Team Objective
The objective of the U12G Spring Select Team is to have fun playing soccer at
a higher level of competition than the fall season and to further
develop each player's individual skills and understanding of team tactics and
strategy.
Eligibility
To be eligible to play on the 2008 GU12 Spring Select Team, a girl must have
(1) been born on or after August 1, 1995,
(2) been on the roster of a Palo Alto AYSO Region 26 team during the Fall 2007
season, and
(3) played in at least 50% of her Fall 2007 team's regular season games.
Team Formation
Currently, we will have one GU12 team consisting of 18 players. It is possible
that a few additional highly motivated players will be invited to practice with
the team.
We are currently looking for a coach for a second, developmental GU12 team. We will note on this page whether we have the coaches and the player interest for a 2nd team.
The goal of the team formation process is to select players for each field
position who:
- have the attitude to enjoy the stronger competition of the Spring season
- have a strong interest in improving their soccer skills, and
- will enjoy practicing and playing soccer as a team
Players will be chosen for the team based on the quality of their play during
the Fall 2007 season and their performance at the tryouts. Factors that play
a part in player selection include, but aren’t limited to:
- skill,
- speed,
- effort,
- understanding of the game,
- sportsmanship,
- practice habits,
- commitment to improving soccer skills and physical conditioning,
- commitment to participating in two practices and one game per week and both
tournaments in May,
- the team's positional needs,
- team chemistry,
- family volunteer commitment, and
- the recommendations of Fall season coaches.
While the ability to attend at every practice and game is not
an absolute requirement for selection to the team, because space in the program
is limited, (all other things being equal) players who want to gain the full
benefit of the practices and games of the Spring Select season will be preferred
over players who give higher priority to another activity. If a player will
be concurrently participating in another sport (examples: softball, basketball,
volleyball, track & field, swimming, lacrosse) or will be playing concurrently
on another soccer team, her parents must contact the Select
Team Head Coach prior to team selection to discuss the player's
(and their) level of commitment to the Select Team.
Unlike the Fall season, the Spring program is selective and not every player who is interested in playing can be accommodated on a team. Player selection is solely the responsibility of the Head Coaches. Selection decisions cannot be appealed. While some players who played in a previous Select season may be chosen for the 2008 team, participation on an AYSO Select team in a previous year is no guarantee of selection to the 2008 team.
Tryouts
There are three tryouts, starting this Sunday, 10/28. Here is the schedule
for the tryouts:
Sunday, 10/28 from 3 to 5pm at Greer #2
Sunday, 11/4 from 3 to 5pm at Greer #2
Sunday, 11/11 from 3 to 5pm at Greer #2
Each tryout will focus on different aspects so, in order to provide your child
with the best chance to make the team, we recommend they attend as many tryout
sessions as possible.
If your child intends to participate in the tryouts, please email srao@cs.stanford.edu
& hjl@mindspring.com and include:
- the player's name and
- which tryouts she plans to attend.
While notifying us beforehand is not required to attend a tryout, doing so will
help us plan for the correct number of players at each tryout and will reduce
the time you will spend registering and checking in at each tryout. It will
also allow us to contact you with any last minute changes to the tryout schedule.
For the first tryout, please have your child:
- Arrive 20 minutes before the start time to check in and warm up
- Bring their completed and signed Player/Parent
Declaration
- Bring a signed and dated copy of your AYSO Player
Registration Form. (Print the PDF file via the "Form Package" link
in WebYouthSoccer). We
must have this signed medical release form before we can allow a player to participate
in a tryout.
For all the tryouts, please have your child:
- Wear their current team’s uniform
- Wear cleats and shin guards
- Bring water
All players who attend a tryout will be notified of their selection status by
email within one week of the last tryout held.
Team Practices
The team will start practices in early January continue through the end of May.
Practices will most likely be Wednesdays/Fridays
or Tuesdays/Friday. To play competitively with CYSA teams and
other AYSO Select teams, physical conditioning must be higher than in the fall
season. Players should expect team practices to be more rigorous than Fall season
practices and should expect some form of running to be a regular part of practices.
Select Team practices are expected to take precedence over team members' other non-academic activities. Except for brief periods and exceptional circumstances agreed upon ahead of time with the Head Coach, a player must be willing and able to attend both weekly practices on a regular basis.
Spring League and Tournaments
The team will play in the Pacific Coast Spring Soccer League,
one Sunday game per week, from early March through early May. Games postponed
due to weather or field conditions will be rescheduled, possibly to Saturdays.
Roughly half the games will be played in Palo Alto and the remainder at other
fields on the Peninsula (South San Jose to Pacifica).
The team will participate in at least two out-of-town, weekend tournaments.
Some families may choose to stay overnight in Concord during the Concord
Cup (mid-May) if the team has early morning games on Saturday or
Sunday. The Davis World
Cup (end of May) will require overnight stays
in Davis over the Memorial Day weekend (2-3 nights, depending on morning game
times). If feasible, the team will play in one additional tournament. These
tournaments feature top-flight competition in a fun, exciting environment. Most
players and parents remember the tournaments as major highlights of the Select
season.
Cost
The cost for each regular roster player, which includes Spring League and tournament
registration fees, home and away uniforms, and city field use fees, is expected
to be about $300 - 500 plus the cost of transportation, meals,
and accommodations for the tournaments.
Parent Volunteers
Because spring teams are self-supporting, providing a parent volunteer is a
significant factor in player selection. A parent from each team member's family
will be expected to perform some significant team support activity during the
season. Each family will usually be asked to perform 1 – 2 volunteer functions
More Information
If you are interested in learning more about the Spring program, a good source
of information is the players that were on a Spring team last year. Below are
the players that were on a Select team this past spring, either as regulars
or practice squad. Please contact them or their parents to get their perspective
on the Spring Select Program.
Team: Players
#1: Lauren Johnson (GU12), Jesse Hall (GU12)
#4: Moira Saxena (GU12), Nora Nord (GU12)
#5: Oliva Tapia (GU10)
#6: Megan Tall (GU12)
#7: Daniela Ivey (GU12), Emily Lee (GU10)
#8: Amanda Marzano (GU12), Nikki Freyermuth (GU12)
#10: Kelly Swanson (GU10)
#11: Kirsten Wei (GU10), Sama Rao (GU12)