of college coaches), they can play for team and school spirit, they can become leaders - but the club kid needs to go into it without that holier than thou "I am above this" attitude. Hopefully you and your kid learned something from this experience.

Thanks for all your input regarding HS and your opinions. But, my kid plays club ball locally and her team finished #3 in their national travel league + she is starter. Making the local HS JV team was indeed a shock, but it really brought home how far we had drifted from reality. She did tryout for the DA program but was not offered a spot, so that door is closed for now. It's really got us questioning why we invested so much into airline travel in club ball. We learned a great deal indeed.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for all your input regarding HS and your opinions. But, my kid plays club ball locally and her team finished #3 in their national travel league + she is starter. Making the local HS JV team was indeed a shock, but it really brought home how far we had drifted from reality. She did tryout for the DA program but was not offered a spot, so that door is closed for now. It's really got us questioning why we invested so much into airline travel in club ball. We learned a great deal indeed.

Stop. This is not the forum for you to make your case against ECNL. Somebody posted a real issue, grow up a-hole.

[Unregistered]

Stop. This is not the forum for you to make your case against ECNL. Somebody posted a real issue, grow up a-hole.

It's pretty real and raw from our perspective. Thanks for understanding.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for all your input regarding HS and your opinions. But, my kid plays club ball locally and her team finished #3 in their national travel league + she is starter. Making the local HS JV team was indeed a shock, but it really brought home how far we had drifted from reality. She did tryout for the DA program but was not offered a spot, so that door is closed for now. It's really got us questioning why we invested so much into airline travel in club ball. We learned a great deal indeed.

Your and your child’s experience is not uncommon and it can be difficult to digest. Appreciate your honesty. What have you learned from this?

[Unregistered]

Thanks for all your input regarding HS and your opinions. But, my kid plays club ball locally and her team finished #3 in their national travel league + she is starter. Making the local HS JV team was indeed a shock, but it really brought home how far we had drifted from reality. She did tryout for the DA program but was not offered a spot, so that door is closed for now. It's really got us questioning why we invested so much into airline travel in club ball. We learned a great deal indeed.

Fake news.

[Unregistered]

It's pretty real and raw from our perspective. Thanks for understanding.

Please....nobody asked you about your rectum.