Click HERE for the article in the lehighvalleylive.com
“I think it’s really negative,” said North Hunterdon coach John Simpson, who played at North and then at Drew University. “The kids hate it because they have to choose one or the other. And I think there is a disconnect somewhere. Are you striving to get help with your education financially at the next level or are you trying to become an Olympian or professional player.”
The odds of a player becoming an Olympian or a pro are pretty staggering. The odds of getting a Division I scholarship are not that high either.
The idea is for the national team to develop players for its national squads and eventually for its future Olympic teams. It comes at a price in a lot of different ways to a lot of different people. It costs a player’s family quite a bit of money to be a PDA player, one of hundreds, who are being told they might be good enough to be a United States of America Olympian one day if they follow the plan.
It also costs a player a bit of his childhood because he isn’t playing with the same kids he was playing with when he was, well, a child in what used to be the last season you could do that before venturing off to give it the ole college try.
“What happened to having pride in representing your community, your high school, where all your friends you grew up with are at?” Simpson said. “There are four New Jersey academy teams with 30 players on a team. That’s 120 kids in our state alone. How many of those kids are going to become Olympians? Obviously, a very low percentage.”