regarding the playing in the south - 1 your welcome since my daughter is very concerned she will not be able be to do it.

I think she fears things like here where the coaches are like drill sergents - running the kids untill they drop.

When are games in the south played?

When they go down ahead of the rest of the school for training do they train all day or in the am and pm? I know they practice for 2 hrs in the am and 2 hrs in the pm around class schedules and Iam sure the temps as well.

Thanks for all the info

The information about practices above is wrong. The NCAA always has rules in place whether it is during season,preseason or off season. More than 2 soccer practices a day are in violation of the NCAA rules.

the question about when are the games played I ment what time of day?

Excellent question and one that those of us in the Northeast United States tend to take for granted. BOTN Industries is familiar with several women's players who last season were in the mid-Atlantic region (Delaware to Virginia) for their first collegiate camps. If you recall the beginning of August last year, temperatures in this region were 100 degrees for the first ten days of camp (similar to what our region is experiencing right now). Each player lost between seven and twelve pounds during those first two weeks. Now, if you are starting with 110-130 pound players, start thinking about losing up to 10% of body mass and trying to play at the same level and more with older players.

The first rule of thumb is to get on top of your athletic packet and make sure that you get into training camp ready to play. BOTN Industries does not believe that freshman players really understand the import of this. (Sophomore players always seem to be better aware of the need to beat the requirements.)

Second rule of thumb is nutrition and hydration. Staying healthy, including nine to ten hours of sleep in the early days away from home, cannot be sufficiently emphasized. A sick freshman student during training camp is a one way ticket to the bench.

Third rule of thumb is communication and ultimately common sense. Coaches will press players but players also need to constantly communicate to their coach about their bodies and what they are feeling. We often talk on the college board about communicating with your coach and being comfortable. Complaining about being tired is one thing. Complaining about nausea is a secondary point. Calling out light headedness or a dizzy spell takes this to a third level. Hopefully, you see the point. A good coaching staff recognizes the weather impact on their players and will adjust accordingly.

This all said, you should expect your son or daughter to be drilling 90 minutes in 90+ degree weather during August training camps. It comes with the territory. Temperatures in the 70s in October (while it is 50s in the North) comes with its price.

Thanks very much for the question.

as usuall thanks for all the helpful information. The uncertainty of my daughter does not come from her soccer ability it comes from the intense heat and humitity that is in the south for such a long period of time. She has played at a high level for many years so skill is not in question and we would be moving south as well so family will be there to support her. She wants to be sure that the heat wont get to her or that appropriate breaks during training will be given before she makes that final decision and up root the whole family. Her degree choice is also a major decision as well so there are more then one factors to concider, but as a die hard soccer player, she wants to play soccer so ......

the question about when are the games played I ment what time of day?

another question to the training question - how intense are the different levels? We know they train for 2 hrs in the AM and 2 hrs in the PM give or take. As my daughter enters her Jr year and is in her college search she is trying to decide what level she should consider. We are hearing all different things about the intensity of the training such as a DII expects their players to be able to run 2 miles in under 14 min. I would expect each school to have their own individual expectations, but can anyone give a general idea of what to look forward to at the different Divisions!!! She is currently considering DII and can certainly do 2 miles in 14 min, but if they kill the girls the way the HS's do they make the kids hate soccer - why oh why must they do that to them????