ODP in Virginia
Virginia is divided into four districts – Central, Northern, Southeastern and Western. Each district conducts open tryouts for the 5 participating birth years of both genders in August – for the upcoming seasonal year (2005-2006) 93, 92, 91, 90, 89 are the birth years. The oldest age group – (this year 2005-2006) 87/88 birth years are still a part of the ODP, however they will not participate in district tryouts or training. These players will be selected through an open tryout in the late spring of 2006. It will then be determined which players will be invited to attend the Region I Camp in July 2006.
The 93, 92, 91, 90, 89 player pools will be selected to participate in 8 District Training sessions conducted during the fall. This year, ODP District Training will be held on Monday and/or Friday evenings depending on the district. These sessions will be conducted by the ODP District staff from that particular district. The ODP State age group coach along with the State Technical Director and State Assistant Technical Director will also conduct sessions in each district. In addition to the district tryouts, we also identify players through the VYSA Scouting Program. Throughout the fall and spring club seasons, scouts will attend league games and tournaments as well as networking with club coaches searching for players who may have been missed or did not tryout. These players identified through the scouting process will be brought into training for evaluation and then a determination will be made as to whether or not to add the players to the pool. In mid to late November, the four districts meet in Ashland for two sessions of inter-district play. This gives the district training pools 10 sessions for the fall. During the inter-district play, the ODP State Staff is in attendance to evaluate, identify and select the State ODP Training pools. These State ODP pools will train throughout the winter and spring. Each age group will take a team (93’s & 92’s two teams) to North Carolina in January to play against other state ODP teams. This gives the coaches a chance to get the players away and put them in game situations. The next major events are the Region I tournament in early June and the Region I identification camps in mid July. Scouting will continue to identify any players who may have been missed through the tryout process. The State ODP coaches will select teams to participate in these two events. It is the goal of the State ODP to get as many players as possible selected to the Region I Pools and Teams. The players selected to the Region I teams will participate in events with the other three regions. National Team coaches and staff will use the inter-regional events to select pools for the US National Youth Teams.
Overview of Training and Games for Development
Ø The entry level age group, U.13 (this 2005 - 2006 seasonal year - 93’s) is geared to the players becoming accustomed to the program. A large pool is selected for State Pool Training with two teams attending the Region I tournament and a pool of players attending Camp.
Ø The second year in the program, U.14 (this 2005 - 2006 seasonal year - 92’s) has more events added to the calendar. This age group will travel internationally, which is important for the development of the elite player. Two teams will again be selected for the Region I tournament and a pool of players attend Camp.
Ø The third year in the program, U.15 (this 2005 - 2006 seasonal year - 91’s) competes for a National ODP Championship, so one team competes in the Region I tournament, and a pool of players will travel to Camp.
Ø The fourth year in the program, U.16 (this 2005 - 2006 seasonal year - 90’s) will again travel internationally. This is important for the elite player’s preparation for participation on Regional and National Teams. One team is selected for the Region I tournament and a pool of players for Camp.
Ø The fifth year in the program, U.17 (this 2005 - 2006 seasonal year - 89’s) again competes for a National ODP Championship. This group also participates in a College Showcase tournament. One team is selected for the tournament and a pool of players for camp.
Ø The last year in the program, U.19 (this 2005 - 2006 seasonal year - 88’s & ‘87’s) will only attend the ODP Regional Camp with the players selected from an open tryout in the late spring.
