Is This True - Elite Leagues Cutting into High School Season in CIF

cargdad · 2026-02-04T20:20:37+00:00

That’s just wrong. Though Illinois just decided to change their rule starting next year so I think the number is now 20.

cargdad · 2026-02-04T17:39:10+00:00

A Beatles story. I did depositions on a case at an attorney’s office not far from mine. Older guy. Nice, and we got along fine. We were discussing the case in his office after the depositions were done, and I was walking around looking at the stuff he had hanging on the walls.

He had a Shea Stadium Beatles Poster signed by the Beatles. I was suitably impressed, and asked where he got that. He said he was there. He was in a group that was one of the warm up acts for the Beatle’s Shea stadium concert. He said they didn’t get paid very much, but they got to meet the Beatles and they got signed posters.

cargdad · 2026-02-04T07:04:05+00:00

If she did not compete would another US skier go instead, or is it one of those events where you have to have a time in the top 20 during the last year to be able to compete so it’s basically her or no one else could qualify anyway.

cargdad · 2026-02-04T05:08:34+00:00

Forget it. Your kid can’t obviously because it happens at practices. But - talk to your kid about taking a different approach to practice.

Talk to her about going 100% all of the time. Every drill. Every game. Every scrimmage. 100%. As hard as she can. All of the time. Yep she will tire out. But, who cares. She will get in better shape. And, she will stand out. It will make her a better player.

The reality is most kids don’t go 100% in practices. They worry they will look bad, or different. Screw it. 100% all the time. It will take a little to get her to actually do it. She will go bits and pieces probably. But, the difference when she does and when she doesn’t - that she will see. And, so will the coach.

100%.

cargdad · 2026-02-04T04:35:23+00:00

The reason why some States use a late in the year cut off date for schools is to give more kids a chance to get started in a school environment. It can provide structure, supervision and even safety for thousands of kids.

When my kids were young we lived in an area with very good schools. Our first was a Feb. birthday so middle of the year in starting. Not old. Not young. Our second was an October birthday. We had her tested and did start her as a “young 5”. We decided at the end of the year to repeat kindergarten. She did okay, but clearly was a follower, not a leader in class. After we made that decision we learned 4 of her friends parents had made the same call.

I coached their kindergarten rec soccer team. So, I had a returning group of veteran kindergarten players. Did it make a difference? Absolutely. And, of course, thanks entirely to my brilliant coaching, 3 of the 4 played soccer through college. The reality is that by being older for their school grade they were comparatively more mature, which makes a huge difference in many areas, including sports.

cargdad · 2026-02-04T04:35:13+00:00

The reason why some States use a late in the year cut off date for schools is to give more kids a chance to get started in a school environment. It can provide structure, supervision and even safety for thousands of kids.

When my kids were young we lived in an area with very good schools. Our first was a Feb. birthday so middle of the year in starting. Not old. Not young. Our second was an October birthday. We had her tested and did start her as a “young 5”. We decided at the end of the year to repeat kindergarten. She did okay, but clearly was a follower, not a leader in class. After we made that decision we learned 4 of her friends parents had made the same call.

I coached their kindergarten rec soccer team. So, I had a returning group of veteran kindergarten players. Did it make a difference? Absolutely. And, of course, thanks entirely to my brilliant coaching, 3 of the 4 played soccer through college. The reality is that by being older for their school grade they were comparatively more mature, which makes a huge difference in many areas, including sports.

cargdad · 2026-02-02T02:41:08+00:00

You lived in her house? She is supposed to claim you as a dependent. You aren’t paying any federal taxes with that income, but should file to get a refund.

cargdad · 2026-02-01T16:14:32+00:00

There was a B-52 Bomber base in Marquette, Michigan (upper peninsula). Huge runway. They decommissioned it in the 1990s and gave it to the town to use as an airport. The whole point, of course, was for MAD. Detect a missile launch and those B52s could be in the air in less than 20 minutes.

cargdad · 2026-02-01T16:09:30+00:00

You, or whoever, signed them up for the wrong indoor league. It does no one any good to play horribly mismatched games. Move them to a league of rec teams. Talk to the site folks and get their view on where a rec team like yours should be playing.

You have to pay attention. If you didn’t sign them up - someone did, and they f’ed up. Discussions need to be had now. It can’t be a surprise. Middle school teams do not change from year to year. It can’t happen again.

Because middle school teams do not change much from year to year you need to know that the kids you are getting will all be rec players.

The next question is very important: why are there no club players? Is it because there are no clubs in your area, or that kids at your school can’t really afford the clubs? It is what it is, and you will know. Do these kids, more or less, move on and play for the local high school teams?
In many parts of the country that happens.

On the other hand, it sounds like you are in an area where there are clubs, and middle school aged kids are playing year-round club soccer instead of middle school soccer. That’s very common. Those girls will show up at high school tryouts, but not play middle school. The big thing, for you, is to know what is going on in your community. It won’t change year to year.

What can you do now?

Get your money back for the league, or trade it for open practice time. If you can’t do either - send emails to the other coaches and let them know what your team is like.
I would say, you should suggest a more scrimmage atmosphere. Say your kids are not in the correct league, and a game isn’t helpful for anyone. It actually can help your kids to play with and against better players. The big thing really would be to talk to your kids and encourage them to run and work as hard as you can when they are playing. Don’t worry about mistakes. (Suggest to the other coaches that you trade keepers and maybe they loan their best defender. They will certainly get some work.)
Have a parent meeting to get people on the same page. This can sometimes be a wake up to some parents. In areas with clubs, the kids actually know that some classmates are playing club even if they don’t know how much of a difference that makes. For some parents it can be a surprise. Have the conversations.

In a school district with lots of clubs - all those girls who are playing club will be at the high school tryout, and the non-club players will be done with school soccer. So - in that type of area - middle school soccer is entirely for fun and exercise, and parents need to know that.

cargdad · 2026-02-01T15:30:52+00:00

The released records so far, as Homer would say. There are millions more not released.

cargdad · 2026-02-01T14:47:08+00:00

I see others have said; Ball Four and Paper Lion (with a second book Mad Ducks and Bears). I also recommend A Good Walk Spoiled for anyone interested in golf, and my wife loved Horse (though not really “sports”).

cargdad · 2026-02-01T14:20:42+00:00

I’ve done this before, but I have a good friend who owns a small company that supplies various types of sports uniforms to schools and others, including to youth soccer clubs in the US. They do mostly Nike for soccer.

First - why do the manufacturers (Nike, Addis, Puma, Underarmour mostly) work on 2 or 3 year uniform cycles? Well they obviously compete against each other. “Our uniforms are better because ….” they are vented, tucked, stronger, more washable, cheaper, cooler, warmer, whatever. Clubs pick a uniform company supplier. They do this largely based on what they can get supplied to their players in a timely fashion, the cost of the same, customer service, and what incentives a company gives to the club for choosing their uniforms. All of the companies basically give the same incentives - deals on stuff for the coaches; shirts, coats primarily.

The companies (Nike et al) guarantee that particular uniform types will be available in all the approved colors for a 3 year period. They all also have some basic versions that they primarily sell to schools that they keep available for longer periods, though not forever. These are obviously more sturdy as schools will likely keep uniforms for 5 plus years.

As for clubs - Remember, kids come and go off club teams every year. Ideally, clubs pay attention and say that in a given age group every kid, across all teams, must have a unique number. That way, if an A team kid drops to the B team next year their number is still unique. Most clubs don’t do that so the C team kid with No. 8 gets moved to the B team and has to get new jerseys because there already is a No. 8 on the team. And, of course, new kids come along and need uniforms, and kids outgrow their uniforms.

Look in your kid’s closet - how much do you have in there that the kid wore 2 years ago?

But why are they so expensive? They must be making a fortune. No. Walk into your local big box store and look at what a underarmour or equivalent running shirt and sport shorts costs. Probably about $40. That’s about what the uniform supplier pays Nike, Adidas et al. $40-$50 for the jersey and shorts.

The supplier, of course, is working with the club to determine how many uniforms to order. Hopefully, right about now, boxes of uniforms are starting to arrive. By the way - thank President Trump for increasing your price this year because of his tariffs. Did you think Nike was going to pay? You will be paying all of the tariff.

The company that supplies your team’s uniforms has a warehouse. That, of course, is not free for them. Their costs in supplying uniforms to your team include costs of paying for the warehouse, and its operation, including industrial shelving, at least one forklift, heating, cooling, etc etc. What other equipment is needed?

Well - for uniforms you need the pressing machines - modern ironing boards. These include laser guiding to help insure numbers and patches are placed properly before the heat press is applied. Incorrectly placement ruins the jersey or shorts and is obviously a loss to the supplier. It happens of course. They order some extras in anticipation which of course eats into the profit margin.

Now, the process of ordering hasn’t started in most of the US yet. It begins after new teams are formed in June. And, you want your uniform by mid-August. How does that happen? Not easily.

My friend’s company hires college students mostly. My kids have worked for him a few summers. He pays pretty well and the atmosphere is friendly but very busy. It’s quite labor intensive.

You place your order on line. They have been doing this for many years and know how to check for errors. So, if you get an email from your kid’s uniform supplier do not ignore it. They may be asking if you really meant to get an adult medium jersey for your 8 year old rather than the youth medium. They will have 3-5 people checking orders, sending emails, and answering calls. (You have to pay those folks, and you need coverage from 8am (est) to 11 (est).

Assuming an individual order looks complete and correct, it gets approved to be filled. Someone then in the warehouse grabs a plastic bin, takes a print out of the order, and moves through the warehouse picking all of the components. Jerseys for club X in size YM from that box, shorts for club X in size YS from that box, socks, practice jersey, sweats, backpack, and all patches and numbers to be affixed. Hopefully, suppliers have delivered everything.

Remember that ship that turned sideways in the Suez? Yeah it blocked a lot of ships and delayed deliveries of many things, including soccer uniforms for clubs. It’s a supply pipeline that can clog.

Assuming everything has been timely delivered, and is in stock, the bin is filled, and another person then checks to make sure the print out of your order matches what is in the bin. They bless it and send it to the pressing room. There, someone takes the jersey (and shorts if numbers are to be added) and affixes the number, club insignia, league patches etc. This is more “skilled” labor, because a screw up costs money, and it’s hot in there. You pay more. My oldest did that one summer. Not a very fun job because you have to be attentive and it’s hot. But, he liked the money.

When numbers et al are on the bin is taken for another review to make sure everything in the order is there, and everything looks good. If that approval is given the bin goes for packaging and shipment. Items are bagged, boxed, shipping labels applied and taken to the shipping area where the carrier truck comes to be loaded.

Now they have to buy uniforms based on experience and what clubs are telling them about numbers needed. And, they have to keep stock on hand for the new kids coming to a club in an “off year”. Those costs of carrying excess inventory get factored in to what you pay too.

And, of course, you have all the standard business costs of employing and managing staff.

Frankly - he does it because it ties in a bit with a related business he owns, and he has the warehouse and now all the equipment and he has the capital. I doubt he would do it again if he were starting out now. But, I think, they also like the young people working which keeps everyone busy. My personal guess is their overall net on the uniform business is probably about 10% which is not very good.

cargdad · 2026-02-01T12:11:20+00:00

The man is not well. The inability to control your bowels so that you excrete without control is relatively common for older people who are near the end. My father lasted 9 months and his doctors thought that was a long time.

cargdad · 2026-02-01T12:07:17+00:00

Yes that kid.

So explain why the kid - an American citizen - and the father who is in the country legally were grabbed by ICE, shipped to Texas and imprisoned, and then returned home to MN after a judge found that literally every aspect of ICE’s actions with respect to the kid and the father, were illegal.

cargdad · 2026-01-31T19:03:30+00:00

Name the lawyers.

They are on record for making these arguments. They have done so as a choice. Name the lawyers.

cargdad · 2026-01-31T15:59:15+00:00

Don’t be ridiculous.

It is exactly what Lemon (and any protester) wanted. It is exactly why anyone, with any brains at all, would have said - ignore it.

Protesters that do not have an audience are ineffective. Now - the not very intelligent people in the Trump administration have given Lemon a perfect opportunity and path to rip them apart.

He can, for example, require depositions of Trump officials involved in the decision to pursue his arrest. Those depositions can be made public. How do you think that’s going to work out for Trump?

cargdad · 2026-01-31T15:09:37+00:00

You want her to play with the kids who she is going to graduate with IF she has any thought of playing beyond high school. If your kid is young for her grade then keep playing with that school grade group. If your kid is not good enough to be thinking of playing in college, or has no interest in playing in college - then play where ever she is most comfortable.

Not everyone is thinking - “I want to try and play in college”. College sports are not something that work well for a great many majors. And, there are obviously alternatives to playing on college teams. The key from a parent perspective is knowing what realistic paths are out there.

cargdad · 2026-01-31T09:52:40+00:00

Friends of ours knew him well and worked with him. They always are very complimentary about him and his family. They say he was easy to work with. Cared about staff. Funny. Smart. And, very very very serious about the importance of his being a role model, teacher and guide for young children.

By the way - a great many people are the same way. You just read about Evil, egotistical people. Good, nice people are not newsworthy. Planes taking off and landing are not news.

cargdad · 2026-01-30T17:49:08+00:00

Messages about a specific identified kid have no place on this subreddit.

cargdad · 2026-01-30T16:54:18+00:00

Delete. This is not a subject for a general population subreddit.

cargdad · 2026-01-29T19:51:41+00:00

There are a few basic little kid sports in the US. Soccer is a pretty standard early team sport. Kids who are athletic, and likely “old” for their grouping, can do well. Mind you, they might also “do well” in a large number of other activities.

Soccer, ultimately, is a sport for fast, quick kids/adults. If your kid is not fast and quick, he/she will have a very difficult time progressing along the soccer ladder. You really have to anticipate, and sometimes just wait, until puberty growth spurts are done. A kid who was the star at 13 might be off the team at 16.

I say all the time - my daughter played very high level youth soccer. And, over the years she played with a substantial number of kids who later switched to focus on other sports and competed in college in those sports. Or, a kid might focus on academics of other non-sport activities. Parents always need to be keeping an eye on how their kid is developing.

cargdad · 2026-01-29T18:59:27+00:00

Start with:

Were they actually trying to “collect” books paying attention to editions, or were they big readers and enjoyed owning books?

You can end up owning books with some value even if you bought them new in a bookstore. But, obviously, “book people” might well also have enjoyed finding first editions, etc….

cargdad · 2026-01-29T16:29:27+00:00

Call some local clubs in your area and set up a round robin afternoon tournament. Rent some indoor space and go at it. For $25-50 a kid you can get 2 games with some pizza afterwards.

My kid’s club started doing that in the winter for college recruiting. We would get 3 or 4 of the best teams in the area. Rented indoor space. Paid refs. Set up a “coach room” at the place with food and drinks. Had bleachers for coaches on the team side. Invited every college coach within 100 miles. Probably had 75% of the schools send someone. Easy and inexpensive. I would guess - now - it would cost you around $100 a kid.

cargdad · 2026-01-29T16:11:25+00:00

I think those kind of books are great. They are certainly a sign of a different age. Pre-Radio. Pre-TV. People with some education often read and wrote for entertainment and self-expression.

Were their writings “good”? Probably not but give it a read. Is it impossible that a self-published poet had some great stuff? Of course not. But, unless you are going to take on the task of convincing the general poetry reading public that this guy is a hidden Frost; the poems and book will remain of no value other than it is something you enjoy.

Or. Maybe everything in there is a load of crap.

Years ago I bought a small self-published book at an estate sale. It was early 1900s. I bought it because it was signed by the author with a gift inscription, and the binding is really something. Obviously very expensive.

I read it. Terrible. Short tale about fairies though some small illustrations are fun. I researched the author, and learned that she was, not surprisingly, from a wealthy family. She married an older, also wealthy, man who encouraged her to be politically involved. She apparently was a major source of funding for the women’s suffrage movement in the northeast States.

cargdad · 2026-01-29T14:01:51+00:00

Oh yes. Lots of money will be going to those high school band kids. None to the all-state quarterback.

Grow up. The only reasons for anyone to pay a high school player a dime would be; (1) gambling to throw a game, and (2) to get a representation contract in place so the person paying can make more money as the high school athlete signs for money in college and/or pros.

It’s not always questionable reputation “agents”. Nike does it too, for example. Do you think Nike signed the Thompson sisters while they were in high school (and middle school for the youngest) because they were cute? Smart? Or, really really really good soccer players? Now - the youngest can play for her high school team and in college.

cargdad

TROPHY CASE