The path we TRAVELed to promote youth soccer.

There was a time we here in rural west central Ohio were being left behind in the world of US Soccer. While there remains a measure of truth to this even today, we have made tremendous progress, especially in the last decade.

In the mid 1990's I was coaching my son Grant's recreational team in the West Central Ohio Soccer Association (WCOSA) of which the Shawnee Youth Soccer Association (SYSA) was a member. The SYSA had been founded in part by my father and father-in-law to help promote the sport of soccer in our area. At the time being discussed here there were 4 teams in Grant's age group! Interest in the sport was exploding. These teams were randomly selected with the talent being divided amongst all teams. There were a host of local tournaments unsanctioned by United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) that served WCOSA and other teams from independent organizations.  As Grant's teams became dominant in these events we began searching for a higher level of competition. This meant going to USYSA events.  The only problem was as an independent team from an independent league we were not registered with USYSA and therefore did not have player / coach cards.  I set about obtaining cards only to learn Ohio-North, Ohio-South and USYSA would not issue us cards unless we played in a sanctioned league. There were not individual / guest player cards allowed at the time. There were no event rosters allowed at the time. In short, I was told by various people at both the state and national levels of USYSA there was no way to obtain cards for this team short of joining an Ohio-North or Ohio-South sponsored USYSA league.

We were not the only ones experiencing these difficulties and soon our areas first club began forming. This became West Central United. From the beginning I was a bit uncomfortable with this clubs emphasis on winning. I wasn't the only one and in short order a group left and formed Grand Lake United with an emphasis on developing players.  This was more to my liking.  Grand Lake United (GLU) is now the oldest surviving youth soccer club in west central Ohio having absorbed West Central United a few years ago.

WCOSA is comprised of a loose band of community / school based soccer organizations. We "traveled" about west central Ohio to play one another. Most trips were between a few minutes up to perhaps 45 minutes.  The word "travel"  was redefined for us while competing for Grand Lake United.  Our home pitch was 20 minutes away in those days while we often traveled an hour plus one way for away matches.  Tournament play... well, tournament play was in Ohio's largest cities and quickly expanded to neighboring states.

Our middle son, Treg, followed in big brothers footsteps to play in WCOSA during the fall and then Grand Lake United in the spring. Once in high school both boys played for their high school teams in the fall and then for GLU in the spring. It wasn't until our youngest son began playing that we abandoned SYSA / WCOSA completely. I organized and coached our areas first year round team to play solely in a USYSA league. Lance's GLU team competed in the Miami Valley Youth Soccer Association (MVYSA) of Ohio-South.  Eventually that group would compete in the Buckeye Premier League (BPL), various college showcase events and more tournaments than I care to remember.  Every single player from the last two years has had the opportunity to go on to play in college. Not all decided to do so, but the opportunity existed for them to do so.

Grand Lake United has been joined in serving our area by a handful of other clubs in recent years. Another sign of the growth the sport of soccer has enjoyed.  In fact, some of the WCOSA based community programs have left to join USYSA leagues over the last years. Youth soccer in the area is experiencing some growing pains once again with some long-time WCOSA powerhouses seeing an erosion of participation as players and their families look for "more" out of the youth soccer experience. I understand this - it is exactly what we did 20 years ago.

Look for more on this subject in future writings.

Sometimes I feel like I am beating a dead horse.

Here is another good article about youth sports. It's a short read and well worth the time.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/mdmama/2013/05/parents_lets_keep_some_perspective_about_youth_sports.html



At my son's soccer game the other day, a parent kept yelling very loudly at one of the players on the other team, giving various directions as to what the player should and shouldn't do. When I say "very loudly", I mean so loud--and harsh--that it startled me each time.

The kids were first graders.
 

The mother of one of my son's teammates (who was wincing along with me) told me how at her daughter's soccer game earlier that day, the coach of the other team was berating the players, telling them what a terrible job they were doing and calling them names.
 

Those kids were sixth graders.
 

Really?
 

Now, I get that these are extremes. But with five kids, I've been to a lot of sporting events, and have listened to a lot of parents and coaches pushing--in good ways and bad ways--kids to achieve. And while achievement is generally a worthy goal, I'm not sure it's the best goal for youth sports.
 

Often, when I talk to other parents, I hear stuff about hoping for athletic scholarships. I've got two kids in college now, and so know first-hand how outrageously expensive it is and how every little bit helps. But only about 2 percent of high school athletes get athletic scholarships to college--and very few of them are full rides. The chances of "going pro" are even smaller: about 0.03 percent for basketball, 0.08 percent for football, for example. Basically, unless your kid is extremely gifted and extremely lucky, he's not getting any money out of sports.
 

Here's what your kid can get out of youth sports:

• Exercise. With a third of US kids overweight or obese, we need to get more kids moving. Not only does exercise help kids now, it builds healthy habits for a lifetime.
• Friendships. Sports can be a great way to build relationships and social skills.
• Positive self-image. Feeling strong and learning skills can make a kid feel really good about herself.
• Involvement in positive activities. Sports are a way better way to spend your time than video games or hanging out on the streets; for many kids, sports are what keep them on a good life path.
• Time management skills. Athletes, especially high school athletes, need to learn to get homework and other things done around practice.
• Fun! With the right approach and attitude from the athlete and the coach, sports can be a lot of fun.

They are, however, not fun when you are being yelled at--or pushed all the time to achieve. Which is probably why the majority of kids drop out of sports before high school--and miss out on all the benefits entirely.
 

So, parents, let's keep some perspective. When you are at the sidelines, let the coach do the coaching--if you are going to yell anything, make it encouragement. If you see coaches treating kids badly, speak up--and find a different team if it continues. Don't push your kids to achieve--we should always try to do our best, but it's not always the point of everything. It's certainly not the point of youth sports.
 

Sometimes it's good enough--better, even--to show up, play the game and have fun.