NASA Academy Girls
Tryouts for the 2016-2017 NASA Academy Girls programs start Tuesday, May 31st! If you're interested in joining the NASA Academy, this page contains the information and links you need to become familiar with the Academy and the tryout process.
Weather updates: In case of storms or heavy rain, check the NASA field status hot-line (770-220-4089) or NASA web site (www.nasa-ga.org) for updates about tryout schedules or field status.
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Spring 2016 season update: The NASA Academy Girls programs will soon be graduating players into older age groups. So we'll be looking for girls to fill these newly-opened Academy spots for the 2016-2017 soccer year. Girls are eligible for the various Academy programs based on their birth years as follows:
Program Eligible birth year(s): 2016-2017 season Junior Academy (U7 / U8) 2009, 2010 U9 / U10 Academy 2007, 2008 U11 Academy 2006 U12 Academy 2005
The NASA Academy staff identifies qualified players in three phases:
Scouting: We evaluate players during training sessions and games with their NASA recreational teams.
Guest nights: We invite Academy prospects to come to our Academy "guest night" training sessions in the spring. You'll get to practice with the Academy players, meet the Academy coaches, and see what the Academy is all about. Just wear your usual practice gear, bring your soccer ball and water, and join us for some soccer fun!
Tryouts: We conduct open tryouts in late May.
If we think a player is a strong candidate, we'll invite her to join the Academy. There is no obligation to join, however. If the level of commitment isn't right for your daughter or family, the NASA recreational program is available as another option. It includes U8, U10 and U12 leagues, and participation doesn't require a tryout.
Tryouts: The NASA Academy Girls will conduct open tryout sessions for the 2016-2017 soccer year starting Tuesday, May 31, 2016. Sessions will take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with Friday reserved as a rain date. We'll post detailed schedules in mid May.
NASA Academy 2016 Tryout Schedule
Junior Academy (U7 / U8): birth years 2009 and 2010
Date Time Locations Tuesday, May 31st tbd tbd Wednesday, June 1st tbd tbd Thursday, June 2nd tbd tbd Friday, May June 3rd tbd tbd
U9 / U10 Girls Academy: birth years 2007 and 2008
Date Time Location Tuesday, May 31st tbd tbd Wednesday, June 1st tbd tbd Thursday, June 2nd tbd tbd Friday, May June 3rd tbd tbd
U11 Girls Academy: birth year 2006
Date Time Location Tuesday, May 31st tbd tbd Wednesday, June 1st tbd tbd Thursday, June 2nd tbd tbd Friday, May June 3rd tbd tbd
U12 Girls Academy: birth year 2005
Date Time Location Tuesday, May 31st tbd tbd Wednesday, June 1st tbd tbd Thursday, June 2nd tbd tbd Friday, May June 3rd tbd tbd
Tryout notes:
Who may attend? Tryouts are open to all age-appropriate girls, whether they currently play at NASA, another soccer organization, or are new to soccer. Link: soccer age chart. There is no fee required to try out.
Which session(s) to attend: We ask players to attend any two of the tryout sessions. (They are welcome to attend all sessions.) When you register your daughter for tryouts, you can specify your preferred NASA park (your "home" park). If your daughter attends tryouts at a different NASA park and is invited to join the NASA Academy, she's being invited for her home park; you're only switching parks for tryout sessions, not the actual soccer season. Link: NASA locations
What if my daughter only attends one session? In some cases, coaches can determine if a player is a good fit for the NASA Academy after a single tryout session. In other cases, coaches may request the player to attend a second or third session. (Some players have a case of nerves and aren't their real selves during the first session.) You can check with coaches after your daughter's tryout session for a status update.
Schedule conflict? If your daughter is interested in the Academy, but isn't able to attend tryouts, check this link for information about arranging an evaluation.
Register in advance: On-line registration opens in May. All returning and prospective NASA Academy players should register for tryouts, even if they are unable to attend. Registration is free and helps streamline the tryout check-in process. (Players can register at the fields, but it's much quicker to do it on-line ahead of time.) You only need to register once, even if your daughter plans to attend multiple sessions.
Returning NASA players (Academy or recreational): Log into your NASA account through www.nasa-ga.org / Member Login. (You don't need to create a new account.) Once you're logged in, select Register Now. You'll see a list of available programs. Scroll down the list and select the appropriate age Girls Academy program.
Players who aren't currently NASA players: Create an account through the NASA web site: www.nasa-ga.org. Select Create an Account (top right corner of the page), and then follow the instructions to register for tryouts.
Financial aid: NASA offers confidential, needs-based financial aid. Applications should be submitted before tryouts are complete. Link: financial aid application
What to wear / what to bring: Players should wear proper soccer attire, including shin guards. It's OK to wear club gear such as practice shirts or game-day uniforms. Bring a soccer ball (size 3 for Junior Academy; size 4 for U9 or older Academies) and water. If a player has long hair, she should wear a headband or “scrunchy” or something to keep her hair out of her eyes. Please leave jewelry at home.
Bring lots of water! It's likely to be hot! You should start increasing fluid intake before tryouts, and drink plenty of water during and after tryouts. This will allow your body and mind to perform at a higher level for a longer period of time. Link: hydration tips
Check-in early: We recommend arriving 15-30 minutes early so your daughter has time to get checked in and warmed-up prior to the actual starting time. Check-in consists of verifying (or recording) player info on our tryout roster, marking a tryout number on the player's leg or arm, plus distributing informational material about the NASA Academy program.
Weather updates: In case of storms or heavy rain, check the NASA field status hot-line (770-220-4089) or NASA web site (www.nasa-ga.org) for updates about tryout schedules or field status.
Tryout questions:
What happens during tryouts? Players check in at a tent near the field and are assigned a tryout number. Coaches then gather the players for a brief intro and warm-up activities. After warm-up, we spend most of the session playing scrimmage games. We rotate players through multiple positions and multiple game formats (3v3 up to 9v9). We may also do running and agility evaluations.
What do the coaches look for in a player? We’re looking for girls who love to play. We think they can become soccer stars as they get older. More specifically, we're looking for three characteristics:
Current technical skill is a bonus, but if a young player has the other attributes, we believe she can develop technical skill through focused training sessions and by playing with and against strong players in training and games.
For players: what can I do to make a good impression? Soccer is a game, not a job. You'll learn, play your best and have the most fun if you follow three simple rules. 1. Give your best effort. 2. Be enthusiastic. 3. Be good to your teammates. There are two other things you can do to make a good impression:
Be creative. When you get the ball, "have a plan” (dribble, turn, pass or shoot), don’t just kick it.
Don’t get upset if you make a mistake. We all make mistakes. What matters is how you react after a mistake. Try to learn from it, and definitely keep trying your hardest!
For parents: what can I do to help my daughter? Make sure she eats healthy food and drinks plenty of water prior to tryouts. Once the tryouts start, it's her time to show her capabilities. Sit back and watch her and the other girls play! We ask that you not coach your daughter or otherwise try to participate. (It's her tryout, not yours.) Failure isn't permanent.
Player invitations:
After each tryout session, the coaches will meet to decide which players we'll invite to join next year's NASA Academy. We'll post these players' names and/or tryout numbers on the NASA web site and / or each age Academy group's own web site, and follow-up with in-person conversations, phone calls or e-mails.
If your daughter is invited to join, please respond via phone or e-mail to the appropriate coach to let her/him know if you accept the invitation.
If your daughter isn't invited, we strongly encourage her to continue playing! The NASA recreational program has leagues for players age 4-19, and participation doesn't require a tryout. If she loves the game and sticks with it, she'll always have a chance to achieve her goals. Players mature at different rates, and a player who isn't invited this time around may blossom by this time next year. Over the 14-year history of our Academy program, we've had many cases where a player wasn't invited after her first tryout, but made it into the Academy the following year.
Summer 2016 schedule:
The girls are off until Academy Camp in July. (We believe in off-season breaks from organized sports, so we won't have regular practices during the summer break. If the girls want to practice their skills on their own, here's a list of "play at home" activities.)
We'll start regular practices in August, exact date to be determined later pending field maintenance schedules.
We'll play the NASA Classic tournament in mid-August, then start weekly Academy play the weekend after Labor Day.
Program Coach E-mail address (see note below) Junior Academy (U8) Ward Swain (bio) ward(dot)swain(at)nasa-ga(dot)org U9 / U10 Academy Trey Daniel (bio) trey(dot)daniel(at)nasa-ga(dot)org U11 Academy Ashley Stinson (bio) ashley(dot)stinson(at)nasa-ga(dot)org U12 Academy Phil Thomas (bio) phil(dot)thomas(at)nasa-ga(dot)org
Missed tryouts? If your family moves into the area after tryouts, or if you have a vacation conflict with tryouts, you can still arrange to have your daughter evaluated for the NASA Academy. Please contact the age-appropriate coach above for more information. (Georgia Soccer rules prohibit in-season tryouts for players who are registered in an Academy program with another Georgia Soccer league.)
| Created: 03/25/02 Revised: 03/28/16 |
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