Anybody can play high school soccer.

I can't

Won't see it until next year but from what I hear Blue Springs has some pretty solid players that will be incoming Freshman next fall. Won't be an overnight transformation but could see them becoming much more competitive in the future....but the discussion was about this year not the future.

41 more days and counting until girls HS soccer tryouts skiddie. Interested to hear about your team and others around the KC area, on what the upcoming HS season will bring.

No kid IMHO should miss the High School experience!

I concur

KC is generally a few years (or more) behind trend...and the bi-coastal trend is that the very top players do not play for their high school. They have a longer view than high school, and their development as a player is their priority.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/hig...9G_story_2.html

I think it is fascinating how many parents would seek to criticize that decision, when they wouldn't dream of doing it in other activities...

Consider a young concert violinist. You wouldn't take an exceptional young musician who has trained with pros for hours a week over 8 years and say - now you are age 15, so for about 6 months out of every year for the next 4 years, you can only play with the high school symphony, even if it is a much lower level than what you are accustomed to, even if the music is too easy, and the other musicians hold you back, or if the conductor is not able to challenge you. You have to have the "High School Symphony Experience" because it is just that awesome.

Or - are you really amazing at Biology? Perhaps you have won awards and done lots of internships and research on your own time, and you are a science whiz kid. Whatever you do, don't skip senior year Biology to take college science courses at KU or even JCCC. That might keep you from having the true "Senior Year Experience" by not taking every single class your peers do.

SIGH. You don't hear outrage when an advanced pianist decides to skip out on HS Jazz Band, an exceptional dancer doesn't opt in to the drill team, or the math genius goes to college math classes two years early. No one is worried it will rob them of their High School memories and saddle them with a lifetime of regret.

How is a very high level athlete any different? When kids (or adults) train at the highest level at any endeavor, their idea of "fun" changes. It is not "fun" to play/work/study beneath their ability, or with people who limit their creativity. It's frustrating. Just like it would be frustrating for the dedicated and exceptional musician, or student.

We have gotten by with HS ball and outlawing dual participation primarily because we have not had sufficient player depth. If we continue along the current path of development though...I think you can expect to see the gap between average and exceptional players continue to grow at a surprising rate. When that gap gets large enough, it becomes impractical for them to be on the field together, for the same reasons it is impractical to have a D1 premier player on the field with rec players.

Of course, we are talking about a very small minority of players. Which is why it hasn't happened in KC yet, where our top talent tends to be widely spread across clubs, and player density is fairly low overall compared to coastal cities where top players have already begun choosing to play year round club.

However - many very good club players I speak with already tell me that they have mixed feelings about their HS experience, and that they wouldn't mind missing it if there was another good option.

As there are more and more of these higher level players, those other options will appear, and the kids will sometimes choose not to play HS soccer.

Every family and player will have to make this decision based on their own priorities, opportunities and abilities. While most players may still select HS ball for many years to come and may continue to have a great experience with it, I also respect the decision of those who believe that their dedication and playing career is better served by playing year round club and I have no doubt they can find equal fulfillment in that choice. It seems to be a personal decision, and not one that others could easily criticize.

Proff:

Well stated. It's not for everyone, or even most. But for those where the commitment and talent fit, it's a great opportunity.

I think what is comes down to is wanting to play for yourself or your community. If you have no interest in potentially bringing a state title to your hometown's high school then go the all club route. Really it is a matter of personal opinion. If your goal is to get into a college then club tournaments and showcases will be all the exposure you need. However, if you want to play as part of a team from your hometown, representing the talent that your hometown has, then go high school. I dont know how often it happens here in KC (maybe in OP and on the MO side) but at our school those type of players do not come around very often.

I agree with Proff. A few years ago, Lukas Verbikas was a sophomore in hs in Illinois. He won both of the cross country national titles that year, both by more than 10 seconds. He took additional classes during the holiday break and during summer so that he could skip a year of hs, knowing where his potential lied. He won the two national titles again his senior year (third year of hs) by even wider margins and went to college. Even a year early, he was challenged by 18-23 year olds but decided to become a professional tri-athlete. His college was upset, but should his hs or college teammates be upset that he left their schools early to pursue a dream? Maybe for selfish reasons, but they saw the writing on the wall. The bottom line is, who cares. Let the kids and their families make their own decisions and move on. It happens. We need to be more supportive of those that choose this route instead of being selfish about it.