Random Thoughts IX (The first 8 were probably better)

[CycloneErik]

Research note on this correspondence collection that I swear I'll finish someday.
This lady, just in stuff I've read today, has managed sales, debts, collections, and all kinds of financial matters for various abolitionists. She has gone back and forth between homeopathic and hydropathic medicines. She has visited a clairvoyant.

In all that, she never found time for a handwriting consultant. Sigh.

 

[wxman1]

One tree service in Beloit currently has there phone shut off because they were getting too many calls. If we stopped taking calls right now, we'd be busy for the next 3 months.

Sounds like a wonderful problem to me.

 

[VeloClone]

A little rant here. Hoping to be more brief than a CG dodge ball recap. Club volleyball tryouts were the past 2 Saturdays and this was new for our club; usually tryouts for the age we play were one day. We let the director know we would miss the 1st tryouts (out of state softball tournament). Come to find out at the tryout we missed they were already handing out bids. One of the teams she was eligible for had all but one spot of their roster set before the 2nd tryouts. She made the next team down. Talent wise she is probably right where she would be, but just seems a little unfair to those who could only make one tryout. And come to find out the higher team will be coached by an assistant ISU volleyball coach while we get a young gal with just 2years coaching experience. She was also our coach last year and there were some frustrations with her coaching style. Oh well, daughter just wants to play and at 5'1" (and not a libero) she will not be playing college volleyball.

It is amazing the silly little stuff they will do at the club level. Our club had to push for a new rule (that passed overwhelmingly) at the state level that required an 8 day period between when a club offered a player a slot and when they were required to accept or the offer pulled. There were a few clubs that would schedule their tryouts for the day after the state tournament, offer kids and demand they accept within 24 hours. This didn't give a lot of the kids an opportunity to tryout for different clubs and accept the offer that was the best match for them. Ironically they often hurt their own kids. Many times kids who had played at the top level for them one year would not get a slot the following year and had to either accept a lower level slot or risk being left out in the cold. Now with this rule they can at least tryout for another club or two and see what their options are before having to make a decision.

There are still plenty of shenanigans going on. One club that I won't name Maplebrook tells kids who live in the Maple Grove High School area that they won't have a chance to play at the high school when the time comes unless they play club soccer with them. It is ******** but we still lose good players from time to time because parents are afraid it might be true. Our team lost a great player and teammate off of last year's squad over this. The poor girl was in tears on her way out the door.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

A little rant here. Hoping to be more brief than a CG dodge ball recap. Club volleyball tryouts were the past 2 Saturdays and this was new for our club; usually tryouts for the age we play were one day. We let the director know we would miss the 1st tryouts (out of state softball tournament). Come to find out at the tryout we missed they were already handing out bids. One of the teams she was eligible for had all but one spot of their roster set before the 2nd tryouts. She made the next team down. Talent wise she is probably right where she would be, but just seems a little unfair to those who could only make one tryout. And come to find out the higher team will be coached by an assistant ISU volleyball coach while we get a young gal with just 2years coaching experience. She was also our coach last year and there were some frustrations with her coaching style. Oh well, daughter just wants to play and at 5'1" (and not a libero) she will not be playing college volleyball.

We had a similar situation this summer. We missed soccer tryouts due to a family wedding out of town. We notified all of the coaches months in advance and were assured that they all knew my daughter and would assess her in pre-camp tryouts. During pre-camp, she went on a tear, winning every single 1V1 drill.

The following week, we received a call during while we were at the wedding reception saying that she was being placed on the second team while three of the girls she beat went to the top team.

My siblings warned me of some of their frustrations with the politics and such of youth sports so I wasn't too surprised. I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things and my daughter is fine with the team she's on, but just be honest with us upfront.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

It is amazing the silly little stuff they will do at the club level. Our club had to push for a new rule (that passed overwhelmingly) at the state level that required an 8 day period between when a club offered a player a slot and when they were required to accept or the offer pulled. There were a few clubs that would schedule their tryouts for the day after the state tournament, offer kids and demand they accept within 24 hours. This didn't give a lot of the kids an opportunity to tryout for different clubs and accept the offer that was the best match for them. Ironically they often hurt their own kids. Many times kids who had played at the top level for them one year would not get a slot the following year and had to either accept a lower level slot or risk being left out in the cold. Now with this rule they can at least tryout for another club or two and see what their options are before having to make a decision.

There are still plenty of shenanigans going on. One club that I won't name Maplebrook tells kids who live in the Maple Grove High School area that they won't have a chance to play at the high school when the time comes unless they play club soccer with them. It is ******** but we still lose good players from time to time because parents are afraid it might be true. Our team lost a great player and teammate off of last year's squad over this. The poor girl was in tears on her way out the door.

That is all very similar to here as well. I know at least one club that offers kids a spot right after the tryout (could be first team, second, third) and if they don't accept it right then, they move to the next kid. Really cutthroat crap.

Also, our high school is pretty tied into the local club. It's an unspoken rule that being on that club gives you an in when it comes to high school tryouts.

It's too bad the clubs really aren't looking out for the best interests of the kids. They just want the elite kids and have zero care about stealing them from other clubs.

 

[VeloClone]

Don't open the spoiler if you don't want to read a Dad brag.

Spoiler: Dad brag

My 11 year old won our soccer club's girl player of the year award. The best part of it was that she didn't win it because she is just the most talented or athletically gifted player, but because she sacrificed what she wanted to do (play up front and score) to do what the team needed her to do (anchor the defense, sub in at goal when needed, etc.). When the other girls came around and grasped what was needed of them on defense she finally got a chance to play striker the end of the season. The last game she got a hat-trick in the first half before our coach called off the dog(s). She is still in disbelief that of all the players on all of the teams U9-U19, she won the award.

#SoProud

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Don't open the spoiler if you don't want to read a Dad brag.

Spoiler: Dad brag

My 11 year old won our soccer club's girl player of the year award. The best part of it was that she didn't win it because she is just the most talented or athletically gifted player, but because she sacrificed what she wanted to do (play up front and score) to do what the team needed her to do (anchor the defense, sub in at goal when needed, etc.). When the other girls came around and grasped what was needed of them on defense she finally got a chance to play striker the end of the season. The last game she got a hat-trick in the first half before our coach called off the dog(s). She is still in disbelief that of all the players on all of the teams U9-U19, she won the award.

#SoProud

That is awesome! Tell her that some random guy on the internet is prou.....ya know, never mind. Just tell her congrats.

 

[VeloClone]

That is all very similar to here as well. I know at least one club that offers kids a spot right after the tryout (could be first team, second, third) and if they don't accept it right then, they move to the next kid. Really cutthroat crap.

Also, our high school is pretty tied into the local club. It's an unspoken rule that being on that club gives you an in when it comes to high school tryouts.

It's too bad the clubs really aren't looking out for the best interests of the kids. They just want the elite kids and have zero care about stealing them from other clubs.

Agreed, and they cut kids that want a home at that club to add kids they poached from other clubs.

Yeah, my daughter and her friend experienced the club politics thing a lot. They have been good through it but can't buy a spot on the C1 team for years on end. This year a couple of players who have been on that team told other coaches that they were floored that they didn't make the team this year because they thought she and her friend had the best performances by far at tryouts. It was a little poetic justice this year, though. When they didn't get a spot they tried out up a year and got on the C2 team a level up. The C1 team with the coach who won't give some players a chance really struggled in fall ball and will most likely have to play C2 in the spring. So my daughter's team will be going to the team they "couldn't make" for replacement players to play up when they are short handed.

 

[stormchaser2014]

Anyone know why a headstone would say 1921-1922 and have a US Veteran maker next to it, and then the headstone next to that one with a woman's name said 1923-1923? Both were part of a large family plot, and I thought at first they both died as children, but a 1 year old couldn't be a veteran.

 

[Cybirdy]

That is all very similar to here as well. I know at least one club that offers kids a spot right after the tryout (could be first team, second, third) and if they don't accept it right then, they move to the next kid. Really cutthroat crap.

Also, our high school is pretty tied into the local club. It's an unspoken rule that being on that club gives you an in when it comes to high school tryouts.

It's too bad the clubs really aren't looking out for the best interests of the kids. They just want the elite kids and have zero care about stealing them from other clubs.

There was a team last year that pretty much won/placed in every tournament they went to. The coaches thought they would be able to keep the team pretty much intact and dominate again, this time up a level. Well some girls were playing up last year and some had to move up due to age. The girls that didn't have to move up to 15U were probably offered both 15U and 14U, but stuck with 14U because of the ISU coach coaching. That 14U team also has 3 girls from my daughter's 8th grade class--they all played school volleyball together. Our daughter can hold her own with them, but since she isn't a specialist (hitter, setter or libero) she is often overlooked.

The local club is actually considered less competitive than clubs out of DSM. If girls are really looking for a high level experience, they will go elsewhere. And the local club is nowhere near the level of competition as some of the clubs like out of KC that we meet up with down there. I think our 13U team was taken out of a championship by a 11U team from a very competitive club.

 

[CycloneErik]

Just to whine again, I got on a roll deciphering this woman's handwriting, and she just changed her style again.
This is apparently very common in the pre-Civil War times, and it drives me insane.

 

[wxman1]

Vacation coming up Thanksgiving week. I don't read much but figure that reading may not be a bad escape from the in-laws. Debating between an aviation book and a business book. You all decide for me.

 

[VeloClone]

Vacation coming up Thanksgiving week. I don't read much but figure that reading may not be a bad escape from the in-laws. Debating between an aviation book and a business book. You all decide for me.

It's vacation. Aviation FTW.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

There was a team last year that pretty much won/placed in every tournament they went to. The coaches thought they would be able to keep the team pretty much intact and dominate again, this time up a level. Well some girls were playing up last year and some had to move up due to age. The girls that didn't have to move up to 15U were probably offered both 15U and 14U, but stuck with 14U because of the ISU coach coaching. That 14U team also has 3 girls from my daughter's 8th grade class--they all played school volleyball together. Our daughter can hold her own with them, but since she isn't a specialist (hitter, setter or libero) she is often overlooked.

The local club is actually considered less competitive than clubs out of DSM. If girls are really looking for a high level experience, they will go elsewhere. And the local club is nowhere near the level of competition as some of the clubs like out of KC that we meet up with down there. I think our 13U team was taken out of a championship by a 11U team from a very competitive club.

IMO, it's dumb how early clubs start specializing kids and positions. Once they hit puberty and start developing, tons of things change anyway.

Somewhat related, I had a funny moment last weekend. I stopped into a restaurant to pick up a to-go order. I walked by this table of high school girls wearing their volleyball uniforms sitting at a high-top table right by the register. After paying for my food, I turned around to find all three of these girls standing up getting ready to leave.

I'm 6'2" but I was pretty much eye level with their collar bones. I don't know the exact look I had on my face, but I imagine it was similar to when a little kid loses his balloon and follows it upward with a look of confused bemusement.

 

[GTO]

Is it safe here?

 

[cowgirl836]

Vacation coming up Thanksgiving week. I don't read much but figure that reading may not be a bad escape from the in-laws. Debating between an aviation book and a business book. You all decide for me.

Aviation since you like it. I've got a book on the history of the CIA I was going to read over the holidays but I may need something lighter.

 

[cowgirl836]

Is it safe here?

yes. We won't kick you out.

 

[cyhiphopp]

Is it safe here?

I've been asking myself that question all day as well.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

yes. We won't kick you out.

Well, WE won't kick him out, but....

 

[ImJustKCClone]

No anger. Just a deep, profound sadness. And dismay that all of the language legitimized in the campaign is now showing up all over FB and CF.