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Post by cleansheet on May 29, 2019 7:14:34 GMT -5
What exactly is this camp intended for other than to collect $155? My daughter attended last night. Upon check-in, the girls were separated into what level they played last year and than basically scrimmaged for an hour an a half. There were 2 coaches (EH and PD) in attendance who walked around, No instruction, No drills and honestly did not pay attention to the girls. My daughter has been working hard this offseason, improving her technical ability with the goal of trying out for a higher caliber team, only to be lumped in with younger girls who were needed to be able to field teams. I know the bulk of this board is focused on DA / NPL / ECNL however how does one progress if they are automatically cast aside without a look? She's not at that level but is more than capable of SCCL (sure I'm a bit biased but also a realist). We simply didn't have the funds last year so she didn't push for it and I regret that. However, she did play (and start every game) Varsity for her HS team which made it to the Elite 8 in State. This may be premature and hopefully she'll get an actual look during actual tryouts next week but she was frustrated because this is exactly how TH tryouts were handled last year. The SCCL team was 95% filled before tryouts and the remaining players were cobbled together to form another team with a random coach who was more interested in his college team than developing the girls. It seemed like a money grab at the time and feels eerily similar with this "camp". You can’t just show up to a new club. You got to politic. Make calls in advance. Emails. Sell her! |
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Post by interestedspectator on May 29, 2019 7:15:34 GMT -5
Did your daughter tell the coaches that she wants to play SCCL? If she is going back the rest of the week that might be a good idea so they can look at her.
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Post by atlsoccerdad on May 29, 2019 7:26:31 GMT -5
The SCCL team was 95% filled before tryouts and the remaining players were cobbled together to form another team with a random coach who was more interested in his college team than developing the girls. It seemed like a money grab at the time and feels eerily similar with this "camp". It is so sad that this seems to be the way it works across the board. I have seen similar things at tryouts across age groups at multiple clubs. I have however stumbled upon a few tryouts that were very well run (organized with coaches paying attention)... so they do exist. I hope your daughter manages to find one or two next week... |
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Post by atlsoccerdad on May 29, 2019 7:27:56 GMT -5
What exactly is this camp intended for other than to collect $155? My daughter attended last night. Upon check-in, the girls were separated into what level they played last year and than basically scrimmaged for an hour an a half. There were 2 coaches (EH and PD) in attendance who walked around, No instruction, No drills and honestly did not pay attention to the girls. My daughter has been working hard this offseason, improving her technical ability with the goal of trying out for a higher caliber team, only to be lumped in with younger girls who were needed to be able to field teams. I know the bulk of this board is focused on DA / NPL / ECNL however how does one progress if they are automatically cast aside without a look? She's not at that level but is more than capable of SCCL (sure I'm a bit biased but also a realist). We simply didn't have the funds last year so she didn't push for it and I regret that. However, she did play (and start every game) Varsity for her HS team which made it to the Elite 8 in State. This may be premature and hopefully she'll get an actual look during actual tryouts next week but she was frustrated because this is exactly how TH tryouts were handled last year. The SCCL team was 95% filled before tryouts and the remaining players were cobbled together to form another team with a random coach who was more interested in his college team than developing the girls. It seemed like a money grab at the time and feels eerily similar with this "camp". You can’t just show up to a new club. You got to politic. Make calls in advance. Emails. Sell her! I can't imagine how hard it would be to move to the Atlanta area from another state and show up at tryouts. |
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TH "Camp"
May 29, 2019 8:09:41 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by soccerallthetime on May 29, 2019 8:09:41 GMT -5
I also am wondering which age group? By the way, those are two really excellent, top notch coaches. I can’t imagine they weren’t paying attention. Sometimes it’s just not as obvious.
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Post by girlsoccer on May 29, 2019 8:12:10 GMT -5
The SCCL team was 95% filled before tryouts and the remaining players were cobbled together to form another team with a random coach who was more interested in his college team than developing the girls. It seemed like a money grab at the time and feels eerily similar with this "camp". It is so sad that this seems to be the way it works across the board. I have seen similar things at tryouts across age groups at multiple clubs. I have however stumbled upon a few tryouts that were very well run (organized with coaches paying attention)... so they do exist. I hope your daughter manages to find one or two next week... I think that this is expected though. If your daughter has played with a club/for a coach all year, they’ve been observed all year by someone. Why would how they perform in a couple of days at tryouts change that? This only applies to trying out at your same club. If you feel your daughter has been overlooked at her present club , which definitely happens, unfortunately it often takes changing clubs to get a new set of eyes on her without any preconceived ideas of her to make that jump from Athena to sccl or sccl to ecnl, etc. |
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Post by girlsoccer on May 29, 2019 8:24:46 GMT -5
I think that this is expected though. If your daughter has played with a club/for a coach all year, they’ve been observed all year by someone. Why would how they perform in a couple of days at tryouts change that? This only applies to trying out at your same club. If you feel your daughter has been overlooked at her present club , which definitely happens, unfortunately it often takes changing clubs to get a new set of eyes on her without any preconceived ideas of her to make that jump from Athena to sccl or sccl to ecnl, etc. She has played for the same club for the past few years. They have had a different coach in both 2017 and 2018 and unfortunately both are no longer associated with TH so there was little in terms of communication and continuity. as far as changing clubs.... that's her call - as much as I'd like her to do so or at least consider it, the reality is... She's 16 and would likely rather play with some friends and enjoy the years she has left than assume the grass is going to be greener elsewhere. I completely agree. By that age I’d say play with friends and enjoy the ride. I wouldn’t change clubs at u18 either. So little time left to enjoy it. Wise kid you’ve got there 😀. Good luck to her at tryouts. I hope she is happy with the team she ends up on, wherever that is. |
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Post by soccerfan30 on May 29, 2019 8:40:01 GMT -5
Once tryouts start next week at TH, players will go to the field for the team they want to try out for, one coach and one team, that's the time to make the impression. Open house camp isnt really instructional, it's just to get in front of the coaches and see the level of players you will be competing against.
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Post by 04gparent on May 29, 2019 9:10:33 GMT -5
Once tryouts start next week at TH, players will go to the field for the team they want to try out for, one coach and one team, that's the time to make the impression. Open house camp isnt really instructional, it's just to get in front of the coaches and see the level of players you will be competing against. Good Luck at tryouts. The older group tryouts will be interesting at TH because of the loss of ECNL and addition of DPL. All of those changes have a trickle down affect to all the teams in that age group... Once again good luck... |
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Post by newposter on May 29, 2019 9:21:06 GMT -5
Please also know that coaches evaluate players in games all throughout the playing season. Players at that age have been seen by lots of coaches. It's done for recruiting purposes. After a certain date, coaches can contact players. Offers are made without tryouts based on these evaluations. Of course you also have the message sent through a parent when coaches aren't allowed to contact players as well. By the time players get to u14 or u15, even the players know the top players in each age group as they play against them continuously. Not to put a damper on tryouts but just pointing out the difficulty there is in moving up especially at the same club. Good luck!
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Post by soccermaxx72 on May 29, 2019 9:55:00 GMT -5
What exactly is this camp intended for other than to collect $155? My daughter attended last night. Upon check-in, the girls were separated into what level they played last year and than basically scrimmaged for an hour an a half. There were 2 coaches (EH and PD) in attendance who walked around, No instruction, No drills and honestly did not pay attention to the girls. My daughter has been working hard this offseason, improving her technical ability with the goal of trying out for a higher caliber team, only to be lumped in with younger girls who were needed to be able to field teams. I know the bulk of this board is focused on DA / NPL / ECNL however how does one progress if they are automatically cast aside without a look? She's not at that level but is more than capable of SCCL (sure I'm a bit biased but also a realist). We simply didn't have the funds last year so she didn't push for it and I regret that. However, she did play (and start every game) Varsity for her HS team which made it to the Elite 8 in State. This may be premature and hopefully she'll get an actual look during actual tryouts next week but she was frustrated because this is exactly how TH tryouts were handled last year. The SCCL team was 95% filled before tryouts and the remaining players were cobbled together to form another team with a random coach who was more interested in his college team than developing the girls. It seemed like a money grab at the time and feels eerily similar with this "camp". You need to change clubs, they have already formed an opinion on your players and those opinions are hard to change. Go to tryouts somewhere else and they will likely make a better team than staying. |
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Post by atlfutboldad on May 29, 2019 9:55:38 GMT -5
This sounds gross. The movement to higher/lower groups should be done during the scrimmages. If you show abilities/spark they should move you to a higher group, if you're struggling move you to a lower group. That doesn't seem to be the intention of this camp.
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TH "Camp"
May 29, 2019 10:14:44 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by soccerfan30 on May 29, 2019 10:14:44 GMT -5
This sounds gross. The movement to higher/lower groups should be done during the scrimmages. If you show abilities/spark they should move you to a higher group, if you're struggling move you to a lower group. That doesn't seem to be the intention of this camp. They do in fact do this during tryouts not during Precamp. On the first night of tryouts the girls are told to go to the field with the team they want to try out for, coaches will then move players up or down fields based on performance, that's the way it's always been during all my years at TH. TG also tells the coaches to move players on the first night if they know they aren't going to offer them a spot so the other coaches have ample time to see them. |
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Post by aufanatic on May 29, 2019 10:57:40 GMT -5
Once tryouts start next week at TH, players will go to the field for the team they want to try out for, one coach and one team, that's the time to make the impression. Open house camp isnt really instructional, it's just to get in front of the coaches and see the level of players you will be competing against. 02 SCCL at Top Hat will likely have some spots. Additionally, they are losing their coach of a few years, so now may be a good time to see if you can get her in there. Especially if she wants to play in college. I would do as a previous poster stated and get a little political Sadly that's how the game is played. |
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Post by Keeper on May 29, 2019 11:25:21 GMT -5
$155 for two oversized babysitters and a whole lot of scrimmage??? That’s worse then Ga Soccer charging nearly $1K for “State” Cup.
That right there would send me looking for another tryout spot. I get it she’s an 02 and wants to play with her friends but who knows if she’ll have friends on that SCCL team anyway. If you’re in the TH area you’ve got choices. But I guess if you’re in the NASA area it’s a little harder to find a good backup.
I’d look at finding that backup spot on Wednesday night if she gets cut from SCCL on Tuesday though.
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TH "Camp"
May 29, 2019 11:53:53 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by soccerallthetime on May 29, 2019 11:53:53 GMT -5
Justadad, PD is a really nice guy and highly approachable, so don’t be afraid to approach him, or better yet have your daughter approach him, if needed. EH is really nice, too. Both of them, from what I have seen, are really well-liked by the girls.
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TH "Camp"
May 29, 2019 12:27:13 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by soccerallthetime on May 29, 2019 12:27:13 GMT -5
I totally understand!
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Post by interestedspectator on May 30, 2019 9:36:48 GMT -5
How was the camp last night did they talk to the coaches?
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Post by dad84472 on May 30, 2019 10:44:19 GMT -5
How was the camp last night did they talk to the coaches? There were lots of kids, but maybe 15% less than Tuesday. It looked like there were 12 coaches from level of DA, DPL, Navy (SCCL 1), White (SCCL 2), and Blue. Heard positives about being better last night. Also negatives that some kids were with a coach that isn’t the level she plans on trying out for (White coach looking at Navy players, etc). I heard a couple of examples of coaches telling players they looked forward to seeing them at tryouts. Sounds like a positive for that child and a negative for any other listening ears that didn’t get the same feedback. Mostly scrimmages. |
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TH "Camp"
May 30, 2019 11:00:48 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Goalkeeper Dad on May 30, 2019 11:00:48 GMT -5
How was the camp last night did they talk to the coaches? There were lots of kids, but maybe 15% less than Tuesday. It looked like there were 12 coaches from level of DA, DPL, Navy (SCCL 1), White (SCCL 2), and Blue. Heard positives about being better last night. Also negatives that some kids were with a coach that isn’t the level she plans on trying out for (White coach looking at Navy players, etc). I heard a couple of examples of coaches telling players they looked forward to seeing them at tryouts. Sounds like a positive for that child and a negative for any other listening ears that didn’t get the same feedback. Mostly scrimmages. Was there goalie training from what you can remember? For the scrimmages were there goalie or the pup neta? We didn't go because we were told the old goalie coach was leaving and they haven't secured a new coach yet. I know when we went last year they had a goalie trainer there for night 2 and 3. |
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Post by soccerfan30 on May 30, 2019 11:58:23 GMT -5
There were lots of kids, but maybe 15% less than Tuesday. It looked like there were 12 coaches from level of DA, DPL, Navy (SCCL 1), White (SCCL 2), and Blue. Heard positives about being better last night. Also negatives that some kids were with a coach that isn’t the level she plans on trying out for (White coach looking at Navy players, etc). I heard a couple of examples of coaches telling players they looked forward to seeing them at tryouts. Sounds like a positive for that child and a negative for any other listening ears that didn’t get the same feedback. Mostly scrimmages. Was there goalie training from what you can remember? For the scrimmages were there goalie or the pup neta? We didn't go because we were told the old goalie coach was leaving and they haven't secured a new coach yet. I know when we went last year they had a goalie trainer there for night 2 and 3. There was indeed goalkeeper training both nights, Nick and I worked with the girls |
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TH "Camp"
May 30, 2019 12:01:28 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Goalkeeper Dad on May 30, 2019 12:01:28 GMT -5
Was there goalie training from what you can remember? For the scrimmages were there goalie or the pup neta? We didn't go because we were told the old goalie coach was leaving and they haven't secured a new coach yet. I know when we went last year they had a goalie trainer there for night 2 and 3. There was indeed goalkeeper training both nights, Nick and I worked with the girls We should have gone then. |
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Post by freeyouthsoccer on May 30, 2019 12:12:16 GMT -5
Thanks for raising this topic.
My impression is that many of these pre-tryout camps are for a player (and that player's parent(s)) to assess whether s/he can generally "hang" with the players at a particular club.
They're not really for purposes of impressing or catching the eye of a coach. (That's what tryouts are for.) Not to foreclose that possibility but only to say that's not the focus of these camps.
I do think these camps - even though they're another opportunity for soccer parents to be separated from their hard-earned money - can serve a useful function for those seeking some kind of pre-tryout affirmation. I am not critical of either the clubs that host these or the parents/players that pay for them.
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Post by atlsoccerdad on May 31, 2019 15:23:16 GMT -5
You need to change clubs, they have already formed an opinion on your players and those opinions are hard to change. Go to tryouts somewhere else and they will likely make a better team than staying. I think the point is that new players at a club tryout are usually not given the same attention as players that a coach knows well (from being their coach for X years) or knows somewhat (from seeing them at previous tryouts / tournaments, etc.). |
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Post by soccerfan30 on May 31, 2019 18:00:46 GMT -5
You need to change clubs, they have already formed an opinion on your players and those opinions are hard to change. Go to tryouts somewhere else and they will likely make a better team than staying. I think the point is that new players at a club tryout are usually not given the same attention as players that a coach knows well (from being their coach for X years) or knows somewhat (from seeing them at previous tryouts / tournaments, etc.). Not always the case- I know for Academy tryouts at Tophat TC had kids from other clubs at the top field and watched them the entire night. |
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Post by soccerloafer on May 31, 2019 19:55:35 GMT -5
I think the point is that new players at a club tryout are usually not given the same attention as players that a coach knows well (from being their coach for X years) or knows somewhat (from seeing them at previous tryouts / tournaments, etc.). Not always the case- I know for Academy tryouts at Tophat TC had kids from other clubs at the top field and watched them the entire night. Those were the ones TC recruited... And new players are often given benefit over old players - the newness factor helps them a bit. My two cents. |
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Post by soccerfan30 on May 31, 2019 20:15:45 GMT -5
Not always the case- I know for Academy tryouts at Tophat TC had kids from other clubs at the top field and watched them the entire night. Those were the ones TC recruited... And new players are often given benefit over old players - the newness factor helps them a bit. My two cents. Not true...I was there helping with the Academy tryouts, lots of kids from UFA, CF, Smyrna and others that TC didn't know that showed up on their own. |
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shaka
Jr. Academy
Posts: 96
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TH "Camp"
May 31, 2019 20:42:09 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by shaka on May 31, 2019 20:42:09 GMT -5
Not always the case- I know for Academy tryouts at Tophat TC had kids from other clubs at the top field and watched them the entire night. Those were the ones TC recruited... And new players are often given benefit over old players - the newness factor helps them a bit. My two cents. TC doesn't need to "recruit". The new families and players are attending willingly. Look at posts about other clubs. UFA specifically. Many of these clubs self-destruct on their own & TH is waiting there with open arms. They don't have to "recruit" |
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TH "Camp"
May 31, 2019 21:44:28 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by dad84472 on May 31, 2019 21:44:28 GMT -5
Not always the case- I know for Academy tryouts at Tophat TC had kids from other clubs at the top field and watched them the entire night. Those were the ones TC recruited... And new players are often given benefit over old players - the newness factor helps them a bit. My two cents. I assure you TC isn’t out there recruiting 10 year old kids. That’s silly on your part to believe that. it’s the parents reaching out and trying to get a chance at one of the 2 to 4 Gold Teams. 😝 |
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TH "Camp"
May 31, 2019 22:17:15 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by oraclesfriend on May 31, 2019 22:17:15 GMT -5
Those were the ones TC recruited... And new players are often given benefit over old players - the newness factor helps them a bit. My two cents. TC doesn't need to "recruit". The new families and players are attending willingly. Look at posts about other clubs. UFA specifically. Many of these clubs self-destruct on their own & TH is waiting there with open arms. They don't have to "recruit" I don't know that the other clubs "self-destruct." Not giving in to demands that are unreasonable for the club to arrange within their current structure is not self-destructing. There can be a vocal minority that asks for things that the majority actually don't want.. those vocal few can leave and go elsewhere and that isn't self-destruction. I have a lot of respect for Tophat and what they are able to with the players they have and continue to acquire, however as soccerfan30 stated the parents there can make demands and Tophat will cave in at times. I am aware of a player last year who tried out for ECNL and did not make it (made SCCL). Her parents complained so much and Tophat caved and put her on the ECNL team. That is not right. The player should have been left on the SCCL team. |
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