Another thing while I am venting. I am so tired of the "turf Wars" between school coaches of different sports and between club versus school. My son and 4 other players on his club/hs team could not tryout for school soccer while if they were playing school basketball. And some of these guys were very good basketball players (AAU and all). They gave it up for soccer, They shouldn't have had to as long as they could keep their grades up. And don't try to talk to the football coach about soccer players trying out as kickers. If they have a conflict with their club team, forget it.
High School ball gets no respect from many club coaches. And in many respects they are right. The level of play, speed of play, level of coaching and safety are all issues at many high schools. But club coaches/parents must understand that school ball is different as far as the players are concerned. Playing for your school, mascot, lettering, the comradery of playing with schoolmates are all aspects that weigh heavy on the desire of athletes to play school ball. Many club coaches and parents do not understand or recognize this. On my daughter's JV team this year, one player's club coach from across the lake told her she couldn't play school ball. And another girls parents told her that she is an elite player (and she is) and is wasting her time playing school ball and will not let her play. Very sad.
