Is there going to be an Open Cup?

[abnerithicus]

Does anyone know if the Open Cup scheduled for April 29-May 1 in Hammond is even going to take place?

[lsusaint86]

Is there a reason there won't be an open cup?
I know my sons team Thibodaux United is registered. Registration appears to still be open on LSA website.

[abnerithicus]

The registration closed on April 1. We were concerned that there may be an issue since a few of the teams, including ours, who registered for the Open Cup had not received any type of notification their teams had been accepted as of Friday and well..it certainly wouldn't be the first time LSA has canceled a tournament due to lack of teams participating. Our families typically reserve rooms in advance, but with the Open Cup being a restrictive stay-to-play tournament it seemed unusual to be two weeks out and teams still not know if they had been accepted considering rooms are nonrefundable or at the very least a massive pain to get refunded. Couple that with Chappapeela not showing any record of a soccer tournament scheduled for that weekend on their online calendar and multiple unanswered emails and calls to LSA regarding the subject and you have more than a few folks raising their eyebrows.

LSA finally updated the acceptance status for teams late Sun night so all is well...finding hotel accommodations and parking at the complex with a grand slam baseball tournament being held that same weekend is a whole different ball o' wax.

[smee]

Apparently, this may be too big now for a single venue: I have heard Hammond, CYSA (Covington) and Coquille (Madisonville) may ALL be used for this.

[abnerithicus]

With the Open Cup being comprised of LCSL comp 3 & below teams plus rec teams, it would not surprise me at all if LSA needed to utilize fields at multiple locations in the area to accommodate the number of teams participating.

[dme1214]

Apr 21, 2016 15:30:19 GMT -6 abnerithicus said:

With the Open Cup being comprised of LCSL comp 3 & below teams plus rec teams, it would not surprise me at all if LSA needed to utilize fields at multiple locations in the area to accommodate the number of teams participating.

Most C3 teams aren't bothering to play in what is basically a rec tournament

[laffysoccermom]

Most Comp 3 teams are actually rec teams as are some of the older age teams at smaller clubs. Yes, tryouts are held but frequently everyone who shows makes the team in order to have a team at that age. I'm not saying that these teams don't have God players or can't compete but although they have tryouts, they aren't really truly select.

[dme1214]

Apr 21, 2016 21:16:53 GMT -6 laffysoccermom said:

Most Comp 3 teams are actually rec teams as are some of the older age teams at smaller clubs. Yes, tryouts are held but frequently everyone who shows makes the team in order to have a team at that age. I'm not saying that these teams don't have God players or can't compete but although they have tryouts, they aren't really truly select.

A year ago I might have agreed with you, but when Lsa changed to only 8 C1 and 8 C2 teams, I disagree. Surely in this state there are more then 16 C2 or higher quality teams in most groups. And at the older ages there are less then 16 total teams they all slot up into C2 and higher, to me I would never be a Rec team and spend all the money it takes to play C3 LCSL, if I were in that boat I would just play local RRC and attend tournaments

[laffysoccermom]

I meant in the selection process not necessarily in quality of players and play. Most comp 3 teams can beat most if not all rec teams. Generally parents and players are more committed and want to get better.

[abnerithicus]

Apr 21, 2016 11:50:41 GMT -6 smee said:

Apparently, this may be too big now for a single venue: I have heard Hammond, CYSA (Covington) and Coquille (Madisonville) may ALL be used for this.

Thanks for the heads up about the possibility of using CYSA & Coquille in addition to Hammond. You were absolutely correct. With 158 teams playing at 21 different locations I'd say there are plenty of teams that saw the Open Cup as an opportunity to play instead of "basically a rec tournament"

[smee]

For those not used to the traffic in Madisonville / Covington area, 1077 is a nightmare. It can back up onto the interstate on the best of days. 21 has major road construction too. Allow plenty of time.

[Rabid Monkey]

What a freakin disaster!!
Hammond park triple booked - soccer, baseball, and literacy club.
Traffic was disgusting and the cops just sat back and watched people try to get out of that place.
Add in running clocks and ties for not playing just goes to show that LSA was only looking for those registration fees.

I hope every team chooses to boycott this fundraiser next year and show LSA that we are tired of being screwed

[abnerithicus]

Apr 30, 2016 16:32:22 GMT -6 Rabid Monkey said:

What a freakin disaster!
Hammond park triple booked - soccer, baseball, and literacy club.
Traffic was disgusting and the cops just sat back and watched people try to get out of that place.
Add in running clocks and ties for not playing just goes to show that LSA was only looking for those registration fees.

I hope every team chooses to boycott this fundraiser next year and show LSA that we are tired of being screwed

We were in Covington and parking was extremely limited there as well. Our parents are miffed they had to fork out $300+ to stay Sat & Sun night when the weather forecast for Sun looks to be repeat of Sat. Fields were already soft Sat morning before the storms rolled in, so poor or unplayable conditions are likely Sun. Sat's afternoon games that were canceled & recorded as 0-0 was such a disappointment to the teams who registered to play. If the Open Cup, Bob Abbott Cup, & President's Cup are supposed to be a culmination of the work teams have put in all season, recording a 0-0 push or determining a winner based on a coin toss for games that are rained out seems rather flippant. I do believe there was some disagreement amongst the LSA staff as to whether the tournament should have been canceled and rescheduled as opposed to taking the wait & see approach with the weather. We overheard coaches from different clubs discussing that it is cheaper to pay the $1000 fine and forfeit games (if they even kickoff ) to allow their families go ahead and get on the road & avoid the additional night stay in a hotel. Without a contingency plan in place the tournament is a hot mess. This is also the 3rd year in a row we have seen teams who play in regional leagues and invitational tournaments who consistently win against the same C2 gold & platinum teams who are in the gold bracket yet they are playing in the "least competitive bracket."

[laffysoccermom]

Rescheduling the tournament would probably be problematic. You have tournaments already scheduled until third week in May. I would think it would be difficult to get refs unless you pushed it until after then. It then affects tryouts for next year. I wonder what the refund policy is?

[abnerithicus]

May 1, 2016 3:35:20 GMT -6 laffysoccermom said:

Rescheduling the tournament would probably be problematic. You have tournaments already scheduled until third week in May. I would think it would be difficult to get refs unless you pushed it until after then. It then affects tryouts for next year. I wonder what the refund policy is?

I agree that rescheduling would be a problem. Mark Godwin mentioned rescheduling it for Memorial Day weekend but with school out by then & many families beginning their summer vacations, I can't see that being a viable option.

[laffysoccermom]

If they were to do that, they need to let teams drop out without penalty and receive a full refund. The other issue is if other weekends get rained out where regional tournament berths are being determined.

[coachray40]

Every year we have folks miffed at state cup, every year there is a cry for a "boycott" and every NEXT year more teams play than before. Blah blah blah--stop complaining and get involved to CHANGE the process.

We have folks whining about wanting a reschedule, then whining about how it will "infringe on summer vacation."

We have teams complaining about the cost and how they dont want the commitment, yet they want to PLAY FOR A "STATE CHAMPIONSHIP".

Seems we want to suck and blow at the same time.

Here are some realities about State Cup for the uninformed:

1) LSA operates at a loss for all state cup events. This is not an LSA fundraiser. Referees are brought in from all over the state and housed. The host club receives a fee for each team that plays at its park, which I beleive is now up to $100 per team (this fee gets paid to every club that host a team--play preliminaries in Lafayette and they get $100, advance to Baton Rouge and they ALSO get that fee). That fee is used as an inticement to get clubs to host. And No, we wont ever see it get cut out because most clubs would say the heck with hosting a tournament where THEY had to put the work in for nothing. Ref fees are Premium LCSL amounts per game. Host clubs are required to provide athletic trainers and security staff which they have to pay for. $600 goes very quickly.

2) there are very few venues that can host any part of a regionalized state cup. Burbank, Moore Park, Lafreniere, Pelican are the obvious choices, but after that there are only a few-Johnny Downs, Chappapeela, and the Lake Charles park that nobody wants to travel to (another whine for another day). Covington and Coquille are stretch at best to host large portions of a state tournament, and my belief is that they were bundled into this years event with Chappapeela due to their proximity to each other. So you get what you get as far as venues.

3) There are NO dates to reschedule...period. There are now 6-7 weeks of state cup. LSA staff cant do much more, refs are exhausted by week 3, and the reality of setting up everything for ANOTHER week, along with the impact on whats becoming the tryout period (which starts today by the way) and you have a cluster.

4) Any outdoor event is at the mercy of the weather. If it rains, we are out of luck. And local municipalities who spend taxpayers hard earned and diminishing dollars dont want to have to spend $100k fixing a destroyed facility so an 11 year comp 4 girls team can win a bracket game. At some point weather wins out

NOW ABOUT WEATHER:

and I believe this is a legitimate beef that CLUBS should address with LSA. For the last two years, there have been significant weather episodes that have impacted State Cup. In each of these instances LSA has dropped the ball on having legitimate bad weather plans, and has PUT PEOPLES SAFETY AT RISK. Last year I sat in Pelican Park for THREE HOURS trapped and couldnt get out, because LSA and Mandeville couldnt make a decision about incoming lines of SEVERE weather. This evidently happened AGAIN this past weekend at Chappapeela. This is 2016, and there is more than enough technology available to be able to see potential threats, diagnose them ,and then make an early call. In the case of Mandeville last year and then this past weekend, the weather wasnt isolated thunderstorms--IT WAS A LINE OF SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE WEATHER WITH LIGHTING SEVERE WIND AND HAIL. This past weekends weather was consistent and extended for the entire weekend.  If these tournaments were club hosted invitationals, they would NEVER EVEN HAVE BEEN PLAYED.  LSA needs to do a better job of preparing for these events, making an early call to suspend/cancel/postpone when weather is a legitmate factor and then getting these players and parents out of these parks more quickly when this is happening. It was an easy call to make this past weekend to cancel the tournament due to weather early (as was mandevill last year) and it just didnt get done, once again stranding families in parks and compromising their safety Have the balls to make the call. It sucks, but player safety and the overall duress on the families involved take precedence over finishing games. 

The problem is that too many parents get whiny over the process because of cost and the possibility their child wont win a medal and be the Comp 7 Blue bracket runner-up, so LSA worries more about placating them than doing the right thing. Parents--shut the heck up about coin flips and ties, and work more on helping LSA maintain a safe and efficient playing experience for our kids. Deal with real problems.

[Steven Gerrard]

Ray just dropped the mic.

[pshenton]

May 2, 2016 6:34:55 GMT -6 coachray40 said:

Every year we have folks miffed at state cup, every year there is a cry for a "boycott" and every NEXT year more teams play than before. Blah blah blah--stop complaining and get involved to CHANGE the process.

We have folks whining about wanting a reschedule, then whining about how it will "infringe on summer vacation."

We have teams complaining about the cost and how they dont want the commitment, yet they want to PLAY FOR A "STATE CHAMPIONSHIP".

Seems we want to suck and blow at the same time.

Here are some realities about State Cup for the uninformed:

1) LSA operates at a loss for all state cup events. This is not an LSA fundraiser. Referees are brought in from all over the state and housed. The host club receives a fee for each team that plays at its park, which I beleive is now up to $100 per team (this fee gets paid to every club that host a team--play preliminaries in Lafayette and they get $100, advance to Baton Rouge and they ALSO get that fee). That fee is used as an inticement to get clubs to host. And No, we wont ever see it get cut out because most clubs would say the heck with hosting a tournament where THEY had to put the work in for nothing. Ref fees are Premium LCSL amounts per game. Host clubs are required to provide athletic trainers and security staff which they have to pay for. $600 goes very quickly.

2) there are very few venues that can host any part of a regionalized state cup. Burbank, Moore Park, Lafreniere, Pelican are the obvious choices, but after that there are only a few-Johnny Downs, Chappapeela, and the Lake Charles park that nobody wants to travel to (another whine for another day). Covington and Coquille are stretch at best to host large portions of a state tournament, and my belief is that they were bundled into this years event with Chappapeela due to their proximity to each other. So you get what you get as far as venues.

3) There are NO dates to reschedule.period. There are now 6-7 weeks of state cup. LSA staff cant do much more, refs are exhausted by week 3, and the reality of setting up everything for ANOTHER week, along with the impact on whats becoming the tryout period (which starts today by the way) and you have a cluster.

4) Any outdoor event is at the mercy of the weather. If it rains, we are out of luck. And local municipalities who spend taxpayers hard earned and diminishing dollars dont want to have to spend $100k fixing a destroyed facility so an 11 year comp 4 girls team can win a bracket game. At some point weather wins out

NOW ABOUT WEATHER:

and I believe this is a legitimate beef that CLUBS should address with LSA. For the last two years, there have been significant weather episodes that have impacted State Cup. In each of these instances LSA has dropped the ball on having legitimate bad weather plans, and has PUT PEOPLES SAFETY AT RISK. Last year I sat in Pelican Park for THREE HOURS trapped and couldnt get out, because LSA and Mandeville couldnt make a decision about incoming lines of SEVERE weather. This evidently happened AGAIN this past weekend at Chappapeela. This is 2016, and there is more than enough technology available to be able to see potential threats, diagnose them ,and then make an early call. In the case of Mandeville last year and then this past weekend, the weather wasnt isolated thunderstorms--IT WAS A LINE OF SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE WEATHER WITH LIGHTING SEVERE WIND AND HAIL. This past weekends weather was consistent and extended for the entire weekend.  If these tournaments were club hosted invitationals, they would NEVER EVEN HAVE BEEN PLAYED.  LSA needs to do a better job of preparing for these events, making an early call to suspend/cancel/postpone when weather is a legitmate factor and then getting these players and parents out of these parks more quickly when this is happening. It was an easy call to make this past weekend to cancel the tournament due to weather early (as was mandevill last year) and it just didnt get done, once again stranding families in parks and compromising their safety Have the balls to make the call. It sucks, but player safety and the overall duress on the families involved take precedence over finishing games. 

The problem is that too many parents get whiny over the process because of cost and the possibility their child wont win a medal and be the Comp 7 Blue bracket runner-up, so LSA worries more about placating them than doing the right thing. Parents--shut the heck up about coin flips and ties, and work more on helping LSA maintain a safe and efficient playing experience for our kids. Deal with real problems.

Put this in stone at the entrance of every state cup event

[soccerpelican]

May 2, 2016 6:34:55 GMT -6 coachray40 said:

Every year we have folks miffed at state cup, every year there is a cry for a "boycott" and every NEXT year more teams play than before. Blah blah blah--stop complaining and get involved to CHANGE the process.

We have folks whining about wanting a reschedule, then whining about how it will "infringe on summer vacation."

We have teams complaining about the cost and how they dont want the commitment, yet they want to PLAY FOR A "STATE CHAMPIONSHIP".

Seems we want to suck and blow at the same time.

Here are some realities about State Cup for the uninformed:

1) LSA operates at a loss for all state cup events. This is not an LSA fundraiser. Referees are brought in from all over the state and housed. The host club receives a fee for each team that plays at its park, which I beleive is now up to $100 per team (this fee gets paid to every club that host a team--play preliminaries in Lafayette and they get $100, advance to Baton Rouge and they ALSO get that fee). That fee is used as an inticement to get clubs to host. And No, we wont ever see it get cut out because most clubs would say the heck with hosting a tournament where THEY had to put the work in for nothing. Ref fees are Premium LCSL amounts per game. Host clubs are required to provide athletic trainers and security staff which they have to pay for. $600 goes very quickly.

2) there are very few venues that can host any part of a regionalized state cup. Burbank, Moore Park, Lafreniere, Pelican are the obvious choices, but after that there are only a few-Johnny Downs, Chappapeela, and the Lake Charles park that nobody wants to travel to (another whine for another day). Covington and Coquille are stretch at best to host large portions of a state tournament, and my belief is that they were bundled into this years event with Chappapeela due to their proximity to each other. So you get what you get as far as venues.

3) There are NO dates to reschedule.period. There are now 6-7 weeks of state cup. LSA staff cant do much more, refs are exhausted by week 3, and the reality of setting up everything for ANOTHER week, along with the impact on whats becoming the tryout period (which starts today by the way) and you have a cluster.

4) Any outdoor event is at the mercy of the weather. If it rains, we are out of luck. And local municipalities who spend taxpayers hard earned and diminishing dollars dont want to have to spend $100k fixing a destroyed facility so an 11 year comp 4 girls team can win a bracket game. At some point weather wins out

NOW ABOUT WEATHER:

and I believe this is a legitimate beef that CLUBS should address with LSA. For the last two years, there have been significant weather episodes that have impacted State Cup. In each of these instances LSA has dropped the ball on having legitimate bad weather plans, and has PUT PEOPLES SAFETY AT RISK. Last year I sat in Pelican Park for THREE HOURS trapped and couldnt get out, because LSA and Mandeville couldnt make a decision about incoming lines of SEVERE weather. This evidently happened AGAIN this past weekend at Chappapeela. This is 2016, and there is more than enough technology available to be able to see potential threats, diagnose them ,and then make an early call. In the case of Mandeville last year and then this past weekend, the weather wasnt isolated thunderstorms--IT WAS A LINE OF SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE WEATHER WITH LIGHTING SEVERE WIND AND HAIL. This past weekends weather was consistent and extended for the entire weekend.  If these tournaments were club hosted invitationals, they would NEVER EVEN HAVE BEEN PLAYED.  LSA needs to do a better job of preparing for these events, making an early call to suspend/cancel/postpone when weather is a legitmate factor and then getting these players and parents out of these parks more quickly when this is happening. It was an easy call to make this past weekend to cancel the tournament due to weather early (as was mandevill last year) and it just didnt get done, once again stranding families in parks and compromising their safety Have the balls to make the call. It sucks, but player safety and the overall duress on the families involved take precedence over finishing games. 

The problem is that too many parents get whiny over the process because of cost and the possibility their child wont win a medal and be the Comp 7 Blue bracket runner-up, so LSA worries more about placating them than doing the right thing. Parents--shut the heck up about coin flips and ties, and work more on helping LSA maintain a safe and efficient playing experience for our kids. Deal with real problems.

On number 4,  why do you feel it necessary to make light of a U11 player?  She has the right to fulfill her passion as much as any other soccer player in this State.  This is soccer for youth!  Sports in general teaches outcomes, decision making skills, teamwork, patience, interactions with others and how to deal with adversity.  
The weather was not cooperative for the Bob Abbot Cup or Open Cup this pass weekend.  But what was more uncooperative and needs further explanation to the teams involved  was the decisions made by tournament officials of not canceling the games at the Bob Abbott Cup on Sunday.   The Causeway was closed during the line of rainstorms around noon on Sunday.  But tournament officials were optimistic the games would continue.  The Zurich Classic had a PGA meteorologist. Maybe the LSA should contract with a meteorologist during the Cup weekends for their knowledge and not depend on a layman's interpretations of weather apps.