If I didn't have bad luck . . . .

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.

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 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!