Soccer: Bonita, COak win; Glendora done

I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.

Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.

Hands down, Apple's app store wins by a mile. It's a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I'm not sure I'd want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.

“Observer”, you ought to change your moniker to “Over-Involved Father, Living Through My Dear Daughter’s ‘Soccer Career’ Vicariously”. Your daughter (#5), is a wonderful kid, with a great heart, and is a fantastic player. She is tough as nails and highly skilled.. Don’t undermine the respect that other players and parents have for her by sounding like a Putz. You don’t have to tell us every university that you have called, errr, that has “recruited” your daughter. I have no doubt that if she continues on the path she is on, and gets good grades, that she will play Div. 1 somewhere. Like I said, she is a great “kid”. Stop treating her like a commodity. Let her have the pride of competing for her high school – that’s O.K. to say still, right? Sounds like you have been listening to the Legend director’s company line. If Glendora High soccer is such a joke, why have GFC/Legend coaches tried to get in there without success the last couple of years. Maybe it isn’t so irrelevant. I still believe that these kids want to play for their schools. You said that GHS enjoyed early success “mostly because 3 of their players are Premier players”. I think you are watching with tunnel vision. While these 3 were great, the center back (#21), the Keeper, and the sophomore outside halves had as much to do with the early success as Wood or Smetherman. The one truly outstanding player was Sanchez. You said “the coach had no clue how to coach”. Again, not true. He did everything right early and only lost the team when he started treating players differently based on who their parents were. Had he dealt with one particular player differently, the GHS team would have had a far more successful league season than they did. I believe he behaved this way because he felt that his future employment with GHS was dependent on how he handled a certain player. You said that the Arsenal parents were “vindictive and mean”, and yet you turned around and said about a minor, “Wasn't she cut from R4 team because she got a concussion, and couldn't perform?” Give me a break. What real man says something like that about another man’s daughter? Maybe you and “Serious” ought to just get together in a parking lot somewhere and fight it out to see whose daughter truly is the better player. It’s obvious you know each other… have the guts to stop hiding out behind your monikers. Like I said, your kid is a great kid. She must get it from her mother.

“Serious”, you have issues. It is obvious that you have no clue about #5. She is one of the best sophomores in the area. Even if you don’t believe that, what kind of sissy hides behind a moniker and says about a 15 year old girl, “she's a 5 min/half sub who got on the Legends team because they got decimated by injuries last season, not to mention she was cut from our Arsenal team in her own age group because she couldn't cut the mustard.” I’ve got news for all of you frustrated wannabes… none of your kids are going to make a living playing soccer. Furthermore, if you are depending on them getting a soccer scholarship for them to go to college, than you are more pathetic than I first thought. Regardless, #5 is a great kid with a big heart and doesn’t deserve to be set up by her own father to be made fun of, nor does she deserve to be drug through the mud by some “909” (or is it now “951”?) Ricardo Cabeza, whose kid would be embarrassed to know that her father was saying such awful things about another teenager.

Both of you, agreed wholeheartedly. All I can say is there is sometimes strength in numbers. If enough parents/players/boosters show a concern - sometimes change can follow. It's a real tough situation to be in, and that's why there are so many transfers in HS sports today. Unfortunately, when it doesn't work - that's why there are so many bad programs too.
Good luck with yours

Basic- Spot on as usual. If you figure it out, let me know. lol

Joe,

Yes the "NOT" being key there. But how do you change the mentalaty of some of these schools, when anything you say can put you on the "outside" and affect your kids?

Basic,

Very well said.

Coaches fighting over players and punishing those that want to play multiple sports is selfish and despicable at the every least. We have far too much of that at Amat for sure. As coaches, do the kids "play for us" or do we "coach the kids". One is selfish and the other is selfless.

In your 3rd point, did you mean to write:
"...attend a HS that does *NOT* put the same PRIDE in the particular sport as you do, then you are left with very few options...."

because eyes,that is a huge problem. That's why I wrote "...nothing beats a *good* high school experience...."

Bad ones can be real bad! My mantra lately is "Coaching Matters!"

Joe,

I agree that most kids should play as many different sports as possible at a young age so that THEY can decide what they might like (okay have take this approach with my own kids and it did not work out perefectly for my oldest, although he is doing really well in what he is currently doing but it seems to be working our for my other kids). Some of the issues that I note are as follows:
1. more and more kids are starting to trim their atheletic tree down at a younger age, making it more and more difficult for those that do not, to excell in any given sport because they now have to compete against these single sport kids.
2. SOME HS coaches do not want you to play multiple sports and if you do, they seem to want to punish you for it, so again, what is the kid to do?
3. IF you are very good at a sport and are playing club/travel and then attend a HS that does put the same PRIDE in the particular sport as you do, then you are left with very few options.

All I want my kids to experiance is playing in HS, like you said Joe, being involved in sports has so many more advantages. I do not Expect my kids to go any further than that, and if they do, that's just a bonus. However, I do want them to Experiance HS sports not as a passtime, everyone plays, don't worry if we never win, but experiance the Pride, the Strugles the UPs and the DOWNS, learning to be competetive and passionate but also developing sportsmenship.

In high school concentrating on one sport and maybe playing another is ok. Giving up everything to play one might be fine for a minority of players and it might work out to get them to the next level. But maybe not. Talent is not always evident early, and if you put all your eggs in a single-sport basket (whichever sport that is) what happens when it doesn't work out? Club sports has it's place, at times, in offering an advanced level of play but nothing beats a *good* high school experience.

The trickle-down effect is that specialization is happening at earlier ages - when we have even less intelligence about how kids will develop. 70% of kids drop out of sports about the time they enter HS. The #1 reason is it's no longer fun because parents and coaches are pushing too hard. Down the list of reasons is because they didn't make the team. If they are specializing and eventually get cut - they have NO other options. If they're at least used to trying different things throughout their youth, maybe they'll go out for another sport and benefit from involvement in that sport. And we all know the benefits of participation far beyond the sport.

From the Women in Sports Foundation:
High school girls who play sports are less likely to be involved in an unintended pregnancy, more likely to get better grades in school, and more likely to graduate than girls who do not play sports.
Girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem and lower levels of depression.
Sport is where our children learn about teamwork, goal setting and the pursuit of excellence. In an economic environment where the quality of our life is dependent on two-income families, our daughters cannot be less prepared for the highly competitive workplace than our sons.
80% of the female executives at Fortune 500 companies identified themselves as having played sports.

We need MORE girls to play... anything. Sometimes, specialization defeats that purpose in the long run.

Sorry about the double post earlier. Having some technical difficulties.

Anyway, obviously it's possible for good athletes to find a sport to letter in or ride to a college scholarship. It should still be respected though if the kid only plays one sport, especially when it's that kid's choice.

Quit pushing,

Great point, CIF basketball player of the year in San Diego and All League baseball player decided he needed something to do in the fall and played H2O Polo with his buddies.

Full Ride to Stanford and Olympic Jr National team tryout as a relative novice water polo player.

You never know.

OBSERVER- You DO realize you're replying to the wrong person right? lol

GET OVER IT- Way to whine about people talking about club soccer by ... talking about club soccer. Way to stop the cycle! You too amuse me. All that gibberish and you didn't even make a valid point. Blame the parents that run the school. They're the ones calling the shots.

CONFUSED- I hear you. It's really hard to say that as a coach and dare I say enforce that when coaches get fired for running the school teams too much like a club.

A kid I know had played baseball from 6 to 14. Then he decided in high school to "test the waters" and became a CIF swimmer. Parents stayed out of it. He is now going to swim in college - imagine the possibilities.

Observer- You DO realize you're replying to the wrong person right? lol

Get Over IT- Way to whine about people talking about club soccer by ... talking about club soccer. Way to stop the cycle! You too amuse me. All that jibberish and you didn't even make a valid point. Blame the parents that run the school. They're the ones calling the shots.

Confused- I hear you. It's really hard to say that as a coach and dare I say enforce that when coaches get fired for running the school teams too much like a club.

Got Your Back- Are you both the same person? You're equally clueless. If a kid cries because the parents are going to be upset with her for dropping the ball then that kid is in desperate need of thicker skin. Life is going to eat that kid alive. Sports helps people learn to deal with disappointments, large and small. It's obvious that kid has never done anything special because even if they lost in the spelling bee, they would have learned to deal with it better. I don't expect you to believe me. Only serious athletes can even grasp this concept. I'm sure you're a product of the current nobody loses, everybody get a trophy mentality.

EVERYONE- As Basic wrote, HS is an experience like no other. I had more fun playing for my high school than I did with my club team. HS sports should be fun. Where opinions differ is what "fun" actually means. Some seem to think it means everyone should get to play and rotate positions so everyone gets a chance to score. Others, like myself, found nothing better than battling with every ounce of my being in a hard-fought match. Neither is right and neither id wrong. My question is based off Basic's statements: as a school, if you're not trying to be serious, why are you fielding a varsity team?

Dear Observer,

I think its funny that when your part of the team the coach can do no wrong and the parents are awesome and everyone gets along. But when your cut, the parents are vindictive and mean and the coach is without backbone. Whether she was cut or not, sounds like she just wasn’t good enough.

High school soccer is cool! Good job to all the teams that made it this far! Go Los Osos!

I go back to my original point, which was Club/Travel etc get you exposure which IF you are a top player you want. So if you have the means as a parent and your kid has the talent then why not put them in club? Having said that, i must say that representing your school is an experiance like no other BUT many of the schools do not take the same pride so of course the kids do not have the pride either. Which brings me back to my point, why is that SOME so-called academic schools do not take pride in their athelitics and Some so-called sports school don't take pride in their acedemics??? Why can't you TRY to be Great at both? Hire good coaches and stop trying to make the HS varsity experiance the same as AYSO.

I love HS athelitics but the schools Must make it mean something to the kids too, take pride in your school.

Fred your not going to tell these parents anything about enjoying the high school experience it not about the kids is about the parents and their egos.
Clueless you are a genius look at all the self absorb parents here living their pipe dream through their kids......I pity the poor kids and the pressure these "all bout me parents" put on them.
Clueless I think not, you just exposed the parents weakness and look at them squirm as you called them to the carpet.
I've seen kids break down cry on missed catches, kicks and passes because they knew the complete idiots as parents they have would blast them from the stands and in the car on the way home.
Completely laughable some of you are. You're the losers not the kids you push to the brink that they despise you and walk away from a spot they once loved.

Play another sport, …. Posts Serious?

Now, there’s a novel idea. Lost track of how many kids, mostly girls, who have great potential for hurdling, or jumping say they can’t because…
1. “I’ve played (name the club sport) so many years…….” Then they trail off and don’t finish the sentence.
2. “My parents have already spent (fill in the amount)”
3. “My (name the parent) would kill me if I didn’t play (name the club sport)”
4. “My (name the parent) is the coach and would really be (many answers here)”.

A quote from a high school sports pamplet "Only about 1 in 200 young athletes ever receive a scholarship to play in college and many of those are partial scholarships." posts confused

Google Elena Delle Donne. Or check out her story on ESPN-Outside the Lines. How can anyone say at 12 where a kids athletic abilities should be focused. Test the waters. Many are throwing away that 1 in 200 scholarship by limiting athletic abilities to single sport.

Gee, and I was always told that my daughter had to play club to get a spot on the high school team - I guess I got it backwards. A quote from a high school sports pamplet "Only about 1 in 200 young athletes ever receive a scholarship to play in college and many of those are partial scholarships."

Dear "In The Know" Glendora's #5 was not cut from Arsenal, so how much do you really know? #5 started on that team in 4 championship Gold CSL seasons. During that time #5 made ODP, and played in a couple of different tourney's with Cal South. During her freshman season she got an injury that forced her to sit out the rest of the HS season. As the Arsenal team turned Premier, the parents (whom we assume you are one of)became vindictive and mean. It does happen in club, when things jump a level. Especially when everyone thinks their DD is the star. There is really only 2 players on that Arsenal team anyway, and we're sure you aren't the parent of one of them. #5 was a starter from beginning to end (which by the way was a choice, not a cut). Your buddy Cle Kooiman may of sold it to you that way, but then, that's the way he is...without backbone. You may be next, after all it really is a revolving door. Don't get hurt. As for HS Soccer, many kids have been hurt, and seen their future for college end. As for the "ballers", you must be under the false assumption that your kid is one. You can wake up now. Where does your DD play anyway?. Wasn't she cut from R4 team because she got a concussion, and couldn't perform? Good Luck to everyone in the playoffs! Go St. Lucy's.

For those that want to see soccer played at a high level, you are in luck this week. The Adidas ESP camp is underway at Veterens Park in Pomona. Some of the best 15 and 16 year old female players from around the nation are training there thru Sunday. Showcase games will be played on Friday thru Sunday.

Here is the Link for more info: http://www.adidas-esp.com/
Take a look at the scouts or college coaches that may be in attendance, its a who's who of college coahces.

This blog was suppose to be about the teams in the valley success in the playoffs. Why is everyone talking about club soccer. HS soccer definitely has its problems and sometimes not all the best high school students around play for their high school team. I blame that mostly on the parents of these kids. Anyone real soccer player is going to love playing soccer no matter what it is for. They are just so caught up in their parents jibberish on how HS means nothing and they shouldn't waste their time. Most parents never even played soccer so they just need to be quiet and let the kids play if they want and if not then don't complain.Just because you play club doesn't mean you are a great player or it is a great team. There are so many club teams out there now that almost ANYONE can land on a team and say they play club. Don't take away the hard work and effort some of these high school kids put into the game by saying it is a joke and it means nothing. It is what you make of it.

On another note: Good job to all of the teams in the valley in their CIF wildcard games. Win or lose it is about representing your school and having some fun. I think people forget that soccer should be fun. More fun when you're winning of course but fun nonetheless. Good Luck to all the teams in the playoffs.

And just like that, the short-lived trance ends...

R- Of course it was good for her to battle for a position. If she was on a team that didn't push her, she would have been moved to one that did. I agree with you on that.

I was addressing the frustration of seeing her spend three months doing things she knew hurt her. Having a club forward play high school sweeper--and lose her touch, fitness, and finishing--is ridiculous. It's the farthest away from what she needed to be/stay ready for Spring. On top of that, instead of looking to connect passes, she was instructed over and over again to just play it long.

Every coach has the right to put players in whatever positions they see fit while holding the responsibility to put them in the correct spots. Changing a solid--not great but solid--club player to fit your AYSO system is ludicrous. The players themselves had to teach the coach the flat back four so they could run it because that's what they ran with the previous coach.

So again, I agree with what you said if all things were equal but in this hopefully isolated situation, what the player got out of the season had little to do with her effort.

In the Know,

Its probably a good thing your child had to deal with the stress of fighting for her spot back. There is nothing wrong with a little competition, in fact the best college programs in the country thrive by creating an environment where everday your battling for your spot.

You create your own training environment and its up to each individual athlete to make the best of their circumstances.

You never hear about a high school football player that suffers because they don't have the best coaching or players around them. Often its the ones from small programs where they are the whole team that decide for themselves they are going to maximize their potential and become the best athlete they can be. Why is it that in high school soccer this seems to be the scapegoat answer....

Let's be honest here..... if an athlete is getting worse its because they aren't performing at their best.

R- Your wisdom has me awe-struck. In the wake of such brilliance, even I am speechless. Well said.

Serious- Of course you have a choice. I agree with you on that point. However, if you look at the other options, you'd be insane to consider them viable.

All the things you listed fall under the crappy job category. Playing another sport doesn't get you ready for the Spring season. Playing indoor is the closest but it's once a week for an hour and stops in Dec. Private training has already been addressed. Even if it's only once per week and you can somehow find a deal, you're paying $300-400 on top of the $2000 you already spent. Training on your own is free but individual training has one huge drawback: it's a team game. Sunday leagues ... seriously? There aren't any that would be high school or college level that goes on in the Winter. Even with the adult league I play in, people are too worried about their fields. The moment it starts raining, the games are called off.

Understand that I know where you're coming from. Playing high school soccer is NOT the only option. It's just the only option that makes any sense. The system is broken and one of my great joys as a citizen is being able to complain about its inadequacies until they get fixed... which may never happen.

Club soccer gives players the skill and confidence to be successful and lead their programs as in the case of the Johnson at La Salle and many other players, boys and girls, have led their teams in the past. In fact for many club players it may be their opportunity to stand out on a team more so than for their club. Many of these kids wouldn't be given the same leadership roles and responsibilities with their club teams.

Obviously there is a gap in the quality of play, but that's another part of making the high school experience special. Club players are hand plucked and State/National Champions can be manufactured and developed over time, which is not the same at the high school level. Teams have to pick from their talent pool and are dealt the hand they are given. Many schools have strong traditions and ties to the community that most soccer clubs cannot rival. Club soccer is more of a business opportunity, your invest time and money and are expecting a return on that investment. High school athletes often play purely for love of the game and more often than not, high school varsity athletics is the highest level of play many athletes reach.
However club players often come into the high school experience to continue playing, although sometimes they don’t give it a full 100% commitment because they are concerned with getting injured or don’t feel that their less skilled teammates will match their effort. They come into the season with looking down on the game. All things have value, and for some club players that become accustomed to winning on the club stage, it’s good to be taught how to lose graciously and for some they teach the others around them how to become winners. Will high school soccer ever be as good as club? Of course not. The cost of club is out of reach for many people and there are way more high school soccer programs out there than club teams, of course the talent pool for high school teams will be significantly diluted. All things are not equal and there really isn't much basis for comparison.

rhs 3
redlands east valley 1

Walnut High School will be the place to be on Thursday. They are hosting girls CIF basketball, soccer, and waterpole on thursday. Walnut girls sports progam is the best in the valley

simi valley game?

Serious as a heart attack. Your analogy is flawed, because it assumes you don't have a choice. There are plenty of things players can do when club soccer shuts down. Play another sport, do private training, train on your own, join a Sunday league, join an indoor league. Playing HS soccer is not the only option. Again, no one is forced to play HS soccer. But, if you choose to play and you know what you're getting into, then don't complain.

Serious- You're given the choice between having a crappy job for three months and being unemployed for three months. Are you basically saying if we work, we're not allowed to complain or count the days until our real job starts again?

Club shuts down in the winter due to CIF rules, not USYS rules. In essence, these players ARE forced to play high school or lose their spots come Spring tournament season. As bad as it is, it's better than sitting out. There isn't much time between end of high school season and the State Cup tournament. Should a player's development be based entirely upon how much each family can afford to spend on private lessons above and beyond the $2000/yr club dues?

Are YOU serious?

As for HS school soccer, it is what it is. No one's forcing you to play. If you don't want to play, don't. If you play, then don't complain.

Fred-absolutely spot on.

Clueless, you truly are.

Observer-just how delusional are you? Of the three players you mentioned, only Sanchez and Wood are "ballers". As for your precious #5, the fact is she's a 5 min/half sub who got on the Legends team because they got decimated by injuries last season, not to mention she was cut from our Arsenal team in her own age group because she couldn't cut the mustard.

Fred- Her club coach noted a regression in her skills during the high school season. She complained about it every night when she came home. The fear of starting over at a new school was greater than her fear of playing for a bad coach, especially when she had good coaches the first two years. It was hard watching her have to battle to regain her club starting spot twice. I'd give more details but frankly, she'd call me if she knew I was on here talking about her. lol

I can see how you might take support from what little details I gave in the previous post but believe me when I say it's the exact opposite. Varsity means serious. Therefore, if these schools don't want to be serious, they shouldn't have varsity sports.

In the know, you sort of make my point, you write, "By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late and she refused to transfer."
Maybe it was more important to you than it was to her. Maybe she wants to play with her friends, and cares more about them than the person coaching her. I don't know if she got a scholarship or not, but if she didn't get one, it has nothing to do with her experience at San Dimas. As so many here have noted, if you're a good enough club player, the soccer powers will find you.

Observer & Basic- Everything you wrote is spot on! There aren't many people out there that understand that. Most college coaches won't even show up for the CIF finals, let alone a league game.

Fred- The reason we push our kids away from HS sports is because there are far too many administrators that try to keep their high school programs as recreational as possible. Some go so far as to shun any player or coach that takes it "too seriously." If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't have allowed my daughter to go to San Dimas. They fired a coach because he "ran it too much like a club team." By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late and she refused to transfer.

Clueless- Perfect name. You truly are.

Fred,

That story about Kasey is great! truly speaks to why high school sports is special.

It may take a team, but that team needs ballers. Let's face it, if your DD isn't on a GOLD CSL team by age 15, you may want to find something else for them to do. Agree though, that the academics and athletics should both be taken seriuosly. That's why private schools win the lions share of games in their respective programs. Teams only exist when the coach has a clue, because they know how to evaluate talent, and place them in the right spot, which very well may be the bench.

A few years back I covered Kasey Johnson at La Salle, who was one of the Southland's best premiere players, and who won a national title at USC her freshman year. Her senior year at La Salle was her first full season of high school soccer, after missing so many games in previous years because of "other" soccer commitments. She put that all aside to lead La Salle to a CIF title that final year, and the emotion she showed, and the things she said about winning with her high school friends and representing her school and community was an experience she said she would cherish for a lifetime. Why do we steer kids away from those moments? All of you who talk about this level and that level, and high school soccer not meaning anything because it's not scouted like club soccer is absolutely ridiculous. There's room to do both, and playing high school never stopped anyone from getting their scholarship.

Clueless, the truth is your kid or kids werent good enough to play and its easy to stay home and eat potato chips in front of the t.v.

Clueless (aka-Some parents shouldn't be parents)

Yes it does take a Team to win games. It also takes a supportive parent to make a family. I for one would not consider spending time on the weekends with my daughter or son, doing what they love to do, "wasting my weekend or money". Obviously some of us have very different priorties than others.

Clueless,

Club teams/travel teams is where a lot of high school atheletes are getting noticed at and not in their HS programs (baseball, soccer, volleyball and even basketball) so I would not say "suckers" even if SOME are, because it does get a lot of kids noticed. It's a sign of the times.

I do agree that it takes a TEAM to win though.

What bugs me is that lack of commitment to wining by some of the area high schools, and if you have it then you are considered a sports school. It would be great if some of these so-called sports schools took as much pride in their academics and if some of these so-called academic schools took the same pride in their sports.

Good thing HS soccer means nothing. No recruiting, no coaching, and Premier players, playing with Silver players. I'd say the suckers are the ones who never got their kids the right training at a young age. The only thing to throw away is HS soccer. Those who did the right thing early on are reaping the rewards...those who think HS is worth something are real suckers. Now we need Cal South to initiate Academy Leagues for girls. The suckers will still play HS, while the players who are going somewhere will not. Besides, High School soccer is really more fun for kids who are going nowhere after high School....SUCKERS!

good job lady bearcats!
good luck in the next round.

SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL SOFTBALL

Just goes to show you that you can play all the club, travel, hotel hopping ball, group travel ball or whatever you want to call it it still takes a TEAM to win championships and not just a group of individuals. Oh well it's only travel ball glad it wasn't me that threw all my weekends and money away.....SUCKERS!

Glendora started off so well....Mostly because 3 of their players are Premier players, who prior to the start of High School, went to the Semi's in the Surf College Cup, U17 Super Group, with Legends FC. They were the only team in any age bracket to win all 3 bracket games. Aice Sanchez,Emily Wood, and Jessica Smetherman. It became clear by mid-season, that the coach had no clue how to coach, much less handle 3 top Premier players. Aice is off to ASU next year, and Emily Wood to APU. Jessica Smetherman (5) is a sophomore who is being recruited by top schools like University of Washington, WVU, Santa Clara, Eastern Carolina, amongst others. Hopefully next year, the athletic director at GHS will actually go after a top coach, rather than taking the least worse of who applies. In high school, the coach matters. Unfortunately at GHS, girls sports are not taken seriously. Oh well, it's only High School, so why bother. We now know why the Academy teams for boys have taken the talent away from HS. You simply can not develop elite players in those conditions, with coaching that is clueless, and players that don't have it.