At the conclusion of every year the NY West ODP sends a survey out to all of the players and parents involved in the program, in an effort to gather information about how we can continue to improve the quality of our program. In addition to the constructive feedback, we have also received some high praise. Here are some of the comments we have received over the past two years:
From a Division I women’s college soccer player who just finished her senior season.
This program gave me opportunities to improve my skills as well as adapting to different styles of coaching, play as well as teammates. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to expand the knowledge of the sport that this program taught me. The practices were beneficial as I remember; every practice was fun but also focused on certain areas we needed to work on. The coaches were patient and supporting of all us girls. They pushed us to give 100% of what we were capable of giving. It was nice that they never over pushed us to not want to play anymore; their support and “pushing” only made us want to play harder, longer, and better – very motivating. In youth soccer, if you belong and play for only one team, coaches tend to play kids in the same position and play the same formation so a player would only know that certain formation and position. Being part of ODP for 6 years helped me become more adaptable to different style of play, formation, as well as different positions with different teammates. To be playing in highly competitive situations with other players as good and better than my skills helped me understand the expectations of a Division I athlete; the experience taught me how to deal with pressure, be competitive and give 100% all the time. I just finished up my last year playing for Division I soccer program and I look back at all the energy, time and years I invested into this sport and I wouldn’t change one thing!
From the parent of a player just released from the program ...
"I just wanted to take this time to let you both know how much we appreciate the outstanding training our son received during the ODP indoor training session. Although our son did not make the outdoor pool, he gained a lot of invaluable experience and game knowledge through the entire ODP experience. You both are excellent coaches, and I’ve honestly never seen coaches who do not yell at the kids. You instruct instead, as good coaches should!"
From a parent ...
"Just a quick note to thank you for talking with our son yesterday before ODP training. My note is not for WHAT you did, but HOW you did it."
"As you might imagine, we have been encouraging (our son) to take responsibility for all things in his life, most especially the ones he most cherishes and desires. As a young adult he has taken to this quite well and we were pleased for him and proud that he took the initiative to seek your assessment and input on his ODP play. From what he shared he had a very good, productive conversation with you. What was gratifying for us to hear was the approach you appeared to have taken. You affirmed his strengths and offered specific constructive input on his development areas of his game that I believe he will work on. With the time committed to developing players, sometimes a coach can lose track of the profound impact they have with these young people as human beings, in addition to being athletes. Taking the time to AFFIRM as well as offer suggestions/critique for development deficiencies creates a positive experience and encourages people to return and seek input to help them grow and develop, regardless of the subject. Your discussion with (our son) yesterday was one of those "life moments". Based on the result I’m sure he will seek input from others who have the ability to help him achieve his goals. Thanks for taking the time, for what you said, but more importantly, for the way it was done. He and we will remember it and use it as another positive example for seeking input on his path to adulthood."
From a first year parent and club coach ...
"I was thoroughly impressed with the ideas and mission of the program. It was a great experience for my daughter, she received a level of coaching that she had never received before - I noticed an improvement in her play at her club games immediately after starting ODP training. It was also beneficial to play with 40-50 other quality players. As a club coach, I learned quite a bit from watching and listenting to the trianing sessions"
From the parent of an injured player ...
"The coach was extremely fair in his evaluation of my daughter, who was injured and had to miss some ODP events - he did not penalize her in any way."
From a first year player ...
"My coach is very open and friendly. He teaches well without criticizing harshly, and he always gives us constructive advice."
From another first year player ...
"My ODP coach makes training fun, I wish all my coaches could do that!"
From the parent of a Regional player ...
"The NY
West ODP program is an ideal environment for committed, hard-working players. The coaching and training are first rate. There is a professionalism and dedication on the part of the entire staff. The venues were all convenient to major highways and the schedules were available well in advance. Both training formats - the 2-hour indoor sessions and the weekend camps - were great. The administration of both formats was flawless!"
From a parent whose daughter chose not to attend Regional Camp ...
"The camp situation with our daughter led to her having to make a difficult choice. We presented the pros and cons for each one (without letting her know she may have been looked at). All things being said, she felt that her initial choice was what she wanted to do. Thus, the regional camp would have to wait till next year. While at this moment it may not be the “best” choice for her from a soccer standpoint, this is the “best” choice for her personally. Our daughter enjoyed herself with ODP and the events, and is looking forward to the next session. My compliments to the entire coaching staff for creating an environment to allow that to happen. We had heard stories of the program being “political”, but we can inform others from our own personal involvement that “that” is not the case."
From another first year parent ...
"We would like to thank the entire staff for a job well done. For her first year in ODP, our daughter enjoyed herself and has looked forward to the training sessions and events the pool participated in. While she is somewhat a hard critic of her own performances on the field, she feels as though she has gotten better and improved on her skills and abilities as a player. In the past, she had always considered herself a keeper first, and a field player second. While she still enjoys playing in goal with her club team, she has created a "new challenge" for herself in becoming a leader on the field with her secondary team. We believe that her ODP training and experience has enhanced and fed this new challenge for our daughter as a field player, and for that, we are very thankful."
