There is an old saying that seems to apply all too often. If I did not have bad luck, I would not have any at all. A rather bleak way to start of a post, but it seems to apply. After spending 27 hours in a car driving down here, we got in late. We ate dinner. We unloaded the car. We went to sleep. We got up the next morning and while getting a cup of coffee at the the hotel breakfast, I somehow pulled a muscle in my back. I could feel my back getting tighter and tighter as we traveled. Twenty seven hours in a car, sleep on bad hotel matresses, and lifting suitcases into the luggage carrier on top of the car did me in. So, I spent the first day of vacation laying flat on my back all day. One heck of a way to start vacation.
We made it through team check in without any major incidents. The check in was well conceived and very organized. It went off without a hitch. My back was feeling alot better on day two. We went to a water park after check in. While I skipped the water slides, I spent the better part of an hour in the lazy river with my younger kids. Somehow it fixed my back. I don't know if it was the warm water or stretching my back out over the tube, but it work.
Day 3 did not go nearly as well. The team had AYSO National Games Opening Ceremonies at 5 PM on day three. What should have been a fun event for the kids, turned out to be a cluster. It was poorly conceived and the execution of a bad plan was even worse. Allow me to summarize... several thousand kids herded into a fenced in tennis court made of asphalt, at 5pm (the hottest part of the day), in Southern Florida in July, without enough water, and without enough space for the kids to spread out so what breeze there was could do any good. Did I mention, there was NO shade and they delayed the start of the event for thirty minutes? I had the pleasure of watching two girls pass out from the excessive heat and helping them with the little water that was available. AYSO touts itself as a child first organization. After what I experienced on Tuesday night, I would have to say that notion is laughable. You may think I am being harsh. Would you still think that if you knew they delayed the start of at least the last National Games (2008) and yet they still planned on herding the kids onto asphalt courts with no shade and not enough water?
Not the greatest beginning to one's vacation.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Soccerfest
Soccerfest is a great idea. You take all the teams that are playing in a given division, like U-10 boys, and you mix up the teams. You take the reconstructed teams and you let them play one another. So, I was coaching one player from my team and fourteen players from as far away as Hawaii. While I am a rather intense coach,as I have mentioned from time to time, I was very laid back. We had two fun games. We tied our first game and lost by a goal in our second. Winning and losing at Soccerfest was really of no concern to me, I was just out to have fun. And maybe I was paying attention to some of the players I will be facing later in the week.
It was a great learning experience. It was surprising, all of the issues I have with my players exist with players from California, Louisana, Arizona, Chicago, and across the Country. I also learned from one of the coaches I met that we are facing some stiff competition. In Southwest Michigan we have a region of 700 kids. We pulled players from U-10 boys, U-10 girls, and U-8 boys to form our team. To play travel club or select soccer in Michigan you have to leave AYSO and join a club team. In California, for example, a region will have about 7,000 kids, an average number in California. Any given division like U-10 boys will take the best forty players from the thousand plus boys in the division to play their select teams. They then take the ten best players from their select teams to form their team for the National Games. It was quite an eye opening conversation.
We have played select teams in the past. We beat several during indoor soccer season and the games we lost we were in until the bitter end. If the team shows up that took TKO to the brink, losing 6 to 5 and beat Marshall 8 to 2, then we will be fine. If the team that lost a game at the KASI tournament shows up, we are in trouble. I can't wait to find out which team shows up. Bottom line, win or lose, if we play good soccer, I will be thrilled. Wish us luck.
Go Crushers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a great learning experience. It was surprising, all of the issues I have with my players exist with players from California, Louisana, Arizona, Chicago, and across the Country. I also learned from one of the coaches I met that we are facing some stiff competition. In Southwest Michigan we have a region of 700 kids. We pulled players from U-10 boys, U-10 girls, and U-8 boys to form our team. To play travel club or select soccer in Michigan you have to leave AYSO and join a club team. In California, for example, a region will have about 7,000 kids, an average number in California. Any given division like U-10 boys will take the best forty players from the thousand plus boys in the division to play their select teams. They then take the ten best players from their select teams to form their team for the National Games. It was quite an eye opening conversation.
We have played select teams in the past. We beat several during indoor soccer season and the games we lost we were in until the bitter end. If the team shows up that took TKO to the brink, losing 6 to 5 and beat Marshall 8 to 2, then we will be fine. If the team that lost a game at the KASI tournament shows up, we are in trouble. I can't wait to find out which team shows up. Bottom line, win or lose, if we play good soccer, I will be thrilled. Wish us luck.
Go Crushers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
It has been too long.
Well it has been a while since my last post. Between last minute fundraisers, tournaments, and my job (yes I actually have a job), there has been not time for blogging, running, or sleeping. So where should I begin; fundraising. I would like to thank those people I work with that donated and helped make the trip possible. Their generousity is greatly appreciated. We also would like to thank all those families that participated in the "It Ain't Over Yet Soccer Tournament." It was a great weekend. We had three groups with enough teams to have a tournament: U-10 girls, U-10 Boys, and U-14 coed. A special thanks to those kids that stepped up from U-12 to play the U-14 teams and make that group possible. Congratulations to those who won and thank you to everyone who participated. This event raised more money than any fundraiser other than the Great Tamale Sale. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. Finally, I would like to thank the Kalamazoo Outrage. They are a local club team. They are for soccer what triple A leagues are for baseball. We did a fundraiser with them. They are a first rate club and offered us a great opportunity. Kids from the region got to walk out with the players of both teams, played mini games at half time, and some were ball chasers during the game. It was a great night. Kids were introduced to high level soccer. The Outrage gained some fans and the Crushers made some money.
The team played in two tournaments since my last post. The first tournament was the KASI tournament in Kalamazoo. We got off to a great start with two wins. We played our best game ever scoring seven goals in a come from behind victory in our first game and won a good victory in our second. In our next two games we lost one and tied one. In our third game, we lost a hard fought game 1-0 to the eventual tournament champs. While we played hard, the team from Allegan, the Orange Tigers, played a little harder and deserved the victory. As a Brazil player, Kaka, said recently, it is not enough to be talented, you have to play hard too. Our next tournament was a 3v3 tournament that the guys played in. The girls decided not to enter the girls division. We played against four travel teams. We went 1-2-1. We tied our last game. It kept us out of the championship. It was a game we could have won, but our head and our hearts just were not in the game. We walked away with two valuable items. First, we can compete against top level talent even when we don't play our best game. Second, the guys got US world cup jerseys (white) for playing. They are sweet.
Next is my running. This is easy... what running? I start taking my life back tomorrow.
Finally, the trip. Lets just say it takes A LONG TIME to drive from Kalamazoo, Michigan to West Palm Beach, Florida. I have flown here several times. This was the first time I have ever driven. The good Lord willing, it will be the last time.
All that is left now is the tournament. Wish us luck. In true Crusher form we will play hard, we will have fun, and it will be interesting. Log on and follow our tournament. We sign in on Monday, Tuesday is Opening Ceremonies, Wednesday is Soccerfest (more on that later), we play Thursday through Saturday, and awards on Saturday. I can't wait, it is going to be fun!!!
GO CRUSHERS!
The team played in two tournaments since my last post. The first tournament was the KASI tournament in Kalamazoo. We got off to a great start with two wins. We played our best game ever scoring seven goals in a come from behind victory in our first game and won a good victory in our second. In our next two games we lost one and tied one. In our third game, we lost a hard fought game 1-0 to the eventual tournament champs. While we played hard, the team from Allegan, the Orange Tigers, played a little harder and deserved the victory. As a Brazil player, Kaka, said recently, it is not enough to be talented, you have to play hard too. Our next tournament was a 3v3 tournament that the guys played in. The girls decided not to enter the girls division. We played against four travel teams. We went 1-2-1. We tied our last game. It kept us out of the championship. It was a game we could have won, but our head and our hearts just were not in the game. We walked away with two valuable items. First, we can compete against top level talent even when we don't play our best game. Second, the guys got US world cup jerseys (white) for playing. They are sweet.
Next is my running. This is easy... what running? I start taking my life back tomorrow.
Finally, the trip. Lets just say it takes A LONG TIME to drive from Kalamazoo, Michigan to West Palm Beach, Florida. I have flown here several times. This was the first time I have ever driven. The good Lord willing, it will be the last time.
All that is left now is the tournament. Wish us luck. In true Crusher form we will play hard, we will have fun, and it will be interesting. Log on and follow our tournament. We sign in on Monday, Tuesday is Opening Ceremonies, Wednesday is Soccerfest (more on that later), we play Thursday through Saturday, and awards on Saturday. I can't wait, it is going to be fun!!!
GO CRUSHERS!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Catching Up with the Crushers . . .
The Spring 2010 Revenge Tour continues. As I have said a couple times in the past, I am not one of those touchy feely kinds of coaches who just wants to have fun. I teach my kids to play to win. Someone once said ( I believe it was Lombardi) \," winning isn't everything, but striving to win is." If I had to summarize by coaching philosophy in one sentence, that is the one I would use. So when I started setting up scrimmages this spring, I went back to all the teams we played and lost to last fall. I have framed this spring as our Revenge Tour. So far, so good.
The Crushers played the U-10 boys team (the Black Team). We tied this team 2-2 last fall. It was in that game that the wall got her name from the opposing coach. One of the kids on the Black team lives across the street from us and is Taz's friend. He is a good kid and a good soccer player. So for Taz, the game was also about bragging rights for the summer. The game started off with allot of energy. As usual the Crushers started slow, but atleast it did not take as long for them to get going. We have been working diligently on passing and finishing in practice. I have even been taking time away from defense to accomplish this. It showed both on the offensive end and on the defensive end. Inspite of some poor defense play, we won 4-2.
Bad news first, I always say. The Crushers returned to some bad habits defensively. The backs were playing too close to the goal. They would charge the ball and fall for the simplest moves. They were giving up the middle of the field. Players,particularly midfielders, were standing around watching the ball, instead of guarding opposing players or attacking the ball. The Black Team scored two goals because we played bad defense. It will be a defensive filled practices this week.
The good news is always more fun. The team is really starting to understand how to play the game on offense. Blind passes (passes not directed to any particular player) and one time kicks are decreasing. Ball control and offensive passes are increasing. The teams still has a tendency to stand around and watch Taz, but they are getting better. Izzy got two goals after making runs and receiving passes from Taz. Izzy returned the favor and lead Taz with a beautiful pass that resulted in one of Taz's two goals.
I think the lesson to be learned is don't sacrifice defense to practice offense and don't sacrafice offense to practice defense. If we, the coaches, let up on any facit of the game, the kids will loose focus and perform poorly in that area. Balancing practice time leads to a balanced team. In the end, they are steadly improving. I am most impressed with the improvement they have shown in their ball control skills. Their ball control skills have improved dramitcally since last August. I am very proud of them.
We will see you next time. Until then . . . Go Crushers!
The Crushers played the U-10 boys team (the Black Team). We tied this team 2-2 last fall. It was in that game that the wall got her name from the opposing coach. One of the kids on the Black team lives across the street from us and is Taz's friend. He is a good kid and a good soccer player. So for Taz, the game was also about bragging rights for the summer. The game started off with allot of energy. As usual the Crushers started slow, but atleast it did not take as long for them to get going. We have been working diligently on passing and finishing in practice. I have even been taking time away from defense to accomplish this. It showed both on the offensive end and on the defensive end. Inspite of some poor defense play, we won 4-2.
Bad news first, I always say. The Crushers returned to some bad habits defensively. The backs were playing too close to the goal. They would charge the ball and fall for the simplest moves. They were giving up the middle of the field. Players,particularly midfielders, were standing around watching the ball, instead of guarding opposing players or attacking the ball. The Black Team scored two goals because we played bad defense. It will be a defensive filled practices this week.
The good news is always more fun. The team is really starting to understand how to play the game on offense. Blind passes (passes not directed to any particular player) and one time kicks are decreasing. Ball control and offensive passes are increasing. The teams still has a tendency to stand around and watch Taz, but they are getting better. Izzy got two goals after making runs and receiving passes from Taz. Izzy returned the favor and lead Taz with a beautiful pass that resulted in one of Taz's two goals.
I think the lesson to be learned is don't sacrifice defense to practice offense and don't sacrafice offense to practice defense. If we, the coaches, let up on any facit of the game, the kids will loose focus and perform poorly in that area. Balancing practice time leads to a balanced team. In the end, they are steadly improving. I am most impressed with the improvement they have shown in their ball control skills. Their ball control skills have improved dramitcally since last August. I am very proud of them.
We will see you next time. Until then . . . Go Crushers!
Friday, April 30, 2010
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!
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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. :)
Good night all. :)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
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!
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!
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!
Monday, April 19, 2010
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
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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.
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.
Meet the Team
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!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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.
_________________________________________________________________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.
__________________________________________________________________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.
Go Crushers!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Indoor: Season Three
WHAT AN INDOOR SEASON!
As I have mentioned in the past, my goal was for the team would take the next step in their development and compete with the area travel teams. Well, the Crushers exceeded my expectations. They won three games and lost three games in the Last indoor session at Soccerzone. They played against five travel teams and one house team. They lost to three travel teams. Two of their three losses were by one goal. They lost to one team 7-0. But that team, the Ballhawks, won their games by an average of 6 goals no matter who they faced. The Crushers really surprised me.
I described the first two games in a previous post. So I am going to pick up the story with our third game. In this game we played the house team. As luck would have it, they were short players. We gave them some of our players and we played the game. We ended up winning 8-1, but that was not really the point of this game. This game gave me an opportunity to play kids in new positions. Forwards played full back, full backs played midfield, midfielders played keeper and so on. Some really cool things happened. Gretta got her first goal of the year (read about Gretta and the other players in the Meet the Team posts). My 5 year old son, the Bull Dozer, got to play in the game. He is usually restricted to the role of team manager at games, but regularly plays with the team at practice. The smile on his face when he got to play is one of the moments I will remember about this experience. So, the game went into the win collum and we all had a lot of fun, especially the Bull Dozer.
In our fourth game we played one of the TKO teams. Now TKO is one of the better travel teams in the area. To be honest, this was one of the games I circled as a test. The the team we played was young, but talented. Just before playing us they had gone to indoor nationals, and placed second after loosing a hard fought battle in the finals. I was concerened before the game started because the team was not into it during warmups. They were distracted, their heads were not on soccer. Now this is where my wife ususally reminds me that they are eight and nine year olds. The point is they were not ready to play. It showed in the opening minutes. We gave up a quick early goal. Players were out of position, others were standing around, and there was no energy or determination.
During this indoor season I have realized that the Crushers, more than any team I have ever coached, model my emotional state when they play. If I am intense, they play with intensity. If I am disinterested, they play half heartedly. Most teams model the personality of their coach. This team does it more than any I have ever seen. So, I have to walk a fine line between being intense (not a problem for me), but not being so intense the kids stop having fun. Some days I do a great job, others not so well. After our poor start, I substituted for as many players as I could and we had a "discussion." The intense conversation made all the difference in the world. They went back in the game and played like champs. We lost 4-5 but I was extremely happy with how they played. It seems I got the balance right on that day. This was a pivital game for the Crushers. They learned a very important lesson on that day. The team learned that they could play with any team if they as a team and played hard for the entire game.
On a side note, the parents on this team kill me (I mean that in a good way). I have really been working hard this year on not pushing the players so hard. I have been trying to just let them play, figure somethings out on their own, and not yell as much. I have been trying to talk to them on the side lines instead of yelling to them on the field. Again, I have had good days and days where I have not done as well. As a kid, I was coached by Bob Knight type coaches. While I have never reached his extreme as a coach, I am not the touchy feely kind of coach AYSO strives to create either. Anyway, back to my parents. They keep coming up to me and saying things like, "you can yell at my son, its ok" or "you can push my daughter harder, she needs it." It is a very interesting dynamic.
In our fifth game we played the best team in the league: the Ball Hawks. This is a fast team that plays very physical soccer. If they played any rougher, they would need helmet and pads. During the game, Taz did his best to get us a goal. I think he spent as much time on the ground as he did on his feet. After almost scoring a goal early in the game, two or three guys from the Ball Hawks would attack him and literally knock Taz off the ball everytime he touched it. The defense played good. With a final score like 7-0, you would not expect a coach to say his team played well. What you do not know is that in the first indoor session three months ago, the Crushers would have lost this game by twenty. The crushers played hard. We made some mistakes but we had our chances to score during the game as well. Long story short, it just was not our day. As a told the team after the game, while I was not thrilled with the result, I was thrilled with the individual effort of the players.
In the last game we played a team from Marshall. We won 8-2. This is a team we played in the second game of the season. We won that game 6-5. The Crushers have never played any better then they did on this day. The defense was phenominal. They finally played our defense the way I have had it pictured in my head since August of 2009. For the first time, I felt sorry for the Professor(read about The Professor in our Meet the Team Posts), our keeper or goalie, because he looked so board. One back attacked the ball, while the second back covered the free player and prevented any passes from connecting. The midfield hustled back and attacking the ball or covering opposing players. They shut down the other team almost completely. It was a beautiful thing to watch.
Taz showed up ready to play on this day. He scored six goals in the game, five in the first half. I had to pull him off the our opponents early in the second half or he would have scored more. Now I know why teams always send pultiple players to defend him. When he is on hsi game, you cannot stop him with one player. In the second half, players got to play new positions and everyone had fun. It was a great way to end our indoor season. And it was nice, finally, to master our team defense.
So indoor season, session three, was awsome. I hoped they could compete with the travel teams, and they did. All but one loss could have been reversed with one play. Hard to believe this was the same group of kids that I started with last August. They have come so far and I am very proud of them. Having said that, its time to work on team offense and finishing around the goal. We have about 15 weeks before the Florida Games begin, its crunch time, and I can't wait!
Its that time where I ask you to look at our list of up coming fundraisers and solicite donations. This is a great group of kids and many of them could really use your help. 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 ckeck payable to AYSO Region 250 and we will make sure they are depositted into the correct account. All donations are tax deductable.
Go Crushers!
As I have mentioned in the past, my goal was for the team would take the next step in their development and compete with the area travel teams. Well, the Crushers exceeded my expectations. They won three games and lost three games in the Last indoor session at Soccerzone. They played against five travel teams and one house team. They lost to three travel teams. Two of their three losses were by one goal. They lost to one team 7-0. But that team, the Ballhawks, won their games by an average of 6 goals no matter who they faced. The Crushers really surprised me.
I described the first two games in a previous post. So I am going to pick up the story with our third game. In this game we played the house team. As luck would have it, they were short players. We gave them some of our players and we played the game. We ended up winning 8-1, but that was not really the point of this game. This game gave me an opportunity to play kids in new positions. Forwards played full back, full backs played midfield, midfielders played keeper and so on. Some really cool things happened. Gretta got her first goal of the year (read about Gretta and the other players in the Meet the Team posts). My 5 year old son, the Bull Dozer, got to play in the game. He is usually restricted to the role of team manager at games, but regularly plays with the team at practice. The smile on his face when he got to play is one of the moments I will remember about this experience. So, the game went into the win collum and we all had a lot of fun, especially the Bull Dozer.
In our fourth game we played one of the TKO teams. Now TKO is one of the better travel teams in the area. To be honest, this was one of the games I circled as a test. The the team we played was young, but talented. Just before playing us they had gone to indoor nationals, and placed second after loosing a hard fought battle in the finals. I was concerened before the game started because the team was not into it during warmups. They were distracted, their heads were not on soccer. Now this is where my wife ususally reminds me that they are eight and nine year olds. The point is they were not ready to play. It showed in the opening minutes. We gave up a quick early goal. Players were out of position, others were standing around, and there was no energy or determination.
During this indoor season I have realized that the Crushers, more than any team I have ever coached, model my emotional state when they play. If I am intense, they play with intensity. If I am disinterested, they play half heartedly. Most teams model the personality of their coach. This team does it more than any I have ever seen. So, I have to walk a fine line between being intense (not a problem for me), but not being so intense the kids stop having fun. Some days I do a great job, others not so well. After our poor start, I substituted for as many players as I could and we had a "discussion." The intense conversation made all the difference in the world. They went back in the game and played like champs. We lost 4-5 but I was extremely happy with how they played. It seems I got the balance right on that day. This was a pivital game for the Crushers. They learned a very important lesson on that day. The team learned that they could play with any team if they as a team and played hard for the entire game.
On a side note, the parents on this team kill me (I mean that in a good way). I have really been working hard this year on not pushing the players so hard. I have been trying to just let them play, figure somethings out on their own, and not yell as much. I have been trying to talk to them on the side lines instead of yelling to them on the field. Again, I have had good days and days where I have not done as well. As a kid, I was coached by Bob Knight type coaches. While I have never reached his extreme as a coach, I am not the touchy feely kind of coach AYSO strives to create either. Anyway, back to my parents. They keep coming up to me and saying things like, "you can yell at my son, its ok" or "you can push my daughter harder, she needs it." It is a very interesting dynamic.
In our fifth game we played the best team in the league: the Ball Hawks. This is a fast team that plays very physical soccer. If they played any rougher, they would need helmet and pads. During the game, Taz did his best to get us a goal. I think he spent as much time on the ground as he did on his feet. After almost scoring a goal early in the game, two or three guys from the Ball Hawks would attack him and literally knock Taz off the ball everytime he touched it. The defense played good. With a final score like 7-0, you would not expect a coach to say his team played well. What you do not know is that in the first indoor session three months ago, the Crushers would have lost this game by twenty. The crushers played hard. We made some mistakes but we had our chances to score during the game as well. Long story short, it just was not our day. As a told the team after the game, while I was not thrilled with the result, I was thrilled with the individual effort of the players.
In the last game we played a team from Marshall. We won 8-2. This is a team we played in the second game of the season. We won that game 6-5. The Crushers have never played any better then they did on this day. The defense was phenominal. They finally played our defense the way I have had it pictured in my head since August of 2009. For the first time, I felt sorry for the Professor(read about The Professor in our Meet the Team Posts), our keeper or goalie, because he looked so board. One back attacked the ball, while the second back covered the free player and prevented any passes from connecting. The midfield hustled back and attacking the ball or covering opposing players. They shut down the other team almost completely. It was a beautiful thing to watch.
Taz showed up ready to play on this day. He scored six goals in the game, five in the first half. I had to pull him off the our opponents early in the second half or he would have scored more. Now I know why teams always send pultiple players to defend him. When he is on hsi game, you cannot stop him with one player. In the second half, players got to play new positions and everyone had fun. It was a great way to end our indoor season. And it was nice, finally, to master our team defense.
So indoor season, session three, was awsome. I hoped they could compete with the travel teams, and they did. All but one loss could have been reversed with one play. Hard to believe this was the same group of kids that I started with last August. They have come so far and I am very proud of them. Having said that, its time to work on team offense and finishing around the goal. We have about 15 weeks before the Florida Games begin, its crunch time, and I can't wait!
Its that time where I ask you to look at our list of up coming fundraisers and solicite donations. This is a great group of kids and many of them could really use your help. 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 ckeck payable to AYSO Region 250 and we will make sure they are depositted into the correct account. All donations are tax deductable.
Go Crushers!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Professor
Remeber, the parent of the players have asked that I use the players nicknames on the blog. The kids seem to prefer it that way.
____________________________________________________________________
The Professor plays keeper or goalie. It is very unusual to find a player at his age that excels in this position. Most kids do not want to play keeper. Who can blame them. Keepers stand in net while other players kick a soccer ball as hard as they can at the goal. The keeper is suppose get in front of the ball. When they are not facing down rockets, they are diving on the ball while players on the other team are trying to kick it. When I was a player decades ago, I had a coach who said keepers had to have good hands, allot of confidence, and bravery. I would say the first two are correct. As a former keeper, I can tell you that you don't need bravery, you need a lack of common sense.
Having said that, The Professor is an excellent keeper. We call him the professor because he looks like a professor when he is not playing soccer. The Professor wears wire glasses with circular lens. He has a very quiet unassuming personality. Like I said he, looks like a professor.
But when he puts on his sports glasses and goalie gloves, he becomes the Keeper. Almost like a super hero. Clark Kent, Peter Parker, the Professor become Superman, Spider man, and the Keeper.
Simply put, the Professor keeps us in games. Our team has been working hard on learning how to play team defense. As happens, there have been break downs and mistakes during the learning process. When these mishaps occur, the Professor is there to stop the other team. He regularly faces runs or breaks aways when one, two, and sometimes three players from the other team are racing at him with no one from his team there. More often then not, he made the save. He routinely makes saves when the other team should have scored. The Professor not only makes the spectacular saves, he very rarely misses the routine saves. He is an excellent keeper. 
He is so good in fact, I have had other coaches stop me to tell me how impressed they are with his abilities. With the Professor between pipes, I like our chances in Florida.
He is so good in fact, I have had other coaches stop me to tell me how impressed they are with his abilities. With the Professor between pipes, I like our chances in Florida.Check out our fundraisers and continue following then team. If you want to make a donation to the team to help pay for the trip, you can send it to U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan, 49079. Please make ckecks payable to AYSO Region 250. We will make sure it goes into the team's account.
Thanks for logging on and GO CRUSHERS!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Meet the Team
As usual, I will start off explaining that the team parents decided to use the kids' nicknames. Some were worried abouti putting their pictures on the net with their personal information . So a compromise was reached.
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GRETTA
Gretta is the nicest player on the team. Simply put, she is a great kid who always has a smile on her face. Gretta got her name because she is so nice, too nice. Gretta was simply too nice on the soccer field. So I tried to think of analogies or ways to explain to her that it was okay not to be so nice during the game. Last Halloween I used the example of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. I told her I want her to be nice like Jeckyl off the field, but aggressive "mean" like Hyde on the field. Now Gretta's real name starts with the letter G, so I wanted to find a female name starting G. I wanted two names, one for the nice girl and one for the tough soccer player. One of my favorite shows at night is Gretta van Susteren. It is a news show that bears the name of its host. Gretta is one tough lady. So, Gretta it is.
As nice as Gretta is, when she came to our first practice last fall, she was the least skilled player. The only reason I mention this fact is to put the next fact into contex. During our last indoor season, Gretta was the third leading scorer on our team. Gretta has gone from being the first player to give up, to a player who gives everything she has. One of my favorite examples of Gretta's new found confidence and determination occurred in the first game of the last indoor season. We played a team comprised of players from our region. It was a team of all boys. Before the game started, the boys on that team were making jokes about playing girls. I used this as a motivational tool during our pregame talk. When Gretta got into the game, she challenged a player on the other team for the ball along the boards. Gretta put a check on that poor boy that would have made hockey fans cheer. He was not laughing about playing girls while he was picking himself up off the ground.
Gretta was recently moved from full back to forward. Our team plays 7v7 in outdoor: one keeper, two full backs (defense), three midfielders, and one forward. The forward's job is to live in the goalie box, harass the keeper, and kick any ball that roles across the front of the goal into the net. Gretta has taken to her job. She has scored all her goals while in the box, harrassing the keeper, on balls that were kicked across the front of the goal. Gretta is one of those players that needed to find her niche in the sport. She found it. I am looking forward to big things from her in Florida.
It is time for the commercial portion of this post. Please look at our up coming fundraisers. As I have said in the past, we have to raise money to take this trip. Any contribution is greatly appreciated. Please join us at one of our events or send a donation to: U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan, 49079. Please make all checks payable to AYSO Region 250 and please indicate U-10 Team on the Check so it goes into the right account.
GO CRUSHERS!
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GRETTA
Gretta is the nicest player on the team. Simply put, she is a great kid who always has a smile on her face. Gretta got her name because she is so nice, too nice. Gretta was simply too nice on the soccer field. So I tried to think of analogies or ways to explain to her that it was okay not to be so nice during the game. Last Halloween I used the example of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. I told her I want her to be nice like Jeckyl off the field, but aggressive "mean" like Hyde on the field. Now Gretta's real name starts with the letter G, so I wanted to find a female name starting G. I wanted two names, one for the nice girl and one for the tough soccer player. One of my favorite shows at night is Gretta van Susteren. It is a news show that bears the name of its host. Gretta is one tough lady. So, Gretta it is.
As nice as Gretta is, when she came to our first practice last fall, she was the least skilled player. The only reason I mention this fact is to put the next fact into contex. During our last indoor season, Gretta was the third leading scorer on our team. Gretta has gone from being the first player to give up, to a player who gives everything she has. One of my favorite examples of Gretta's new found confidence and determination occurred in the first game of the last indoor season. We played a team comprised of players from our region. It was a team of all boys. Before the game started, the boys on that team were making jokes about playing girls. I used this as a motivational tool during our pregame talk. When Gretta got into the game, she challenged a player on the other team for the ball along the boards. Gretta put a check on that poor boy that would have made hockey fans cheer. He was not laughing about playing girls while he was picking himself up off the ground.
Gretta was recently moved from full back to forward. Our team plays 7v7 in outdoor: one keeper, two full backs (defense), three midfielders, and one forward. The forward's job is to live in the goalie box, harass the keeper, and kick any ball that roles across the front of the goal into the net. Gretta has taken to her job. She has scored all her goals while in the box, harrassing the keeper, on balls that were kicked across the front of the goal. Gretta is one of those players that needed to find her niche in the sport. She found it. I am looking forward to big things from her in Florida.
It is time for the commercial portion of this post. Please look at our up coming fundraisers. As I have said in the past, we have to raise money to take this trip. Any contribution is greatly appreciated. Please join us at one of our events or send a donation to: U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan, 49079. Please make all checks payable to AYSO Region 250 and please indicate U-10 Team on the Check so it goes into the right account.
GO CRUSHERS!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Meet the Team
If you have missed previous posts or are new to this blog, I refer to all the kids on the team by their team nick names. Some of the parents had concerns about having their kids' pictures and information on the Net. So we came to this compromise. I get to post the pictures of the team, but use nicknames instead of real names. Yes, democracy at work. Too bad people in DC cannot figure it out.
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OLD SCHOOL
Old School is one of the young men on our team. He is one of those kids who will not back down from anyone or anything. He is definitely one of the tough guys on our team. In a previous post, I wrote that a girl named The Wall was the toughest player on the team. What I did not mention then was that Old School is an extremely close second. Old School is one of our full backs (defense). In today's lingo, he is our stopper. Since we play 7v7, we have two backs on the field during a game (1 keeper or goalie, 2 backs or defense, three midfielders, and one forward or striker). Nine out of ten times, he is the player that attacks the ball. When he is on, there are not many kids who can get by him. He also has very good ball skills. There are those who think that you put your best players on offense and your weaker players on defense. Nothing could be further from the truth. Old School could easily play midfield or forward because he has the skills. But Old School is the anchor of our defense.
Old School is one of the young men on our team. He is one of those kids who will not back down from anyone or anything. He is definitely one of the tough guys on our team. In a previous post, I wrote that a girl named The Wall was the toughest player on the team. What I did not mention then was that Old School is an extremely close second. Old School is one of our full backs (defense). In today's lingo, he is our stopper. Since we play 7v7, we have two backs on the field during a game (1 keeper or goalie, 2 backs or defense, three midfielders, and one forward or striker). Nine out of ten times, he is the player that attacks the ball. When he is on, there are not many kids who can get by him. He also has very good ball skills. There are those who think that you put your best players on offense and your weaker players on defense. Nothing could be further from the truth. Old School could easily play midfield or forward because he has the skills. But Old School is the anchor of our defense.
Old School also has a great leg. Old School and another player, Taz, take most of our free kicks due to the strength and accuracy of their kicks. This is how Old School scores most of his goals. While he starts in a defensive postion, Old School has the green light to take possession of the ball in the defensive end of the field and dribble it into the offensive half of the field and initiate our offense. This is a new option for this player and he is growing into the role of attacker. He actually attacked in one of our recent games. While the opposing keeper made the save, his role as an attacker adds a new level or dimension to our offensive.
Finally, Old School got his name on a cold and wet October evening. We had a scrimmage against another U-10 boys team from our region. While all the kids playing were wearing sweat pants and Under Armor or fleece under their jerseys, Old School showed up in shorts and his jersey. Some saw him and said, "now thats old school." Old School had his name.Keep logging in and follow Old School and the rest of the team. Don't forget to check out our upcoming fundraising events. If you would like to make a donation, please send a check to U-10 National Team, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan 49079. Please make checks payable to AYSO Region 250 and place U-10 Team on the check so it is placed in the correct account.
GO CRUSHERS!
Running ....
I have not had a new post in a while. Funny how life gets in the way of what you want to do sometimes. After my last running post, I was extremely motivated to get back on the road. I had completed my first run of a mile in months. I had no knee pain. I was excited. Having said that, did you ever feel like the universe was out to get you? My running was put on hold for two weeks because of a cracked tooth. That's right, a tooth, not a foot injury, a sore knee, or even a pulled muscle in the back. I was sidelined by a tooth.
I had forgotten the very special kind of pain a bad tooth can produce. Now I have a fairly high threshold for pain. But tooth pain sends me running for the Tylenol. I do not know how or when my tooth cracked, but it did. It got infected. The result, I was in allot of pain. I went to the dentist and had it pulled. There are several options for getting it replaced, like an implant or bridge. Lets just say they all cost more than my first car.
Enough about teeth. I got back on the road last Friday. I ran one and half miles. I ran two miles on Saturday and Sunday. The lay off due to my knee and other issues has left me in poor running shape. But let me say, "damn I missed running!" I have never enjoyed pained like I did this weekend. I was breathing hard, my legs were burning, and I was running pitifully slow. But for the first time in months I was running. Let me say it again, "damn, I missed running!" I had forgotten how much I LOVE TO RUN.
It is funny how one activity can be the key to a whole life style. For me the key is running. When I stop running, I stop cross training, and then I stop eating right. It is a slippery slope to obesity. Thankfully, it works in reverse too. Not only did I run this weekend, I also started cross training again. One day of band training on Saturday and weight lifting on Sunday. I am actually thinking about what I eat again. All triggered by running. It is Monday morning and I am sore in all the right places. Good pain, the kind of pain that lets you know you worked out hard. I cannot wait to go for a run today.
Hopefully things will continue to move forward. The universe will no longer conspire against me. Despite the tooth set back, I am still on course to run the Borgess 5k. Wish me luck, and GO CRUSHERS.
I had forgotten the very special kind of pain a bad tooth can produce. Now I have a fairly high threshold for pain. But tooth pain sends me running for the Tylenol. I do not know how or when my tooth cracked, but it did. It got infected. The result, I was in allot of pain. I went to the dentist and had it pulled. There are several options for getting it replaced, like an implant or bridge. Lets just say they all cost more than my first car.
Enough about teeth. I got back on the road last Friday. I ran one and half miles. I ran two miles on Saturday and Sunday. The lay off due to my knee and other issues has left me in poor running shape. But let me say, "damn I missed running!" I have never enjoyed pained like I did this weekend. I was breathing hard, my legs were burning, and I was running pitifully slow. But for the first time in months I was running. Let me say it again, "damn, I missed running!" I had forgotten how much I LOVE TO RUN.
It is funny how one activity can be the key to a whole life style. For me the key is running. When I stop running, I stop cross training, and then I stop eating right. It is a slippery slope to obesity. Thankfully, it works in reverse too. Not only did I run this weekend, I also started cross training again. One day of band training on Saturday and weight lifting on Sunday. I am actually thinking about what I eat again. All triggered by running. It is Monday morning and I am sore in all the right places. Good pain, the kind of pain that lets you know you worked out hard. I cannot wait to go for a run today.
Hopefully things will continue to move forward. The universe will no longer conspire against me. Despite the tooth set back, I am still on course to run the Borgess 5k. Wish me luck, and GO CRUSHERS.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Great Tomale Sale of 2010
Make sure you check the list off upcoming fundraisers. There have been some changes and additions, so check it out.
That was the Great Tomale Sale of 2010. I had my first tomale ever. And after serving 6,ooo tomales to people, if I never see another tomale, it will not be too soon. The parents have formed a support group: the Chingalinga Tomaledoras (damn tomale makers). We are closer as a team. We raised approximately $3,000.00.
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You will have to understand, up until a few weeks ago I did not know what a tomale was. I had heard the term. I knew it was food. B
ut as a Scotch-Irish kid from New York, I thought Taco Bell was Mexican Food. So when one of the parents suggest a tomale sale for a fundraiser I didn't blink. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" seems to apply to this situation. Well, I learned. while the sale was a great success, we earned every penny. Though it was allot of work, the families of the players got to know each other allot better.
ut as a Scotch-Irish kid from New York, I thought Taco Bell was Mexican Food. So when one of the parents suggest a tomale sale for a fundraiser I didn't blink. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" seems to apply to this situation. Well, I learned. while the sale was a great success, we earned every penny. Though it was allot of work, the families of the players got to know each other allot better.Making tomales is a large undertaking, really huge. Understand, we made over 6,000 tomales. Our tomales were made with pork. So our ordeal began with purchasing hogs and roasting them. One family took on this task. Old School's, one of our full backs (defense), mom, dad, and extended family spent days cooking hogs. Once the meat is cooked, then the you have to pull it off the bone. Another initial step is cutting and cleaning red peppers. Lets just s
ay I came home one night from work to a kitchen full of people cutting and cleaning peppers. I joined in. The process is not difficult, the hard part is keeping the peppers and or the pepper juices out of your eyes. Cutting these peppers is like cutting unions. Make sure you do not rub your eyes, painful. Anything you eat for hours after cutting peppers is flavored with peppers. What fun.
ay I came home one night from work to a kitchen full of people cutting and cleaning peppers. I joined in. The process is not difficult, the hard part is keeping the peppers and or the pepper juices out of your eyes. Cutting these peppers is like cutting unions. Make sure you do not rub your eyes, painful. Anything you eat for hours after cutting peppers is flavored with peppers. What fun.Then we had to rel
y on the grandmothers of Old School and Dallas. These ladies have been making tomales for longer then I have been alive. Old School's grandmother seasoned the meat using the p
eppers and her secret recipe. When I say secret, I mean no one is allowed in her kitchen when she does it. Dallas's grandmother made the meseca. Meseca is a dough made with corn meal that forms the breading around the meat. At this point let me apologise. Again, I have no expereince with authentic mexican food. I am trying to explain this process despite my ignorance of the topic. So if anyone of hispanic discent reads this post, please forgive me. I am doing the best I can.
y on the grandmothers of Old School and Dallas. These ladies have been making tomales for longer then I have been alive. Old School's grandmother seasoned the meat using the p
eppers and her secret recipe. When I say secret, I mean no one is allowed in her kitchen when she does it. Dallas's grandmother made the meseca. Meseca is a dough made with corn meal that forms the breading around the meat. At this point let me apologise. Again, I have no expereince with authentic mexican food. I am trying to explain this process despite my ignorance of the topic. So if anyone of hispanic discent reads this post, please forgive me. I am doing the best I can.When
making tomales, you also have to get and prepare corn husks. Once the corn husks have been washed and seperated, you spread the meseca onto the corn husks. Again, my ignornace will show. When you spread the meseca you have to totally cover the bottom two thirds of the husks. When spread, the meseca must not be too thin or too thick. Lets just say it is an art. I watched women spread meseca over the husk with a spoon in seconds. This is not a skill I was able to acquire. While I have never made tomales, I have spent years either putting up drywall and mudding the walls or fixing holes in walls. Meseca is about the same consistancy as drywall mud. So I got a plastic puddy knife (I used a new one) and made like I was working on walls. To my surprise, it worked really well. As it turns out, it works better if you break the handle off. By the end of the fundraiser, broken puddy knives out numbered spoons two to one.
making tomales, you also have to get and prepare corn husks. Once the corn husks have been washed and seperated, you spread the meseca onto the corn husks. Again, my ignornace will show. When you spread the meseca you have to totally cover the bottom two thirds of the husks. When spread, the meseca must not be too thin or too thick. Lets just say it is an art. I watched women spread meseca over the husk with a spoon in seconds. This is not a skill I was able to acquire. While I have never made tomales, I have spent years either putting up drywall and mudding the walls or fixing holes in walls. Meseca is about the same consistancy as drywall mud. So I got a plastic puddy knife (I used a new one) and made like I was working on walls. To my surprise, it worked really well. As it turns out, it works better if you break the handle off. By the end of the fundraiser, broken puddy knives out numbered spoons two to one.
Finally, you add the meat, fold the tomales, steam them in huge pots, and you have tomales. I finally tasted my first tomale. It was good. We sold over 6,000 tomales. This was by far our largest and most successful fundraiser to date.
This fundraiser also reminded me of the good in people. This is strange to say, I know. This fundraiser was so big that to pull it off we needed the help of people beyond the families of our players. Not only did extended family members help out, but friends of families and their families donated hours to make this fundraiser possible. People with no kids on the team, took off time from work to make our success possible. Simply put, without their generosity, we would have not succeeded. But succeed we did. We made over three thousand dollars in profit on this fundraiser. In so doing, we took our first big step in raising the money we need for the trip to Florida.
Thank you to all the people donated their time and effort. The following is a list of some of those people: Susan Runkel, Barb Smith, Santos and Jody Guerrero, Neal and Rae Schilling, Francisco Granados, Marisol Vasquez, Juan, Edna, and Clarissa Vaquez, Pat Nolan, Billie Sue, Caleb, and Marjorie Mae Jones, Kay Renelds, Kathy Homola, Jennifer Conklin, Marty Skidmore, Judy Chadwick, Tom and Pam Stermer, Estella Carrizales, Trisha Somerville, and Monica Wilson. Again to all who helped us, thank you.
Several businesses also helped the team with donations of money and the ingredients needed to make the tomales. It takes allot of stuff to make over 6,000 tomales. The donations from these businesses kept the costs of this fundraiser low. We would like to thank the following businesses:
The Acapulco Restaurant in Paw Paw, Supermercado Guanajuato in Wyoming, Bailey Terra Nova Farms in Schoolcraft, and Simply Meats in Schoolcraft.
That was the Great Tomale Sale of 2010. I had my first tomale ever. And after serving 6,ooo tomales to people, if I never see another tomale, it will not be too soon. The parents have formed a support group: the Chingalinga Tomaledoras (damn tomale makers). We are closer as a team. We raised approximately $3,000.00.
Please checkout out list of upcoming fundraisers. If you would like to send a donation to the team please send it to: AYSO Region 250, 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan 49079. Please make check payable to AYSO Region 250. Also, indicate on the check the U-10 team so your donation goes to the correct account.
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