Definitely agree with that...most players on developing teams will put a lot more into it and get more out of it when they enjoy what they're doing and can see some success and accomplishment. I think we're fortunate at this point to have a mix on our schedule of teams we can be competitive with and strong, upper-level teams that give us something to stretch for. I think they get just as much kick out of making top-notch teams have to work a little for what they get as they do out of winning games against other teams. They know that many schools on our development level fluctuate from year to year in team strength, but strong programs (Wando, for example) tend to maintain that high standard, and how well we perform under that kind of pressure is a good measure of our progress from year to year. Sometimes it's easier to see and measure your movement across a broad gap than a narrow one.
Used to be, my girls dreaded playing Wando twice every season...now they look forward to it--not because they expect to win (yet!
) but because it gives them a sense of where they are compared to some of the best in the state. The first match is a test of how hard they can make a great team work for their goals, and the second is a challenge to see a visible improvement over the first. It's usually the best, hardest, most inspired soccer they play all season. In contrast, we played a few games over the last couple of years that were pretty easy wins without too much effort...and those wins were some of the worst, most uninspiring, anticlimactic games of the season--the girls really weren't having fun, and they weren't too happy about themselves afterward.
So yeah...as far as building a program is concerned, girls do need to be happy to play their best, and I think balance is the way to go in that...a schedule that allows them to be competitive and pull out some wins they can be proud of, but at the same time give them something to stretch for as well, and the ability to be proud of the stretching itself, even if it hasn't yet turned into winning.
