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Post by spectator on Mar 31, 2014 19:31:21 GMT -5
OMG I know him! We worked together years ago and he is one of the reasons my daughter tried academy. He is amazing - his son played for years but quit to referee. He was so proud when I told him she is an R9 ref now - I would drive her anywhere to work with him. I can't wait to tell him he got complimented on a soccer forum - he won't believe me!!!
And yes - he's one of the best. I've seen him handle very agressive older boys games and parents with class and dignity. Great mentor, too
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Post by spectator on Mar 31, 2014 16:47:27 GMT -5
OK - we've all made a claim at one point or another while our kids have played that at away games, sometimes it seems the Referees tend to let the home team get away with more. BUT - I'm less likely to make that accusation in metro Atlanta at the clubs around here than I am at the outlying clubs like Macon (notoriously known for 'Family' referees), Augusta, Athens and South Georgia - Savannah not so much in my experience over the years, though. And really not so much in the metro Atlanta clubs - we've actually had refs at our home club that seemed to miss a lot of calls that helped the visiting team. But it could be crazy parental perspective - I'll admit to that much! However, we played in Macon a few years ago and we really heard one of the girls on their team say 'Uncle Bubba, she's pushing me". We've joked about that since but, I do know it's against the rules to ref a family member's - or even a game where you know too many of the players. And I get that in places like Atlanta, you have a deeper pool of referees than you would in somewhere like South Georgia, but shouldn't the same rules apply - or you'd think the referees would try to go out of their way to be fair to avoid these stigmas and stereotypes. We had a bad game this weekend. I won't go into details lest I sound whiny - we lost a very sloppily played physical game with lots of fouls called against our team and what seemed like a lopsided few against the home team. Our normally calm non shouting coach was questioning calls until she finally realized it was futile and sat down. We could protest but won't. We lost - goals were not from PKs from fouls so there's really nothing to state that the ref gave unfair advantage that resulted in the game going one way. And while my kid is an aggressive player who has been known to commit a foul or two in a game, I think she got 5 in that game - which even for her is a lot. I didn't appreciate the other team's parents yelling at her and telling the ref she deserved a red card. I just love the parental mentality that every brush on 'my' player is a foul while she can knock your player to the ground and it's 'just playing physical'. Fine - show your ignorance but verbally attacking any player on the field is just wrong and had the referee had control of the game, could have resulted in you being shown to the parking lot! I've seen that happen a few times, too. It is a physical game but part of being a referee is to manage and temper that so there are no injuries. Our center this weekend completely lost control of the game and it really was a miracle no one got seriously hurt. Guess I'm just paying attention more now that my kid is starting to referee. But honestly, in all the years of going to away games, this weekend's center was by far the most one sided of any I've ever encountered. So has anyone else noticed or experienced this outside Atlanta or am I being hyper-sensitive sore loser - although the operative word for my kid today is 'sore' - that's the most bruises and scrapes I've seen on her in a while - a full cleat mark on the back of her thigh and fingernail scratches on her arms and back - but no foul! And oh joy, we're headed to Macon later this season, too - I'll say hey to Uncle Bubba for y'all if you want me to!
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Post by spectator on Mar 30, 2014 19:39:35 GMT -5
First, does your kid do it? yes - she loves it
Second, if they do such supplemental work, is this just in the context of speed and agility training often offered by clubs? We go outside the club and work with a track coach. Improving running form is key to speed and agility.
Third, do any kids participate in individual speed and strength training at any number of sports performance centers in the metro Atlanta area? Yes - we've gone to two facilities and done some one on one with an old coach
Fourth, do the kids like it? YES - she really likes the fitness part. I think she'd continue to do that even if she didn't play soccer
Fifth, does anyone notice an improvement in performance as a result of participation in such programs? Yes - her form and confidence has improved
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Post by spectator on Mar 23, 2014 13:06:23 GMT -5
Day Two. Parents are crazy regardless of level. Today is Rec girls and Academy boys. All equally psycho nuts
And coaches who warm their teams up right behind the goal of an ongoing game are total jerks and just rude. It's distracting to the players on the field and they were in the way of corner kicks. Show a little respect
I think my big takeaway from being the mom of a ref is that I will be a better mom of a player and stay quiet on the sidelines.
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Post by spectator on Mar 22, 2014 21:22:30 GMT -5
My 13 year old worked as a referee for the first time today. She was AR to both Academy and Rec games and it's a different thing to watch games when you have no dog in the hunt. I hung around a bit and have the following observations: 1. SSA Academy Coaches - SHUT UP ALREADY! My God within 5 minutes I knew the first name of every girl on your team. "Alisa go here" Jordan go there" "Get it to Brianna". Seriously these guys aren't coaching they are barking orders and the kids will never learn to make a decision on their own. I witnessed two different SSA coaches do this and it gave me a headache 2. Academy Patents - learn the game. Get a book and learn the game before freaking out at every little thing 3. NASA Academy coach who berated my kid for missing an offsides call. Chill. It didn't result in anything more than a goal kick for your own team. The continued screams at the two ARs was ridiculous and unless your fat a$$ can get out there and do better, worry about yourself and your team 3. Rec parents - see #2 and #1. Screaming "kick it" is stupid. Even more stupid was griping about the really good player on the other team saying "he shouldn't be here ". Academy isn't for everyone and a good rec player is still a good player My kid handled everything well and wants to continue. And all my observations above came from her. . Astute kid
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Post by spectator on Mar 21, 2014 8:52:44 GMT -5
so the rain bug has bitten the spring season again. our club has been closed all week, fields should open tonight. we've missed i think 1 saturday and 1 sunday game now due to rain. its clear, its time for counties and clubs to invest in turf fields. Agree - we do need more turf fields - and in many cases, lights on those fields. But the other problem is too many current fields are built on flood plains so turfing that wouldn't really solve the problem -it'd just be wet slippery turf that wouldn't be playable. I can't see Top Hat or Cobb parks like Tramore, Noonday, or Mud Creek being viable turf options. JJ Bileo in Cherokee is also a swamp after rain so it would just be wet carpet if turfed! Looks like another spring filled with weekday makeup games! Sigh!
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Post by spectator on Mar 21, 2014 8:47:59 GMT -5
WOW. The first goal just looked like a goalie error -unfortunate but it happens. I don't get the rationale of the referee not just calling back the first goal and re-kicking. I've seen some really weird calls by referees since my daughter started playing soccer - never once seen a 'mercy' goal given to a team after a bloop goal was scored on them.
Odd! Based on the fan reaction, it didn't seem like anyone was super outraged by the call - where was that game played - we need to import some of those sedate fans for our games here LOL.
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Post by spectator on Mar 12, 2014 9:51:02 GMT -5
Soccer in College and Got Soccer are tournament based - so if a team doesn't do a ton of tournaments or do the right ones for the extra points, they aren't given the same weight in rankings as those that do. SIC includes Rec tournaments too so by Spring, the rankings get all gunked up with those teams. For the most part, I'd say the top 1-15 or so are accurate but it's from 16 all the way down to in the 40's that seems to be a crap shoot.
Does the state keep rankings for Classic and Athena based on games played? I really don't give a rats a$$ if our team is ranked 17 or 37 but when we enter tournaments and are asked for our state ranking, it's skewed. Can't use the national ranking from SIC because it's based off where the team is in the state.
Just curious - have a former team parent who lives and dies by where their team is in the SIC rankings - to the point of bragging about it on Facebook only to delete the post when some 'lower ranked' team beats them.
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Post by spectator on Mar 12, 2014 7:46:25 GMT -5
Sedate sidelines for our first weekend and this weekend we were out of state at a tournament.
I can attest to the fact that Georgia does not have a lock on crazy psycho parents - Tennessee is definitely in the running for that title - Redneck, Psycho and Crazy!!!
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Post by spectator on Mar 11, 2014 10:15:52 GMT -5
Very good showing for GA Girls Teams at Vulcan Cup:
Champions U10 Girls Gold - Concorde Fire North Black U11 Girls Gold - GSA Lilburn Red U11 Girls Bronze - GSA Lilburn Black U12 Girls Gold 11v11 - Concorde Fire North Black U13 Girls Gold 2 - Lady Chiefs Premier (Athena B) U13 Girls Copper - GSA 01 White (Athena C) U14 Girls Silver - Roswell Santos Blue (Athena A) U14 Girls Bronze - DDYSC Wolves Gold (Athena C)
Finalists U11 Girls Gold - AFU Gold U11 Girls Gold - Inter Atlanta FC Elite U12 Girls Gold - AFU Elite 02 U13 Girls Gold 1 - Concorde Fire Elite (Athena A) U13 Girls Gold 3 - Top Hat Navy (Athena B) U13 Girls Silver - Concorde Fire North Black (Athena C)
Other GA Teams U12 Girls Gold 11v11 - Roswell Santos Boxx - 2 losses - 1 tie U12 Girls Gold 11v11 - DDYSC 02 Wolves Navy - 1 win and 2 losses U13 Girls Gold 1 - AFU Pre ECNL - 1 win, 1 loss, 1 tie U13 Girls Gold 2 - GSA 01 Red - 1 win and 2 losses (Athena A) U13 Girls Gold 2 - GSA 02 Red Lilburn - 3 ties (U12 team) U13 Girls Gold 2 - AFU Elite 01 - 2 wins and 1 loss (Athena B) U13 Girls Silver - Roswell Santos Blue - 1 win and 2 losses (new Athena B for Spring) U13 Girls Copper - Concorde Fire North White - 3 losses (Athena E) U14 Girls Silver - GSA 00 Red - 1 win 2 losses (new Athena A for Spring) U14 Girls Silver - NASA Select - 2 ties and 1 loss (new Athena B for Spring) U14 Girls Bronze - VRSA Attack 00 1 win, 1 tie, 1 loss (Athena E)
Vulcan is a very competitive tournament and the tournament will work to keep teams from the same state out of the same bracket. There's some pretty obvious trophy shopping from some out of state clubs when they request lower brackets, but overall, it's very fair and well run. Nice to play clubs from other states instead of the same old same old.
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Post by spectator on Mar 4, 2014 10:03:25 GMT -5
Concorde should be ashamed of themselves for doing this year after year. There is no way on this earth that they had already spent 50% of the monies collected - fields are rented at the time they are used; referees are paid after they work; they even re-use the same medals each year - they're not personalized with the year they're given; t-shirts are now made on site not pre-made and shipped - so tell me - where did 50% of over $95,000 go when the tournament didn't play a single game?
Based on the number of teams entered in the girls tournament and the entry fees, I came up with $95,140 in entry fees. What the hell gives Concorde - one of the richest clubs in the city - the right to pocket $47K for a tournament that never happened? Seriously - this is an outrage! They do it almost every single year to either the boys or girls tournaments. Even if they don't charge the gazillion teams from their own club to enter - on the girls side that was only 36 of the total 180 teams - it's still just a drop in the bucket from the total fees. Some of the clubs that enter are small clubs that can't afford to have half their tournament budgets taken from them by the greedy bastards at Concorde.
Years ago, I heard that several YMCA teams had enough and took Concorde to GA soccer when they found a loophole in their rules - Concorde did not specifically state 'no refunds. GA soccer ruled that Concorde was in the wrong by not clearly stating it but then caved and said a 50% refund was generous enough. And I think Concorde retaliated by never scheduling any Academy games with YMCA teams. So they're greedy AND petty! Seriously, the ONLY way to get Concorde to stop this practice is DO NOT ENTER THAT TOURNAMENT!
Trust me - it was worth a very long drive to play out of state that weekend and not have to deal with this crap!
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Post by spectator on Mar 3, 2014 12:15:48 GMT -5
Definitely do not like. I have to wonder if the players like the idea of a collar - I mean this is soccer not golf! Is this for both the men and women's teams? I'd rather have the 'Where's Waldo' red stripes than this - ick!
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Post by spectator on Mar 2, 2014 17:57:01 GMT -5
What's wrong with that rule? IMO - nothing is wrong with that rule. A red card is for serious or violent penalties and the only way to get players/coaches to control it is to make the penalty for red cards have some bite. As long as refs don't throw red cards for minor penalties the rule could protect players in the long run
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Post by spectator on Feb 28, 2014 20:24:05 GMT -5
Got predictions got U14 A's and B's?
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Post by spectator on Feb 26, 2014 21:18:14 GMT -5
It is tough because the really good friends are at various skill levels. If we stay, they most likely play together. Going elsewhere together would be desirable but no guarantees It's a shame small clubs don't form alliances to blend rosters. The paid staff have census incentives, so that's never gonna occur. Can you imagine a DOC calling another and doing joint training, with the goal of offering half a team in exchange for another? That'd be cool. /back to reality The Cobb YMCA's tried the blended roster thing a few years ago at Academy. it was a miserable failure - one club basically poached the other for goalies and strikers for the top team then threw the rest together for games. In the end, at least at our age group, it was the ultimate demise of the program - almost every single girl left for new clubs. It's a great idea in theory but when you factor in coaches and parents egos -even at young academy ages, plus the fact the person in charge was a total dufus and couldn't have manged his own club much less the 2 he was trying to blend, it was a cluster from the get go. It'd take a special DOC from both clubs to manage this - haven't met one that special in all the years my kid has been playing. On a more positive note - friendships that are real won't go away. We still keep in touch with our old teammates and even had a mini-reunion over the holidays for the girls and parents. You can still have that closeness while giving your player the chance to be more competitive or play with other kids with the same commitment and skill level
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Post by spectator on Feb 26, 2014 12:42:31 GMT -5
I feel for you - it's really hard to leave something you like - harder on your player, too. OK - here's your reality - the good and the bad:
Tryouts at a larger club will blow your mind. Coming from a small club to the tryout process at a large one was THE. MOST. STRESSFUL. THING. EVER! We'd never had more than 30 players at a tryout at any club we were at - making at team was never an issue. When you see literally hundreds of kids vying for maybe 60-70 spots, it becomes this unbelievable jockeying for position like you've never seen. Depending on how the club sets up the tryouts, you will be able to figure out which kids are being looked at for which teams - you'll see some smug smiles on parents faces as little Johnny is up with the Elite kids or some disgusted grumbling when little Johnny is put on the fields with the lower level teams. Don't read too much into that during tryouts. Typically the new kids will land where they need to be. It DOES matter where and what level you played before so bear that in mind. Coming from a C level team to a new club, the player will most likely be put with the C or lower level teams at tryouts. However, the newer players are the most likely to be moved from field to field during a tryout so I can attest to the fact that my player got a very very fair tryout this year - she started on the lower level fields and was moved very quickly to the fields with the higher teams.
Now the good side of being the 'newbie' at the tryout - well, good and bad. Bad is that the parents/players currently there will view you and your kid as the biggest threat ever. Some will be downright nasty - others will not. Let it roll off your back - parents who get that caught up in the fact your player may push their cupcake down are the same parents you'd avoid on the sidelines anyway. The good news is that coaches will give the newbies their attention first. Every coach thinks that this will be the year a little Abby or Messi will join his team and they salivate at each new face. Your child WILL get a fair look if they are new to a club and trying out. Especially so if your team has played a team of that particular coach - you'd be surprised what coaches see and remember. This worked out in our favor when we moved - the coaches remembered seeing my daughter and two other players because our old team had played them several times in tournaments and regular season games for years.
I won't lie to you - it's not fun. It's hard to leave behind a coach and friends you've bonded with on the field and sidelines for years. It's produced our share of tears this year and even caused my player to doubt herself and her desire to play the game. BUT - it's temporary. You will land where you land and if you've made friends at one club, you'll make them at another. What I have loved about being at a bigger club is how much better organized things are. That and we love our coach, the parents and players truly have accepted and embraced the newcomers and made them feel like such a vital part of this team. My daughter now considers her entire team to be her best friends and I really like the parents and kids. Still miss our old crew but life is about moving on and meeting new people. I wish you luck on your change - it'll turn out for the best - even if you hate it while it's happening.
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Post by spectator on Feb 26, 2014 9:46:38 GMT -5
This will be intentionally vague.. Great bunch of kids, some together since academy, some newcomers. Skill level all over the board. A 9, a couple 7's and 8's some fives and a few lower. (Out of ten, imaginary ranking as soccer players, totally subjective through rose colored glasses - my rating really isn't the point). At this small club there is just one team and they aren't going to be climbing tables, but they're plenty capable of holding their current "middle of the road" level. Most love the game and work pretty hard at it. A couple don't.. But they all get along pretty well. so here is the point.. The "small club dilemma" On one hand, if there was another team out there to mix with and make two teams, there could be a pretty darn good team on the field, capable of competing at higher level. And the 2nd team would be able to stay where they are and compete also. This situation could break the spirit of some, but suit others great. But... There isn't another team that will magically appear at tryouts. On the other hand, they could sick together and just enjoy the ride at mid level select. The weaker players will forever hold the team back, but is it really that important to win every game to win at life? truly curious what others think, or would do.
Small Club Dilemma - been there done that. Your choices depend on the following: Age of the team - If U12 moving to U13, some of the better players may see the situation and jump ship leaving you with no team; if this team is already in Classic/Athena, get a pulse check from the families to see their intentions - whether to stay together or look elsewhere. Level of play - not that I put a bit of stock into the rankings at younger ages, but where is this team ranked now as an Academy team or what division are they if Classic/Athena. Higher rank/division would mean possible more unrest by your better players/families. If - for example - this team is currently playing in Athena C or D, there's a better chance the team will stay together if the players are truly enjoying it and having fun. My biggest gripe on that other forum is it seems everyone's kid is RPL. DA. ECNL or Classic1/Athena A - there ARE other levels of play and if the team has meshed and is having a good time, who cares what the level is (other than the uber competitive mommies and daddies). Commitment Level of players - are the weaker players working to improve? Doing drills on their own or taking extra sessions? Or are they just happy to be there? Are the better players frustrated or are they enjoying their teammates? If your 'stars' are frustrated or fussing at their teammates in games and practices - they're most likely to be shopping for another club. Are the weaker ones not committed enough to continue and will they quit soon? Club Recruitment/Goals - does your club actively promote their programs or advertise for tryouts? Is there another small club nearby that may have some additional players who would want to make a move? Or is that club somewhere your players would consider? There IS a large pool of talent out there and come tryouts, you never know who will show up - especially with all the rumors of mergers and coaching changes. Now my take on this - we found ourselves in almost this same situation but the decision was made for us when not enough players decided to continue and not enough players came out for tryouts to create that second team. The coach of the top team refused to take any players from the second team and that meant no second team at all - leaving a group of girls scrambling for a team. Even though my player was one of the better ones among a very wide gap in talent on that second team, we would have stayed with that coach and those players had the team not folded. Even now when my player is on a very good and much higher level team, she doesn't feel the same bonding and friendship she felt with her old team - it's slowly developing but there's a real grieving process when your team just folds and goes away. It happens in every club at every age,though - club politics, crazy parents, jerk coaches and the inevitable process of kids just dropping out of the sport - it's rare a team will stay together from Academy to U19. In your case, you only have one team so if your player is committed and wants to continue, you should probably always have a Plan B in the back of your mind. If your situation is a U12 team, definitely have players try out at other clubs for U13 just in case. If you're already in Classic/Athena now, still consider trying out elsewhere OR start to engage on the sidelines with parents at other small clubs - they're probably in the same dilemma as you are and maybe you could put together another group to form a stronger team or a second team. It's sad - there are great benefits to being part of a smaller club and frankly, Georgia Soccer needs those clubs - not every kid is right for the mega club with multiple teams spread out over every level and geographic location. There's a lot to be said for a good soccer club right in your own back yard - even if your team will never even compete at State Cup much less win it!
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Post by spectator on Feb 25, 2014 20:39:16 GMT -5
It'll be interesting to see how everything turns out. We have not received any official word from NSA and Tony regarding any potential merger. I'm sure there are benefits for both sides to justify the merger. While I'm not sure about the boys, the girl's side has seen a diminishing Rec program. From what I've learned from this board, you must have 1 Rec player for every Academy or Select player so merging with a club that has a large Rec program would definitely benefit NSA. I'm guessing that's why NSA started the affiliation with the Eagles club. (All speculation on my part though) While UFA does have Fowler Park, they also have a large training area off of McGinnis Ferry Rd that is closer for NSA kids. However, that being said, if either of my girls were to be moved to either of those fields, we'd have to leave NSA. We've been at NSA for 8 years (my oldest was 5 and my youngest was 4 when they started there) and our loyalties are there but it's alot of ask of my wife shuttling them so far for practice three or more nights a week. Heck, this week it's 5 days. I'll be there in a few minutes for a makeup practice at 9am. We live about 2 miles from Pickneyville and it works for us. We'd probably go to AFU as it would be more geographically desirable. There are good trainers at pretty much every club in Metro Atlanta and I feel you really get out of it what you put into it as a player. You dedication level determines your skill set for most players and you will excel at any club if you work hard. I guess we'll have to just wait and see... Jack - depending on where you live, check out Roswell, too. Most of the older teams practice at East Roswell park across 400 toward Norcross. It was a haul for us but it was the selling point a few years ago when our old coach was talking to some girls from NSA about coming over. You already know the U13 team from your daughter's age group - Sharon is an amazing coach and she's staying with the group. (We're not there but I have friends at the club who are very happy with their coaches and teams - despite all the negativity and petty postings on the other forum).
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Post by spectator on Feb 21, 2014 9:36:12 GMT -5
Our TM shared our schedule last week but there were no venues or times and it came with the big all capitals caveat 'THIS WILL CHANGE!'.
Still, I'm curious to see the other brackets and who moved where. For U14 girls it looks like 4 from A went RPL; 1 from A dropped to B; 3 from B moved to A; 1 from B dropped (assume to C); two from C moved to B. Other than that, it's surprising to me that at U14, GA Soccer kept six brackets (A-F) rather than consolidating into only 5 (A-E) like they have in years past.
From what was shared here, I was happy to see the Roswell U13's got moved up to B - they really got hosed on placement in fall and hopefully this will make amends for that.
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Post by spectator on Feb 19, 2014 16:56:13 GMT -5
I think it's a bad thing for the kids at Norcross and hope they have other alternatives. UFA is a huge club spread out all over metro Atlanta - just like SSA. We had a friend at SSA that when her child got cut from the top team, since the second team was way south of the city, the only option was a very low level team at the location where they'd been previously. They ended up leaving for another club. I think traffic and scheduling will be a deciding factor with some parents - can't blame them! If the geography works out for the player, it's a good thing but for those where it doesn't, the options are pretty horrible.
I wish Norcross well - always thought the club and folks there are class acts. Unfortunately, based on my experiences with my own player's team, I can't say the same for the teams we've played at UFA. At least GSA is an option for some families who live out that way. Also, Roswell teams practice a lot at the East Roswell Park (east of 400) so that's a driveable option for any family from NSA who still wants a smaller organization. I want to see the smaller clubs succeed - they're great options for kids who don't want to get lost in the crowd at the mega club.
I'm sad to see the evolution of the mega clubs and traffic snarl ups with the field/team shuffle based on location.
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Post by spectator on Feb 19, 2014 16:45:31 GMT -5
This is silly, but really it's all about the EXCITEMENT in the kids. Even if you are not the top of the heap in the ATL - as a kid, getting to travel somewhere with all your soccer friends and stay in a hotel and do something you don't normally do - that's great fun, no matter how old you are! The whole adventure aspect is not lost on the kids. They really enjoy it. In the big picture, it is all about developing the friendships and experiences that will stay with the players - and along the way they learn to love the game too. Not silly at all. The girls love being together in a hotel - it's one big (heavily chaperoned LOL) slumber party and the memories they're making together are priceless. And we have a blast too, I really love my little soccer 'family' - great girls - great parents - and we all have a great time. The 'excitement' part was as much the moms planning who was bringing the wine as much as anything the girls did! For me - the best part was that very long drive with just me and my daughter - a great chance to talk about anything and everything - and sing (badly) at the top of our lungs to any song we liked. I'm sure we were as entertaining to watch as we passed other cars as we were having ourselves!
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Post by spectator on Feb 18, 2014 11:20:15 GMT -5
we try to do one at least once in the fall and once in the spring. my youngest is a u10, and its honestly already getting boring playing the same teams. when we play in a local tournament, its basically already the exact same bracket as the year before. for me, we love all tourneys. out of state tourneys are great experiences. they are what playing competitive soccer is about, traveling, seeing new places, bonding with the family, arguing with your children etc. its one of the great things i think about atlanta, not only do we have very competitive soccer here locally, but we are 5 hours from great tourneys in tenn, south carolina, north carolina, bama, and florida. i will say i'm not a fan of having to hop on a plane to go to a soccer tourney though. too expensive, unless your not footing the bill like DA. Based on your user name, you should look into the Gator Showcase next year. We've done tournaments in Birmingham and they are always class act! Great fields, different teams and an easy drive. Vulcan Cup attracts a ton of Atlanta teams but the tournament is great about not putting same states against themselves to ensure getting to play new teams. When my daughter was still in Academy, we went to Asheville for an August tournament - Riverside Classic. That was awesome - beautiful location and great fields. Plus it's about 10 degrees cooler there than in Atlanta so it was a much more pleasant sideline experience for us! CESA in Greenville also puts on a great tournament. You're right - our location is great for a do-able driveable trek to another state for a weekend tournament.
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Post by spectator on Feb 17, 2014 15:47:35 GMT -5
1. Preseason gut check on fitness and ability of team after long break and being cooped up with snow days twice in the past month and a half 2. Playing teams we've never seen or heard of. Even more fun when our under-ranked team surprised a few of them 3. Playing higher level teams to see if our players would rise up to that level (they did!) 4. Great team bonding - players room together, eat together, hang out together - ultimately play better together! 5. Great parent bonding - chaperones and parents hang out, get to know one another better, share a few beers and laughs. 6. Learning about different state soccer association rules - example - Florida - rostered players aren't guaranteed playing time (noted when one FL team never subbed during the entire game); Alabama - players with casts can bubble wrap it and play (not recommended as that bubble wrap just encases something very hard to hit with) 7. It's not Concorde Cup. SO very grateful we went out of town this weekend instead of signing up for that one. Other teams in our club sat home - we drove a ways but got to play. Only downside -long drive, tired parents who had to work today! How was your weekend? Did your teams play?
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Post by spectator on Feb 17, 2014 15:39:35 GMT -5
One week before the season starts - par for the course. Most team managers have sent their teams out what they see with the caveat 'SUBJECT TO CHANGE!" Two of the black out dates our coach put in were ignored so there's two reschedules right off the bat. Between some out of state March tournaments and trying to appease the Spring Break schedules of multiple school districts (public and private) it's a nightmare! Add in some volatile spring weather - I don't pity anyone trying to schedule and then reschedule all this. It gets worse if you have coaches/age group coordinators with chips on their shoulders who refuse to work with other coaches and teams.
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Post by spectator on Feb 13, 2014 10:52:40 GMT -5
We're headed to Gainesville FL for the Gator Showcase this weekend. I think the roads will be OK by noonish tomorrow - once we get past Macon, I'll be thrilled to get out of this wintery mess! Birmingham should be on - those are gorgeous fields - we were there pre-season when the turf can get hot - perfect weather for it now!
I will bet anything Concorde cancels and that they hold to the 50% refund trend. I hope if Concorde does this again that people will finally stay away from that tournament. They've taken our teams' money too many times - no way will we ever go back!
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Post by spectator on Feb 12, 2014 20:34:05 GMT -5
My u13 daughter's team dropped to D. It was expected and I am happy for them. The competition will be more even for them and it will allow them to develop schemes and plays that aren't able to execute when you are fighting for your lives out there. Another plus is our 2nd level team dropped to C so it would've been a bit weird to play against each other. Also glad to see Roswell move up to B. They definitely deserve it. I think they still should do quite well in that bracket. Jack - you're 110% correct and it's great to see a parent 'get' that it's not just about the letter on the division - too many people get sucked up in the 'my kid must be on an Athena A team' and bounce from club to club. If your daughter's team plays well together, playing at a slower pace game in Athena D will make them a stronger team and there's nowhere to go but up from there. Last year a team TSC Elite started in Athena D/E, moved up to C in Spring, then to B this fall. They finished fourth in Athena B and had GA Soccer created larger brackets (12-13 teams vs 11), the 'D' level team would have been in Athena A this spring. For now, they're at the top of Athena B! I hope your daughter's team does well and stays together - there really is nowhere to go but up if you get the right group working together and developing as a team! Best of luck this spring!!!
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Post by spectator on Feb 12, 2014 20:26:58 GMT -5
Maybe - will depend on the condition of the roads in the morning. It's supposed to get above Freezing so hopefully things will melt away and dry up. Big question - what about this weekend's local tournaments? The fields may still be saturated. Concorde tournament is all over the place - from GSA to GA Soccer Park by the airport. Will the stereotype hold up - Concorde cancels and keeps half the money?
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Post by spectator on Feb 10, 2014 22:11:39 GMT -5
ATH A United FA 00 Black - ATH B SSA Chelsea 00G Premier Blue - ATH A SSA Chelsea 00G Elite - ATH A United FA 00 Red- ATH A Concorde Fire Central Elite- ATH A Storm SA 99 Girls Black - ATH A NASA G18 Premier - ATH B Roswell Santos Blue - ATH A AFC Lightning '00 Elite - ATH A Augusta Arsenal 00 Gold - ATH A GSA 00 Red - ATH B ATH B Concorde Fire South Black - ATH B United FA 00 Black - South - ATH A TopHat-18 Navy- ATH B Athens United 00 Gold - ATH B Macon United - ATH B NASA G18 Select - ATH C TSC 2000 Girls- ATH B CFC Red Star Elite - ATH B Lady Chiefs Premier 00 - ATH B 00 Norcross Fury Premier - ATH B Atlanta Fire United Elite - GU14 - ATH C UFA Black South and UFA Black seem to have just swapped places - Black South was in Athena A in Fall and UFA Black was 3rd in Athena B. It looks like one team dropped out of Athena B from Fall to Spring - Georgia FC Elite - they didn't win a single game in the bracket in Fall so it makes sense but typically no one falls from Fall to Spring at U14 due to the RPL teams. Also - pretty light brackets with only 11 teams in each bracket - usually it's 12-13. Interesting. Thanks for the info.
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Post by spectator on Feb 9, 2014 18:41:16 GMT -5
So are we still on track to see schedules Friday? And TMs care to share brackets? Thanks
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Post by spectator on Feb 4, 2014 11:54:33 GMT -5
Problem will be how much rain comes prior to Saturday. If the fields are saturated, tournaments will be cancelled. Right now the Weather Channel has rain chance today, 40% tomorrow and 20% thurs and fri. 50% Saturday. Also depends on what fields - Cobb will close parks in a heartbeat.
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