CWSC/FCV Select Program

Each year in the month of March and April there are a series of tryouts available for all players that will be U11-U19 for the next fall season. CWSC looks to form Select teams at all of these age groups. There are only two criteria, a willing coach or coaches and enough capable players. It is important to us, the CWSC Board, that you have enough information to make decisions regarding the placement of your child that are right for you and your family. Ask questions to us, your coaches and your friends. Search through the website, cwsoccer.com, for more information, answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and updates on CW Select Tryouts and the coaching staff. We sincerely hope that all players, especially those in the younger age groups find a team to play on that is fun and challenging for them.

Tryouts are stressful. Many kids will have the disappointment of not making a team. We encourage all of those kids that try out for these teams and are not selected to continue to play for recreational teams. They will grow and may make the Select team the following year. It is very critical for us to have coaches ready to coach recreational teams up to U14 (8^th grade). Coaching these teams in the older age groups can be challenging, rewarding and a lot of fun. The club will attempt to make it as easy for new coaches as possible. It is our opinion that a major reason that kids at these age groups choose to stop playing soccer is that their coach has not called them to encourage them to come back and play. None of this happens without the support and more importantly the participation of you, the soccer community in Camas and Washougal.

Tryout information for CWSC can be found on the CW website, cwsoccer.com. Please print out a copy of the tryout form and bring it with you to the tryouts. The form lists the teams that will conduct tryouts along with the Head Coach, date and time of the tryouts. There is no cost to the player to tryout. CWSC encourages all players to tryout for the age appropriate CW Select Team. Players may also choose to tryout for a team with one of the Advanced Competition Clubs in Clark County. CWSC partners with FC Vancouver for higher levels of competition. You can also tryout for a Select Team in another local club. Links to all of the clubs in Clark County can be found on our website. Each level of play has distinctly different levels of commitment and potential reward. Many of you are fully aware of the options that are available to you and have made plans accordingly. This letter begins to explain what is available and what that might mean for those that are not fully aware of what is available in the area.

If you have decided to play competitive soccer, first, determine what level of play, Advanced Competition, Select or Rec is best suited for you. Second, determine what options you might have at that level and more specifically what coach might be available. Ideally you want to find the best coach possible for your level of interest. Be aware that your options may be more limited unless you are one of the best players in the area or club. Hard work and desire can make up for talent but may be more difficult to show in a tryout.

Again, if you have any questions regarding the Select tryouts or local organizations contact your coach, a Select Coach, a CWSC Board Member, submit a question through the website, visit some of the websites listed below or attend the open meeting. We hope to see many of you at the tryouts.

Frequently Asked Questions for Select-Premier Programs

Questions and Answers for Select-Premier Programs

Revised 2/16/06

Note: The discussion that follows reflects some views from the CW Board but not all. Nor does it reflect all of the views of the local and state soccer communities. It is simply one source of information.

Is there anything new this year?

One thing that we have learned is that Advanced Competition Soccer is always changing. There are three significant changes in the works for next season. First, FC Vancouver had been limited to forming one team per age group. That limitation has been removed by the East County Board. Second, the District 5 Gold league for U11 Select teams will play 9v9 rather than 11v11 next year to match up with state mandated small sided play. This applies to FCV and CP as well as CW. Third, as a result of the second change, District 5 will now allow member clubs to form two U11 development teams. The bylaw was ignored by at least one club.

What do these changes mean to you?

More choices, more options and possibly more confusion. Hopefully you will find an option that will work best for you! But, be careful, research your options before tryouts begin by reading through information like this website and others, talking to other players and families and talking to coaches. Have a plan prepared before you go into the tryouts. Coaches will pressure you to make a decision right away. They are feeling pressure to fill their team with the best players available. Hopefully you can be honest with them and tell them your options, with your first, second and third choices and they can accept that. They may tell you that they need a firm answer by a certain date. Go back to your plan and evaluate why you ranked your options and reevaluate the results. If the coach is applying too much pressure, it may not be a good situation for you to jump into. In these cases, there are no clear cut rules. If you feel you need to say yes to ‘hold’ a position, then do it. But stick to your plan.

How are two teams at the same age group structured?

There are two approaches with multiple teams. The most common is an A team and a B team. The A team coach gets first choice of the players. The B team coach chooses from what is left. The teams typically practice as separate teams. A less common approach is teams of equal strength. The difficulty with this approach is that neither team is necessarily as strong as a single team could be. CWSC generally pushes the equal team approach. Our thinking is that if two teams can not be competitive, then why form the second team in the first place. Both of our 2^nd teams are a mix of both methods. The Jolts (BU13 in ’01) were formed one year after the Flyers. Flyers had 1^st pick but many of the Jolts were loyal to their coach and chose to keep playing for that coach. Both teams have won State titles in the Commissioner’s Cup. The Liberty (GU13 in ’05) was also formed one year after the Spirit. There were so many girls at the first U13 tryout that the Liberty coaches stepped up to form a second team.

How will you form two U11 teams?

This will depend on the quality of the coaches that apply and their ability to work together. Our current plan is to name a head coach and identify at least two assistant coaches. Mid-way through the first tryout, we will determine if there are enough qualified players to form two teams. If so, we will announce this to the players. Our guess would be that one group (boys or girls) will have enough and the other will not. Our goal is to form two balanced teams that will practice together but play separate fall schedules. This will create a large pool of players for summer tournaments and should enable us to maintain fairly small rosters to ensure good quality playing time for all of the players. This concept will sacrifice some winning at the U11-U13 level but will result in a fairly sizable player pool to draw on at U14 and up.

Why should I join a ‘B’ team?

If CW doesn’t have a team at your age group, or you want the opportunity to play and practice against or with the ‘A’ team, or the opportunity to eventually play for the ‘A’ team in the future. Be very careful with this decision. In an ‘A/B’ team format, a common complaint is that the best head coach will be with the A team and the B team will not see that coach near as much. We typically hear from a lot of frustrated parents who signed up their child for a B team. The B team acts as a feeder team for the A team. You need to ask the question why pay A team fees to play on a B team? This is a question that only you can answer.

How does allowing FCV to have more teams impact CW?

It makes our job harder. We are all recruiting coaches from the same pool. CW just focuses harder on the CW area while FCV can focus on most of Clark County and even Oregon. CW will continue to focus on providing a lower cost/less travel alternative for our players. Our strength is our numbers and our facilities. CW home fields are the best in the county and perhaps the state. CW rates for using lighted practice fields are the most reasonable in the area. Please realize that CW does not intend to compete directly with FC Vancouver and Columbia Premier. Our goal is to field competitive teams in the local, District 5, Gold league and for entry into the Commissioner’s State Cup (Level 3) or perhaps the Challenger State Cup (Level 2) tournaments. By doing this CW should have playing options that challenge players at an affordable cost. With eight teams qualifying for the elimination rounds in the ’06 Commissioner’s Cup, CW is among the top three clubs in the state at this level.

What are the costs associated with playing at these levels?

See Cost Comparisons page.

What do you mean by Level 2 and Level 3?

CW looks at the advanced competition structure as a pyramid. The Rec. programs are on Level 1 and provide the base for the entire system. Of 1500+ players registered with CWSC, over 1200 play for Rec. teams (teams formed without a tryout). Rec. teams U11 & up enter the President’s State Cup. Each local club (CW, Orchards, Evergreen, Battleground, etc…) or group of clubs (North County, Tri-Mountain) look to form Select teams. These teams are like a club all-star team. They play a Clark/Cowlitz county league, Level Two in the pyramid. Teams at this level typically play the Commissioner’s Cup and may enter the Challenger Cup. We consider Level 3 to be the State leagues. The premier clubs (FCV and CP) focus on entering teams in the State leagues. These teams look to enter the Championship Cup but some of the weaker teams will enter the Challenger or Commissioner’s Cups. Some of the stronger local club teams apply to enter the state leagues and Championship Cup. We also see higher levels (4 and 5) being the State (and National) ODP teams. Players play for their club team and if talented enough to be selected, also play for the ODP team. ODP teams play tournaments and jamborees but typically do not play in a league.

Who should tryout for Select Teams?

CWSC would like to see all players tryout for the Select Team. There is no commitment. There is no preregistration. There is no cost (some premier clubs charge to try out). Any player wanting to play soccer in HS should tryout. It can be humbling if you don’t make the team, but at least you tried. The club registrar will also make sure that all players that don’t make the Select team are brought to the attention of the Rec. coaches planning on registering teams for the next year.

How many players make a Select Team?

CWSC coaches will select between 14 and 18 players depending on the quality of players available (likely 13 or 14 for a U11 team). Please remember that this process is not perfect. We have seen the 18^t^h player picked become an impact player. We have seen top picks perform very poorly. Evaluators can only watch each individual for 3-6 minutes in two 90 minute tryout sessions. Players must play hard at all times in order to be noticed. Evaluation begins as soon as the player steps on the field. Come ready to play. Find a partner and begin to warm-up as quickly as possible.

Can I try out for older teams?

Sure. Although the club encourages coaches to select players within age group, there are no EC or CW bi-laws that prevent players from playing on older teams. As a general rule of thumb, a player playing up two age groups should be one of the top 5 players on the team. A player playing up one age group should be one of the top 10 players on the team. If not, the player will not get the amount of playing time they should get in order to develop their talents. This is largely a decision that rests with the parents but CWSC really encourages families to resist the urge to play on older teams.

If I don’t make the Select Team why should I play Rec?

If you enjoy playing soccer there is no reason to quit even if you don’t make the Select Team. CWSC has more Rec. teams at U12 to U19 than Select teams. There is less time commitment. Coaches strive to make the game fun. If your goal is to make the Select team the next year, good players on a Rec. team will get more playing time than the same player on a Select Team. You can improve and try out for the Select Team again the following year.

Who should tryout for Premier Teams?

Any player can tryout. If you are interested in testing yourself, you should try out. The tryout is typically free (Columbia Premier (CP) has been charging a small fee). Pre-registration is suggested but not required. Check the websites for information beginning around the 1^st of February. A player serious about making a Premier Team should be one of the top 5-10 players in his/her age group with CWSC. The player and family should be ready to commit to 2-3 practices per week from May thru February. They should also be ready to play as many as 5-6 weekends during the summer. Realize that the Premier teams do not always attract all of the best soccer players in the county. They do attract the best players that are committed to the time, money and travel required for playing at the Premier level. The rewards can be great, but this is not a commitment that should be taken lightly. Realistically, if your goal is to play HS soccer as a freshman and/or play in college, you should play at this level or be a phenomenal athlete.

What schedule do Select Teams Play?

Select teams play a 9-10 game schedule on Saturdays from the weekend after Labor Day until the weekend before or the weekend after Thanksgiving. This depends on how many teams enter the District 5 league for their age group. CW Select teams can opt to play in Oregon or the Washington State leagues. One, (Girls - Spirit ’92) chose to play in Oregon in ’05, qualified for Div. II, played well and entered the Challenger Cup. They eventually made it through to the Quarterfinals of the Challenger Cup.

What schedules do Premier Teams Play?

It depends. U11s may play the same schedule as Select teams. U11-U13 teams may play in Oregon. The Oregon Development Leagues play a 14 game schedule, Saturday and Sunday, for the seven weeks following Labor Day. League play ends at about the same time as the transition away from daylight savings time. Travel can be favorable if all teams are in the Portland area. However, teams can end up traveling to Bend, Klamath Falls or Salem/Eugene. U14 and up and perhaps U13 will typically play in Washington. They will play a 14 game – 14 week schedule finishing in mid-December. Teams U14 & under typically play on Saturday. Teams U15 & up typically play on Sunday. Most teams in the Washington State leagues are from the Seattle-Tacoma area, but trips to Bellingham, Mt. Vernon, Yakima, Tri-Cities and Spokane should be expected.

If I make an FCV or CP Team Does this Mean I will play in a State League?

It depends. It is their goal. ‘A’ teams typically will. Some ‘B’ teams will not. Look at the league standings and state cup results to determine the success of the teams that you want to try out for.

How would you compare the State Leagues to District 5 Gold?

The competitive balance in the State Leagues is much better than D5. Teams must qualify through tournaments and they draw from a pool of 30 to even 60 teams. The best D5 teams can be competitive in at least Div. 3 of the state league. In the better age groups, 1 or 2 D5 teams might be able to qualify for Div. 4 and up. In the weaker age groups, none might qualify.

What choices do I have at U11?

A ton!! All of the above. CW Select, 1 or 2 teams. FCV and CP, 1 or 2 teams each. CW Rec., several teams. And the same options in Evergreen, Orchards and the other local clubs.

Note that the CW Board is very concerned that formation of more Select and Premier Teams at this age will reduce the number of players that sign up for Rec teams. It is VERY important that the coaches at this level and the club as a whole work very hard to maximize the return of players from last years teams. It is way too early for players to drop out of soccer. Last year the club lost 1-2 teams for both the girls and boys U11 age group primarily due to the formation of the Select teams. With the ability to form multiple teams, this pressure is expected to increase.

Can I play other sports while playing Select or Premier?

Yes. Some coaches encourage it. Others do not. You must realize that it is difficult to support the commitment to two sports at a high level. Superior athletes can do it. Average athletes probably can’t. Playing Baseball late into the summer negatively impacts the success of your soccer team in summer tournaments. Playing Football or running Cross-Country and playing Club Soccer in the fall season wears on the body. If you do wish to play football or run Cross-Country, Select Soccer is probably a better choice for you. Note that at the HS level, the state league games are scheduled on Sundays.

Should I try out for FC Vancouver or Columbia Premier?

Yes! It is important to look at both programs and pick the coach/program best suited for you. CW strongly supports FCV. CWSC works with FCV to ensure that their teams have access to the turf fields in Camas or Washougal for some games (CW Select teams are scheduled onto the Camas fields first). FC Vancouver will practice in the EC area (currently Frontier Middle School). Some CP teams practice in the Mt. View HS area. Most practice west of 205.

What is FC Salmon Creek?

Several years ago the North County alliance had a very good year with many of their teams winning D5 Gold divisions. Some of their coaches were not happy with the approach of CP and FCV. They decided to form a third Premier Club in Vancouver. They do provide another option. But there are huge questions whether the Vancouver area can support this many premier clubs. Many do not feel it can and be successful. Only time will tell. We feel that we are not doing our best if some of our players feel the need to travel all the way to Salmon Creek to join a team.

Should I try out for other Club Select Teams?

Sure! We hope that you try out for these teams as a way to ensure that you play at the Select level and not because you don’t like the CW team or coach. If the later, we haven’t done our job to attract good quality coaches and make the game fun.

What if I get two offers or my 2^nd choice offers a position first?

Most of the Premier and Select Tryouts are packed within the two weeks starting on March 13^t^h and ending March 26^t^h. CWSC generally runs HS boys after spring break. CWSC recommends that you determine your tryout plan before the tryouts begin. Rank your top two or perhaps three choices. And stick to your plan. You will be pressured by coaches to make a decision to their liking. If you feel the coach is willing to listen, tell them your plan. If you feel they may not listen, you may feel that you need to accept a position while moving ahead with your original plan. Hopefully the high road will work for you. It is your decision. Right or wrong, you will be the one most affected by the decision you make.

If there are other questions you would like answers to, please email CWSC and we will respond as quickly as possible.