ODP is a fantastic resource for the youth of SC who desire to play at the highest level in our state and have the abilities to do so. It is obviously not for everybody and that is a good thing. The teams that are formed consist (usually) of the best that South Carolina has to offer and the players should be very proud to make the team as a first team or alternate. The coaching (for the most part) is very good, i.e. college level coaches with qualified assistants. The fields that they practice and train on are largely superior to those that most clubs have access to – understanding that this is part of a college recruitment tool for the coaches as well. The environment that the players train in - and are exposed to - is unparalleled for our club players who do not participate in US Development Academy. Other than those few that make it to the next level (Region 3 team or national team) this will be the highest level team they will have the opportunity to play and/or practice on until varsity high school or college. This ODP stage often gives the player their first opportunity for exposure to college coaches – which for many will not be the last. They get the chance to get an inside glimpse at the high level regional, national and (again for the select few) the international arena. It is exciting and most often very rewarding.
South Carolina is usually held in fairly low regard when it comes to ODP teams in the region 3. We are the smallest state in the region and therefore have one of the lowest volumes of players to draw from. The simple math does not work in our favour. This is not so say we have not produced some very talented players who have made it to the regional and the very few to the national team for their age level. They have brought recognition not only to themselves, but to our state ODP program as well.
Unfortunately, SC ODP still trails most states in the union. We do not have a well organized or committed staff (probably understaffed). The administrators appear to focus very hard on enforcing stringent and out-of-date and out-of-touch rules while not spending proper focus on the well being of the player. They kill a lot of trees warning of consequences of ones actions, while they use the state tryout and sub-regional tryouts as a fund raiser for the state association. As many as four persons are packed into a hotel room during the sub regional’s where they are expected to get proper rest and preparation for what is (for many) a stressful time. IU have heard that one player often has to sleep in a chair in a four person room. They are sequestered and not allowed any contact with the outside world. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a rule etched in stone – with no real value or valid rational. Other states allow their players to stay in a hotel room with a parent away from the restrictive setting that the State dictates for our players. They are actually allowed to go to dinner and relax with family which can only improve the chances or not violating any conduct codes, but more than likely reduce stress and improve the likelihood that they will actually get the proper rest they require. Somehow these players from those states seem to be just fine. Could it be that our players pay $250 each to share a room with 3 other people and the state continues to pad its bank account?? Hmm...
The SCYSA stresses that the ODP players attend no less than 80% of the practices or they will/may become ineligible for the state ODP team and region 3 camp. I appreciate that the players need to practice and train for region camp – that is very important. But there is no coordination with the state schedule that the very same office (SCYSA) puts out for state league play or even state cup. The conflicts in the spring are many. So the player, parents and coaches are put in a position of having to decide whether their club team’s chances at State Cup are more important than ODP – and visa versa. The state ODP administrator claims she has no influence over the practice schedule. Welllll, maybe there should be!
It may require some actual work on the part of the state and therein may lay the problem…
In our family’s particular situation all ODP practices are held in one geographic location of our state. This geographic location happens to NOT be in the middle of the state – it is off to one corner. For many families it is a 10-12 hour day to drive a player to a 2 hour practice. Some of these practices start late in the day – 4:00, which means the player gets home no earlier than 10:00 PM on a Sunday night, while other players are a twenty minute drive from the field. It is seems only equitable that it either be moved to a centrally located site in the state or that it alternate sites around the state. While this has been brought to the attention of the ODP administrator – nothing has been done
Again, (trying not to lose too much focus here) the experience of ODP is a great one for the player and is important in the player’s development. Most of them come away much better and more mature players who get a glimpse into what their future in soccer may be. It is rewarding yet we still have a very long way to go in our state.
