at UNC. The top 1-2 players from the region were invited to this mini-camp run by UNC Head Coach Anson Dorrance (who is also LDS). My daughter is considered one of the best players for her age in Eastern North Carlolina. She has been playing on the boy's travel team two years above her own age group. The camp is planned for July 3-5. I was disappointed and wanted to see if she could still participate in 2/3 of the camp. I told them she would only be able to play on the 4th and 5th and they said the 3rd was just the check in time that Sunday night. This time it worked out.
Her Travel team coach makes the season's schedule and does everything possible to schedule games on Saturday. It is to his and the team's best interest to play as many games on Sat as opposed to Sunday - specifically when state and regional team rankings are calculated with each regular season and tournement win.
For two-day tournaments, she only plays on Saturdays. She understands that this leaves the team a personal down, but her coach and teammates know this before the tournament begins. They won the last tournement without her playing.
She wants so badly to play for BYU, but is concerned that her lack of Sunday tournement play will put her at a disadvantage against other players BYU is recruiting who play in all games (including Sunday).
My daughter has been asked a couple times to play on the Olympic Devlopment Program Team - but all of their practices and games would be on Saturdays and Sundays - with practices being two hours away and games being in other states. The cost and the distance make it hard to commit to for only 1/2 of the experience. In Utah, it is my understanding that they have their ODP practices and tournements on Saturdays.
Tough, tough, decisions, but she has made the decision to NOT play soccer on Sundays.
The one day she breaks this commitment, I think it will change her ability to say no to future Sunday play and it will be confusing to her coaches and teammates.
Lastly, because my daughter is one of the better players, her coaches work hard to make sure games are played on Sat. If she was an average player, I am 100% sure her coaches would schedule most of their games on Sunday.
Overall, interesting tread. Each person or family seems to have their own interpretation of the Sabbath and Sports dilemma. My wife and I are happy with our family's decisions. I just hope my daughter is not penalized for her decision if she has the skills and ability to play at the college level (BYU of course!!).