tennis, piano and soccer questions (Los Angeles, San Diego: house, neighborhood, high school)

[oliver6323]

I know this is a lot to ask in one thread, but does anyone know of any good piano teachers that will come to my home?? We are going to be living in Carlsbad temporarily and either staying there or moving to Encinitas.

Also, are there any good tennis centers in the area for private lessons which also offer competitive leagues for children. My daughter currently plays in a league for teens and supplements it with one or two private lessons per week. I really want her to continue playaing when we move to the area but don't know where to even begin to look. I know the schools have tennis teams but want somewhere she can play year-round.

AND....lastly, any good soccer programs or is it all town by town? Where we currently live there are town soccer programs, premier programs which are multi-town and OPD programs which are also multi-town.

Thanks for the info.

[f_m]

I would say it depends on where you live, though many areas have a tennis center, most with leagues and possible lessons available.

The Balboa Park center is the biggest, but various areas like La Jolla, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, etc... have their own centers.
The Balboa Tennis Club

There is a Bobby Riggs center in Encinitas, though there may be others in the area.
http://www.bobbyriggstennis.com/

[767Captain]

My wife is a piano teacher, and I can tell you no good teacher will come to your place. Far too many students to spend time driving around.

Ton's of soccer teams, too many to list.

Tennis; Bobby Riggs is popular, also San Dieguito Tennis Club on El Camino Real.

[missionhome]

Originally Posted by oliver6323

AND....lastly, any good soccer programs or is it all town by town? Where we currently live there are town soccer programs, premier programs which are multi-town and OPD programs which are also multi-town.

Thanks for the info.

My daughter is in high school soccer so I know the scoop on the soccer business. In Southern California there is local soccer, AYSO, that just serves the community. This is intro to soccer and "just for fun" soccer. If you want your kids to participate in this, check the AYSO Region serving your neighborhood: AYSO - The American Youth Soccer Organization

Athletes that want to be competitive for getting scholarships and acceptances to colleges join "club teams." The San Diego Surf is well known as the premier youth soccer club in San Diego. South Orange County has some very good clubs such as the Southern California Blues (girls only), Pateadores (boys only), and West Coast Futbol Club. Presidio Club Soccer League serves San Diego: Presidio League - Home Page
Coast Soccer League is enormous, serving the 17 million people of Greater Los Angeles (LA, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura Counties), and is much more competitive than Presidio. Many parents drive their kids to Coast Soccer League teams from San Diego if their kids don't make the San Diego Surf. Coast Soccer League :: Youth Soccer :: California

ODP is also present in Southern California for preparing athletes for competition at the olympic level. Greater Los Angeles and San Diego are part of the "Cal South Region" for ODP. Cal South ODP information can be found at this website: Cal South | Soccer Olympic Development Programs (http://www.calsouth.com/odp_olympicdevelopment.htm - broken link)

Don't hesitate to ask any more questions. Southern California youth soccer is some of the finest in the nation. The region easily dominates on the national scale and if your child is good, easily get spots at colleges across the county.

[oliver6323]

Missionhome, thank you so much for all the great information.

The ODP in NY involves driving to practices and hour away so if it is like that in the San Diego area then that would be out for us. I have 4 kids, one is an infant, and a husband who travels constantly so that just isn't feasible for us.

The Presidio sounds like it might be a good fit for my daughter. She is very good in our area but maybe won't be so good in San Diego!! Where we are currently, in NY, the outdoor season is short lived so the kids play indoor soccer for the rest of the season. Since in San Diego the kids play outside longer the kids may be more advanced than my daughter. We will see at tryouts.

Speaking of tryouts do you know when they are usually held? And are there usually any spots available? In NY the Premier and ODP teams are tough to join in the later years as the girls have been playing together for a while and the team typically stays together making available roster spots hard to come by.

I'm worried about finding a spot on a team for her especially if soccer is very competitive in So Cal.

Your info was incredibly helpful though and give me a great starting point.

[missionhome]

ODP practices the past couple years for Cal South (San Diego and Greater L.A.) have typically been held at Irvine Valley College in Irvine (Orange County). This is about one hour and ten minutes from downtown San Diego. Some teams practice at the Home Depot Center (home to the L.A. Galaxy) in Carson, which is about two hours away from downtown San Diego. It gets expensive as the teams travel at least once to a city like Phoenix or Portland, OR for tournaments. ODP is by invitation only meaning if they pick you, then your name will be posted on the CAL SOUTH website in November, inviting you to try out in December.

Southern California girls are very good at soccer, but your daughter could very well be competitive here. You will honestly just have to wait and see until she gets a chance to play with them. At the older levels, teams placing in the top five usually don't change much each year, but a team that places below the top five realizes they need changes and may switch like five to eight players.

The most respected soccer clubs in San Diego are: San Diego Surf San Diego Surf Soccer (http://www.surfsoccer.com/page.aspx?ID=222 - broken link), Notts Forest FC Notts Forest FC - Youth soccer club in San Diego, Nomads NOMADS Soccer Club, Arsenal FC (really in Temecula) Arsenal FC, FC San Diego : : : F.C. San Diego Soccer Club : : :, Albion Soccer Albion SC, and ATTACK of RSF ATTACK GIRLS.

Presidio League Standings of 2008 are listed here: http://presidiosoccerleague.com/tour/public/info/accepted_list.asp?sessionguid=&tournamentguid={F43 9938B-7EE9-4FE8-9D06-51BBA18B686E}&show=girls

[carlsbadbruin]

The Four Seasons Resort in Aviara has a juniors tennis program with several good instructors. My kids took lessons there this summer, and they have clinics and camps. The city of Carlsbad also runs a tennis program that is excellent and very affordable. Check out the class listings on the city recreation website. My kids used to have a piano teacher that came to our house in Carlsbad. If you PM me privately, I will send you her name and phone number. Also, the North County Music Teacher Association of California (NCMTAC) website has a listing of piano teachers.

[corymccroskey]

If you are in the area, Palo Alto has excellent tennis weather year round and hosts some of the nations top high school tennis teams. To learn more about some of their successes, you can visit Palo Alto High School's student run website at Paly Voice: Lady Vikes defeat Lancers in Central Coast Section quarterfinals (http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=7437 - broken link)

[Olivenhain]

Originally Posted by corymccroskey

If you are in the area, Palo Alto has excellent tennis weather year round

Uh... Palo Alto is 400 miles from Carlsbad.