Who are we?

I am reposting our first entry for Running With The Crushers.  I am hoping that we will have some new people logging on.  So, I thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce ourselves.  Besides, it beats typing it over again.  I hope you enjoy reading about our team as much as I enjoy coaching them.

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We are the Coed Crushers. We are an AYSO soccer team from Southwest Michigan. In July we are going to the 2010 AYSO National Games in West Palm Beach, Florida. The kids on this team are eight and nine years old. Our team is made up of six girls and five boys. We will be playing in the U-10 boys division. We have been training and fundraising since August of 2009. We are half way through our journey, and the best is yet to come. So come along with us on the first big adventure of our lives.

I am the coach of the Crushers. I wear many hats in my life: father, husband, lawyer, coach, and runner. I am adding blogger to the list for several reasons. First, I want to create a diary or journal of this event in my family's life. When I recently looked back at all we have done since August, I realized I was going to forget the great details of this adventure and I needed to find a way to record them. Second, over the last year, Steve "the runner" has been losing out. When I was looking back at 2009, I realized that while I was coaching three soccer teams, I had not run one race in 2009. I had not run a marathon for the first time in years. I had not even run a 5k. I suffered an injury to my knee playing soccer last fall, so by the end of the year I was not running at all. This has to change. I named this blog "Running with the Crushers" because I hope the weekly post will coerce me to get out the door and run. Hopefully, this blog will encourage me to reclaim the one totally selfish activity in my life. Finally, I am creating this blog for fundraising. I want to create something for those who have generously donated money or other things to our cause. I want to introduce them to the players and their families. I want the donors to see what their generosity has made possible. I also hope this blog will encourage others to donate to our cause.

This blog will focus on the team and our journey. Weekly posts will introduce the players and coaches to our readers. You will also follow the progress of the team, our wins and losses. You will follow the team to tournaments and ultimately to Florida. We will acknowledge and thank those who so generously donate to the team. You will have a front row seat from which to view my attempt in the middle of this mayhem to reclaim the title of runner. Finally, there will be Katie's posts. These posts will view our adventure through the eyes of my two year old daughter. Actually, its my wife's telling of the our story through Katie's eyes. It is a segment I hope you will all enjoy.

So, join us on our journey. It promises to be hectic, chaotic, but thoroughly enjoyable. GO CRUSHERS!

Katie's Back!

Hi everyone....I'm back.  My daddy said it has been too long since I have written.  I have decided that my daddy is nuts and soccer has made him that way.  Don't get me wrong....I love soccer.  I keep telling him that I want to play soccer like "my boys" and he is going to be my coach.  But one of these days, I think he might turn into a soccer ball or something.  Of course, that is one of the reasons I love my daddy so much.  He has taken all of this craziness on and has put his whole heart and soul into helping the big kids be better soccer players so they can kick some butt down in Florida.  (I wonder if I will get in trouble with my mommy for saying butt...  :)  )   I like watching the big kids play and it has been cool watching them win more and more games.  I like when The Terminator gets into it with the boys and takes them on and wins. She's spunky!  I like when The Wall won't let anyone by her or Pink dribbles right by them.  Dallas is the fastest girl I have ever seen.  She is even faster than my big brother, Taz!  I love when Gretta scores those goals....she may be nice, but don't mess with her.  Socks is really good too and I like the way she dresses.  She has style!  I like the boys too, but it is way past my bedtime so I will write about them next time.  Go Crushers!...Ooops that is Daddy's line.  I will have to come up with my own and make it way cuter too.
Good night all. :)

Running . . .Speed Workouts?

Well, getting back to running it has been an up and down experience.  I was really hoping to tell you all about my great 5K race (Borgess Run), but it was not meant to be.  In my last running post, I had just started running two miles.  I stayed at this level longer than anticipated.  For the longest time, I was feeling discomfort in my knee for the last half mile of the run.  No shooting pain or even a constant ache, it just did not feel right.  In keeping with my new conservative approach, I did not run more than two miles.

Finally, this last week I had a break through.  I ran just under three miles.  It was 2.8 according to the Garmin.  The best part is I could have kept running. Cookie (my 11 month old spaniel mix) came along for the run as well.  She is starting to get the hang of running.  She still starts out pulling, but we get into a rhythm about a half a mile in.  She definitely likes going for the runs.  If she sees me with my running clothes on, she gets excited and starts jumping around.  I think I have a new partner.

The best news was Friday's speed workout.  To get my team physically ready to play in Florida in July, we started training on the track last Friday.  We started with a half mile jog, followed by stretching.  We next did some light bounding to make sure everyone was warmed up. We headed for the bleachers for ten minutes of running stairs.  Finally, we did some sprints on the track.

I divided the team into three groups according to their fitness levels.  Group A is the run all day and all night kids.  Group C are the kids who need to work on their endurance.  Group B are the kids in the middle.  When we ran the bleachers, Group A ran two three minute repeats followed by a two minute repeat with one minute off in between.  Group B ran three two minute repeats with about two minutes rest in between.  Group C ran four one minute repeats with two minutes rest in between.

The sprints were also set up according to fitness level.  We started with four sprints.  Group C ran about 25 yards.  Group A ran 50 yard sprints.  Group B ran about 38 yard sprints.  We followed the four sprints with three more sprints where everyone ran 55 yards.  Top two finishers got to sit. I was going to make them run two 55 yard sprints, but my 5 year old son, Bulldozer, wanted to do one more.

I ran with Group A.  My lungs almost exploded, but I finished everything except the third repeat on the bleachers.  I got about a minute into the last repeat and my knee got that not right feeling so I stopped.  The rest of me spent the next several minutes thanking my knee for speaking up.  The good news, other than this discomfort, my knee felt fine during the whole workout.  I did not have any soreness in my knee the next morning.

As a last word, let me say that Dallas (see her bio in Meet the Team Postings) is a truly gifted athlete.  I knew she was fast.  I have marvelled at her speed in several post.  I learned last Friday she can maintain that speed for long periods of time.  When she was running the bleachers, she started off at a very fast pace.  Anyone who has run the bleachers knows that starting too fast leads to painful finishes.  It didn't phase her any of the three times she ran on the bleachers.  Oh yeah, she ran in basketball sneakers.  I was truly impressed.

Go Crushers!

Catching up with the Crushers . . . Outdoor Season Begins!

In our last team post, the Crushers had just finished their last indoor session and suprised the heck out of their coach.  They went 3-3.  Even when they lost, they played competitively in each game.  Quite an improvement from the first indoor session.

I will have to admit it was nice to have a couple of weekends when there were no soccer games.  I actually got to spend a weekend day vegging on the couch .  Mother Nature even cooperated with a rainy day, so yard work was out of the question.

Outdoor season kicked off last weekend.  The Crushers played against my other U-10 team.  Every player on the National Team is also on a house team from our region.  I coach my son's team (the blue team) in the house league as well.  When the National Team played this team last fall we lost 4-2.  In that game, Taz played the entire game for the national team.  This time Taz played half the game for the National Team and half the game for the blue team.  The Crushers were victorious 5-2.  Both teams played well, but the National Team took advantage of more of their scoring opportunities.

There were a few negatives in the game.  The biggest one was the refusal of two of the young men on our team to pass to the young women of our team.  Lets just say we nipped that one in the bud at practice.  The second negative is a recurring problem.  This team starts slow.  They are not ready to play when the game starts.  The same was true in this game.  While the Crushers out played the blue team for three quarters,  they were out played in the first quarter. At the end of the first, it was 2-0 blue team. If you regularly give up that kind of lead, you will not always come back.  Finally, we have to work on finishing.  We get the ball in front of the net and we are fumbling over it.  We need to learn to strike the ball directly off the pass.  But there are worse problems to have. At least we are getting the ball in scoring position.

The were a lot of positives.  Defense is still playing well.  The full backs seem to get better every game.  Mid fielders are starting spread out and pass the ball.  Forwards are actually playing in the box.  And the Crushers are learning to score when Taz is not on the field.  We still have alot to work on, but we have really come a long way.  The players should be proud of themselves, I am.

Until next time . . . Go Crushers!

Meet the Team

For those who are new to this site, we are using the nick names of the players at the parents request.

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TAZ

Simply put, Taz is the leader of this team.  He is one of our team captains.  Taz is a very skilled player.  He can dribble and shoot with both his left and right foot, though in my opinion he ignores his left foot too often.  He has a powerful right foot.  So much so, his old nick name was "the leg."  Taz plays in the midfield, center mid, so he is usually all over the field.  One issue Taz has is a tendency to play it safe at times.  Some refer to it as playing not to lose.  What Taz has to learn is that he is at his best when he is playing all out, going a hundred miles an hour with his hair on fire.

Taz hates to lose.  I have always said that I do not know anyone who hates to lose more than I.  I may have found that person.  Taz hates to lose at anything.  Taz will do whatever needs to be done to secure a victory for his team.  If he needs to score alot of goals for us to win, he will score.  If he has to set up other players to score, he will get the assists.  If the team needs him to shut down a player on the other team, he will lock down the player.  If he needs to play keeper, he can do that also.  But, he loves to score as much as any ultra competitive nine year old boy.  To his credit, he will accept whichever role gives his team the best chance to win.  

What I like the most about this player is that he plays hard.  Despite his skills, he is not a prima donna.  His teammates gave him the name Taz, because during a scrimage in practice he was all over the field causing as much havoc as he could.  He also plays with his head in the game.  For example, during the last indoor session, we were playing a travel team in our second game.  It was a hard fought game.  Our opponents took the lead in the second half, when Taz came out with leg cramps.  Taz reentered the game and scored the tying goal.  As the second half progressed, there was alot of physical play.  On one play late in the second half, Taz passed the ball and got fouled.  The pass went to Sonic who passed to Izzy who shot and scored.  Just as Izzy took the shot the whistle blew, no goal.  The referee called the foul commited on Taz.  While everyone on the field, in the stands, and coaching (including me) were yelling about the call, Taz ran over, picked up the ball, and asked the ref where to place it.  The ref signaled for the direct free kick.  Before alot of people even realized what was happening, Taz scored  the game winning goal.  He had his head in the game even when his coach did not.  

To be fair, I should also mention that Taz is the coach's son.  As his coach, my opinion of him is biased.  But even to an unbiased eye, Taz is a very good player and a great kid.  As the coach of this team, I know he is an intricle part of this team and our success.  As his Dad, I cannot wait to watch him play in Florida.  As both, I only hope he plays a hundred miles an hour with his hair on fire.

Continue to log on and follow Taz and the team.  Check out our up coming fundraisers.  If you would like to make a donation, please send it to U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan, 49079.  Please make any checks payable to: AYSO Region 250.

Go Crushers!

Meet the Team

Please remeber that we are using the players nick names at the request of their parents.

The Wall

One of the great stories from this team is how the Wall got her nickname.  In the beginning, the Wall played midfield.  I started her in that position because despite being a big kid, she can run.  She also started the year with good ball control skills.  When we started scrimmaging other teams, it became evident to me that we needed to make a change at full back (defense).  I decided to try the Wall at the position, in our second to last scrimmage.  She did a phenomenal job.  No one from the opposing team could get around her.  The team we played was an all boys team.  The wall kept knocking down opposing players and gigling when she did it.  At the end of the game, I was talking to the opposing coach.  When he commented on how well she played, he said, "She is a %$^#*^@! wall, no one gets around her."   The Wall had her new nickname.

The Wall is one of those kids who is always smiling.  She smiles so much, her first nickname was Smiley.  She always shows up to practice with a smile on her face and full of enthusiasm.  The Wall is not only fun to be around, she is a very good player.  If you ask any of the players on the team who the toughest player is, they will all tell you its the Wall.  There are players on this team who will not back down, but when the Wall is playing at her best she is the one who initiates the physical contact.  She also possesses a great sense of where to be on defense in just about any situtation.  She is aggressive to the ball.  Her size and speed combine to make her a very formidable defender.

As I described in a previous post, we will be alternating players from full back to midfield throughout the upcoming games.  In preparation for this, the Wall played some midfield during our last indoor session.  While it is taking time for her to learn how to play that position, I have been very impressed with her ball control skills.  We took the second indoor session off from league play.  We spent eight weeks honing our ball controll skills.  The Wall is one of the players that most benefitted from this training.  The Wall is one of those glue players.  Some people call them role players.  She may not score alot of goals or draw alot of attention, but she does the small things right.  She does the things that have to be done for a team to succeed.  If we enjoy any kind of success in Florida, it will be due in no small part to her play on the field.

Thanks for logging on.  Check out our up coming fundraisers.

Go Crushers!

Meet the Team

Izzy

Izzy is one of the guys on the team.  He is the only player on the team who never played organized soccer before this year.  Despite his lack of experience he is one of our better players.  Izzy is a big strong kid.  While Izzy is not a fast player, what he lacks in speed he makes up for with ball control.  The only way defenders can keep the ball away from him is to beat him to the ball.  Once Izzy has control of the ball it is very hard to take it away from him.  Izzy also possesses a potent right leg.  He can kick the ball with power and precision.  Izzy has played alot of different positions.  In fact he has started at every position except keeper.  At forward, I believe Izzy has found his ideal position.  It maximizes his strengths, power and control, and minimizes his one weakness, lack of speed. 

As a forward, Izzy is able to get into position and take possession of the ball.  Like Sonic, I wish Izzy would shoot more often.  He, like so many other players, wants to dribble closer to make a good shot, a good scoring chance, better.  The delay caused by the dribble only gives the defensive players a chance to recover.  Before you know it, that good scoring opportunity is gone.  The more shots he takes and the more passes he makes, the better our chances of winning become. 

Izzy got his name from one of our former assistant coachs.  It seems she had a cousin or some family member that she called Izzy.  For whatever reason, our Izzy reminded her of this family member.  I know I spend alot of time talking about these kids as players.  I can drone on and on about their individual strengths and weaknesses.  But the truth of the matter, is these are all really good kids.  They are good hearted, hard working, and motivated to win.  While they strive to win, they are gracious in defeat.  No player embodies the team's approach better then Izzy.  He is an easy going guy who tries as hard as anyone to win, but takes it in stride when things don't work out the way we want.  I have learned a little from Izzy about how to better behave in defeat.  Izzy is a good player, a better kid, and pleasure to coach.


Please continue to log on.  Check out our upcoming fundraisers.  If you would like to make a donation, please send it to: U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan, 49079.  Please make checks or money orders payable to AYSO Region 250.  Thank you for joining us on our adventure.

Meet the Team

Pink

Pink, one of the ladies on the team, is a very energetic and opinionated extrovert that has no problem telling you what she thinks. Anyone who knows me, will know why I love those qualities in a player. For example, Pink is the player that started the nick name tradition on our team. I showed up to one of our first practices and Pink had died the lower third of her hair bright PINK. After a little teasing, I told her I was going to call her Pink from then on. She informed me in no uncertain terms that it was fine with her because her favorite singer was named Pink. She then proceeded to tell me all about Pink, the singer, was assuming all along I had no knowledge of the person.

Pink has all the skills and qualities to be a great player. As I have said before, the most skilled player on the team is Taz. Pink has the same ball control skills as Taz. I have seen her dribble through three defenders and put a beautiful shot on goal. I have seen her fend off a defender in the middle of the opposing team's goal box and blast a pass in the back of the net. She is a natural leader.  Pink was voted one of the teams two captions by her teammates.  She is a good athlete and a smart player.  She has all the skill and qualities, ie. the intangibles, to be a great player.

Unfortunately, Pink has not put all these elements together, yet.  Her challenge is to trust hers skills and personality traits when she plays in a game.  She needs to stop thinking and just play.  She needs to just turn it loose on the pitch (field).  Pink needs to play a hundred miles an hour with her hair on fire.  If she can learn to play with a little reckless abandon, she will be unstoppable.  The only way I know to fix this problem is to play in games. Pink just needs to play.

The good news is I am seeing improvement, real improvement. Pink broke her arm and missed our last indoor season. Since getting her cast off, Pink has become more aggressive in practice. She is more willing to mix it up with other players. In our last scrimage against one of the AYSO U-10 boys teams from our region, Pink started playing like I knew she could.  She was taking on players and winning the ball.  She started using all the ball control skills that I have seen in practice.  She made plays that lead to scoring chances.  If she continues to let her natural personality and skills take over on the field, then our chances of success in Florida increase dramtically.

Log on and follow Pink and the rest of the team through the spring season and on our trip to Florida.

Go Crushers!

Meet the Team

Socks

Socks is one of the free spirits on the team.  She got her name because she wears the most outlandish socks to practice.  For those who do not know, soccer players wear long socks to hold their shin guards in place.  Most kids wear white or black.  Those who have been playing for a while will have socks the color of their old teams.  Our Socks takes pride in wearing some of the oddest soccer socks I have seen.  There have been striped pairs, floral patterns, and some very brightly colored pairs.  I told her I thought they were just knee high socks, but she assures me they are soccer socks.  When she is forced to wear a normal pair of socks, she mixes and matches colors.  She will wear one blue and one pink, or one green and one yellow.  She loves it.

Socks is also our remaining alternate player.  The National Games only allows U-10 teams to carry ten players.  We started with 13 players last August.  We have lost two along the way.  I have asked for permission to have 11 players play, but Nationals may not allow it.  Socks knows this but you would not know it to watch her practice and play.  She works as hard as anyone at practice.  She never misses practice or a game.  Our team will play in a local tournament in June.  The KASI tournament also limits U-10 teams to ten players.  Socks is guaranteed a spot in this tournament.  Again we have asked for an exception.  If the KASI people will not allow 11 players, we will draw a name to see who sits.  It helps that, Greta, one of her teammates, is also her cousin.  It also helps that before the National Tournament starts there is a day where players are mixed up and placed on teams other than their team.  The goal is to let the players from around the country  meet each other.  Socks will get to play in these games.

As a player, Socks has a split personality.  When she is on, she is a good player.  She is aggressive and fast to the ball.  She has improving ball control skills and looks to pass better than anyone on the team.  When she is distracted, she is distracted.  This is when my wife usually reminds me I am coaching 8 and 9 year old kids, not world cup players.  Whichever version of Socks shows up, she is a joy to have on the team.  No matter what else is going on, she always manages to find a way to make me laugh.  I really hope they let her play.

Thanks for logging on.  Don't forget to look at our up coming fundraisers. If you would like to make a donation, please send it to U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan 49079.  Please make any checks payable to: AYSO Region 250.

Go Crushers!

Meet the Team

For those who are new to this site, the parents of the players asked that I use the nicknames of the players on the blog.

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Sonic

Sonic is one of the young men on the team. He is the other speed merchant on our team. Unlike Dallas, who is a long strider, (Dallas is the other speed demon on the team) Sonic's speed comes from quickness and high RPMs. Unlike so many players on the team, Sonic is not afraid to get in there and mix it up with other players.  He is not the biggest guy on the team, but mess with him at your own risk.  In addition to being a great soccer player, I have been told he is a gifted martial artist. When a foul gets called against our team, it is usually Sonic. It's a good thing.  He brings a much needed toughness to the team. Sonic got his nick name because of his speed and hard nose playing style. Besides, I think he kind of looks like Sonic.

Sonic is one of those players coaches love. He doesn't say much and does not mess around in practice. To borrow a line from another coach, "he just gets on with it." He can play any position on the field. He always plays hard. He and Dallas are the second leading scorers on the team. The only problem is that he runs himself out. He needs to learn to pace himself.  Not a bad problem to have. Simply put, Sonic is one of the players that makes this team go. The best part is when the team started last summer, Sonic was one of my two seven year olds.  Now if I could only get him to put more shots on goal. 

Keep logging on and follow Sonic's journey with the rest of his teammates.

This is the commercial portion of the post. Please check out our up coming fund raisers. If you would like to make a donation to the team, please send it to: U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan, 49079. Please make checks payable to AYSO Region 250 and we will make sure the money is deposited into the correct account. Thank you for your generosity.

Go Crushers!

Meet the Team

Just a reminder, the parents of the players have requested that I use their team nicknames on the blogs.

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Terminator

If you watch ESPN enough, you will hear the commentators talk about a player who doesn't have the great "numbers" but can just play the game. You also will hear them discuss a player's "intangibles." If you married those two conversations together you would be talking about the Terminator. She is not the biggest player on the team. She is not the fastest player on the team. She does not have the best ball skills. When you put her into a game, she just plays. She is easily one of the best ball defenders on the team. She is smart. And she shares one quality with Old School in that she doesn't back down from anyone. Terminator is one of those kids you love to coach. She works hard and absorbs new information like a spunge.

Terminator got her name the morning she showed up for practice with her sports glasses on. The name also matches her hard nose, take no prisoners approach to defense. Terminator is one of my starting full backs. She starts the game paired with Old School. Old School usually attacks the ball while Terminator covers the middle of the field. This is exactly how I want it because Terminator is like a defensive coach on the field. She tells her teammates where or how to play and they actually listen to her. The best part is her instructions are almost always correct. There is only one other player on the field with the confidence to order other players around and who is respected enough by his teammates that they actually listen. Most coaches hope for one player who can be their coach on the field, I have two.

In AYSO games you can only insert substitute players four times during a game. To keep my midfielders fresh, this spring we will switch midfielders and full backs during the game. We will be playing in Florida in July after all. In preparation for this idea I have been playing my full backs at midfield during the last session of indoor soccer. Faced with the new challenge, Terminator took the same approach she has taken to everything else, she just played. Of all the full backs, she looked the most comfortable in the position. She did a very good job. The girl never ceases to amaze me.

Continue to log on and follow Terminator and the rest of the team. Check out our fundraisers.  If  you would like to make a donation to the team please send it to 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan 49079.  Please make any checks payable to AYSO Region 250.  Thank you for your generosity.

Go Crushers!