Backscreen17,
I may be wrong here, but I'm getting a growing impression that one of the dissatisfactions of many with ODP is based on parents' expectations that ODP will provide the training/development they should be getting at the club/local level... and don't.
Region Camp is a tryout. Are there training sessions there? Yes. And, the sessions there that my daughters participated in at those camps were far better than what you've described. Again, I ask if you are talking about experiences with the girls' camp in Montevallo or the boys' camp in Tuscaloosa? Again, I ask who has been running the boys' side... college coaches or club coaches?
True story from a girls' region camp a few years ago...
After a technical training session, several region coaches (these are, hopefully not to become "were", all college coaches) took players from my daughter's club to the side and began asking "This drill we just did, do you do this at your club?" they answered, "No." The coaches continued, "What about drills like this?" "No." Then the coaches began describing different technical drills and training techniques, and after each description the girls answered, "No." Finally, one of the coaches started laughing and asked, "My god, what are they teaching you at that club?" The girls, in unison, just shrugged their shoulders. Because of the camp environment those coaches were able to recognize the players' work ethic, intelligence, physical talent and desire to learn. That's why they, the coaches, were scratching their heads over our girls' weak technical skills being brought to camp and began asking questions.
Now, I don't want to dismiss my daughters' own responsibilities for their development, but if the problem we're REALLY having in SC is lack of individual player development at the club/local level that is leaving our players' ill-prepared to compete at the tryouts of Region Camp, and the "new" approach to SC ODP (at least on the girls' side) is to bring the club/local coaches in to improve player development, then I begin to wonder... why didn't those coaches just do what I hired them for the first time?
