Post by aliceshoe1 on Feb 23, 2011 7:01:11 GMT -6
Old Alice is about to take on new challenges, so won't be around as much. So I thought I'd leave some parting thoughts. I'll come by and "bump" this as needed. Especially with the all whatever teams about to come out.
1. Before entering your child(ren) into soccer, an ADULT must understand, first and foremost, the Louisiana Soccer Association (LSA) and the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) are business entities. The rules are in black and white, no gray areas. And at the end of the day, it is not about the players, your child, the team, the rules or fairness. It is about the money, as it is with any youth sport.
2. Players we are proud of you for participating in the “beautiful game”. However, aspire for greatness, be it on the pitch or elsewhere, but definitely in the classroom and in life. Very, very few players of ANY sport see greatness at the next level. And remember, all players are one injury away from prime time to pine time.
3. Parents, before getting all giddy over your child getting an instate scholarship to play soccer, please understand this. Should your child have the grades, the university will use the TOPS allocation your child has earned in the classroom. Less than NCAA D1 free ride, academics is the name of the game even to be considered. Soccer and dumb jock usually are not found in the same sentence.
4. Parents come onto this site, many blind, to the history of Louisiana high school soccer. Before mouthing off on how great your kid’s team is, please go look at the history of who has won state over the years. For example, one cruel fact is it has been a very long time since any team north of the I-10 corridor has lifted the golden trophy in the last game of the year. Baby steps…
5. Adults please don’t write checks your child or other children have to cash. That is, please do not come on this site telling us of the next coming of Landon or Mia has arrived by your estimation, and how he or she will be bringing the hurt to their opponents. You are not helping the child or their team.
6. All district selections are not always fair. Deals are sometimes cut before the meeting even takes place.
7. All city/region selections are not always fair. Newspapers have the need to represent all their market. Yes one local team may deserve 90% of the slots, but it won’t happen.
8. All state selections are not always fair. The active voting coaches tend to be involved in premier ball and know the players reputations before they hit the high school pitch.
9. Every year, there is a little Suzie Q who scores a bazillion goals, abet mostly against teams that could be beaten by the blind academy. Come playoff time, she (and her team) usually gets drummed out in an ugly manner. This is less of a problem on the boy’s side.
10. Always a big debate over the different LSA levels and how that translates to h/s soccer. More often than not, the teams that win state usually have a majority of their players that at some point had multiple years experience at the higher LSA levels. This is especially true at LHSAA D1.
11. Ninety-nine percent of the coaches are in it for the players. The others, well, personal agenda.
12. Contrary to what some believe, a soccer referee does not have an agenda to make a team a victor or a loser.
13. There are 80 minutes in a match. The outcome does not come down to one play. If so, why play the other 79 minutes?
14. Private schools will dominate as soccer powers. A few public schools will have good runs, but only a very select group of public schools see the semis and finals. Again, a result of what LSA level of play is involved. Public and private, usually the same suspects in the hunt every year.
15. Rankings/ratings/seedings do not matter. To be the best, you have to beat the best.
16. Second place is just the first place loser. Argument over this goes on especially on the boy’s side with the dynasty program over there. I’ve never seen fans chant “We’re #2!”
17. Shootouts are a cruel way to end a season. It is the rule, we all live with it. In a few years, it is all forgotten anyway, at least by the players.
18. One’s vision of the game and fairness changes once removed from the forest.
19. School colors sometimes make the best premier player stupid.
20. Parents, players, coaches, everyone...enjoy the moment. As has been documented on this site, sometimes God has other plans for us, some of which are simply to serve as examples of who is in charge.
In closing, enjoy soccer for what it is, a game. Nothing more, nothing less. Parents, enjoy your children while you have them. And players, make darn sure you appreciate everything your parents do to let you play the beautiful game. Be the best you can be in whatever you do, If you have done your best that is all that is expected. Life is unfair in the respect some are given more opportunities to improve skills, but that is what one should do. Use every opportunity granted to you to improve. Scoreboards matter in competition, but if the scoreboard is not in your favor but you did your best, you have done what is expected. Simple rule of life, there is always someone smarter, taller, better, etc than you are. But in the end, playing soccer and other activities are not rights, but privileges, facilitated by people who love you. And parents watching your children play is also a privilege, granted from above.
_________
Alice is very humble to have been in the company of some of the greatest soccer minds in Louisiana.
Thanks B for the support thru the years. Make 5 years Monday. And as far as the Ghandi remark, I am probably closer to Mahatma Rice than Mahatma Ghandi...
__________
Alice has walked in your path of knowledge. A wise man once told me to walk a mile in his cleats then complain. The wise man knew (and as I learned) a mile later he could not hear my complaint...
1. Before entering your child(ren) into soccer, an ADULT must understand, first and foremost, the Louisiana Soccer Association (LSA) and the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) are business entities. The rules are in black and white, no gray areas. And at the end of the day, it is not about the players, your child, the team, the rules or fairness. It is about the money, as it is with any youth sport.
2. Players we are proud of you for participating in the “beautiful game”. However, aspire for greatness, be it on the pitch or elsewhere, but definitely in the classroom and in life. Very, very few players of ANY sport see greatness at the next level. And remember, all players are one injury away from prime time to pine time.
3. Parents, before getting all giddy over your child getting an instate scholarship to play soccer, please understand this. Should your child have the grades, the university will use the TOPS allocation your child has earned in the classroom. Less than NCAA D1 free ride, academics is the name of the game even to be considered. Soccer and dumb jock usually are not found in the same sentence.
4. Parents come onto this site, many blind, to the history of Louisiana high school soccer. Before mouthing off on how great your kid’s team is, please go look at the history of who has won state over the years. For example, one cruel fact is it has been a very long time since any team north of the I-10 corridor has lifted the golden trophy in the last game of the year. Baby steps…
5. Adults please don’t write checks your child or other children have to cash. That is, please do not come on this site telling us of the next coming of Landon or Mia has arrived by your estimation, and how he or she will be bringing the hurt to their opponents. You are not helping the child or their team.
6. All district selections are not always fair. Deals are sometimes cut before the meeting even takes place.
7. All city/region selections are not always fair. Newspapers have the need to represent all their market. Yes one local team may deserve 90% of the slots, but it won’t happen.
8. All state selections are not always fair. The active voting coaches tend to be involved in premier ball and know the players reputations before they hit the high school pitch.
9. Every year, there is a little Suzie Q who scores a bazillion goals, abet mostly against teams that could be beaten by the blind academy. Come playoff time, she (and her team) usually gets drummed out in an ugly manner. This is less of a problem on the boy’s side.
10. Always a big debate over the different LSA levels and how that translates to h/s soccer. More often than not, the teams that win state usually have a majority of their players that at some point had multiple years experience at the higher LSA levels. This is especially true at LHSAA D1.
11. Ninety-nine percent of the coaches are in it for the players. The others, well, personal agenda.
12. Contrary to what some believe, a soccer referee does not have an agenda to make a team a victor or a loser.
13. There are 80 minutes in a match. The outcome does not come down to one play. If so, why play the other 79 minutes?
14. Private schools will dominate as soccer powers. A few public schools will have good runs, but only a very select group of public schools see the semis and finals. Again, a result of what LSA level of play is involved. Public and private, usually the same suspects in the hunt every year.
15. Rankings/ratings/seedings do not matter. To be the best, you have to beat the best.
16. Second place is just the first place loser. Argument over this goes on especially on the boy’s side with the dynasty program over there. I’ve never seen fans chant “We’re #2!”
17. Shootouts are a cruel way to end a season. It is the rule, we all live with it. In a few years, it is all forgotten anyway, at least by the players.
18. One’s vision of the game and fairness changes once removed from the forest.
19. School colors sometimes make the best premier player stupid.
20. Parents, players, coaches, everyone...enjoy the moment. As has been documented on this site, sometimes God has other plans for us, some of which are simply to serve as examples of who is in charge.
In closing, enjoy soccer for what it is, a game. Nothing more, nothing less. Parents, enjoy your children while you have them. And players, make darn sure you appreciate everything your parents do to let you play the beautiful game. Be the best you can be in whatever you do, If you have done your best that is all that is expected. Life is unfair in the respect some are given more opportunities to improve skills, but that is what one should do. Use every opportunity granted to you to improve. Scoreboards matter in competition, but if the scoreboard is not in your favor but you did your best, you have done what is expected. Simple rule of life, there is always someone smarter, taller, better, etc than you are. But in the end, playing soccer and other activities are not rights, but privileges, facilitated by people who love you. And parents watching your children play is also a privilege, granted from above.
_________
Alice is very humble to have been in the company of some of the greatest soccer minds in Louisiana.
Thanks B for the support thru the years. Make 5 years Monday. And as far as the Ghandi remark, I am probably closer to Mahatma Rice than Mahatma Ghandi...
__________
Alice has walked in your path of knowledge. A wise man once told me to walk a mile in his cleats then complain. The wise man knew (and as I learned) a mile later he could not hear my complaint...