Bean0007

I think it is great that the girls get the pub', but the stats are to be taken with a grain of salt. We've discussed this on keeper stats before, and some of the numbers I see on saves and shots on goal are just unrealistic. It really doesn't matter but don't put a lot into the numbers.

Coach (ref), do you see a significant difference in the speed of the game and the quality of play in the D2 vs. HS?

A couple of timely articles from the magazine REFEREE regarding tackles. In one article the author notes that he seldom sees the call made correctly, and seldom is there even a caution given. He is very much in favor of the red card for improper, dangerous tackles. A second article highlights injuries documented by FIFA. Several important points. a) the younger players get hurt more often than older players. 2/3rds of the injuries are to the lower extremities c) "An overwhelming number of injuries come from tackling. Nearly 30 percent of injuries to women due to tackling were a foul,.." d) female players have a much higher injury risk for tackles www.fifa.com/womenworldcup/news/newsid= ... omens+game Bottom line, I think this subject needs further study and review by the TSSAA. I also think it is unrealistic to think every school can have a coach that that can teach the proper technique, and every player will execute the technique properly to the extent that the injury rate will be effectively lowered, especially in proportion to the minimal effect this has on the real outcome of the game....especially in high school vs. the very real outcome this has on the injured player.

I appreciate your perspective and comments. I don't think we can rely on the officials, or place the blame of an injury on the official for the reasons you stated. They can certainly have an effect on the physicality, but unfortunately, for the reasons you stated, the whistle comes after the foul/injury.

Golazo...this is only about girls HS soccer. And my reason is due to the wide range of skill, or lack of it encountered in HS soccer. In fact, many club players consider NOT playing HS because of the more unskilled physical play encountered, and therefore increase risk of injury. Several DO NOT play for that reason. If it were not for the friendship, school loyalty etc, I'm sure more club girls would consider not playing HS. I hate to see any of these girls injured. It is gut-wrenching for the player and the parents. Although a severe injury, ACL reconstruction is light-years better now, and can successfully return players to the court, or field, in 3 to 4 months in some cases. I'm more concerned about the more serious ankle fractures, many the result of unskilled, or risky slide tackles. I am not talking about D1 or D2 club where the coaching is more likely to be at a different level and over a longer period of time.

Well there you go, we can certainly change that 'over-night' I'm sure everyone walking on crutches feel a lot better now. HS and professional soccer players.....great comparison.

My point exactly I apologize for continuing to harp on this subject. Obviously injuries are a part of any sport. One can see 4 headers in a row, and frequently throughout a game, and yes there is risk. We had a girl miss a couple of weeks secondary to a concussion. Potentially serious, yes, but not to the point of consideration of restricting its use. Plus, as a player, you can avoid being the victim of a head to head collision a lot more easily than being victimized by a slide tackle. I quess the 'take home' here is that we will still see slide tackles, I just hope we all can stress the importance of it being coached better, executed properly, and carefully monitored by the officials.

You mention that one "cannot take a skill from the game". The problem in HS is that some don't bring a lot of skill. Not that they're not passionate about the game, but they only play 3 or 4 months of the year. And yes, one can see very good technique at various ages, does that mean we give a driver's license to all 12 year olds because you know one that races go-carts? Your example of football is well taken, that is why crack back blocks, leading with the head, and no blocking below the waist on kicks, all skills that were learned, have been made illegal. I see these injuries on a daily basis. I also see devastating injuries, some of which can be life changing. I don't want it to be your daughter or mine if by simply eliminating one small component of play in HS would help.

Well water dog, you've got me scared to come out of my room now. It's easy to stretch a simple subject into the risks of drinking out of the water hose, or swimming in the lake, or the risks of running into BigFoot while camping. I would also imagine that anyone playing in college, and the exceptional few at any higher level, play club soccer, at least in TN. There generally are more licensed and qualified coaches in club, which have the kids for more more than 3 months to teach the necessary skills. I think it is reasonable to at least consider the subject on its own merits, just as one may consider the merits of headgear, etc. But I doubt that any player will be overlooked by a college because they didn't slide tackle in HS. If nothing else, hopefully this thread will draw enough attention to the problem and increase awareness of coaches, refs, and players. In turn maybe that will result in less exposure to risk of improper play.

keeperfan good points, however one may not see a slide tackle in an entire game, but headers are a dime a dozen. Definitely would change the game without headers, so apples and oranges. But I do agree with the addition of headguards and mouthpieces. Simply look at other sports like hockey that have added helmets, faceshields, and neck protectors over the years. Same with football. There is some room for improvement in soccer as well.

G...you're the one that thought the idea 'absurd'..rather a strong disagreement, and nothing wrong with being passionate about it. And I did take your comment about surgical scarring to be sarcastic, as in no blood, no foul........a terrible concept all too frequently thrown around by some parents and coaches. There is plenty of physical play, that all too often seems to be substituted for skilled play in HS. In fact it seems to become more prevelent now, and starts in middle school to some degree. Playing hard does not always mean being physical. It is a tough game, and unfortunately, some refs allow a lot more than others. Not trying to pick on the refs, but I think that is the best place to put the emphasis for more consistent and safer play within the rules, physical or not.

and furthermore evidently we cannot train a few referees to judge proper slide tackles and we expect to properly train 100's of players and hope that they execute them properly? It's HS soccer, not the world championship. How much generally poor soccer do we see anyway? There are plenty of other basic techniques that need to be taught before slide tackling. It's not a big deal to me, my daughter graduates this year, but I'll still see the games and various injuries and hopefully they won't be serious and leave a scar.

Big G, is a surgical scar required to be a serious injury? That's absurd ! There are many significant injuries that don't require surgery. Surely you don't subscribe to the 'no blood, no foul' theme. I would bet that a majority of the HS girls don't play club soccer, therefore, they have no other oppurtunities for quality coaching, and many don't get that in HS. I would also bet that there are many more improper tackles than proper. Do you really think the game would be changed that much? Afraid someone might score a goal against CAK and the margin of victory would change that much? In HS baseball, a runner cannot plow into the catcher......it's an automatic out. Same at 2nd on a DP. Overslide the base, same thing, automatic out at 1st on the DP. Does it severly handicap the game....no, but it may save a potential serious injury and that is exactly why slide tackles should be eliminated in HS soccer.

I agree. There are always different regs for various age groups. In baseball, no headfirst slides. I think the game of soccer would do just fine without the slide tackle in HS and below. This is especially true for the younger girls where growth plates are still open and fractures can be especially serious. Not to mention the possibility of knee injuries. So how do we get this done?

West vs. Hardin Valley.........rained out. Bearden vs. Farragut........it's 'pouring'....Bearden 7 Farragut 0 at early 2nd half

Exactly.....keepers can make a lot of plays without being credited for a save. Also a shot that hits the crossbar is a shot, not a shot on goal. Basically a shot on goal is either a save or a score. A keeper punching out a corner kick in all likely hood is not a save, but can be a great play. A slow roller that can easily be picked up is seldom counted as a save in my book. Some of the 'scoring' of the keeper is subjective, just like ruling a hit vs. and an error, but I wish there was more continuity in the stats.

A 3-1 game, 40 saves? How many total shots were taken, inquiring minds want to know?

Several years ago I studied up on this subject. Haven't looked at it recently, but I remember that the MS and HS had to have the same principal (admin, as previously mentioned). Really I don't see the problem, unless you happen to be the HS player knocked out of a position by an 8th grader. It tends to make me agree with 'canes' (?did I really say that ), just put the best 10 players you have out there, play soccer, and at the end of the day have One state champ.

Yep, was there all day. I can tell you that the scores mean absoulutely nothing. A lot of teams played mixed line-ups, or just their JVs. People in different positions, etc. Don't read much into a 30 minute scrimmage. This is a great social event for parents and players and a good way to get the season started. I do think that the skills competition is a great event. The winners were: Juggling: Ceci Mercedes, West HS; 40 yd. Dash: Laura Foster, CAK; placement kick: Sara Dean, Seymour HS; Throw-In: Olivia Cecil, Webb HS; Goalkeeper punt: Ceci Mercedes, West HS.

You've made such good progress Now, just a little bit more to go, again from the TSSA website, this info will show a listing of some of the teams in each division from this past girls season. That will give you something else to ponder, but keep going, one foot in front of the other, I know you can make it. Go to : http://www.tnsoccer.org/site3.aspx Then to: Congrats to TSSA Girls Spring Division 1, 2, and 3 State Champions

The girl's season is over. It is on the TSSA website if you simply click on the league tab. At this time the list is for the boys. It will show you D1,D2, and D3. You really should get out more.

champs and I had an agreement he wouldn't post the score. He didn't tell me that he had a partner in crime that would 'steal' the score from facebook Therefore I will implement scrimmage rule 4-b, 'corner kicks early in the first half will not count if the scoring player in not properly marked'. Otherwise it was a very good game. Enjoyed meeting some of the ND folks and appreciate them coming to K-town to play.

If your question is : How is a team assigned a division?, the official channel is through the TSSA. Their office can explain the process.

http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/story ... ry_id=4712

The U18 Boys team is from SC.....regIII. I agree that TN is still behind, but certainly very competitive in RegIII. But it's that way in every region; some states are much better soccer states. I think most has to do with population densities. Overall (thanks to TX) in the past 3 yrs RIII has 12 Nat'l titles. RI-8, RII-6, and RIV- 10. Note that RIV is all due to CA teams. So it does take some time to catch up, but unless there is a huge population shift, don't expect a run of National qualifiers from the less than traditional states, but there will be an occasional surprise.