Are there any teams commited yet?

I'd like to get our girls team from Academic Magnet in

The VOR

I hope they do something about the fields

The pitches (fields) in 2010 were very poor; only one field was moderately acceptable to play on. In addition, the allocation of the school teams to the fields should be completed by lottery, to prevent any possible bias.

As I was paying my entrance fee in March 2010, I mentioned the terrible state of fields to anyone who would listen; one person said it up to the local school district. Someone else said volunteers had been out working on them, presumably they were emptying loads of sand in the potholes.

It would take a brave referee to say they were unplayable at the actual time of the cup, but some sort of inspection should be completed in time to make alternative arrangements, if the fields are in the same state in 2011.

This was a well-attended event; surely, some money could be allocated from the takings to make the fields better and therefore improve the standard of the games and the enjoyment of the spectators and to prevent injury.

You would have thought the fields would have been in better shape last year because the tournament was cancelled the year before with few games being played.If they werent overseeded this summer with bermuda,the other option would be Winter rye this fall.So there is time to at least help the fields in the worst conditions.It is a tournament with the best high school teams in the state,it would only be fitting for the facilities to match the competition.

I wasnt knockin the facilities with my post,because the tournament is something I look for each year!!Everyone does a great job in set up and hosting!!Its topshelf for sure!!Its just with the crowd it attracts,a few of the fields do need attention.Im sure Spring Valley will do whatever it takes to be ready!!

Back to the original question...here is the field.

Aiken
Airport
B-E
Blythewood
B-C
Chapin
Clover
Dorman
Dreher
DF
Eastside
FM
Greenville
HH
Irmo
JLM
Lexington
Mauldin
NA
RV
Riverside
SA
Spartanburg
Summerville
TLH
Waccamaw
Wando
WA
WF
White Knoll
Woodruff
Spring Valley

Quote:

---

Are there any teams commited yet?

I'd like to get our girls team from Academic Magnet in

The VOR

---

I'm guessing 1A schools aren't allowed since even though a 1A school was the 1A/2A state finalist the past two years, they can't get in. Anyone know what the basis of acceptance is?

so whats your point scwame??IM SURE ITS SOME KINDA BS SUPPORTING YOUR VIEWS ON cesa??maybe you and titan can blog together and share thoughts on how wonderful the king and his harem are!!Ive read many of your posts and what you say in them is far from the way you act(along with your husband)on the sideline!!Christ Church isnt going to viking cup and even if they did your daughter will be playing at ecnl.If you want to comment about that do it on the club forum.

Wow! Ought to be an interesting match tonight. Might be more action on the sidelines than on the field.

Don't include me in your personal problem with this other family, and I will comment where I like. Facts are facts, they don't have an opinion. Just because you don't like the facts doesn't change them. The facts are that in High school the level of play varies greatly through no fault of the kids or the coaches. This leads to inferior players playing in a dangerous way to compete with better players and better teams and exposes all players to greater risk. If you want to blame someone then blame us parents as they are the ones who chose to live in an area that is not supported by the better clubs. I know every time I got reassigned or transferred, finding quality Soccer for my daughter was at the top of the list. Yes, fella, like it or not you are to blame.
I have never touted CESA's horn as I don't have the first hand experience to do so. I can only speak about the club my daughter plays for. I do know plenty of players in our community that travel to play at CESA and they have a good experience, and speak highly of the club.
In HS, the level of play difference is very evident at tournaments like the "Viking Cup". You have all the elements for injury: highly charged environment, great differences in player and team skills, very poor fields, and very poor officiating. To make matter worse if you are successful, you play 5-6 games in 48 hours. This is too much, and the diminished level of pace and play on Sunday shows this every year.

On a friendly note Since you are a transplant, where are you transplanted from? We moved here a few years ago ourselves. Remember this is only for fun.

Why do the list of teams that play in the viking cup change very little from year to year? Yes..There are the strong teams that compete but there are teams that have not had much success in the cup..Should a team be "in" just because they always play in the cup?

cht,

I don't think it has anything to do with the amount of success you have "in the cup". It has to do with how much success you have during your season. Each year Coach Lea looks to fill the 32-team field with the best teams in the state.

It's merit-based according to how well your team did the previous year.

So are these 2011 brackets firm or still somewhat tentative?

http://www.southcarolinaunitedfc.com/hstournaments/vikingcup/index_E.html

To say the Viking Cup is merit based cannot be taken as entirely true. Nor could one say that the 32 best teams in the state attend.

The Viking Cup is the premier high school tournament for girls in South Carolina. Most of the top teams attend because it offers them good competition and a nice, large tourney atmosphere.

Some teams attend year in, year out and have neither the regular season record to back up their selection, nor the tournament record to back up a repeated invitation.

Is there anything crooked about this... probably not. Sometimes the coach of a mediocre team wants to go to a top level tournament for good reasons (to show his girls what that level of play requires, for the experience of tough competition before season play begins, to say he got to go to the Viking Cup). In the end, all of those reasons are justifiable.

Some teams get, or have gotten, repeated invites to the Viking Cup namely because it's probably difficult for one coach to peruse the records of countless teams, create a merit system based on quantitative statistics, and then call a coach he's known for 14 years and tell him, "Sorry bud, but we can let you come this year." Is this the good old boy system that the South is reknown for? Maybe, but again, probably not. It's just easier to let some teams that aren't top level squads continue to attend until their coach sees the writing on the wall.

Some teams also get to attend for the first time ever, pull an upset or tie a top squad, and thus create an interesting storyline for the season ahead.

The Viking Cup is not crooked. It is not perfect. It is the most prestigious girls high school soccer tournament in the state of South Carolina. Is it the BEST? That is debatable.

So, to answer a question posted earlier, should a team be "in" just because they previously attended the cup? No. Has this happened before? Yes. Does this mean the system is hugely flawed? No. Will the world continue spinning on its axis? Yes. Is the Viking Cup still a quality tournament that draws the interest of top teams year in, year out? Yes.

Overall it looks like a good field. Top to bottom delta is pretty big, though.

Quote:

---

After this year ECNL teams will no longer play in State Cups either.

---

This will be real interesting. When these ECNL teams quit playing for state titles they will lose there chance to play for a real national championship. A lot of clubs are using ECNL, as it probably should be used, to put there top teams in Region III and there challege teams in ECNL to get them into better tournaments where they would not qualify otherwise. SC Soccer knows it can not compete in region III on a consistent basis, so some of these coaches may think they compete better in ECNL. Well that has not happened either. Next year all of the CESA ECNL teams will be playing in the 2nd division and will, from day one, have no chance for a ECNL championship. And those girls will not have a state championship anymore either in club. And I guess they will not be playing HS so a lot of those girls will not even get a chance for a High School State title. So I guess it is bye bye to any type of title for the CESA girls. Lets see how many years this last. Oh and the CESA coahces do not want them playing any ODP either. So the ECNL teams will be playing other club's Challege level teams. Bottom line 99% of the girls in SC Club soccer stay with in a three state area to play college soccer. If they even decide to continue in college. None of them will make a living playing Soccer. Maybe coaching but not playing. they will go on to be teachers, mothers, doctors, lawyers, and other professional careers. So maybe staying here in SC for the Viking cup and not going to TX to play in an 2nd division level ECNL event is not such a big deal. The top players in the state are already well known by college coaches with or without ECNL.