BeenAround,

One of the reasons "this" is so hard for people to understand is because most of "these" people don't drink the kool-aid (the formula of which is unknown to me at this time) that somehow makes it possible for "them" to come to the otherworldly realization that the earth rotates around cesa (most people here erroneously believe that scysa rotates around cesa) But seriously...

I agree with your first statement - "When the 90 Discoveries won Regionals and Nationals it was good for South Carolina soccer."

Your second one, "When the 91 Columbia United boys won R3PLE for two consecutive years, everyone in SC was better for it" wow...now that is one heck of a proclamation. But, just to make sure I was not the only one baffled by that, I called my brother in Columbia and asked him if he felt that he was better for it. He seemed to hedge momentarily, and I started to think maybe I had been mistaken, but then he said, no, he definitely did not feel better for it (but it was definitely cool they won two years in a row). And that was the end of my scientific study on that subject.

"When the 92 CESA boys won Regionals, took third at Nationals, and now are playing in the National league, it is good for everyone who plays soccer in our state." I'll go with most of two-thirds of that. But seriously...I think a more appropriate name for the National League might be the National Weekend.

Since the creation of the Development Academy, winning Regionals and Nationals means less and less each year. Don't get me wrong - I think it's great that some SC teams have done as well as they have at Regionals and Nationals the last couple years - but don't kid yourself - it just doesn't mean the same thing it did five or ten years ago. But to place the National "League" even on that same level - heck, even on the same level as, say, the CASL or Disney Showcases, just seems silly to me.

Your statement "Contrary to some people's views on this forum, not everything is about college" really should have said " Contrary to some people's views on this forum, not everything is about cesa."

You kool-aid drinkers have been getting way too defensive recently. For the most part, I don't think anybody disagrees that it's a wonderful thing you guys were invited, then required to apply for, and then allowed to attend that National Weekend dealio. Seriously, it's a great thing. The point you don't seem to be grasping, though, is not everyone appreciates that while scysa can be rather inflexible towards most everyone, once cesa said jump, they asked "how many weeks?"

It's really not that hard to understand...