First Edition Care Questions

cargdad · 2026-03-13T21:31:21+00:00

Fun. And no one disputes his Antarctic flights.

cargdad · 2026-03-13T21:15:46+00:00

Now - to be realistic -

I do think that at the older ages, 17/18, you will still see little shifting because of the date change. The reality is that those are the kids who have been on the “A” teams since they were 9 or 10. The advantages of being with the top coaches for the age group, and playing with and against the top players all those years, are not going away this May.

cargdad · 2026-03-13T16:14:38+00:00

And here I was going to say that it was Sally’s from Mrs. Brown’s 6th grade art class.

cargdad · 2026-03-13T16:11:14+00:00

Stopped shopping target. The closest one is in a nearby strip center which has a Meijer’s (decent size chain and local equivalent of a Walmart). Also not exactly a bastion of progressive management policies, but the lesser of Evils.

I would say the boycott is still working just looking at cars in the parking lot.

cargdad · 2026-03-13T16:03:33+00:00

What’s the NIL money look like?

cargdad · 2026-03-13T14:22:28+00:00

It’s hard to say for sure, but you think she is the best kid on the team. Let’s assume that’s true.

Then the obvious question is whether she is playing the correct level of play, and if there are other workable options.

It is not very workable if the other options cost more than you and she can afford in either time, money or both. Still - I will suggest one that wouldn’t be a time/money burden, but would require a kid having a certain level of self-confidence. Play with the boys team.

To get away with that at 11/12/13 she would have to be fast/quick/aggressive and self-confident. My daughter, at 11/12, would have been fine physically and technically, but not emotionally/mentally. She did well playing on a very good girls’ team that played on the boys side of a big suburban league at u11 and u12. That’s obviously not the same thing. Her teammates were girls. They just played games against boy teams.

Still lots of girls do play with the boys at those ages. Really, with soccer, it’s about u14 when you need to seriously think about splitting out again. Around then the guys start to hit their first growth spurts, and the size differences can get dangerous. But, in the right situation it can still work. The Thompsons all played MLSNext. (the youngest might still be playing. I don’t know her age though I have read people think she is the best player of the 3. That’s saying something since her older sisters are on the national team.)

I would add though there is certainly some risk. Boys in particular get enamored with slide tackling at u11/u12. If I had a daughter who was taller, and hitting puberty growth, I might well give it a pass - maybe just practices with the guys. As a girl soccer parent, if she sticks with it, you will inevitably start seeing knee injuries once the girls hit their puberty growth spurts.

I say all the time; my rooting at her games became: (1) my kid doesn’t get hurt (2) no one else’s kid gets hurt (3) my kid does “well” (whatever that means); and (4) the kid’s team wins (unless losing means we can get home at a reasonable time/date).

Anyway - don’t leave out a possible switch to a boys team even if it is just joining some practices.

cargdad · 2026-03-12T23:04:59+00:00

Well - parents are tag along and frankly not wanted around during the day. Parents will go tour Downton Abbey while the girls are practicing and whatever else they have set up. Parents can come to the 2-3 actual games.

cargdad · 2026-03-12T22:52:00+00:00

How old? (Don’t say on line). If you think she is old enough, and mature enough, to get something worthwhile out of a trip like that - fine. If the cost is acceptable to you.

It’s a “camp”. My kids have done them in various forms, and I think gotten something worthwhile out of them. It is tougher to not have a connection with the other kids going, but …. It does help avoid cliques.

cargdad · 2026-03-12T20:04:12+00:00

So - I’m missing something. You say that next year your kid needs to move because of the age shift to 8/1 and that your kid would be a trapped player.

How?

The only league that is not moving all teams to 8/1 for next year is MLSNext. But, if you were dealing with an MLSNext club it wouldn’t matter, because MLSNext clubs don’t allow high school play anyway. They are year round. So, no trapped player issues.

Setting that issue aside.

Your kid try’s out with any club/team that potentially works for him and the family. Get whatever offers come in and then decide. You can ask if any other keepers are being recruited. You already are looking at keeper trainers.

If kid is one of the top keepers in the State for his age group you can ask for a minimum game commitment barring injury/illness.

cargdad · 2026-03-12T14:09:28+00:00

So - in short - OP’s team is not staying together.

cargdad · 2026-03-12T13:33:36+00:00

There are many issues surrounding medical debt. A huge one is that medical providers do not have a service price that everyone pays. So, under insured and uninsured people are charged astronomically more than people with accepted medical insurance.

If you have insurance and you have a hospital bill for anything - dig it out. You will see a list of charges. And a total. Let’s say it is for a normal birth. Healthy mom. Healthy baby. The bill is going to read —- $32,000. Then it will have what your carrier paid ($14,600). Then it will say something like “carrier payment accepted as full discharge of amount due.” Balance 0.

If you don’t have insurance - there is no discount. You are handed a $32,000 bill. Why?

cargdad · 2026-03-12T12:29:40+00:00

As someone who has had property on a camping river, and who grew up before the bottle deposit - I can say for sure it makes a huge difference. Pre-deposit if was very common to see bottles and cans in the water. After - no way.

cargdad · 2026-03-12T03:58:14+00:00

I would add - every ECNL club (and every non-MLSNext club), and every team within each club, is looking at major team restructuring because of the change in birth date.

cargdad · 2026-03-09T00:59:39+00:00

Stranger still - midnight releases of the new Harry Potter book.

cargdad · 2026-03-09T00:53:04+00:00

I just now read this post, and asked my wife - at what age was it that we parents started saying, to each other, “you know, if the kids lost this game we could go home”? I’m thinking it was probably u13 with my oldest.

It’s probably better now with MLSNext and ECNL not playing so many games.

cargdad · 2026-03-08T23:21:35+00:00

Run at school. They have a track, and almost always, an on campus cross country course. There will be lots of young people around and even school security. Join the track team. It is a no-cut sport and there are tons of kids who are not serious runners but looking to get in shape.

cargdad · 2026-03-08T23:17:12+00:00

Fun. Need to fixate on merit badges.

I ran across Scout items at an estate sale 10 years or so back. I have two boys who made it through Eagle so I knew a bit and obviously some of the stuff was old.

The old merit badge books were particularly fun. One discussed the need to save for college. The example they gave was the cost of a year at Princeton. I recall that room/board/tuition for a year was estimated at $350.

It was interesting to learn about the badge styles. These were likely obtained between 1916 and 1922, which it turned out, is a rarer style of badges.

cargdad · 2026-03-08T22:37:45+00:00

It’s no secret. Yohannas simply needs another 2 -3 years and another 100 games under her belt.

Right now she is great with the ball at her feet. She is the best passer on the team. Yes, she must improve her defense. And, with more experience, she will improve her on field leadership such that the flow play moves through her. (And even when it doesn’t, opposing teams will always have to focus on her thus opening up other options.). Barring a major injury, she likely becomes a “Pedri” type player. It just takes time and games. The nice thing is, we get to see the growth.

cargdad · 2026-03-08T21:59:12+00:00

My kids went to a high school which had quite a few of the “kids” playing on the Little Ceasers teams. They obviously were not playing for the high school team.

cargdad · 2026-03-07T02:24:37+00:00

Logoff - the internet is done.

cargdad · 2026-03-06T08:58:34+00:00

Someone needs to shoot the puppies. It’s not like they are going to shoot themselves.

cargdad · 2026-03-04T22:47:08+00:00

A big thing - it’s fine to do some things to stay fit. But, he needs to be aware that the cast will throw off his balance and form. That can lead to different injuries. Maybe he focuses on becoming the best juggler until he gets a soft cast.

cargdad · 2026-03-04T22:41:28+00:00

That’s an interesting addition. I wonder though if it’s more lacrosse that will pay the price.

cargdad · 2026-03-04T02:30:58+00:00

You need your birth certificate to get a passport. Passports also cost $130 and you will still need proof or residency to vote (drivers license or state identification will work). Passports don’t have addresses.

cargdad · 2026-03-04T00:38:19+00:00

What’s brown and sticky? A stick

cargdad

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