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Manchester,

Hats off to the 92 Boys on a fine showing and all of their success this past week. I'm sure all seven of the holdovers earned it on the field.

Question for you.

What SCYSA members were present during the selection meetings? Who were these boys biggest advocates? I'm sure Coach Sam Okpodu was lobbying hard (if he was even involved in the process?) but who else was pushing hard for our boys? Who was their team trainer during their stay in Alabama? Was he/she present during the selection process and aggressively trumpeting thier cause?

Why was Mary Bynum never present at the '93 and '94 girls camp helping get any of our girls held over? I don't want to hear any of this bunk about being in Alabama for two weeks, she volunteered for this job.

I'm not sure if it is Mary Bynum's job to get our girls heldover. She's the program administrator, she is not a soccer coach or trainer.

Was South Carolina represented on the Region III staff? I'm not talking about the two gentlemen who coached the two squads, I believe their job was to get the girls ready and get them out there. Was anyone else from SC involved with the Region III staff who was charged with picking the holdovers?

It goes back to my previous posts where I said that ODP is worth it to some but not all..The 93 age group has seen a different coach every season and some times more than one coach during one season..There are some strong girls in this group but never seem to get held over for camp..They are kind of like the red headed step child of the whole program..I will put money on it that someone different will coach next year..These girls deserve better!! I bet you can count on one hand how many times these girls met to practice together..I am not bashing Mary..but I think a fresh set of eyes would be beneficial for this age group..

The coach of the 93 Girls is now the assistant coach at the University of South Alabama. I'm pretty sure he will not be back, he'll probably get involved with Alabama.

In some states, the State Director of Coaching gets involved. In South Carolina, that's Van Taylor, but unfortunately it is only a part-time position. Van has a college program, and all the state coaches to look after.....how much time does he really have to dedicate to ODP? I don't blame him.

I think every other state in Region III has a full-time State Director of Coaching.

Still. I'm not sure what role the State DOC would play in getting our kids heldover?

here is how i see odp region camp works through the 4 years that my daughter has played. once sc teams get to alabama they are trained by someone other than their sc coach for the camp. this could be a college coach from any of the 11 region states. it is up to the player to standout in games and especially the training sessions. the training session is their chance to standout as an individual and make an impression on their trainer who may report to the region staff who they think would be a candidate for holdover. if a player is then chosen for a pool game or during one of their state games, they must have an impact on the game. it is not a 20 min game. it is working as hard as you can, 24-7 the whole camp. you never know who is watching. odp is a "catch 22." you play as a team but you have to standout as an individual. bottom line is this: anyone can stand on the sideline and watch a game. it is up to the players to perform to a higher level at odp than what they may be accustomed to.

Marcus,
I agree with your comments..I just can't fathom how the 93's never have any hold overs..I think the state could do better preparing these girls for camp..You have to play as a team first to be able to stand out alone second..

Thanks Marcus.

I can see now that it is not up to an SCYSA representative to get this done, it's up to the player to impress a coach/trainer who is actually from another state in Region III.

I appreciate your insight and will advise my daughter to work hard in the training sessions, as well as in the matches.

Hurst66,

I'd be very surprised if an ODP state director had influence over a USSF A licensed region coach to holdover specific players or a certain percentage of players. After all, the director doesn't train any team(s).

To me, the SC ODP program is all about receiving training under the guidance of collegiate coaches with the brass ring being eligibility to be considered for pool games and regional or national team participation. Granted, only a select number of players will reach the region or national team level, but those odds are no different from opportunities extended in school, scouts or any other environment where kids participate to grow as individuals.

My advice to younger players and their parents would be to:

Focus on the process of becoming the very best state team player you can be.
Focus on getting the very best players on your club team to be your teammates.
Focus on demanding consistent and rigorous training sessions from your coach and teammates.
Focus on being competitive.
Focus on taking pride in being a state team player with unlimited opportunity.
Focus on improving your first touch, vision and speed of play.
Focus on always wanting to be better.

Congrats to Coach Alsop and the '91 boys. Hats off to another excellent showing at Region camp! The boys have a great deal of respect for the way he handles the team. Thanks also to Mr. Chapman for his 3rd chaperoning season. Also thanks to Mary Bynum, Coach Van Taylor, and all the other ODP state representatives and coaches for all their hard work and dedication! This was a stellar way for the team to end their ODP years!