Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bad Boy]

Pulse #1



Welcome to da first edition of the Dragon News :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Sit back with your favorite brew and enjoy


Vol #1 Post #1



PDL NEWS:

All quiet on da western front for the time being. This means one or two things; Peep's are now used to it and so tired of bitching about it that they have finally given up.  This prob includes lots of CP's that D is aware of.  Still hear a grumble here and there, but overall it has all quieted down.  The other side of da coin is that several of the posters on this site (D knows who you are), are now on a PDL team so of course they have no more reason to complain :lol:



LATEST HEADLINES:


"Elite league"

The new "Elite League" is sweepin the nation!  Lots of young hopeful boys may be joinin' one of these teams in the coming months!  "jingle jingle" go the pockets of the big clubs! :lol:   Beware though, like Squash points out; No southern Cali, no way!  Until the big dogs jump on board you might want to be a little leary.


"Curse at RiverRoad"?

At two seperate tournaments little superstars break their arm! :cry:  Who knows how long they will be out.  Not too bad of news if they play here in Washington, but for those going out of town in the next few weeks it could spell trouble.  A lot of states have laws banning a player from playing with a cast on! :oops:
Get well soon little ones! :mrgreen:


"Guest Players Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

GP's, GP's, they are everywhere this summer!  And to top it all off us Cp's love to complain about them!  Dragon has barely seen one team play a tournament this year without one, but it hasn't changed from years past....get over it people (and coach's).  Some parents have even had to "sneak" their kid into a guest play spot for fear of getting in trouble with their kids coach.  Have no fear D says, if your coach is confident in their "product" they will let you guest play as much as you want! :mrgreen:



TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH


"Recent Tournament"

PAST
Diadora was just finished this past weekend with the Gals from Eastside taken' it all for the 94's 2-0 over a much improved ECFC squad.  Great job to the Gumby-Gals! :mrgreen:

PRESENT
Currently; the newly dubbed "Benson girls" (thanks doggy) are tearing it up over in the land of Hops and Hairy armpits.  We are all looking forward to Dogedog's daily updates on the gals far from home.  Make sure to post some pix's if that "one eyed fellow" is over there! :mrgreen:

FUTURE
First off, no disrespect to Local tournaments, but D has to say; "Yaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn".  Where are all the "top" teams at?  What happened to the good ol' days of even a couple of years ago when at least a smattering of "top" teams appeared at these tournaments??
On the menu for this weekend are:
NARROW'S CUP (who's going there)?
KENT CORNICOPIA CUP (Sorry, but is there any "A" teams going)?
NET BUSTER (Think this is sponsored by Legacy, but no one is going)
SPOKANE CUP (Too far away to care about).
Meanwhile, at least for the 94's you have some good competition in Oregon at the Beaverton Cup.  Both Timbers Red (the US Club Champions) and the LOC's (Lord's of Cowtown) will more then likely face off in the final, making an otherwise boring tournament a good one for the Duck-loving crowd
Far far away, you have the one tournament that is Really worth going to; "The Slammers" tournament in Southern California.  Where not only Big Red is going to play in the highest bracket, but also the Giant Killers!  Hope to get updates on this one fo sho!



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

Look who's back in town!!! (those who have been missed)

Look, RamaBama is alive . . . I've sent a PM or two, but I've not been posting (under any RB or any other login). No coach (or anybody associated with a club) ever asked me to stop posting.

Yes, the man from 7-11 himself!!!  Glad to see you post again big fella :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


and this fella from the past!!!

Semi-Retired....people for the most part, are getting along!

Glad ta see ya post again you peace-keeper you! :mrgreen:


Look who has left town!!!! (and were fogotten)?  :shock:

Dragon gone for almost 36 hours without a post and not one PM or post about where he gone :lol:
No biggy, was just in the old country fo a day and came back on da redeye last night


And those who we wish stayed (gone that is)   :lol:

I did not even see this until now.  You can be an ASS! Did you know that? :x

JK sexy mamma


OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:


ODP Congrats!!!:

A big round of applause due ta these young superstar 94 players who made it to da regional teams;

Boys:

Mikhail Doholis - From the 93 Timbers Red

Girls:

Isabel Farrell - From the 93 Crossfire S.

Laura Moore - From the 92 FW Reign Purple



Dragon imposter?!?!:


Just got word taday that one of you CP's are posting as "Dragon" on an out-o-state forum down south!  PLEASE do not use my name or avatar if you wanna post other places for two good reasons:
#1  That gonna Tick off D and if he find out who (think already know), then Dragon gonna POOF you! :x
#2  Don't want no "Banjo playin hillbillys" ta come after Dragon if he ever visit dixie :lol:




Hope ya enjoyed it, will try and come out with a new "Dragon News" every week :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Will need ya'll's help of course.  If you have anything that would fit nicely into the news section let D know in a PM :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


Let Dragon hear if you like this or not!  Takes a lot of time and not gonna do it, if no one likey :lol:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #2



Dragon's Newletter!  Vol #1  No. #2



LATEST HEADLINES:


"Benson soccer gals"

Both the U13 and U14's are kickin' some major butt over in Europe! Showing the rest of the world why the U.S. is a leader in woman's soccer.  With the Dana Cup in the bag for both our teams (U13/U14) they now have their sites set on winning the Gothia Cup.  We are all rooting you on over here in Washington, and hope you continue to have a great time and enjoy this experience! :mrgreen:



"2007 US Youth Soccer National Championships"

In one week from now the USYSNC's start down in Frisco, Texas! The actual dates are 24-29 July.  It comprises the winners for boys and girls from each regional championship starting at the U14 age group.  Only one problem this year...no Washington teams :cry:   Come on Washington, let's continue to get stronger and show the rest of the nation that we are one of the top states for youth soccer!  Dragon predict's we will have some teams in it next year fo sho! :mrgreen:



"Das Uberteam!"

WPFC Black '95s...Wow, what else can be said about this little team of superstars?  3 tournaments in a row now and they are undefeated champions in all three.  Including the Rainier Challenge, Starfire (as a play up), and just last weekend in Beavertown!  Their stats are an incredible 65 goals for!  And 0 goals against!  Goes to show both the offense and the defense are working as one unit.  That is truely an outstanding job for these young ladies considering a lot of them came from other teams last year.  Coach Robi must be very proud of her team and the way she has gelled them together so quickly.  Greg Ion and several of the coach's have taken notice and can be seen on the sidelines watching several of this teams games...it seems everyone down at river road is in love with "Das Uberteam"... Come to think of it, the boys team Pirahnnas/WPFC Black have their own t-shirts the parents wear.  Dragon thinks the Girls 95 team need some "Uberteam" t-shirts too (make it happen Greg) :mrgreen:   Good luck to this team the rest of the season and down at the Mustang Stampede!  We will all be rooting for you down there :mrgreen:



"Das Uber-Juniors?!"

Just when you thought you were safe from German slang team names, here come the Eastside Red 96 Dev team!  These tiny tots have been setting some records of their own! :mrgreen:   3 tournaments, 3 Championships!!! First was the Skagit Cup (play up), then the Skagit Firecracker (play up), and recently the Portland Cup at U10!  They have 67 goals for and only 16 against!  And the best part is Every Single Player is U10 or below! Great job to this young developmental team!  We will all be keeping a close eye on these young superstars hence forth dubbed "Das Uber-Jr's"

 
 
TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH



"Recent Tournament News"


PAST

KCC just wrapped up this weekend, with the Gold bracket winners Synergy 94's winning over Harbor 1-0, and thats after previously losin' to them 2-4!  Great job gals!!!  In the other bracket MRFC White win 3-2 in a thriller over the Heat!  Great job to these young ladies as well!  BUT!, that's not all...KCC is one of the few tournaments that actually do MVP awards for players, so Dragon wants to give a special shout out and Heart & Fire award to:
#11 Makenna - Eagles 94 (Makenna played defender this tourny and had a beautiful cross in the last 2 minutes of the Synergy Clark game to tie the game up 1-1. She crossed from right mid field and the ball placed right in front of the forward on the left goal post who chipped it in. She played hardcore defense shutting alot of the strikers down this tourny)
&
#4 Carrie - Synergy 94 (Carrie played forward and put amazing pressure on the defenders. She's a small one and got knocked around that weekend but bounced up and used her great footwork to score some beautiful goals. She's a very persistent and determined player. Should be on the A team in D's opinion).
Great job young superstars!! :mrgreen:


NARROWS CUP  For the 94 age group has 94 white winning it over NT Flash...forgive Dragon, but who is "94 white"?  Great job whoever you are young ones! :mrgreen:


NETBUSTER No word on who won this one yet?  Anyone care to fill us in? :oops:


SPOKANE CUP Teams were listed as being apart of a U13/14 bracket.  The teams involved were RC Strikers, Rockets, Cheney Storm, Scotties, Express Hurricanes, Express Storm....Still have no idea who won?  Anyone know?  Anyone Care?  :cry:  :cry:


PORTLAND CUP No Washington teams involved in the 94 final, but is worthy to note that our friends from Ireland were there.  They lost a close one to San Juan Spirits 0-1.
BUT!  There was a couple Wa teams in da U14 bracket, so let's see what one of our sideline reporters have to say:

What a great matchup for a final between Eastside and Timbers. Both teams completely exhausted from their 4 previous games in the hot weather. Luckily their was some overcast in the morning to help them out. First half got going with both teams playing with everything they had. Each team had 3-4 legitamate scoring chances. Yet neither could find the net. Second half starts and you can see the timbers starting to wear down from a weekend full of playing short handed thanks to injuries. And the same went for Eastside, they definatly didnt have many subs either. Number 2 and 8 for eastside were simply great up front creating numerous chances. Finally with about 15 minutes left number 2 finds the net. Then about five minutes later the outside mid hits a long chip over the keeper to put the dagger in. It was a great game to watch and after talking to both coaches both were pleased with their team and couldn't be happier with the guts and performance of each team. Also on a side note this has to be the best showing of parents sportsman ship I have seen in years. Afterwards the Eastside parents walked up to the Timbers parents and thanked them for making it to the finals because they respected their team so much. And the Timbers parents had the same response to Eastside. This reporter decided to talk to a few parents from each side and both said the same things, that the other parents were just great. What a great showing and great final. These two teams are definatly among the best in the state.

Thanks side line U14 reporter! :mrgreen:


BEAVERTON CUP  The 94 age bracket came down to the Timbers and Nemesis in a battle.  It went to PK's and WPS did a live play by play of the action on the field thanks to the posse'.  Timbers take the victory in PK's 3 shots to 2.  Great job to the Timbergals pulling off the win and regaining the "top of the hill" again from the Nemesis team! :mrgreen:


SCHWANS USA CUP  If Dragon remembers correctly Wa had a couple of boys teams in this one.  Some X-fire and some Snohomish...  Could not find out any info on his own, so Dragon called in one of his "Boys sideline reporters"  and this is what he had to say:

I am here at the Schwan cup in  Blaine Minn. There are 1006 teams from all over the world and 56 fields. Representing the state of Washington are three teams, 2 from Crossfire and 1 from Snohomish. The tournament starts with the intro where all of the teams march into the stadium one after the other. Then they have a couple of fly overs of some biplanes then the first game ball is dropped in to the stadium carried by a parachutist  and then fire works and a concert. The games started today and the u-15 boys xfire team ran into a tough team from Mich
and won 3-2. It was a hard game and very ugly. Both teams travelled into town Mon. and though they lost the Mich. looked very good.
This place is set up for the kids and everthing is within walking distance. It is great for the kids and fun for the parents.

Thank you side line reporter!  Keep those reports coming, we love to hear about them! :mrgreen:  


SLAMMERS CUP  Way down in California some of our very own 94 teams went to do battle this weekend.  NWN Red and NWN Blue aka Big Red and Giant Killers had a great time and played their hearts out against the top 94 teams that SoCal has to offer.  Both came away winnless, but did an excellent job of representing our state against Cali's top teams!!!  Great Job to both teams! :mrgreen:


PRESENT


Don't forget our gals in Europe (see previous article).  Go Benson Gals...Bring home the Gothia cup! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


FUTURE

OLD FOGIES CUP aka VETRANS CUP
LOL, thought I would start off with a shout out to da old timers playing up in Belingham this week (17-22 July).  Good luck ya old farts, play with Heart & bengay :lol:


EVERGREEN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
(this one actually starts on Thursday)
Looks like some good teams comin' up to Evergreenland to play this weekend.  For the 94's we have: BHFC, Chika Lobos, Evergreen White, and Bainbridge Force in Bracket B, and; Skagit Storm Red, Evergreen Green, MRFC Celtic, and Crossfire T. 95 in the A Bracket.  Winners of each braket will face off in the finals!  Looks like the 95 X-fire team is taking a crack at the 94's!  Don't think they will be able to overcome a couple of the teams, but should do really well!  Good luck to all teams! :mrgreen:


KICK IN THE GRASS  Smaller tournament in Tumwater but does offer 3 different playing levels.  Here are some of the 94 teams playing.
Red- Fury 94, SH Revolution, Skagit White, FW Spirit, Yellow Jackets.  Blue- BHFC, Prairie Ice, 3 Rivers, NK Blitz, White Lightning. White- LCV 95, Team Sobe, Willamette Wolverines, Shoreline Blue Angels, Bothell Fury, LH Pumas.  Good luck to all these teams! :mrgreen:


CW REVOLUTION TOURNAMENT  Cannot seem to get the team info on this one.  Someone down here in Cowtown help a brother out :lol:


SAMMAMISH SHOOT OUT  Sadly not a lot of teams (at least in the 94 age bracket) in this one.  We do have Crossfire Pelan, ISC Arsenal Blue and White...but that is about it for now :oops:


LAKE OSWEGO NIKE CUP  Looks like those stinkers from Duckville keep drawing away our talent, this one seems packed with ECFC, Crush, EFC Red, Reign Purple, Pacific Premier, Sun City Strikers, Reign White, Harbor White, and ECFC White.  And that is just the Premier bracket LOL.  The Lower bracket has no Washington teams though.  Should be some good match ups fo sho! :mrgreen:



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

This week Dragon first wants to give a shout out to all da "Newer" posters who have registared on the site, and have at least 1 post:
Swerve
Water
Eurosport90
Speedy
Cyclone
Rockstarjp
Looser
Scottgallagher72
Bob2441
Pepsi
Ritteam
Tgaroutte
Apex8
and a special shout out to
Nowrk4me, who has hit the ground running with a bunch of great posts! :mrgreen:
Welcome aboard the WPS board, glad to have you all!!! :mrgreen:


"Can't win for losin' award"

The winner of course is 94soccermom:lol:
Sorry sis, but even when you start off a post by tryin' not to offend anyone, you still manage to do just that



OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:


"Dear Dragon aka ask the Dragon/he know all"


Here is the first in the Dragon's Q&A department:

Dear Dragon,

Help.

Whenever I’m around any of my CP friends, and we are talking soccer, inevitably someone mentions something they read on this site, and we never know how to properly say its name.  

 I often hear people say the whole darn URL, like “that “Washington Premier Soccer” site is really cool!”  But Jiminy Cricket, that’s seven long syllables – No, not "Jiminy Cricket", that’s only five and is long enough on its own – so seven is even worse – whatever.  I think that's why they try to abbreviate it.  So I often hear people say “I read it on that “whoops” site ?”  How about “whips”?  Or perhaps you spell it out, like “I couldn’t believe what that jerk Dragon said on that “doubleyou pee es” forum?”

So, Mr. Dragon, what is the proper “in the know” pronunciation to be used in casual conversation?

Sincerely,

Confused

Dear Confused,

You have answered your own question unknowingly!  It is pronounced by saying each lettter of the alphabet used in the spellng, ie; W. P. S. (or as you like to say it- "doubleyou pee es"). Thank you so much for your question :mrgreen:

Please send any questions to D during the week.  If Dragon is "overloaded" with questions, he will pick da best one :mrgreen:



"Dragon hit 13K"


Shout out to myself, have made it to 13,000 posts and in D's opinion he is still sane and has all his fingers :lol:  :lol:
Here's to 13K more



"D^%$ that F&^%$*& Dragon, He is a Homer!"


A recent poster (after Nemesis lost to Timbers in PK's) pointed out a few choice words to ol' D:

(to summerize)
#1 You dont support all of the teams, You obvouisly have favorite teams. You make me sad sometimes.

Well Dragon got to thinking on this and you are right!!!!!
First D thought to himself; "hey, I am just a darn parent, I have a right to root for my favorite teams"...BUT, as D has had a couple days to think about it YOU are right and Not Dragon :oops:
Dragon may be "just a crazy parent" like you and the rest are, but the difference is Dragon has made himself out to be "more then that".  Lord Moderator, Dragon Knows All, etc etc....Dragon will do his best not to be biased for one team or another in the future.  If D slips, please feel free to smack me and remind me in a post
As far as team "nick names" go though, see the last article



"How come my team don't have a cool nick name?"

Well to answer some of you CP's question, here ya go.  Dragon's nicknames for teams or coachs just "POP" into his head.  He cannot control when da thoughts will come or go...  Several teams have nicknames, and if you are on a team that don't have one maybe one will pop in his head down the road.  Here are some of da teams that earned a nickname in Dragon's mind.

These teams (in Dragon's mind) will forever be known as the following:

Chika Lobos = Crazy girls
Eagles = Steve Miller gals
WPFC 94 = Johnny Cash girls
WPFC 95 = Das Uberteam
EFC Red = Gumby Gals
Reign Purple = Prince gals
Velocity = V-gals
Crush = Tangerine girls
NWN Red = Big Red
NWN Blue = Giant Killers
ECFC = Dorothy girls
Timbers = The Mighty Timbers
Nemesis = Lords of Cowtown
EFC Dev = Das Uber-Jrs
 

Dragon is sure their is more, feel free to remind me of them!
(D can add them next week)



Well hope ya all enjoyed reading the Dragon news again!

Remember, without you all CP's sending me stuff, there will be nuthin' to write :oops:

Let's hear some feed back or comments on articles in this weeks newletter.  D doesn't spend 3 hours typin' this stuff for his health ya know :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #3



Dragon's Newletter!  Vol #1  No. #3



LATEST HEADLINES:


"Benson soccer gals" Last Report

As the rest of ya know we are very proud of our "Benson Gals" that went over to Europe to kick butt and take names :mrgreen:   Final recap was both age groups makin' it to the Gothia Cup were the 94 team lost a tough one in PK's after going 1-1 in regulation.  The California team was a formidable one, that was like an all star team from California.  The 93 team lost a close call to the Bele Barkalby IF (say that 3 times fast), final score 1-0.  We are all so proud of your accomplishments, and hope you all made it home safe and sound :mrgreen:



"2007 US Youth Soccer National Championships"

Just a reminder that this tournament started taday, and will run through the 29th.  No Washington teams, so who cares right? :lol:
Next year it will be different! :mrgreen:


"A Case of Bad Sportsmanship??"

Dragon almost thought this was a joke when one of his sideline reporters saw it live in person!  But after doing more research, found it reported by more then one person.  Here is the breaking story from our Evergreen Tournament reporter:

I watched the game the other day at Evergreen tournament (U-13).  One team was winning and seemed to have the better of it during the game. The ref seemed to be very fair with calls going both ways. The side line of the team that was behind, was to say the least; Acting childish. The parents were yelling and complaining about  everything!  Not just this reporter, but many people could hear the coach saying to players towards the last minutes of the game; " take some one out, take someone out anybody"! Then he started yelling " xxxxxxx take someone out xxxxxxx,  take some one out " . I take it one girls name or nick name was xxxxxxxx. Unbelivable! The other team was looking around for an attack or something, all could hear it. The Ref then stops the game, walks over to the coach and yellow cards him and talks to him. Such a sad site for this reporter to see all the girls having to stop the game while the ref talked to the coach. It was truely unbelivable what he was yelling out. The game ends and only two players from the losing team go threw line to thank refs, nor did the coaches... they just walked away!  Walking away from the field I heard a girl from the winning team say to her parents. That when she went threw the line one girl from loosing team said to each player " you suck you suck "  when high fiving in line. I was shocked!  It was the worst case of bad sportsmanship I have seen at a soccer game. The parents on the sideline had to have heard it all  how could they let their children play for a coaches like that. Sore losers, bad sports, wow!  So sad what are they teaching young girls nowdays.  Please, never assign me to cover this team again!  After over a decade of watching soccer, this is the first time I was totally shocked at something.

WHOA!  if this is all accurate, it is sad indeed.  Come on folks, it is just a game :oops:




"Das Uberteam Follow Up!"

Just so all of you know, D received more PM's on this post last week then in the last 2 years of posting :lol:

 
 
TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH



"Recent Tournament News"


PAST

SCHWANS USA CUP  

Here was more from our sideline reporter throughout the week:

 

Girls U-13 Sno Fury Gals Cup Flight-1st place, moving on
Only girl's team represting WA...GO FURY!!!

Boys U-13 Crossfire Premier Trophy Flight, 1st place, moving on

Boys U-14 Crossfire Premier and Snohomish United, TBD but doing well.  They are both tied for 1st in their brackets but winning by goal diff.  Both playing Trophy Flight

B-15 Snohomish United-Cup Flight-final game TBD but looks like it will be a scramble for 2nd.  They are tied with the team they're playing tonight.  

So WA is representing well  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:

Thanks you boys and girls reporter.  Here is some more from another source:

Day 3 Snohomish u15, Xfire U15 and Xfire U14 all advance with wins to the playoffs. Of course Sno and Xfire meet in the afternoon to play to see who advances further. Figures, This reporter traveled 2000 miles just to keep from having to play on a un-neutral field.

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:   Too funny, but good point.  And lastly, the final results were posted by our friend the "Hoff"

About 16,000 soccer players, ages 9-19, on 1,006 teams competed in the USA Cup, the largest youth soccer tournament in the country. The players hail from 25 states and 21 countries. Here is a list of the teams  that represented Washington.

Crossfire Premier U13 Boys - Champions
Snohomish United Fury U13 G - Finalists
Snohomish United 14B - Semi finalists
Crossfire Premier 14B - Quarterfinalists
Snohomish United Arsenal 15B - Semifinalsts

Lots of quality soccer played during this week long tournament. Congrats to all the Washington teams that represented.

Yes, we all agree!  Great job Washinton, way to represent you state!!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



OLD FOGIES CUP aka VETRANS CUP
So, who won...I would guess the makers of ben-gay did :lol:  :lol:  :lol:



EVERGREEN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
This one sounded like it had some great matchups in it, no team went undefeated and all the competition was pretty even!  In the GOLD bracket it was Evergreen Ricardo getting revenge over a very good MRFC Celtic team 4-0.  The Gals with irish eyes had beaten the Greener's earlier in the tournament, so the finals must of been great!  In the SILVER bracket, it was the girls from the land of the water fall, Cascade FC winning over Mukilteo Spirit 3-1.  From all accounts, it was a great match as well! :mrgreen:


KICK IN THE GRASS  Sure this was a Smaller tournament, but still had 3 brackets for the U13's, and all the teams had a blast!!  Here are the 94 results:
Red bracket- SH Revoution Champs! (no final game)
Blue bracket- Prairie Ice Champs! (no final game)
White bracket- Bothell Fury Champs! (beating LH Pumas 2-1)

also, D would like to note that Prairie Ice won the KITG GU-13 Blue for the second year in a row! (now part of the Chinook Alliance)  Their sister team took second in the Revolution GU-12/13 bracket.  Looks like the Alliance may have been a good thing for the Praire, Eisenhower, and Batlle Ground Clubs! :mrgreen:

Big round of applause to all the Champs! :mrgreen:



CW REVOLUTION TOURNAMENT

Thanks to our poster, 93soccerdad; we have an inside scoop on the winners for this tournament:

GU-12/13

SC Pilots 95 0 CW Magic 94 8
LV Timberbarons 94 1 CW Magic 94 2

GU-14/15

CS Strikers 93 1 LV Timberbarons 93 0
SSC Patriots 93 1 LV Timberbarons 93 0
Westsound 92 1 CW Strikers 93 1 *
LV Timbersbarons 93 0 CW Liberty 92 4

Thanks 93pappy, you are a welcome addition to our family here! :mrgreen:


SAMMAMISH SHOOT OUT  
This smaller tournament added a couple of extra teams at the end, and even though it was small we had a side line reporter there as well (even though they were not very long winded):

Crossfire Pelan  wins Samamish

Congrats X-Empire gals!!! :mrgreen:



LAKE OSWEGO NIKE CUP  
Sounds like this was a very good tournament with mostly very evenly matched teams.  Sounds like it could of went to any number of teams that participated.  Here are the Champs of each bracket:
PLATINUM- SSFC Crush 94 over Prince gals 1-0
GOLD- Placer Gold (team from cal.) over Sun City Strikers 2-0
SILVER- CFA Red Hots over LOSC Fire 2-1

Great job to all the Champs! :mrgreen:


PRESENT Only thing present is the Nationals Tournament in Tx. and ya know how we feel about that :lol:


FUTURE


NIKE CROSSFIRE CHALLENGE Yes I know that everyone always complains about the home team not showing up, but there is a lot of great competiton in this tournament.  It also has a bunch of our friends from Duckville travelin' up to 60 acres to participate!  Here are the list of 94 teams involved:  Dosveedanya Red, FC Portland (Oregon State Finalists), FC Will. Poss, Spokane Elite P., X-Empire Batgirl, LOSC Dynamite, OR.Sabura, Spokane Elite F.! And in the silver bracket we have:  X-Empire Megson, FC Alliance Gold, Sun City Strikers, Tualatin Hills SC, X-Empire Said, EFC White, 3 Rivers Lightning, and Westsound FC.
WOW, with all these great teams how can anyone complain?
Great luck to you all, play with Heart and Fire fo sho! :mrgreen:


US SOCCER CLUB FINALS:  Lots of good teams from around the country in dis one, but only one is close to our hearts.  The Mighty Timbers Red go to strut their stuff in the land of the Hillbilly's!  Kick some butt Timber gals, we are rooting fo you 110% :mrgreen:


SURF CUP 2007: Sounds like this is a darn good tournament as well, with teams coming from as far as Japan ta play.  Only teams we have in it are X-Empire Batman & Tangerine Gals.  Go out there and make us proud teams, we all rootin' for you back on the home front! :mrgreen:


CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

This week Dragon gonna continue to give shout outs to da newbies that have recently joined and posted at least one post (fogive D if he miss you) :oops:
cw fan
Hudson
wiseacre
soccerup
and a special shout out to
93soccerdad who is off and running on his way to poster stardom!
Welcome aboard the WPS board, glad to have you all!!! :mrgreen:


"Can't win for losin' award"

The winner this week is unknown, but D sure hopes you disappear :lol:   (at least it is not 94mommy)




OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"Is my soccer player gonna lose their brain??"


(from a recent article published elsewhere)


Soccer players show signs of brain shrinkage
Small study suggests sport carries risk of long-term brain injury

College-age soccer players may show some degree of brain-tissue shrinkage, a small study has found — adding to evidence that the sport carries a risk of long-term brain injury.
Using high-resolution MRI brain scans, researchers found evidence of reduced gray matter in the brains of 10 male college soccer players, compared with 10 young men who had never played the sport.
Gray matter refers to the brain tissue that controls thinking and memory. The significance of the relatively smaller gray matter volume and density seen in these players is not yet clear, the researchers say.
However, some past studies have found that professional and even college-age soccer players are more likely to show problems with memory and attention than non-players.
Among players in the current study, reduced gray matter was seen in a part of the brain called the anterior temporal cortex — which is consistent with effects from repeated knocks to the front of the head, John Adams and colleagues at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio report in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.
Like many other sports, soccer carries some risk of concussion, from players colliding with each other or with the ground, for instance. Multiple concussions over time can cause brain damage.
It’s still a matter of debate, though, whether the ordinary knocks involved in “heading” the soccer ball raise the risk of brain injury.
Of the 10 soccer players in the current study, only 2 said they’d suffered a mild concussion in the past, while none reported a history of serious head injury. It’s impossible to tell exactly why the players showed relatively less gray matter than the comparison group.
“I’d be very reluctant to ascribe this purely to heading,” said study co-author Dr. Caleb Adler, an assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
The bottom line, he told Reuters Health, is that while these findings are preliminary, they add to evidence that soccer is “not an entirely benign sport.”
“Any activity is a balance of risk and benefits,” Adler said.
Some youth soccer leagues ban heading before a certain age, he noted. But further safety measures, including head gear that would lessen the impact of any knock to the head, might be warranted, he said.
More research, Adler said, is needed to flesh out the potential long-term brain injury risks associated with soccer.

Hope you enjoyed the article, may not be 100% accurate with such a small study group, but it makes ya go mmm :roll:



HEART ATTACK ON THE PITCH!

Such a scarey thing that happened recently down here in Cowtown, we all have this gal in our hearts and prayers until she is fully recovered!  This young U18 gal did go into a coma but came out of it early Thursday.  Signs at that point were lookin' like she would be OK.  Of course there will be some worry still until they find out what caused the heart attack.  They all know it is a miricle that she is doing so well considering her heart was stopped so long...thank goodness her coaches at the time, knew they had to do CPR and performed it at the field until the ambulance came. All of our wishes truly do go out to this girl!  Dragon has heard from many people that she is a great individual!!!  Get well soon our Super Star! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


"SECRET SCRIMMAGE'S FOR THE X-EMPIRE TEAMS"?  The younger age group Crossfire teams just scrimmaged the Canadian Uber team in preperation for the upcoming Surf tournament.  Luckily we have Sideline reporters permanently located around 60 acres.  Here is their report:

The Batman girls faces the Whitecaps U-13 first.  It was a very even match.  Porter's girls were pushed back in the first five minutes but came back strong.  #6 I believe (Bailey by the roster supplied by Dragon) went down in the box on a hard tackle. Up 1-0 on PK.   They pressured and hit a chip shot from about 25 yards out.  The goalie was playing out a little and she went back but the ball came in right under the crossbar.  1-1   Batgirls scored again in the second half and so did they, making it 2-2.  Their goal was a beautiful header deflection acrocc the box. The match was very even... the Whitcap possesion game vs Xfires run and cross. Bone-Crusher had a shot go just wide at the end of the match!  It was a great shot that almost won the game!

The Batgirl's team went up 1-0 on the U12 Canadian girls on a nice cross and finish in the box.  Whitecaps battled back but did not tie the score until the second half.  Amy's girl's had several great opportunities  including several breakaways.  Just could not finish.  One of the little Cross stars had three good chances on breakaways  first one the defender caught her and pushed her to the outside.  The second one she was free to goal and just touched the ball a little to  hard in front of her.  The keeper came way out to the eighteen to tackle the ball.  It was very close, great responce by the Keeper.  The same player had another chance later but did not convert.  Whitecaps scored a second goal late winning 2-1.
Pat William's team then played the U-13s.  They were up 1-0 at half playing hard.  But they let down in the second half givng up four goals losing 4-1.  
Porters team then played the U-12's  They dominated play winning 4-1.

Thank you side line reporter!  Sounds like some excitin' soccer being played up at the acres! :mrgreen:



"Player Lookin' for a team for Crossfire Challenge and Bigfoot"

If there is a U13 team in need of a guest player for either of these tournaments let Dragon know...trust D, this gal is a winner!" :mrgreen:


"The imposter, the Imp in red, the Texas gas bag, and the Ohio dumb arse"

Dragon had this big long speech to give to all 4 of you "bad apples" in forum land.  It is one thing to talk about NW soccer but another thing all together to bash a team, rather it is a Cowtown team, a Duckville team, a team down by the River, or a team known to many as the Evil Empire....BUT...
Dragon has decided what is best for your types is to ignore you. Talking about you and worryin' over stuff you four (or you one) write is a waste of time, and it is like an arsonist watching the fire they created!  So, Boo to you!  Dragon and hopfully anyone else that uses common sense will know it is best to ignore these types of people...do that and they will drift away!   So, expect no more "Press" from ol' D. You are history in my mind


Well, it has been a gruelling 3 hours for poor ol' D to type all this blah blah blah.

Hope you all enjoy it.  May go to "bi-weekly" in the future and make it bigger, but give Dragon more time to prepare for it :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Let's hear you feedback, as always it is enjoyed


Keep those reports coming in, Dragon love to hear and write them up for you! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #4



Dragon's Newletter!  Vol #1  No. #4



LATEST HEADLINES:


"A Case of Bad Sportsmanship Part II, the Public Apology!"

This is in regards to the article posted in last week's Dragon news #3...

As a member of the Coaching Staff I want to make a formal apology to the Referees, Evergreen Coaches, Parents and most importantly the Evergreen Girls regarding the actions of the Coaches and Parents at the Evergreen Championship Game. Our sideline got caught up in the emotions of the game and made some unacceptable comments that will not be tolerated in the future. This issue has been addressed with all involved and discussed with the girls as well. All involved regret their actions and understand they were wrong.

I personally have had communications with an individual from the Evergreen Team prior to Dragons Newsletter and asked that our apologies and congratulations be passed onto the Coaches, Parents and Players.

"Your girls had some nice "Header" finishes yesterday which were awesome to see. The game was a little frustrating to watch from our sideline but the Team that performed the best yesterday won. I did not realize all of the comments made from our sideline yesterday but witnessed what transpired at the awards which had me asking questions. I personally want to apologize for the comments as this is not what we represent and it will be addressed by me and the Coaching Staff. Please pass my apologies on to your Coaches, Parents and most importantly the Players as well as congratulations on a well played game!"

I would like to clarify a couple issues. No girl attempted in anyway to hurt an opposing player. Secondly, the yellow card had nothing to do with the alleged comments. I personally received the card and made no such comments. I was defending one of my players on a specific call. All Coaches and Players congratulated the other Team. The one players comment has been addressed. The comments at the Awards Presentation was not started by our Team but they were replied too and this also is unacceptable and has been addressed.

Hopefully all involved understand that mistakes can be made and that we have learned from ours. This is not the norm from our Team and has not been an issue we have had to address before.  Our girls have shown a lot of class in the effort they show on the field and we will learn from them and reflect the same from the sidelines.

Thanks for that coach, it always takes a big person to admit when they made a mistake! :mrgreen:




"Surf Cup and Washington teams!"

The results fo the Washington teams were so great this year that Dragon would feel guilty not making those teams headliners!  In a tournament regarded as one of the best in the country, Washington struted their stuff.  It will not be long before we have many more champions.  Since most of you are girls parents at the younger ages, Dragon has focused on them, but the boys will get a shout out as well

GIRLS U12

Crossfire Premier Thomas struted their stuff this past weekend, they finished 1-1-1 in bracket play with a 3-2 win over DMCV Sharks of So Cal, a tie 0-0 with Mustang Fury and a loss to CRSC Infinity 0-1.  They made it to the Qtr-Finals and beat MVLA Lightning in PK's, and got all the way to the Semi's before losing to the eventual finalist's West Coast FC 4-1.  Great job Crossfire 95, way to go! :mrgreen:

GIRLS U13

We had two great teams in this age group.  Crossfire Porter only finished 1-2, but that one win was a doozy!  The newly formed Breakaway, who from what Dragon has heard has some of the best players in Socal were totally shot down by Crossfire in a win 2-1, great job gals! :mrgreen:
and we had;
FC Crush Academy did a great job at shocking the once unstoppable California teams.  They finished 2-0-1 in bracket play with a Tie 1-1 against the So Cal Blues (the tournament Champions), a win 2-1 over CV Chilipeppers, and a 3-2 win over Albertson Fury of NY.  They made it to the Qtr-Finals before a 0-1 loss to Kaoi Rampage of HI. Great job Crush 94, way to go! :mrgreen:

GIRLS U14

We were fortunate to have 2 teams for us at this age group!  ECFC 93 who wound up going 0-2-1 in bracket play.  With the 1-1 tie coming against CRSC Infinity.  Did not get out bracket, but a tie is something to build on! :mrgreen:
Then we had Crossfire Premier 93 going 3-0 in bracket play.  They had a 3-0 win over Notts Forest Red, 5-0 win over SC Sporting, and a 2-1 win over FC Barcelona.  They made it to the Qtr-Finals were they had a 0-0 tie, but lost in PK's to San Juan Spirit (the tournament champions)  Great job Crossfire 93, way to go! :mrgreen:

BOYS U15

Know this is not a girls team and not U11-U14, but have to say GREAT AWESOME SUPER JOB WASHINGTON PREMIER FC for becoming the boys U15 Surf Cup Champions!!! Way to go! :mrgreen:



"Debate in Cowtown over Playing with Boys"

This was submitted by one of Dragon's friends from an interesting article put out down in cowtown:

Here is a pretty good debate in cow town and now involves the state.  It sure would be interesting to see a poll on how people feel about this situation.  It should also be mentioned that this team is planning on playing district 5 soccer this year in a U15/U16 combined bracket.  


Vancouver soccer player Megan Alger, 12, and her parents thought they were making the right decision when Megan gave up her spot on an Oregon premier-level team to play for a local squad.

No more 35-mile round-trip commutes to Gresham for practices, scrimmages and games.

More important, Megan felt this new team, made up of 14-year-olds, would be a challenge.

But now she's not playing at all.

Even though she won a spot as a midfielder on the Blitz and has support from the Evergreen Soccer Club as well as Blitz players and parents, the Columbia Youth Soccer Federation (CYSF) ruled she cannot play for the Blitz because it's a U-15 boys team.

The decision by CYSF, which governs soccer clubs in Southwest Washington, has been backed by the Washington State Youth Soccer Association.

Megan and her parents, Rayann and Tracy Alger, see this as sexism.

The WSYSA's rules, which the Algers consulted, don't forbid girls from playing on boys teams or playing above their age group.

Besides, Rayann Alger said Monday, the Evergreen Soccer Club doesn't have an equivalent advanced-level team for girls.

Megan initially tried out for a select team of boys her own age but was judged good enough for the Blitz, Rayann said.

Officials from the CYSF and WSYSA, however, worry Megan will get hurt if she plays for the Blitz or, at the very least, set a disruptive precedent.

Todd McGann, the WSYSA's executive director, said Tuesday he commended CYSF President Rex Smith for putting his foot down.

The easy decision, McGann said, would have been to let Megan play.

A girl playing with older boys isn't in the best interest of the other players, he said. Even if Blitz members support Megan, what about boys on opposing teams? They shouldn't have to worry about hurting Megan, he said.

"The boys game is rougher than the girls' game," McGann said. "It's a contact sport."

The Algers said they would sign an additional liability waiver, but McGann said the association can't be writing up waivers tailored to specific players.

The Algers also argue that other girls play on boys teams. McGann said co-ed teams are fine when children are younger or playing at the recreation level or are in a town so small there aren't enough girls to field an 11-player team.

"That's not the case here," McGann said.

Rayann admitted that she and her husband were dubious when Megan came to them this spring with the idea.

Megan knew about the Blitz because her Gresham team, EastSide United, used to scrimmage them. Megan, who dreams of playing for Boise State University, also knew about the Blitz from watching their games on weekends when she wasn't playing in her own matches.

Rayann said she and Tracy consulted friends, family and Evergreen Soccer Club officials before letting Megan try out. The threat of injury wasn't a big concern, no more than any time Megan plays.

"I trust her ability and instincts on the field," Rayann said.

Megan, who said her worst injury in eight years of soccer was broken ribs, said girls play dirtier than boys.

Mike Wooten, whose son, Brady, plays on the Blitz, said bumping and jostling are part of the game and will make Megan a stronger player.

"These boys have accepted her," Wooten said.

McGann, the state's executive director, said he has heard rumors that Megan isn't good enough to be playing on a boys select team.

Richard Holroyd, Megan's former premier-level coach, disagrees. He has watched Megan play indoor and outdoor soccer over the past three years.

Even playing with girls, Megan's almost always the smallest player on the field, he wrote in an e-mail message.

"Is she as strong as the boys? The answer is 'No,' " he wrote.

But she holds her own against boys in scrimmages he's watched. She makes good passes and regularly strips the ball from opponents, Holroyd wrote.

Megan, who runs at least three miles daily, doesn't eat junk food and still works out with the Blitz members, said she's committed to the team whether she plays or not. Other area advanced-level girls rosters were set in March. With league play starting in the fall, she's hoping officials will change their minds.

Last weekend, the Blitz finished second in a tournament in Camas.

Megan stood on the sidelines, cheering.

The Friday before the tournament, she sent an e-mail message to the players. She said she was disappointed and angry that she couldn't play but vowed to keep pressing the issue with league officials.

"I didn't know this was going to be such a big deal," she wrote. "I just wanted to be a better player."

Did you know?

Approximately 125,000 children play club soccer under the supervision of the Washington State Youth Soccer Association (WSYSA).

Kids can be on a recreational team, which accepts everybody, or a select- or premier-level team, which requires a tryout.

The WSYSA defines a girls team as one consisting of all females; all other teams are considered a boys team for competition purposes.
 

Thanks for sharing that great article with us :mrgreen:



TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH



"Recent Tournament News"


PAST

Surf Cup

See article in headline area  


Crossfire Challenge!

Lots of good recaps in the recap area on this one, so thought we would highlight the winners of each bracket (for girls U11-U13).

Girls U11~
Carlsbad Lightning wins 2-0 over Crossfire K.

Girls U12~
(Gold)
EFC Red wins 1-0 over FCV Courage
(Silver)
FC Alliance Gold wins 2-1 over Spokane Shadow

Girls U13~
(Gold)
Dosveedanya Red wins 2-0 over FC Portland Marine
(Silver)
3 Rivers Lightning wins 1-0 over Sun City Strikers

Congrats to all the Champions!  It was a fantastic tournament as always out at 60 acres! :mrgreen:


US Club National Championships

This one had only one team Dragon was focused on and that was the Mighty Timbers Red 94!  The Timbers got the job done in D's mind, with a 2-0-1 record in bracket play.  They had a 2-1 win over Glendora FC from Cali., a 0-0 tie with the Pittsburg Strikers Fire, and a 2-1 win over the Freehold Lady Strikers from NJ.   They did awesome!  Only part that was Crappy in Dragon's mind is they did not make it out of bracket to the finals!  What kind of tournament has only 1 bracket and you don't even get to play against every team?  Well, you are undefeated champs in our minds Timbers! Way to go!! :mrgreen:


FUTURE

This weekend should be a ton of fun with these great tournaments coming your way from 3-5 August!

Strawberry Classic

Federal Way Blast Off

River City Cup

Lakewood 5 A-Side

Look forward to all the recaps, or "Side Line Reporters", filling us in on all the action! :mrgreen:


CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

This week have a few more new posters, and as always, we give a shout out to the new ones that have already posted:

Ucan'thandlethetruth ~ Love your avatar
The Irish Guy ~ Like your avatar too
Cmorefiftyfore ~ welcome, work on an avatar

Welcome aboard the WPS board, glad to have you all!!! :mrgreen:


"The Weekly, Can't win for losin' award"

This weeks winner goes out to "lucifer" from the Cali forums.  Canada may not have started any wars in the last 100 years, but you sure layed a "bomb" this past weekend against Japan :lol:  :lol:




OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:


*starting off with a brand new section of the news letter!  Tell us how you like it!*

"COACHS CORNER!"

Hey everyone, glad to be doing this article for the newsletter every week.  If you have a subject you would like me to cover, please send your ideas to Dragon c/o "the coach".  This weeks topic is:

Guest players.

Well I have read a lot of comments lately on peoples thoughts of guest players. There seems to be a lot of sides to this argument, and since this is “Coaches Corner” I will try to talk about the coaches side of this. The things coaches have to think about include: The type of tournament they are attending, which of their own player will be missing (how many are on the roster), recruiting for the future, the clubs growth. whether to use a player from inside or outside of the club, and how much playing time a guest player should have. So to start off:

Type of tournament they are attending: This is very important. If your team is going to a local tournament then sticking with your normal roster should be fine. However, if you are attending a tournament which is considered a “showcase” such as Boise, Mustang, Surf cup, or any other number of college showcase tournaments then you most likely want to max out your roster and fill it with as much talent as possible. These tournaments are not about playing time rather they are about showing well for the club and the players.  In boise I would estimate 75% of the teams most likely had at least 1 guest player. The number is probably even greater for teams traveling to mustang or surf cup.

Which of their own players will be missing: This also has to do with roster size. If you are going to a tournament where it will be extremely hot during the summer of course you don’t want to be stuck with 1 or 2 subs. Also during summer there are many family vacations which leaves rosters thin. This is the most common reason to use guest players. Pretty self explanatory if your short players you  bring extra players.

Recruiting for the future: This can be a sensitive subject. When someone sees the word “recruiting” they start to think of all the negative thoughts that come with it. This does not mean you bring a player in and try to do what you can to get them to leave their team and join yours this year. What this means is you bring players in to see your program and also see your style of coaching and how your team plays together. Then AFTER the year is over you can go back to that player and invite them out to your tryouts. If they want to come then great, if not then at least they get a chance to see what you and your club were about. This is not a negative thing this is how recruiting should be done, after the season is over.

Club growth: This goes hand and hand with recruiting for the future. However this has to do more with the image of the club itself not just the coach. By bringing players in they get a chance to also see what the club is about and what they offer their players.

Whether to use players inside or outside of the club: obviously this depends on if your club is big enough and has enough options to use players from inside. This works best when your club uses a squad system.  I have found most coaches that are not part of a squad system first look outside the club even if they have a B team in place. Yet when a squad system is in place they use from inside the club as they should. Even when you have a squad though it is important to use players from outside from time to time though for recruiting purposes. If you ask me the percentage should be 75% guest players from inside the club and 25% from outside the club.

Playing time for guest players: Remember even though your worried about your DD’s playing time the guest player was ASKED by the coach to come play with you. So why would a coach as a player to come play then sit them on a bench. My philosophy has always been if I use a guest player then they will play. That’s that. Usually I wont have them start unless we are truly that short at a certain position and they happen to fill it, but they will play at least 50% of the game.

Remember parents guest playing should be a great experience, and also don’t be delusional it is also a recruiting tool. Be grateful if your DD gets a chance to guest play for another team and my advice is to take it. And remember a good coach isn’t going to try to recruit her mid year, however they do want her to understand what it means to play for them and don’t be surprised if you receive a call after the year is over. When you do receive that call just remember “hey the coach did things right”.  Thank you all for taking the time to read over this coaches corner. If you have any questions about my thoughts or feel I didn’t cover a part of this topic well please feel free to post your questions or pm dragon and he will contact me with the concerns. I obviously can’t cover everything.  Also if you have any thoughts or idea’s for future topics please pm dragon and he will let me know and I will do my best to give you a coaches opinion. Thank you all for reading and hopefully you enjoy these.

Thanks Coach, we look forward to your articles every week! :mrgreen:




CANADIANS!!  MORE PROOF THEY ARE CRAZY LOL

This is from an article submitted to the newletter that comes from Canada, enjoy:


It's Sunday afternoon and a semifinal soccer match is dissolving into
screaming and shoving. A referee is accosted, a supporter punched, a police
officer – who tries to intervene – scratched. Arrests are made and an
embarrassed team is withdrawn from the tournament.

Think we're talking about World Cup play? Not even close. These histrionics
took place at an "under-8" match for boys in Pickering on the weekend. The
referee? A 14-year-old girl.

Now, an irate soccer mom who disagreed with the girl's officiating faces
assault charges. Her husband is also charged.

"Incidents like this are very rare and sometime parents get heated or
passionate about the game," said Shelly Augustin of the Pickering Soccer
Club. "It's an incident and it's unfortunate that it happened but we had
people on hand who were able to handle it quickly."

The outburst came during the dying moments of a semifinal match of the kids'
tournament, in Diana, Princess of Wales Park near Kingston Rd. and Brock
Rd., police said.

A team from Hillcrest had battled a team from Wexford, and were moments away
from winning the game when the mother of a Hillcrest player took exception
to a call by the teenaged ref.

When the referee's father tried to intervene to protect her, the woman
allegedly punched him in the face, yelling at both of them.

That's when off-duty Durham Region police Det. Tom Dingwall, who was
watching a game on an opposite field, overheard the commotion and decided to
investigate.

"I was ... there watching a game and identified myself and arrested the
female for assault," said Dingwall. "She began resisting, pulling away and
digging her nails into my hand and her husband ... became involved and began
pulling me away from his wife ..."

Both the woman and man were arrested, but worse was the message sent to the
kids, Dingwall said.

"This type of behaviour won't be tolerated at the professional level, the
rep level or the house-league level," he said. "We have to send a clear
message to the kids to respect the referees and that message starts with the
parents."

Though they won the game 3-1, the Hillcrest coach decided to withdraw the
team from the tourney.

The kids were presented with participation trophies anyway. "Just because of
a parent's frustration shouldn't mean the kids should be penalized," said
Augustin.

The referee, Van Viet, went on to officiate the finals.

The Ontario Soccer Association will review the case to see if any
disciplinary action will be taken against the parents – such as banning them
from future games – and to see if there is any way the incident could have
been prevented.

Sandra Gutierrez, 39, and Sergio Vazquez-Lopez, 41, both face charges of
assaulting an officer and assault while resisting arrest.

Gutierrez also faces an additional assault charge.


Thanks for sending us that article "Side Line Reporter Canada" :mrgreen:

And to close things out, here is a new section that hopfully you all enjoy called:


THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?

Sideline Sleuth writes:

"When we are talking about our premier clubs promoting the best of all standards for their players, on the field, in the classroom and within our society--shouldn't us as adults pick board members with the utmost care in regards to their standing within the soccer community, morale integrity and ability to stand as a role model for each of these individual players.  Recent elections didn't necessarily go down that road and some clubs may have to check their results"


Well another week down the drain, hope you enjoyed this weeks newsletter.  Submissions for the newsletter can be sent at anytime, and will except them until noon on Mondays!

Let's hear you feedback, as always it is enjoyed  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #5



Dragon's Newletter!  Vol #1  No. #5



LATEST HEADLINES:


"Standings Plus going bye bye"

If you go to the Standings Plus home page this is the message that will great you:

"Standings Plus will be going "off the air" the end of August. July 15th marked the 3rd anniversary since my husband Rob's death and I've decided to move on with my endeavors. Good luck to everyone in the upcoming season"

Well it has seemed like SP has been around forever for us younger parents.  Us 94's started mostly over there on Beth's forum.  It was always a fun place to go and learn about this new sport for most of our daughters at the time; "Select soccer".  As most of you know Dragon left there to come over to WPS after a few months just to have greater range of posting ability and PM's and avatars, etc.  But that don't mean there was any true ill will against SP or any other forum.  We will miss the easy to read standings and state cups brackets.  We here at WPS wish Beth (and Cliff) all the best in the future, and a sincere thank you for all you have done in the past! :mrgreen:



"Surf Cup, the "Older" teams!"

The older teams played this weekend, sad to say none from Washington pulled out a championship... Still a great showing for all our older teams, way to go guys and gals! :mrgreen:



"Long Beach Sun & Surf invite tournament"

A few Washington teams went down ta Long Beach this last weekend to strut their stuff!  Here is a hat's off to the teams that made it into the Semi's.

Harbor FC Green (U13 Semi Finalist) :mrgreen:

Evergreen Rivera (U13 Finalist) :mrgreen:

MRFC Thunder (U14 Tournament Champions!) :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Great job to ALL teams that participated, but a special Heart & Fire award goes out to Evergreen for bein' finalists, and Thunder for bringing home the gold! :mrgreen:



"PDL turning into the same ol' same ol'?"


As this thread
http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5950 points out, there is a good possibility that some of the "better teams" may be playing up in the upcoming PDL season.  Well, aren't all the PDL A teams "better teams"?  Just thought it was funny that even with a new name and new ideas on how to have the "best play the best", in the long run it appears (at least on the surface) to be headed the same direction as the way it was before.  "The circle of Soccer"...what starts anew ends at the beginning or as some like to say, what goes around comes around :lol:



TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH



"Recent Tournament News"


PAST

Surf Cup Older teams

See article in headline area  

Long Beach Sun & Surf

Also see article above

*Having a hard time with some of the local tournaments and their reporting/posting of scores and results in a timely manner.  Hard to write down ton's of blah blah on each tournament at the last minute.  Will try to do better in the future or just push out the news letter to Wed.  Sorry, will try and do better in the future.  Here are the recent tournaments and their links:*

Strawberry classic- http://www.marysvillesoccer.com/home.php?layout=1043

Federal Way Blastoff- http://www.federalwaysoccer.com/Blast%20Off/2007/07GirlsSchedule.htm

Rivercity Cup-  Could not get this to pull up. :oops:

Lakewood 5 A-side- http://eteamz.active.com/LakewoodSC/index.cfm?subsite=4165721

Also look to our recap thread to read all the great blah blah blah on these games this weekend!

http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5946

Congrats to all the Champions!  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



FUTURE

This weekend should be a ton of fun with these great tournaments coming your way from 10-12 August!

Rimland Cup

Cowlitz Kickoff Classic

Lake Stevens Soccer Bash

Mustang Stampede (in California)



Look forward to all the recaps, or "Side Line Reporters", filling us in on all the action! :mrgreen:


CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

This week have a few more new posters, and as always, we give a shout out to the new ones that have already posted at least one post:

Old Dog ~ Thanks for stepping up and making your first post.  Look forward to many more :mrgreen:

To the rest of you newbies, don't be scared jump in! The waters fine!



"The Weekly, Can't win for losin' award"

Just to show that not every winner of this award is for a bad reason!

Drumroll..........................


SYNGY!  

Great job with bringing up a cool topic for the blah blah blah.  You may not have gotten the answer you were looking for, but lots of great responses :mrgreen:



OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:


"COACHS CORNER!"

Well I am back for another week, and this time someone submitted a great question for the article:

What is generally a coach's view on how many keepers to have on a team that is in the U11 to U14 age group? If there's enough talent at tryouts, is the coach more inclined to 1) Just have one full time keeper which will give that player all the field time and experience with maybe a field player as a potential backup in case of injury, or 2) Eat up a roster spot a field player could occupy by keeping 2 goalies on the roster who share time in order to have quality depth at that position in case of injury? Does the coach feel the development of the keeper will be hindered if they are sharing time in the box, or that a good keeper will get tired of sharing time and leave for another team? Is there a difference between what the coaches prefer and what is best for the team versus what is best for the Goalie herself?

This is actually a some what difficult question to answer. If a coach ever gives you a specific answer such as “I always take two keepers and split time” or “I only take one keeper to keep a roster spot open” then he is not the coach for you. A coach shouldn’t already have his mind made up with decisions like this before tryouts and before he has seen the players available. He should take a look at the talent he has then make a decision on what will be best.

That being said there’s usually 3 situations that may occur when it comes to a keeper. The first is when you have one solid keeper and no one else at tryouts. In this case it’s a simple answer you take the keeper, but it is important to label a back up keeper. Hopefully your club has a good keeper program to train, so that the back up keeper can at least get the basics down.

The second is when you have no keepers show up. My advice is to take two players and let them know they will be sharing keeper time. Once again hopefully you have a good keeper program to help develop the players. The third is when you have two very good keepers. If only every coach had this problem. This is best case scenario because it will help create competition which will help each player develop. Plus if one is injured or leaves you still have a number 1 goalie.

Finally to answer your last question again. The coach needs to be flexible with every new team he takes. Also in all those situations there isn’t really a bad side to the keeper and their development. I personally love having two people fight for the starting spot since that competition creates a great environment. The MOST important thing in a keepers development though is probably the club you choose to play for. The top clubs usually have great keeper programs and have spend a lot of time working with them outside their teams.

Once again thank you for the question, hopefully that answers what you were asking. If you have any more please contact dragon and he will forward the question on to me.

Thanks Coach, we look forward to your articles every week, they are fantastic! :mrgreen:



*And now, another great section added to the news letter*

VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE

After watching a few U11/12 games, I thought of something we might want to share with forum readers -- an important paragraph that was removed from the written LOTG in the 1997 "rewrite" because "everyone knows this" (it can still be found in the USSF ATR 5.5):

Law 5, International Board Decision 8

The Laws of the Game are intended to provide that games should be played with as little interference as possible, and in this view it is the duty of Referees to penalize only deliberate breaches of the Law. Constant whistling for trifling and doubtful breaches produces bad feelings and loss of temper on the part of players and spoils the pleasure of the spectators.

The challenge I see for many spectators who have a participant in the game is making peace with the concept that not every foul in the game needs to be called.  Part of the player's enjoyment is the ability to demonstrate their skills.  This includes working through some contact, recovering from a strong charge, a trip, a push, and yet somehow managing to keep the ball or make a great pass!  As a spectator, learn to appreciate this demonstration of the player's skills.

Players can be knocked down spectacularly in a fair shoulder to shoulder challenge with relatively light contact, it's just a matter of balance and which foot the chargee happens to have on the ground.  Players can end up in a heap after a collision that is just that -- a collision with no foul.  The player on the ground is not sufficient evidence that a foul has occurred or that play should be stopped.

Law 5 IBD 8 REQUIRES that the referee be flexible and adapt to the needs of each individual game.  While preserving the Spirit of the Game (safety, equality, enjoyment and honesty), the referee calls only what is necessary for control and fairness of that particular game.

How does a referee know what to call and what to let go (trifiling)? They look to the players (not the coach or the parents).  What is the skill level and what are the players accepting?  What do the players faces tell us and sometimes, what are players saying to us?  The referee attempts to interpret the mood of the players and adjust to how they want to play (while still keeping them safe).

Next time you're on the sideline watching your young player in the game, take a deep breath and try to watch their face, look at their mood, admire their strength and how they pick themselves up and run right back into the melee!

Thanks "Ref" for the great article, hope you have many more! :mrgreen:


THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?

Not much to go mmmmmmmmmm about this week, but do have a couple of things that will make you grin!

#1 Take a look at the recent "Play On" that is sitting in your mailbox, their are some great articles written by the players them selfs while attending the Far West Regionals!  Great job little superstars! :mrgreen:

#2 The Sounders woman do a fantastic job at placing 3rd in the whole country!  Now they may be in need of $$ to help continue on...now that is a darn shame.  We have SO MANY out there and on this site that are interested in girls/womans soccer, but most are worried about the here and now for our DD's.  Maybe it is time we thought about their future in the area of professional teams as well.  mmmmmmmmmm, that did make D go mmmmmmmmm :lol:  

Well, there is the 5th issue over and done with.  Time sure flys when your having fun.  Please submit your articles or ideas as early as possible.  Sadly, D is only human and needs all the time his old fingers can get to get this out on time to all of you!

Let's hear you feedback, as always it is enjoyed  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #6







A young WPFC super star strips off her jersey as she puts home the game winning PK during the Semi-Finals!...



Dragon's Newletter!  Vol #1  No. #6



COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:


"Uberteam's big sister win gold at Rimland!"

After being bridesmaids this year for several tournaments; Runner's up at Rainier Challenge and Snohomish, and a forgotten performance at the US Club Regionals, the Johnny Cash gals have finally gotten it done!  Coach Fish has pulled the team together and they fought their way to win their first tournament of the year!  First they beat Celtic 3-0, and then followed that up with a victory over the Steve Miller gals 2-1.  After a tie 0-0 to the suprising Whatcom Rangers team they made it to the semi's to face a hungry Dosveedanya squad.  After a hard fought game it ended in a 0-0 tie.  Going to PK's both squads were determined to make it to the finals.  With the Game winning PK on the line #19 for girls in black stepped up and buried it the corner!  Now it was up to the Goalie #1 to stop the last shot of Dos, which she did!  On to the finals against Big Red! (see their story below).  After an hour long battle with both teams giving it everything they had it was 1-1 late in the game, when out of nowhere a little superstar #9 steps up and blasts the Game Winner in the net for the Johnny Cash gals!!!  WPFC 2 NWN Red 1.  Congrats to the whole team and a special Dragon shout out to the following superstars:

#19 for her game winning PK in the semi's!



#1 for her outstanding play in goal the whole tournament giving up only 2 goals!



#9 for her thrilling game winning goal in the finals!



And of course congrats to the whole darn Defense who were very stingy this weekend!  Its as if a magic fairy blessed the team this weekend! :mrgreen:





"Team spotlight!"



The BIG RED MACHINE was written off by many at the beginning of the year with their loss of 7 players!! Well if recent results are any indicator, you can stop your fretting over everyones favorite Big Red!  After a shakey start, the Russian Stud has got these gals whooped into shape and they are now contenders fo sho!  A great showing in the Slammers cup in California, and a runner up showing at Rimland has shown the soccer world they are back!  Their new goalie has been great in the box and they have players stepping up to the plate like never before!  Great job to the whole team! :mrgreen:





"Are they Oranges on Fire?  Or just being burned out?"



The Tangerine gals, "once on fire" winning several tournaments in a row, and showing well in the mighty Surf cup, now seem more like they are "burned out"...As written here on WPS, this is there 3rd major tournament in 4 weeks!  And according to their website they have almost played 40 games already!  40 games!  Heck, that is as many as some teams play all year.  So hats off to ya gals, but is there ever a thing as "too much soccer"?  Good luck to yer whole team, hope you have some time off to put those "orange slices" on ice :mrgreen:



"Another STATE CUP?"

US Club soccer (rumored) is planning on holding a state cup sometime here in November!  Also rumored are some big clubs already getting involved!  Anyone have any info on this late breaking story, please PM Dragon with the full details!!! :shock:




TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH



"Recent Tournament News"


PAST

Rimland Cup (see cover story)

Cowlitz Kickoff

Lake Stevens bash  

Look to our recap thread to read all the great blah blah blah on these games this weekend!

Also out of state at the Mustang Stampede:

U12s

Uberteam - This team went 0-2-1 in three games and did very well holding top teams to only 1 goal each!

Evergreen - This team did not fair as well going 0-3, but still played well going against top level competition!

EFC Red - The little team that could got the only victory for the 95's down in California and played well in their other two games going 1-2!


U13s

See comments on Crush in headlines

U14's

In the Premier level the Timbers Red did very well going 1-1-1.  Great job timber gals!

In the gold level Patriots had a hard trip going 0-3 against some of the best teams in California.  
Evergreen Boyes faired a little better pulling off a tie in one of their games to go 0-2-1!

Congrats to all the Washington team that participated! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



FUTURE

This weekend should be a ton of fun with these great tournaments coming your way!

(out of state)
Santa Barbara Summer Cup
http://www.t7sports.com:8080/2005/k121277.htm

(in state)
August 15-17, 2008 Northwest Cup
http://spokanesoccerclub.com


August 16-19, 2007 Snohomish Bigfoot
http://www.snohomishyouthsoccer.org/


August 17-19, 2007 Northwest Cup
http://spokanesoccerclub.com/


August 17 - 19, 2007 HPFC Sea-Tac Cup
http://www.HSAEagles.org/  

 
August 17 - 19, 2007 South Mason Kickoff Tournament
http://www.smysc.org  

 
August 17-19, 2007 Summer Slam
http://www.cvsc.org


August 18-19, 2007 Lake Stevens Little Bash
http://www.LSSC.com


Look forward to all the recaps, or "Side Line Reporters", filling us in on all the action! :mrgreen:




CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

This week have a few more new posters, and as always, we give a shout out to the new ones that have already posted at least one post:

beast from the east 10 ~ Love seeing new young rising stars step up to the plate!:mrgreen:

hotfoot ~ Thanks for coming on board, look forward to many more posts! :mrgreen:

And of course, D's favorite newbie:

Front yard chickens ~ Love your avatar, hope to read many many posts from you! :mrgreen:

To the rest of you newbies, don't be scared jump in! The waters fine!



"The Weekly, Can't win for losin' award"

And this weeks winner is..............

Drumroll..........................


HUH?

What started out as appearing as a simple "copy and paste" want-ad for added players for Surf cup, turned into a big blah blah blah fest!  Great job Huh? in keeping us all yaking! :mrgreen:




OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:


"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Flat back vs Diamond Back"

   This is something I hear talked about a lot especially at the younger ages. Parents grow up with their kids using the diamond back which uses two outside backs a stopper and sweeper. Generally the coach will put the most athletic, and fast defender as the sweeper. Then they will put the best ball winner as stopper. I will be the first to say I have won many games like this early on in my coaching career. However, as I looked to coach more competitive teams I learned the ONLY way to go is with a flat back.
   First of all it isn’t truly a flat back. If your defenders are ever in a straight line across the back then they are doing it incorrectly. The point of the flat back is not to use one on one marking rather for the defense to be able to move and adjust depending on where the ball is and how much danger is coming at them.
                When the ball is on the left side the left defender should be pressing very aggressively to help push numbers up and stop the attack on the opponents side. While they push up each of the other defender starts to drop in support and close the gaps. Typically if the outside left defender was pushed up then the right  defender would be in support, but all the way over to about the middle of the field leaving the far side wide open. The reason being they are still in position to give support and also in position to cut off a diagonal ball that could be attempted over the top.
   Now if your asking why this is so important when it comes to competitive soccer its pretty easy. By using this sort of non marking defense you allow your defenders (any one of them) to join the attack and add another attacker. This is something EVERY college and professional team uses. A really hard lesson for the defenders to learn is if you are making a run up the side line with the ball when you play it DON’T stop your run. Instead keep going and finish it.
   As you can tell this is a much more difficult way of defending for younger kids. It’s much easier as a coach to say “mark that player and don’t let them get away”. But at u11 or u12 if you have a coach trying to teach the zonal marking of flat back be aware the team WILL struggle for a while with it. But don’t worry your child will be SO much better off for learning this. Not only is it a better type of defense but it will also teach them how to read the game and how to join the attack from anywhere on the field. These are all things kids learn way to late. So next time your team is struggling at u11 because the defense is having a hard time adjusting, go up and shake your coaches hand and thank him for teaching them something that will have them far ahead of other kids at u13 and u14.

Thanks Coach, We enjoy your articles every week!  Thanks for being there for us :mrgreen:



*Sadly there is no "view from behind the whistle this week* :cry:


But now another new section!!!!! :mrgreen:



"SCREAMING MAD!"

WHAT THE F*&^()$???  I HAVE HEARD OF KIDS NOT PLAYING IN THE STATE CUP FINALS OR THE STATE CUP GAMES AT OLDER AGES!  THIS IS EXPECTED TO SOME DEGREE, BUT WTF IS UP WITH A KID WHO IS 10, 11, OR 12 NOT PLAYING 1 DAMN MINUTE OF A GAME DURING A SUMMER TOURNEMENT?!?!?!?!?  THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!  IF THIS HAPPENED TO ME OR MY KID I WOULD STRING THE COACH UP FROM THE HIGHEST TREE....WOMAN DON'T YOU WAIT FOR ME!  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, EVERY KID PLAYS EVERY KID PLAYS DAMNIT!  NEEDLESS TO SAY THE THOUGHT OF A KID RIDING THE BENCH FOR A WHOLE GAME TICKS ME OFF TO NO END AND MAKES ME.....WELL......SCREAMING MAD! :x   (next week I will tackle guest playing)

Uhhhhh... gee thanks SM...that was surely a mouth full :lol:



THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


The former DOC of FCV (Heather Combs) is reported now to be a coach of the CPSC U12 Boys B team...mmmmmmmm  Hope for nothing but the best for her new team...A lesson to all that soccer is a small world and you never know where you will end of playing or working for next :mrgreen:

Well the rumor mill is dried up and D's fingers are aching to say the least  :lol:

See ya'll next week, as always "play with Heart & Fire, play with Heart & Fire always" :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #7



COVER



*santa barbara from space, taken late after noon on sunday*

...It was earlier reported by a CP that the "Eastside Teams were setting fire to the pitch in Santa Barbara"!!  Well after a quick phone call to Dragon's friends at NASA,  it was confirmed!!




Dragon's Newletter!  Vol #1  No. #7



COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:


"Eastside 93's and 94's take Crown from Cali teams in Santa Barbara Summer Cup!"


Eastside Red 94


Eastside Red 93


Well Dragon thinks both 93 and 94's deserve a big hats off for their giant win's this weekend! First a great big WPS round of applause for the 94 team (pictured above).  They started out slow losing to the NC Pride team 0-1.  After that they knew they had to buckle down to get deep in the tournament, and came out with a dominating performance over Real Cali FC, stomping them 4-0!!  This helped them get into the semi's where they faced a determined MDSL Arsenal squad.  The Semi's were played hard by both teams, but the Gumby gals came away with the 2-0 win!  In the finals it was a rematch against the team that had beaten them in the first game. This time the gals were not only playing for gold, but also for pride!  In a great finals it was EFC Red 1 NC Pride 0!  Fantastic job gals, we are all so proud of your great win!!! :mrgreen:
On to the 93's (see picture above).  Their bracket was like a 4 team round robin/bracket of death!  Basically they had to win all games to even have a chance!  First they faced a tough Eclipse team, but the EFC gals never backed down and it wound up a 1-1 tie.  They knew they had to win the rest to have a chance...Next they faced off against Ventura FC and slapped them down 2-0!  Next is was the Clemont Stars Red, and they faced the same unstoppable force; As the Eastside gals handed them a 2-0 loss!  One final game to go and it was Mighty Dagger team they had to face!  Well their was no one stopping this team, and they rolled over them 2-0 for the championship!!! :mrgreen:
Cool thing is, both 93 and 94 teams finished with 7 goals for and only 1 goal against!



"Team spotlight!"


Snohomish United Chika Lobos!


...A few of the Chika Lobo's sniff around for their next opponent to devour after their Championship on Sunday...


The CHIKA LOBOS are a team that we all knew about because of their cool name (that was helped to be picked here on WPS), but that was about it.  The soccer was always good, but was it ever great?  Well no doubts now for sure!  They rolled into the sometimes muddy fields of the Bigfoot this weekend and were licking their chops at the competition!  One after one they devoured each team that came their way.  Showing that they are a team on the rise and a team to be reckoned with this year!  After adding several new players and some extra coaching this year they have been steadily on the prowl to prove they belong playing the top level teams in the state.  With a strong start at RC this year they have been building on teamwork and skills and it paid off this weekend.  Congrats to the BigFoot Champions!  The "Crazy Girls" rock for sure!! :mrgreen:





"New web site to compete with WPS?"

Well that was the question asked by peep's here on WPS when they found out the state is starting a "forum like" site to post scores and other info.  Dragon was a little  :roll:  when he first looked at the site.  Kudo's to "Jake" though for stepping up right away and stopping any thoughts of his project trying to compete with the pulse of Washington soccer.  Hats off to him Dragon says! D Likes what he is trying to do, and likes a person not afraid to step up and speak for themself.  Any thing that helps the kids and parents of soccer in this state is welcome in my mind :mrgreen:




"Another STATE CUP? Part 2"

US Club soccer was rumored to have a state cup coming up??  But after the breaking story written here last week, Dragon has not heard a peep about it!  Is it true, is it false?  Anyone that has info please get it to Dragon for next weeks newsletter :mrgreen:  




TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH



"Recent Tournament News"


PAST

(out of state)
Santa Barbara Summer Cup
**See Cover Story**

(in state)
August 15-17, 2007 Northwest Cup
This tournament was a pretty big deal if no one else knows about it.  It was the largest soccer tournament held at the Plantes Ferry complex since the 2004 FarWest Regionals!  3 fields were added to make a total of 16, and over 150 teams played from Wa, Or, Idaho, Montana, and Canada!  Here are some of the Champions.  There are also silver Champions, you can click on the link to see for your self!
http://www.spokanesoccerclub.com/tournament/nwcup2007/schedules.htm
BOYS:
U10- Shadow
U11- Shadow Navy
U12- Les Bois Mercury
U13- Spokane Elite
U14- Nortac Sparta
U15- Santos FC
U16- Lethbridge Cosmos
U17- LV United
U18/19 RC Seely
GIRLS:
U11- Junior Elite
U12- Les Bois Frank
U13- 3 Rivers Lightning
U14- RC United
U15- RC Fusion
U16- Spokane Falcons
U17/18/19 Yakima Soccer Club

Congrats to all the Champs!!! :mrgreen:  

August 16-19, 2007 Snohomish Bigfoot
**See Headlines**

August 17 - 19, 2007 HPFC Sea-Tac Cup
 
August 17 - 19, 2007 South Mason Kickoff Tournament

August 17-19, 2007 Summer Slam

August 18-19, 2007 Lake Stevens Little Bash


For all the rest look to our RECAP Thread!  
http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6028
If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame


FUTURE

This weekend should be a ton of fun with these great tournaments coming your way!

(in state)

August 23-26
Sky River Tournament
http://www.skyriversoccer.net/frameset.php

August 24-26
Puma Pacific Coast Challenge
http://www.whatcomsoccer.com/

August 24-26
Lighthouse Cup
http://www.norpointsoccer.org/frameset.php

August 24-26
Kohl's US Youth Soccer American Cup
http://www.orchardssoccer.com/frameset.php

August 25-26
Great RootBear Jamboree
http://www.sksoccer.com/frameset.php

(out of state)

August 23-26
2007 Chinook Cup
http://www.chinookcup.org/programs/tournaments/chinookcup/2007/



Look forward to all the recaps, or "Side Line Reporters", filling us in on all the action! :mrgreen:




CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

This week have a few more new posters, and as always, we give a shout out to the new ones that have already posted at least one post:

This week Dragon has a couple to point out!  The first one is a famous one at that:

JakeWSYSA2

Welcome aboard Jake, glad to have you here!  Keep us updated on your new project :mrgreen:

The other one is From the 18s who steps right up and generates some great blah blah blah on boys U15 and up!  Good luck with getting the lurkers posting my friend! :mrgreen:

To the rest of you newbies, don't be scared jump in! The waters fine!


"WPS Paparazzi"

Since the recent BigFoot Tournament was so popular, it turns out that several Big Name Celeb's were there!!!  That is why we had the WPS Paparazzi out getting us pix of the "Rich and Famous" that came to our fair state so watch some great soccer!


First off, here are the Celeb's arriving by hot air balloon!





Here is a picture the National Enquirer would die to get!!!  It is the first pix of Rosie O'Donnel "post op" from her "surgery"!





Rick James showed up, and we were unable to get a picture of him leaving the porta pottie, perhaps it is because he had one of his "woman" standing guard while he #2'd.  Here's is the little minx caught in the act!





A former "TV texas ranger and Kung Fu legend" stares on in disbelief as the 40+ yr old soccer moms gather around a "mark spitz look-a-like".  DAMN!  Should of wore my Axe body spray he thinks to himself!  :lol:  





Not for sure, but think this is Mike Meyers trying to be "hidden".  But our Paparazzi easily picked him out in his "Fat Bastard" disguise!





Not sure who this guy is, just thought it was a cool picture of a guy outside the portapotty.  Seem's he was fond of "the Korean style" of going shee shee!




Thanks so much for those wonderful snapshots Paparazzi! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

 

"The Weekly, Can't win for losin' award"

And this weeks winner is..............

Drumroll..........................


Squash!


Poor lord of the forum changes the name to the most popular section and it's like "crik crik, crik crik"  :lol:   Sorry buddy, we love the forum and all you do, but sometimes we are too focused on being crazy parents... (never said we were a smart bunch)  :lol:  :lol:




OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:


"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Playing Time"

 
This is going to be a little different then past articles. Playing time is always a sensitive subject especially if your child is one of the ones suffering. First of all I am only talking about playing time at the premier level in this article.

First of all there is never a set amount of playing time from club to club. However I find it hard for any premier club to promise 50% playing time. Most seem to do a no playing time guarantee or a 30% playing time guarantee. Personally at the beginning of the year I tell my parents 30% except during state cup and qualifiers. In those situation I will play the players that are performing and have earned their spots. Also how competitive the team seems to make a difference also. If your team is one that will be traveling multiple times to California you will generally see a lower playing time guarantee.

Should you be looking at this playing time guarantee when choosing a team? Of course you should. You need to decide what is best for your child. Just as a general rule of thumb though the better the team the less guarantee you will see. That of course is not black and white, but it is a good rule of thumb.

What should you do if your child is not getting the playing time you want them to? First of all do NOT approach the coach right after the game. That is pointless the coach will be upset and offended you would do it in front of everyone and you are generally upset so you may say something you will regret later. I personally like a 24 hour rule. Wait a day or two then contact the coach and have a calm personal discussion. During this if the coach is doing his job he will let you know why your child isn’t playing as much and also what they need to do to raise their playing time.

Most good coaches will realize if a player is not playing s much as they were told. If for example I told my players I had a 30% playing time guarantee, but maybe the player has been gone  on vacations for the past month. Now is it fair that as the coach I still be held to that 30% when that player has not been there doing their job? Personally I do not think so. In that situation though I would talk to the child before the game and explain their playing time may be lower than that simply due to the fact they have not been there. By doing this before the game you keep the player from getting more frustrated than they would if they didn’t understand. Communication is the MOST important thing when it comes to keeping parents and players happier when it comes to playing time.

Thanks Coach, another awesome article! We enjoy your articles every week!  Keep up the great job! :mrgreen:



"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Over the next few weeks in the Dragon News, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions.  

As with most myths, they develop from a small grain of fact that becomes corrupt or embellished over time.  Many of the myths have been around for many decades and appear to be impossible to kill.

I never cease to be amazed at how some of these myths persist among very experienced players and coaches who should know better.  Unfortunately, some are even found and reinforced by referees who should also know better!

#1 Bad Throw ref!
These myths includes:
- Can’t put spin on the ball
- Player must release the ball when it’s on top of their head.
- Various particularities regarding the position of the hands on the ball.
- Position of the torso relative to the feet.

The Throw-in is designed for a single purpose: to quickly put the ball back into play. As long as a player does not gain a significant level of unfair advantage by a slight breaking of the throw-in mechanics, the referee is encouraged by USSF to allow play to continue and consider the violation trifling (i.e. not important to the game).

In fact, the requirements on how a throw-in should be delivered are rather simple:
At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower:
• faces the field of play
• has part of each foot either on the touch line or on the ground outside the touch line
• uses both hands
• delivers the ball from behind and over his head

At younger ages when the players are learning the game, referees are more likely to call the trifling violations.  But at most levels of Premier play, unless the violation is providing a clear advantage, don’t worry about it!

Encourage your teams and players to win the ball back with their skills, not through “nickel and diming” of technicalities that don’t affect play.

#2 He didn’t ask for 10 yards ref!
All opponents are REQUIRED to be AT LEAST 10 yards in all directions from the location of the free kick – Period.  It’s called a FREE kick because it’s meant to be free of any interference from the opponents.

The team awarded a free kick does not have to request the distance; it is to be given automatically by the defenders!  The defenders who just committed a violation resulting in the Free Kick do not have the right to delay or interfere further.

If the kicking team takes advantage of a quick restart, then opponents won’t be penalized for not being the required 10 yards.  However, those opponents closer than 10 yards are NOT permitted to interfere with the kick or play the ball (unless it’s kicked into them).

Opponents who fail to retreat 10 yards (specially the one standing at the ball to prevent the kick be taken) should be cautioned for Failing to Respect the Distance.  

Furthermore, should you have one of the cranky refs who see this for the cheating that it is, you may find your wall moved back a minimum12 to 15 yards.  If more referees took decisive action to penalize this “gamesmanship”, this myth might be put to bed.

....stayed tuned next week for more

Great job Ref!  This section is fantastic! :mrgreen:


"SCREAMING MAD!" (on guest playing)

WHAT THE F*&^()$???  I THINK THAT IS A GUEST PLAYER ON THAT TEAM, THAT IS WHY THEY WON THAT IS WHY WE LOST THAT IS WHY MY LATTE' WAS COLD. DID LITTLE DARLING NOT GET ASKED TO GUEST PLAY? THE SORE SPOT STARTS SOMEWHERE AND IT IS IN YOUR HEAD YOU WACKY PARENTS.  WHO CARES ABOUT GUEST PLAYERS? IF YOUR TEAM LOSES JUST BECAUSE THE OTHER TEAM HAD ONE OR TWO OF THEM THEN THE END RESULT IS YOUR TEAM SUCKS ANYWAY OR WOULD OF LOST TO THE OTHER TEAM REGARDLESS. IF YOU ARE ASKED TO GUEST PLAY THEN EXPECT TO PLAY, BUT NOT TO START.  IF YOU GUEST PLAY AND DON'T GET TO PLAY THEN SHAME ON YOU FOR BEING A DUMB BUTT, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE SAID YES IN THE FIRST PLACE. IF YOUR DAUGHTER DON'T GET TO PLAY AS MUCH AS A GUEST PLAYER THEN BOO HOO, GO OUT IN THE YARD AND PRACTICE WITH HER AND MAKE HER BETTER.  IF SHE WAS "ALL THAT" MAYBE THE COACH WOULDN'T NEED GUEST PLAYERS.  (next week I will tackle what ever is ticking me off at that moment)

Thanks SM!  You sure are mad about a lot of things, look forward to next weeks rant :lol:



THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


Well everyone debates on what are the "best rankings", etc all the time, well here is a small sample of how D thinks they should be done   Just a taste for now, more to follow soon....


"Dragon 94 Rankings" aka the "This is the way you do rankings, rankings" :lol:

Just so you know, the first Number is D's ranking of the team, the rankings in Blue are Blue Chips rankings (aka BCR), after that the (words in green italic) are what they have did in state cups.



#1 FC CRUSH 94 aka the tangerine gals - (BCR #1) - (U11 State cup semi finalist, lost to Crossfire P., U12 State Champions):
Why? - Well needless to say they are still the state champs (just like Crossfire was at U11) until someone takes them down.  They have only lost one game to Washington teams at their own age this year (that D knows of), and have beaten every U14/U15 team they have played.  Think the Tangerine gals deserve to be at this spot for the time being.  Lots of teams breathing down there necks though.
Highlights - Per their website have played in a lot of tournaments so far, from Regionals to the upcoming Starfire tournament.  Have won all their tournaments in Wa and Or so far except for the first one of the year.  Did way better then expected at the Surf cup playing the very best teams in the country.  Only team from Washington that they have lost to is Crossfire in the Spring, but came back to beat them twice at the Viking cup.
Future - Despite being ranked #1 at the moment, their future does not look too bright.  They start league soon in P1, but it is not the P1 of old.  They will miss out playing the top teams in their own age group, who, in Dragon's mind are better then the teams in P1...(sorry 93's).  Where in the past this may have helped teams, as they get older D thinks this will hurt.  Another year of not playing "like competition" may catch up with the gals from Silverdale.  If the times don't change in the future a lot of CP's may be saying; "hey, remember that Crush team that used to be around"?

#2 EASTSIDE FC RED aka the gumby gals - (BCR #3) - (State finalist at U11 losing to Crossfire in PK's, At U12 played in the Bracket of Death and did not advance):
Why? - If you are asking why?, then you have a screw loose somewhere in your noggin LOL.  This team is by far one of the best if not the best in the state.  The coach has did a fantastic job of keeping her girls together and forming a truely outstanding team this year.  Won't be suprised at all to see these young ladies standing tall at state cup time.  A team that can win any tournament they enter in D's mind!
Highlights - They won the 1st annual bragging rights tournament!  What more do you want?  Seriously though, they won that tournament in dominating fashion, Diadora, and just Won a So Cal soccer tournament, becoming only the 2nd 94 soccer team to do so.  If that is not awesome, then D don't know what is!  Remember, a good portion of their girls also participated in the "Benson gals" in Europe and did an outstanding job as well.   So far, this season has been "one to remember" for the Gumby gals!
Future - Their future this fall is looking great!  They get to play some of the other top 10 teams in the state on a weekly basis!  Hope they will not be put in a "bracket of death" again this year, but even if they are it should not matter.  This girls look to be on a steam-roller to the finals!  Playing in the PDL A, will be a big benefit to them this year.  The PDL is allowing more top teams in the A bracket and they will have great competition each and every weekend.  If this team stays healthy then watch out!  When it comes to speed, first touch, and skill all around; This is the team to watch!

#3 TIMBERS RED 94 aka the mighty timbers - (BCR #5) - (At U11 lost to the Royals in the Elimination rounds, at U12 made it to the finals losing to Crush in PK's):
Why? - To be honest with you Dragon had a hard time not placing this team higher, maybe even #1.  They are rocking and rolling on all cylinders.  What started out at the "super team" at the beginning of U12 by combining the talent of Timbers and FCV, has turned into a solid U13 team; Who was only a PK away from being our 94 state champs last year.
Highlights - This team has highlights a-plenty!  They started off a little slow in the RC and a 4th place finish in the bragging rights tournament, but have picked up steam since then.   They represented the whole state of Wa in the US Club Nationals after dominating play over in Idaho, won the Beaverton Cup, and most recently have steam-rolled through the Or. qualifiers proving them the best team in that league bar none!!  Not one goal given up is fantastic, and each of the players should feel that feather in their hats for sure!
Future - Again, D would have to say it does not look too bad.  They played in Or league last year and look where they wound up!  If the Or. teams can keep up their high level of play, then the Timbers will continue to get better in time for our state cup and come out of the gates smoking hot.  Playing the likes of Ireland will keep them sharp in my mind.  Would not be suprised at all to see them take home some gold in this week Chinook Cup either!

#4 CROSSFIRE PREMIER PORTER aka X-Empire gals - (BCR #2) - (U11 State champions, U12 lost in Elimination round to NWN Blue):
Why? - Well, this may be the biggest "why" you ask in these whole rankings.  Dragon has several reasons, the main one is that these rankings are for "right now".  Crossfire has not did as well as many expected but a lot of it has to do with new players (not in a negative way), but in a way meaning it takes time to adjust.  They started out very strong winning the SF tournament at the beginning of the year, but have not did as well as a lot of us expected the rest of the year so far.  Can that all change?  You betcha!
Highlights - Starting off strong was good, but letting WPFC out point them in SnoHo, and then losing at VC and at the US Club regionals not what we expected from Crossfire.  They made it to Surf Cup but only won 1 game. Losing in their own "1st annual bragging rights tournament" was a lowpoint, and losing a player back to NWN had to hurt as well.  Is it all over for them?  Let's take a look!
Future - Heck NO!  If you are counting out the X-Empire gals then you have lost your mind!  This team is historically a "slow team" in the summer days, but come league time and state cup time they show the true Heart & Fire of champions!  After last year getting knocked out early, I would not want to face this team any where in the state cup except the finals!  And even then, I might just forfeit to keep from playing them.  As the new players gel to the teachings of Batman & Robin you will see a 180 degree turn around as the year moves on.   This team will turn heads during league and state cup, if not, Dragon will get to Drive Bonecrusher's dads car! LOL

#5 WASHINGTON PREMIER FC aka the johnny cash gals - (BCR #6) - (At U11 lost in the state semi-finals to EFC, at U12 failed to make it out of bracket):
Why? - Well how did the RR girls jump up a spot from BC's rankings you might be asking...they deserve it, thats why!  They could have easily just got their 3rd tournament win if the ball bounced more their way.  The new coach (Fish), has this team finally firing on all cylinders!  It reminds D of the U11 Royals and all the hupla that surrounded them.  Last year may have been an off year, and this year the team is making up for lost time.
Highlights - Making it to the finals against a strong Canadian team was a great feat for a team with lots of new players, then to just fall short to the Ireland squad at RC showed us they had what it takes.  Now finally winning some gold again (first time since U11) at the Rimland has proven they are on a path to greatness.  What ever the coach is doing, he deserves a pat on the back.  To take a team basically made up of last years "forgotten" team and turn them into winners is a great darn job!  
Future - PDL A is calling this teams name and they are ready to answer.  Playing against the likes of Cross and EFC weekend and week out will surely sharpen these young ladies skills.  Would not be suprised at all to see these gals really make a stand at state cup time.  Their goal is to have everyone say; "uber-who"? LOL  Well Dragon thinks the 94 squad has a great shot at doing just that as long as they listen to old "aqua boy".

#6?? stay tuned :twisted:


"Subscribers be heard!"

Want to ask a favor of all of you this week.  If you read the newsletter please post a comment on this thread, (even if it is just a    face).  That way we can know how many of you take time to read over it, and see if this is something that is worth continuing to do :mrgreen:

Well Dragon is pooped for sure with all the stuff in this weeks news.  Hope you all enjoy it as much as Dragon and the "News Staff" enjoys putting it out :mrgreen:  

See ya'll next week, as always "play with Heart & Fire, play with Heart & Fire always" :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #8



COVER



In the Land of Chelsea Football Club something magical happened this summer!





Dragon's Newletter!  Vol #1  No. #8



COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:



"WPFC Black U11 Player has a Dream Summer!"



Jacob #2 from WPFC Black U11 Squad had a soccer dream summer! First he gets to be on a wonderful team surrounded by other great players and gets to play in several tournaments over the summer.  Besides playing tons of soccer with his best buds he gets to attend several soccer camps including ones at the Sounders Camp and one at Husky stadium.  What happened next though is a dream come true!  Jacob had a chance to attend the Chelsea Football Camp in London, England!  This is not just any ol' Camp as Dragon knows, but it is the Club's "FITC Junior Trial"! for U12 players from around the world!!  Most kids or even men would be nervous as heck going to a resident camp oversea's in the land where babies are born wearing cleats; But not this 10yr old!  Excitement was written all over his face as he started this camp that was attended by another 75 top level u12 players from all around.  He was not worried about doing well or standing out, he was just pleased to be playing for his favorite...Chelsea FC!!!  After arriving in London and arriving at the camp all the young lads were given "5 mins to kiss their mums goodbye, put up your bags, and get your boots on!  Training begin in 15 minutes"!!  Well needless to say it was a week full of intense training and scirmmages galore.  It is a closed camp and parents do not always get a chance to see their kids play or train, but the good news, all are invited to attend the closing ceremony at the end.  Every kid is awarded a certificate of training and other neat goodies.  Then a moment comes that Jacob will never forget.  For each age group attending an MVP trophy is awarded and with so many talented kids in attendance never would our little Washington player have believed he would make a list picked by the top level trainers at Chelsea...but then the MVP was announced...JACOB!!!!  The MVP Trophy was his; and along with it the words saying; "Field of vision is outstanding, spot on passing, and a cracking left foot.  Great Potential!!!".  The trainers right away invited our young superstar back next year!  Great job Jacob!  Dragon and all of us here in Washington are very proud of you!!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
(just a side-note, Jacob will get to attend the FIFA Womans World Cup in China...up to 32 games including the finals!!  We here at WPS expect to read a great story about your experience in China) :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



The happy MVP winner!


WPFC's own future Super Star!



"Team spotlights!"



"Evergreen Emerson lay a path of domination on other teams, as they Roll to their 2nd tournament Championship in a row!!!"

Evergreen Rivera who?? Hey don't look too much at the fine "A" team over at Evergreen to see who is getting better in the last month before league, you can look no further then Coach Emerson's gals in green!  Along with new cool uniforms this year, the Evergreen White gals are out to prove they are on a mission to develop and get better (and have some fun along the way).  Well winning back to back tournaments is a great way to have fun I would say!  Going un-noticed after their Silver Championship at Bigfoot, Dragon could no longer avoid them after shaking and baking down in Duckville at the Chinook Cup taking home the Silver Division Championship for their 2nd big win.  In a finals they had to beat 5 teams in a row to make it to the top finals games.  Facing off against local rival and tough squad Mukilteo Spirit they battled hard for 70 minutes out on the pitch.  In the end they came away with a well deserved 1-0 victory and some bling bling around their neck!  Thanks for bringing us back down to earth and showing us that "B" teams can rock-n-roll too!  Way to live the life of Heart & Fire gals, we are all proud of you! :mrgreen:



A BOYS DAS-UBERTEAM?!?!



...The proud coach and boys beam with pride as they know in their hearts that "there is more then one Uberteam on RiverRoad...


The Boys from Riverroad are equally on fire this year when talking about the 95s!  4 tournaments with 4 Championships!  That my friend is the definition of on a roll.  They started out by taking their 2nd in a row Rainier Challenge by beating NWN Red., Spokane Shadow, and Sno Ho United.  In the Semi's they handled Colibri to get a chance to meet the EFC Red squad.  In the finals the boys in black made it clear who was better that day with a 2-1 victory!  Next came the HPFC Seatac Cup; they had wins over Norpoint Fire, and Heat Blue again, with one suprising loss to the Falcons.  Still making it through to the semi's they struted their stuff to beat the CW 95 team, and shutdown the GRFC 95 team 7-0 to win the finals for their 2nd in a row.  On to Duckville for the Adidas Beaverton cup.  There they faced off with wins over TNT, BSC Bandits, and FCV Gunners.  They had one tie against WS Metro's B., but beat the WS Metro America team 5-0 to take home the gold! And then this week at the PCC they started off in bracket play with win's over X-Fire L., and ECFC White. But, suffered a tough loss to NWN Red.  Still getting to move on they beat Heat Blue in the Semi's and earned a re-match with NWN Red in the finals.  Making up for the earlier loss, they beat them 2-0 to bring home their 4th gold medal in a row!!  Now their stats for these four tournaments has been 99 Goals for (4.95 goals per game) and 22 Goals against (only 1.1 goals per game).  If ever there was a "boys uberteam" down on RR, this one is it!  Great job fellas, keep on playing with Heart & Fire! :mrgreen:




"WSYAS SUMMIT"

**Did not receive any article yet on the Summit, as soon as we do we will Post it here for you!**  



TOURNAMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH **last edition of the summer**

(next week we will look out to upcoming league games)


"Recent Tournament News"


PAST


(in state)

August 23-26
Sky River Tournament
http://www.skyriversoccer.net/frameset.php

August 24-26
Puma Pacific Coast Challenge
http://www.whatcomsoccer.com/

August 24-26
Lighthouse Cup
http://www.norpointsoccer.org/frameset.php

August 24-26
Kohl's US Youth Soccer American Cup
http://www.orchardssoccer.com/frameset.php

August 25-26
Great RootBear Jamboree
http://www.sksoccer.com/frameset.php

(out of state)

August 23-26
2007 Chinook Cup
http://www.chinookcup.org/programs/tournaments/chinookcup/2007/
Since this was the most talked about Tournament, let's take a look at all the champs. (sorry, just the girls this time)

U10
Platinum- Arvade Edge
Diamond- FC Crush
Emerald- Thusc Iridium
Ruby- SSC TNT

U11

Plat- EFC Red
Dia- Harbor FC D.
Emer- Westsound FC J.
Ruby- SSFC Red 96

U12

Plat- Crossfire T.
Dia- Colorado Edge Select
Sap- Timbers Red
Eme- Thelo United Afterschock
Ruby- Aloha United X-treme
Topez- Spokane Elite H.

U13

Plat- SSC Ireland
Dia- Spokane Elite F.
Eme- Evergreen E. (see headline story)
Ruby- Canby Mystics
Topez- Harbor FC White

U14

Plat- Cascade FC Liberty
Dia- Westsound Drew
Sap- EMFC Spirit
Eme- EFC White
Ruby- Sherwood United
Topez- FC Alliance White

Congrats to all the Champions :mrgreen:


For all the rest look to our RECAP Thread!  
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6100
If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE

This weekend should be a ton of fun with these great tournaments coming your way!  It will be everyones last warm up games to try new things and get "stuff straight" for league.

Kitsap Kickoff  
August 31st –September 3,  2007
http://www.sksoccer.com
 
Starfire Labor Day Cup 2007  
August 31, September 1-3, 2007
http://www.starfiresports.com
 
Puyallup Valley Kickoff  
August 31-September 3, 2007
http://biysc.com
 
Skagit Labor Day Kick  
September 1-3, 2007
www.skagitselectsoccer.org

Labor Day Kickoff Jamboree  
September 1-2, 2007
http://www.lwysa.org
 
2007 U6 - U8 Tracy Whitney Jamboree  
September 29-30, 2007  
http://www.federalwaysoccer.com

Look forward to all the recaps, or "Side Line Reporters", filling us in on all the action! :mrgreen:




CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

Lots of new posters this week!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon has a ton of new peep's to point out!

Goalstopper
Rooster95
Elevator
Yharriso
Soccerworld
Windy90
**bubbles**
Rock27
Evergreen

As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer, even better to see new young superstars posting!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

To the rest of you newbies, don't be scared jump in! The waters fine!


"WPS Paparazzi"

Only one this week, but it is priceless




A young Coach graces the cover of "GQ's first annual Coach's of Nike Edition".



"The Weekly, Can't win for losin' award"

And this weeks winner is..............

Drumroll..........................






HONKY!  aka the Hoff


The old Hoff man thought he would do us a favor and post some of the PDL schedules....yeeessssshhhhhh  whatta mess you started bro! LOL  Even though we all wanted this information, it lead to several other PDL posts and now everyone is in a tither.  Good job, keep em coming :lol:



OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:


"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Sample Practice Plan"

Well I didn’t have any request on topics (personally I prefer those so that I know what people want to hear about) so I decided to give you a practice plan and explain what the coach might be thinking. This way when your watching your kids at practice you can start to see some of the method behind the madness.  One of my favorite practices is Finishing crosses. First thing you need to know about a practice plan is the coach should try to focus on ONE topic. Also something that is very hard is ONLY coach that one topic even if you want to fix other things (example: if your coaching 1v1 defense don’t make any comments about a move that the offensive player could use differently next time). Also Start with individual skills, then move to small groups then big groups. Do not use DRILLS, instead use “exercises or games”.

1. Warm-up: 3 person passing and moving. Start with 10 yard passes on the ground. Then move further back and change it to short short long. However, do not do it in a line, let the kids be creative. Let them move freely around the field. This will keep it a little more entertaining for them. Stretch throughout this part of practice. Coaching points: proper crossing techniques. Using the laces to cross. Also use correct footwork while approaching the ball. (25 mins)

2. Crossing Drill: Set up 2 lines about 25-30 yards away from the goal. Put two outside mids on both sides. Play the ball to the outside mid. They take a touch, locate the two forwards who are making bended runs into the box. Both offensive players only  have 1 touch each. Coaching points: Bended runs are made away from the side the ball is played. Players are choosing which post they would like to attack. Also the runs are timed so they are never in front of the ball, the crosser needs space to play the ball into. Crosser, non verbal clues they are going to cross the ball (when the kicker looks up and makes eye contact with the attackers). Pick the runner they want to cross it to. If it is to the near post runner play a hard driven ball low. If its to the back post run it’s a driven ball above head high so it can get all the way there.

?
3. Add defense to the same drill. Next step is to put one line of defenders in between the two forward lines. The defenders job  is to simply clear the ball. Now the crosser must read who the defender is covering and play the correct ball. Coaching points: Work with the outside mid recognizing which run is open and playing the correct ball. Low and driven to front post, or lofted to the back post.

4. Small sided game. Created a field 40 X 40 with two 10 yard safe zones outside the sidelines. There are full sized goals on each baseline. The rules are simple. it’s a normal game except if your team passes you the ball in the “safe zone” you have 2 touches and the defense can no mark you. Plus you MUST cross the ball once you enter the safe zone or else it is a turn over. Any regular goal coming from a normal short is worth 1 point, any goal off a cross is worth 2 points, if you want you can make headers 3 points.

As you can see This is fairly simple practice plan, but you can see how this could be very beneficial on the topic at hand. Hopefully this helps you get into the coaches head at practice. Normally I would probably put a lot more technical points into this, but I wanted it as simple as possible. If you have any questions you can contact Dragon, and please if you have any topics please contact him. Thank you all.

 
How do you come up with all this great info Coach?  Thanks again for all you do! :mrgreen:   (please forward any questions for the "coach" to Dragon.  He/She would love to answer your questions! :mrgreen:  



"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense Part 2

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions.  

As with most myths, they develop from a small grain of fact that becomes corrupt or embellished over time.  Many of the myths have been around for many decades and appear to be impossible to kill.

I never cease to be amazed at how some of these myths persist among very experienced players and coaches who should know better.  Unfortunately, some are even found and reinforced by referees who should also know better!

High kick ref! Played on the ground! Showed cleats!
There is no such foul as “High Kick”, or a violation for “Playing on the ground, or a penalty for showing cleats!
 
These myths are an out growth of the legitimate infraction of Playing in a dangerous manner. The referee judges what he determines to be dangerous for the age and level of play.  

USSF provide guidance on minimum standards that should exist for a player to be guilty of playing dangerously:
-   The player must be playing in such a way as to endanger the safety of an opponent and
-   Must have prevented the opponent from having a fair challenge for the ball.

Therefore, a “high” kick towards an opponent becomes an infraction/foul if it causes that opponent to duck away from the foot, or hesitate from a fair challenge for the ball because of a very present danger.  What is defined as “high” or “dangerous” varies by the situation, level of play and referee, and on how the kick was performed (direction towards opponent, proximity of opponent, force, position of cleats, etc.)

Similarly, playing the ball on the ground becomes an infraction only if the player created a situation that caused the opponent to stop challenging for the ball for fear of hurting the player.  As always, this is judged in the opinion of the referee.

I got all ball ref!
…and maybe a little ankle, heel, shin, knee?

Under I got all ball ref! The sentance following the quote from the Laws should read:

The above bullet point does not mean that if you first make contact with the ball, then no foul could have been committed.


This myth is an outgrowth of wording in Law 12 that is sometimes misinterpreted by players, coaches and even some referees:

A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following four offences:
• tackles an opponent to gain possession of the ball, making contact with the opponent before touching the ball

The above bullet point does not mean that if you make contact with the ball, then no foul could have been committed.  It says that if you first make contact with the opponent before the ball, it MUST be a foul!

For example, the slide tackle that “gets all ball” is fair only if no contact is made with the opponent. The opponent may still trip over the leg of the tackler, but is should not be because the leg of the tackler went into the opponent (or because of what the tackler’s other leg does).

stay tuned next week for more..........

Great job Ref!  This section is fantastic! :mrgreen:



Now this is a great little article that I wanted to include in this weeks newsletter:

"DD’s first weekend as Referee"

My DD  AR’d her first games this weekend at a local recreational tourney. Multiple games at one location, over a weekend, is the best place to learn.  She AR’d  7 games, the majority U11 girls.  I sat and watched  most of the games and boy those U11’s were small, but many had some great skills. CP’s were present at every game!

I am glad that DD became a referee, so that she could understand the game from a different perspective. I was a little worried about the sidelines (CP’s) but DD held her own.    She told me that one dad said to her that she could raise her flag at what he thought was a foul and she just gave him ‘the look’ and he didn’t bother her again. She made some good offside calls. Some that were obvious and one that was a little tricky (those U11 players move around quickly). The tougher of them resulted in a goal but she kept that flag up until the center noticed her and the goal was denied. I saw the play and she had gotten it right. I thought for sure the sideline would erupt, but they didn’t.  

Although, she originally had signed up for just Bracket games, she ended up taking a final game on Sunday. After watching her AR some lopsided games, I didn’t think the final would go to PK’s, but I was wrong. Game ended in a 1-1 tie and went straight to kicks from the mark. Great opportunity for DD to learn since her own team has never even experienced going to PK’s. After first 5 kickers, game was still tied. 7th kicker decided it! Very exciting!

The best part was she said she had a lot of fun and thought she did a good job (I'd have to agree). :mrgreen:




"SCREAMING MAD!" (know it all parents)

WHAT THE F*&^()$???!!! OK SO YOU HOLY THEN THOU KNOW ITALL MAKE ME SICK TO MY GUTS WITH YOUR KNOWING THE RIGHT ANSSWERS ALL THE TIME AND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT NOBODY WANTS YOUR ADVICE THAT NOBODY ELSE CARES THAT YOU KNOW SO MUCH JUST YOURSELF! TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR THE NEXT TIME YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH OR PUT PEN TO PAPER OR FINGERS TO KEYBOARD, IF YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR OPINION DOWN THAT IS FINE BUT STOP WITH THE THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY WRONG WAY BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYTHING AND I AM WALKING ON WATER ALONG WITH MY KIDS WHO CAN DO NO WRONG.  SHARE WHAT YOU WANT IF YOU CAN SAY IT IS YOUR OPINION BUT UNLESS YOU HAVE HARD FACTS KEEP THE HARD FACT MATERIAL OUT MY FACE MR KNOW NOTHING THINK YOU DO THOUGH DUMBBUTT!
(next week I will tackle what ever is ticking me off at that moment)

Thanks SM!  As you can tell Dragon does not edit this section :lol:



THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


Well everyone debates on what are the "best rankings", etc all the time, well here is a small sample of how D thinks they should be done   Due to time constraints, Dragon is just going to publish one a week for a while...


"Dragon 94 Rankings" aka the "This is the way you do rankings, rankings Part 2" :lol:

Just so you know, the first Number is D's ranking of the team, the rankings in Blue are Blue Chips rankings (aka BCR), after that the (words in green italic) are what they have did in state cups.


#6 FW REIGN PURPLE aka the prince girls - (BCR #4) - (At U11 was in the "bracket of death" and did not advance out of bracket, at U12 they lost to the Timbers in the Elimination round):
Why? - Well Dragon not placing them as high as BC but do show them a lot of respect coming in at #6.  This team has a lot of new faces mixed with a good combination of old.  Both goalies (one is on ODP) are top notch quality goalies.  They had a big influx of players from Olympia with girls coming from the V-gals and one defecting from WPFC .
Highlights - This team was in the semis at starfire and rimland and finalist at nike cup.  That is some good results and if the summer was a couple months longer would of for sure seen them on a podium somewhere! Coach and trainier both doing an awesome job getting these gals to work together!  
Future - PDL A is calling this teams name and they are ready for whatever is thrown at them.  If the "big dogs" think they are going to go into FedWay and come out with an easy victory, they make easily get caught off guard!  Look for good things for this squad during the fall, and even better things come state cup time! :mrgreen:

#7?? stay tuned next week :twisted:


Once again a very pooped out Dragon is happy to put another wrap on a weekly Dragon News!  Thank you to all of you who enjoy reading it, and a very big thank you to all of you who make it happen each and every week! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
 

See ya'll next week, as always "play with Heart & Fire, play with Heart & Fire always" :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #9



COVER




 
Last week a meeting of the minds in Washington took place at the first ever WSYSA Summit!





The Pulse!  No. #9



COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:



"WSYSA SUMMIT MEETING!  WPS WAS THERE!"

WSYSA Summit!  Submitted by our staff writer~Futsal

SATURDAY AM (Club Select)

Since this was the first Summit of its kind, a little disorganization seemed appropriate. WSYSA stated that the meeting was not to tell members what WSYSA wanted but insteady they wanted to hear from the membership.

Several issues got tossed out and about.  This included calendar, standardized program definitions and PDL.

Most of this meeting centered around defining what Club Select was.  One club suggested to restricting Club Select to players within their Association only.  However it was pointed out that that definition would not work in most areas of the state.

Some clubs would rather not define themselves as their goal is to allow teams to play at their appropriate level whether that be Disrict or Premier.  They felt that labeling would restrict their programs.  Many rural clubs cannot field a program if they relied only on players from their Association.

There was a visible divide between the larger clubs and smaller clubs.  

The discussion also confused some in the group who felt that Select was a method of selecting players.

Several times the discussion drifted off to the PDL.  There was an overall feeling that the group (probably not the PDL clubs) wanted WSYSA to become more involved in the PDL.  Questions such as how teams are selected ... the ever changing rules for being accepted ... were brought up.

Saturday PM (Recreational)

After lunch WSYSA took a vote by hand on whether the group wanted to continue with Club Select or move onto Rec.  The group decided to move on to recreational.

Recreational issues included player retention ... especially at the older age groups.

This became more of a sharing of issues and solutions across the state.  Some ideas included:

1. Drop In Spring Leagues
2. Coed Leagues

A special presentation by the Diversity Committee was held.  They presented a new effort by WSYSA to become more inclusive with its soccer.  Several areas were selected for pilot programs.


SUNDAY
============================
This was probably the most productive of the two days.  There was suppose to be separate breakout between DOC's and Administrators, but it was decided to keep everyone in one room.

Many issues were tossed out and four were targeted for group discussion.


============================
CLUB PASS

It was suggested that the Club Pass be tested within the PDL.  Movement between teams would be allowed within the club.  The committee that discussed this asked that the procedures be documented so they could be presented to WSYSA.

One quesetion I had but I guess did not ask ... If a club has both PDL and non PDL teams in the same age group, will they be able to move a player from a non-PDL team to a PDL team?

============================
DISCIPLINE

This group looked at the newly proposed Discipline rule and made a few suggested modifications.

1. On Appeal, suspension will be postponed until the hearing
2. The person carded has the right to face their accuser (Referee)

Logistically, #2 might have to be via conference call.

============================
PLAYER CONTRACT

A suggestion was made about a player contract to prevent players from jumping clubs without paying all their fees.

This defined two parts ... Obligation on behalf of the player & parent ... Obligation on behalf of the club.

It was suggested that there be some type of release clause and that all clubs have a similar looking contract.

============================
CALENDAR (PDL Only)

The Calendar Breakout was more defining a year for PDL clubs.  It appeared that only two non PDL clubs were involved in this breakout group.  Recreational, District and WSPL calendars will have to be considered separately.

The calendar which will be proposed looks like this.

TRYOUTS          - After July 5th
LPT's            - Early Aug
Fall League      - Sept - Nov (U11-14 & BU15+)
Spring League    - Feb - Apr  (U11-14 & GU15+)
Championship Cup - Apr - May  (U11-14 & GU15+)
Championship Cup - May (BU15+ weekday & Sunday games)

Other events
Commissioners Cup - Dec
Challenge Cup     - Dec

Commissioners & Challenge Cup to be condensed to 3 weekends.  Preliminary, Quarter & Semi, Finals.  
-------------------------------
OVERVIEW

Being the first of its kind, overall I think the meeting served some purpose.  There were some ideas that were brought out and overtime we will know what type of consideration WSYSA will actually give them.

The group said they wish to hold another meeting later this winter.

Great Job Futsal in sharing with us a participants perspective!! :mrgreen:

Below in is the WSYSA coverage of the Summit from their website!

Soccer Summit 2007 Helps Shape the Future for Washington Youth Soccer

FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON (Wednesday, August 29) – On August 25 and 26, members of the Washington State Youth Soccer Association (WSYSA) community gathered at the Sea-Tac Hilton for Soccer Summit 2007. This two day event, hosted by WSYSA, provided the perfect forum for association presidents, board members, coaches, coaching directors, administrators, and referees from across the state to openly discuss the current soccer landscape and collaborate on ideas that will help shape the future of the sport in Washington.

Kicking off the weekend, WSYSA President Doug Andreassen established the purpose of the Summit; “WSYSA is here to listen, listen, and listen some more. We are looking at our structure and programs from top to bottom, nothing is immune. Change is overdue and we want your input.” He further stated, “We must return the common sense to soccer.”

Mediated by various WSYSA Board members, day one focused on key issues related to Select Clubs and Recreational Soccer. From the lively discussion early on, it became clear that the significant topics for those in attendance were the PDL (Premier Development League) and CYL (Commissioners Youth League). Extensive conversation continued as distinct differences in club and association infrastructure ultimately lead to the realization that many of these groups faced the same challenges and issues. As discussion continued, the lack of a solid understanding of league definitions and communication across all organizational levels became central themes of the day.

With 80% of WSYSA’s participants falling under the recreational umbrella, the recreational meeting in the afternoon was well attended with the majority of the guests remaining from the morning discussion. Similar to challenges faced around the country, WSYSA associations discussed their frustrations with recreational player retention, opportunities for play at the older levels, player passes, coaching education for the novice coach, the extensive amount of rules and field limitations.

As the day continued, members were also treated to a special power-point presentation by WSYSA’s new Diversity Committee. Citing staggering statistics, Committee members touched on the need for an inclusive multi-cultural youth soccer program and the steps being taken by WSYSA to fulfill the promise of making soccer “the game for all kids”.

Lead by influential community members, the Diversity Committee is currently reviewing ways to best integrate players of different cultures and ethnicities into the WSYSA organization. This complex issue not only brings into account WSYSA’s infrastructure from the club level up, but also addresses the challenges caused by the state’s extremely diverse population, geographical limitations, and financial accessibility. With their goal of starting small in order to create a successful model that can be administered state-wide, the Diversity Committee will initially focus on reaching out to the large Hispanic population and then expand their efforts to incorporate other ethnic groups in the youth soccer system. With complete WSYSA backing and support, the Diversity Committee’s promotional endeavors will soon have a constant presence within the state’s communication outlets including the web site and Play On! publication.
To end the first day, WSYSA hosted an invitation only working dinner that included state Board members, committee chairs, and association presidents. The discussion led by WSYSA President Doug Andreassen and Executive Director Todd McGann was a result of discussions that occurred at the Association Presidents session during Soccer Fair, in April 2007, asking for more communication with the BOD. It was at dinner that WSYSA leadership took the opportunity to reinforce the weekend’s theme of “listen, listen, and listen some more,” and encouraged discussion and answered numerous questions from the membership.

On the second day of the Summit, WSYSA welcomed attendees from all across the state, including Directors of Coaching; all of whom wanted to address concerns at the Premier Club level. Dave Schumacher, WSYSA Director of Coaching, led the open forum by stating, “the game is changing; coaching is becoming professional. Coaches and administrators need to work in concert for the betterment of the game.”

With that, the group covered an array of issues including player movement, the PDL, USSF’s new Academy Program, club passes, the soccer calendar, judicial and appeal challenges, the Olympic Development Program (ODP), and the State Cup. Due to the multitude of ideas that were generated during the initial discussion, WSYSA separated the participants into break-out sessions to address the four priority topics as decided by the group – Disciplinary/Judicial, Player/Parent Contracts, the Soccer Calendar, and Club Player Passes.

Each group was allocated an hour to collaborate and provide WSYSA with suggestions on how to improve issues relating to their topic and provide potential action items for consideration. Thanks to the extensive soccer backgrounds and experience of the attendees, the subsequent presentations reflected positive and sweeping ideas for change in an effort to strengthen the development of youth soccer throughout Washington.

As the Soccer Summit concluded, the WSYSA Board Members, motivated by the ideas that stemmed from the weekend, convened an emergency Board meeting. As a result, the WSYSA Board unanimously approved the Club Pass proposal presented by the task force. By approving the Club Pass proposal, WSYSA recognized the shared importance of player mobility and development and therefore will adopt this pilot program, effective immediately for the PDL Program’s 07-08 soccer season. Complete details will be released to the membership about the Club Pass in the upcoming weeks.

“Soccer Summit 2007 was a huge success,” exclaimed WSYSA Executive Director Todd McGann. “Our goal at the state level was to listen to those most affected and open up the lines of communication at all levels. The great ideas that came out of this weekend will be the basis for helping WSYSA shape the future of youth soccer here at home and ultimately improve our programs for these young athletes regardless of the level they play at.”

Comprehensive details and discussion notes from Soccer Summit 2007 will be posted to the WSYSA web site at www.wsysa.com shortly. Based on its inaugural success, the next Soccer Summit is currently being planned for this winter. Event details will be announced as they become available.

For additional information, please contact Todd McGann at Washington State Youth Soccer Association, 253-476-2237 x.105.

It's good to look at the Summit from both sides of the podium.  Over all Dragon thinks the Summit was a great idea, and hopes they continue to have more in the future :mrgreen:






HEADLINES!



"Historic Ground Breaking at WPFC fields!"


Today was the big day for the club down by the river.  We have a few pictures to share of the big rigs down on river road.  Wish there was more of a ceremony (like Greg with a shovel LOL), but this is all we could bring for you at this point.  This should be a big deal as the WPFC Club starts the process of making some very nice turf/lighted fields.  It shows they are dedicated to excellence not only now but in the future.  Dragon salutes the whole group of people that were involved in making this all happen...there may be some detractors to this move who feel only the boys will get the best use of it, but for right now those are the naysayers.  Dragon will give the Riverroad peep's the benefit of the doubt, and trust it will used for the betterment of the boys and girls equally and hopefully also the betterment of the whole surrounding soccer community.  Good job on your club's vision, and starting a place where hopefully a lot of young dreams can come true


The big rigs are out by the river getting ready to break some ground



As the construction and progress of turf fields continue, we will be bringing you more photo's and updates








Team Highlights- It was a "Go Big Red Weekend"!



The gals from "Big Red" show off their Blue kits, along with the gold bling!



Moments after the game a certain mother of a tall, very talented player (#5) received a phone call from Dragon.  It was a short and sweet congratulations, but very heart felt.  Dragon knew it was a big deal for the team, coach, and of course the players that have been with the team since U11.  Big Red's 1st tournament victory, and they did it playing up in U14!!  You can almost see the pride in the coachs (the sexy russian) face!  NWN Red did well in the tournament as a whole, and only lost one close game. After getting revenge for the loss they faced the Mighty Arsenal team!  Was it destiny that they face this undefeated team?  It sure seemed so.  The U14 Sno-Ho team was not only undefeated, they were also unscored upon during the whole tournament!  Well Sno-Ho's scoreless run lasted about 45 seconds as the awesome gals of Big Red marched down the field after stringing together 5-7 passes right from the kick-off!  #18 Sis hit a left footed cross into middle where #13 Gabby dropped it back to #3 Natalie who made a sweet touch shot up and over the keeper into back left side of net from about 18yds out!  Later Gabby #13 made another great run down left side beating several players and hit a hard shot that appeared to be a cross; the force of her kick made it screwball and the keeper was fooled as the ball sneaked in near post!  The U14 Sno-Ho team put up a good rally but could not muster a goal in the first half.  The 2nd half was more of the same, with Big Red continuing to apply pressure on the goal and putting on a passing clinic.  With about 10 minutes left to go, NWN Red had a corner kick which resulted in a volly shot;  The goalie saved the shot by punching it out, But low and behold though the ball went right to Sis #18 and she hit another volley in the back of the net from about 10yds out front. Final Score:  NWN 3-0!  Great job Big Red on your 1st tournament win, may you have many more in the future!  Also kudo's must go out to the parents of the 93 Sno-Ho team, several of them were very complimentary to the gals during the awards ceremony! :mrgreen:





LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!

(this week we will look out to upcoming league games)


"League News!"


PAST

Did not have any past weeks to cover this week, so I will post last weekends tournaments for your viewing pleasure.  This week Dragon is just covering a game or two at a couple age groups.  Next week this section should be greatly expanded!

Kitsap Kickoff  
August 31st –September 3,  2007
http://www.sksoccer.com
 
Starfire Labor Day Cup 2007  
August 31, September 1-3, 2007
http://www.starfiresports.com
 
Puyallup Valley Kickoff  
August 31-September 3, 2007
http://biysc.com
 
Skagit Labor Day Kick  
September 1-3, 2007
www.skagitselectsoccer.org

Labor Day Kickoff Jamboree  
September 1-2, 2007
http://www.lwysa.org
 
2007 U6 - U8 Tracy Whitney Jamboree  
September 29-30, 2007  
http://www.federalwaysoccer.com


To see how your favorite teams did in these fine tournaments, please look to our Recap thread:
http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6178
If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE

This is one of the best weekends in the year!  The first week of league play!  Be it PDL, or District 6...there are kids out there having a blast and CP's dying to cheer them on!  Hope to highlight a few "big games" each week and even make a few predictions along the way!  Each week send me a "reason why" your game is the GOTW in a Private Message before Monday night is over, and Dragon will consider highlighting the match here in the Dragon News! :mrgreen:

PDL-

U11 Girls: Eagles vs Harbor:  Gonna go with Syngy's suggestion this week.  It looks to be a great match up fo sho!  With Harbor getting so close at SF this past weekend, going to have to go with the gals in Green!
Dragon say- Harbor 3-1

U12 Girls:  Das Uberteam  vs  Lil' Red:  (yes it is true, a new nickname has been born LOL).  This is one of the most anticipated match ups of the year!  It will be a slug fest equal only to the State Cup finals it self!  Never has there been more hoopla surrounding a first league game in the last decade of youth soccer!!!  (ok, might be overdoingitabit lol).  Seriously though, this is a great match fo sho!  Dragon would not miss this one for the world and D is sure Mufasa wouldn't either :mrgreen:   Gonna be a close one, but gotta go Uber with my pick:
Dragon say- Das Uber's 1-0

U13 Girls:  X-Empire Batman  vs  X-Empire Batgirl:  Holy bologna Batdragon, it looks like the slugfest of 60acres this weekend!  All D has to say it watch out!  It is bragging rights for the "Batbard" household.  Holy Bat$#@! is another expression that comes to mind LOL.  Think this will be a close one.  Batmans team is going to have to prove they belong, and the Batgals are looking to prove they deserve to move up!
Dragon says- Holy Bat$#!@  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:


That's it for now.  Did not have a lot of time to prepare for this section this week, will try and do better next issue :mrgreen:

 



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

Lots of new posters this week!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon has a few new peep's to point out!

Soccer 123
The Flash
Man Utd
Soccer Spaz 17
PlayOn
IToeKick

As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer, even better to see new young superstars posting!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

To the rest of you newbies, don't be scared jump in! The waters fine!





"WPS Paparazzi"


Let's take a look at what our "under cover" photographer brings us this week!





Coach Care Bear laughs out loud in glee as he realizes he has beaten Coach Batman to the punch in signing the WPS Ball LOL





"The Weekly, Can't win for losin' award"

And this weeks winner is..............

Drumroll..........................





NeverAsleep!


Over 2300 hits for old insomniac's post on Guest playing!  Way to stir up the old blah blah blah...now go take a nap! :lol:  





OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Training & running up scores"

This was a question I received:

How about some insight from the coach on speed/agility training, corver training, fitness in general and what ages should this start? or should the coach incorporate their own fitness into practice.

I know that a lot of CP's send their kids to speed/agility training and teams have corver training. Just think that some might be wasting money.

I’m going to start this by saying at u10 and below your children should probably be doing enough playing around outside that they should naturally be in good enough shape to play in those youth games. That’s just my opinion. Also I think its important to start looking into fitness training as their season’s start to get longer and longer (I.E. the premier season which feels like year round)

Speed/Agility: No matter how fast or agile you are it is important for every player to work on those parts of their game. We all hear the term speed kills, and that’s something that is a lot of natural ability combined with hard work in developing muscles and proper running technique. As a premier coach at just about every level I enjoy bringing in a speed and agility coach a few times a year just to give the kids an idea on what the proper techniques they should be doing. Working on agility will also help greatly as they go through growing spurts, and also help those players stay away from serious injuries.  

Fitness: The hardest thing about fitness is every coach has different beliefs and there is no one set way to do things. Personally if I were getting ready for a season for the first 3 weeks I will do nothing but long distance to build up their endurance, then after that switch to short distance fitness for the next 3 weeks now that their lungs are ready to handle the heavy burden.  Then for about 2 weeks after that I focus on strength development. After all that hopefully they are in good enough shape to really compete in just about any game. The next step is to keep that level. I find it important at least once a week to give them a session of fairly hard fitness that incorporates all three aspects: long distance, short distance, and strength. They should be working hard enough in the practices themselves to help keep their endurance up also. Like I said this is just how I personally do things, and each coach has their own way.

Corver training: I would say this is a great thing for any player to do. Anything that gets a player touches on a ball can’t be a bad thing right? Along with this I would encourage players to juggle daily that alone is a HUGE help in development. As far as the corver training goes it is also up to debate, some coaches like to use it all some coaches like to use some of it some like to you none of it. I have seen good development from kids who started this training at a young age though.

As far as wasting money: if your daughter/son is a little thicker build or is injury prone I think sending them to a speed and agility trainer is a great idea. A lot of injuries can be prevented just by working on their agility and strengthening those joints.

BONUS TIME: I was also asked by someone my thoughts on lopsided scores since that seems to be a hot topic on the forum right  now.

I read a lot of the comments and agree with little pieces all over the place. It’s one of the toughest things for a coach to deal with when their team is completely dominating another team. Either way it seems like they will get looked at poorly. One of the comments I liked was “Part of growing as an individual is not only learning to lose with grace but also winning with grace”, made by BK.  This is true, the coach is nothing more than a teacher to these kids. Whatever attitude the coach has the players will start to develop. This is something you as parents must look at when choosing a team, make sure you are putting your kids in an environment that will not only help their soccer development, but also their personal development. Another great comment on this topic was by  Skagit coach “I've never understood why people say playing keep away makes a weaker opponent look like fools”. You make a great point here. If your getting killed by a team and they start playing keep away and you can tell they are intentionally not trying to score on you, are you going to get upset with them? Or are you going to just simply watch them and be impressed by their great ball control and movement? If you get upset then you truly don’t understand soccer at all.

Now different tactics a coach can use to help keep the score lower would be 1. Pulling players: personally  I’m not a fan of this. It has nothing to do with the other team, but couldn’t you use this time to work on other things with your team rather than pulling players? 2. Put a pass restriction before shooting: perhaps 10 passes in a row, and if you lose it you have to start over. 3. Scoring only on crosses with headers. Those are three easy ideas that many coaches already implement. The key is when you start it, I personally like to start  those rules if you are up by about 5 goals and there is still over a half to go. Then you know the game could get really ugly. You can also combine things like 10 passes and only header goals. If your team does this then that’s not disrespectful to the other team, you are just simply working on things that your team may need to work on.

 
Wow!  Another great edition of coachs corner!  Thank you SOOO MUCH for all you do! :mrgreen: (please forward any questions for the "coach" to Dragon.  He/She would love to answer your questions!)





"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense Part 3

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions.  

As with most myths, they develop from a small grain of fact that becomes corrupt or embellished over time.  Many of the myths have been around for many decades and appear to be impossible to kill.

I never cease to be amazed at how some of these myths persist among very experienced players and coaches who should know better.  Unfortunately, some are even found and reinforced by referees who should also know better!

Ref, you gotta protect the keeper!
The referee’s most important job is the safety of ALL players.  Attackers must be penalized for careless or reckless play against goalkeepers.  Likewise, goalkeepers must be penalized for careless or reckless play against attackers.

There was a time in the history of football when goalkeepers were the target of deadly attacks by the onrushing attackers.  There was no violation for attempting to dislodge the ball from the keeper or for ramming the keeper with the ball into the goal!

I’m sure the short life expectancy of goalkeepers led to the introduction of modifications to the Laws to provide some degree of reasonable protection.  Today, the protection comes principally because the ball is effectively unplayable when in the hands of the goalkeeper.

Recognizing the danger of the position, referees strongly penalized charges and attacks on goalkeepers, often giving the benefit of the doubt to the keeper.  However, in recent years, the modern game at the professional level has seen spectacular abuses of this “protection” by goalkeepers making reckless attacks on opponents.

The LOTG extend no additional protections to the goalkeeper beyond not permitting a challenge for a ball in their possession or interference with releasing the ball from possession.  In youth soccer, State and local associations sometimes also extend further protection in the goal or penalty areas.


stay tuned next week for more..........

Great job Ref!  We all love your insight and wisdom into the beautiful game! :mrgreen:





Now for a brand new section!!!!!!!!!

First ever edition of "Dear Eggy"


Dear Eggy,
My DD is having a hard time accepting the fact that she rides the pine more than she plays.
What are things we can do to get rid of splinters?  
Signed ,
Bench sitters mom

Dear Bench sitters mom,
Sometimes players have to realize that their skills are still developing and that they might not be at the same level as everyone else on the team. Bench sitter should continue to work on their foot skills at home/outside of team practice time. If they do that I think they will see their bench warming time reduce. If that doesn't take out the player who gets the playing time at your position.


Dear Eggy:
Why do people grumble so much? I think life should be about smiles and hugs.

Dear Smiles and Hugs,
I think that people grumble because they are not happy with their own life. If people would give more hugs and smiles life around the pitch would be a nicer place to be. I am sending a smile and hugs your way---pass it on.


Thanks Eggy for being our local "dear abby"...Keep those questions coming to Eggy (send them in a PM), we will print the best 2 or 3 each week! :mrgreen:





"SCREAMING MAD!" (? wtf?)

WHAT THE F*&^()$???!!! OK SO I AM NOT ALWAYS MAD AS PEOPLE MAKE ME OUT TO BE BUT MY LAST NERVES SOME OF YOU GETON SO WHAT YOUR STEP OUT THERE AND NOW IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAT YOU MIND YOUR P&QS WITH THE SEASON AT HAND I WILL BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR YOU BOZOS SO DONT STEP ON MY SHADOW OR I WILL REMOVE THE SUNSHINE FROM YOUR WORLD BELIEVE IT!
(next week I will know someone will tick me off and I will lay it on the line)

Thanks SM!  Don't have a clue what da heck you are talking about! :lol:





THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Remember the Coachs Interviews??"

Those were really fun to do and read for everyone.  Dragon still has the old quesitons that were used before.  If any coachs would like to participate we would LOVE to hear your answers :mrgreen:

Below are the questions, just copy and paste them in a PM and place your answers in there as well and send them to Dragon....

Dragon will starting running Coachs interviews in next weeks newsletter :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Questions:

DRAGON: Why did you decide to start coaching kid's soccer?

DRAGON: What do you do for a living outside of coaching?

DRAGON: Who do you think is easier to coach, boys or girls?

DRAGON: What is your feelings on the WPS site? (if you have ever read it)?

DRAGON: If you have read it, has anything you have ever read had an influence on what you have done as a coach?

DRAGON: What do you think your team's chances are this year?

DRAGON: What are your personal goals as a coach?

DRAGON: Besides yourself (LOL), who is the best coach you have seen?

DRAGON: How long do you feel a coach should coach a specific team?

DRAGON: What are your feelings on players "playing time"?

DRAGON: If you could not coach with your team tomorrow, name one team you would not mind taking over if you had your pick of any?

DRAGON: What is some thing you would like Dragon to tell the whole world about you?


Look forward to a few coachs to volunteer out there to make this section one of the most looked forward to in the newsletter! :mrgreen:





Not too pooped this week, just happy I got this done before midnight  :lol:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
 

See ya'll next week, as always "play with Heart & Fire, play with Heart & Fire always" :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #10



COVER






Some sad faces from the little EX-Crush kids




The Pulse!  No. #10



COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:


**BREAKING NEWS**


"FC CRUSH 94....IS NO MORE!!!!"

This just in late last night from Pulse Reporters.  Below is a letter that was sent to the people at FC Crush, SSFC President Dan Martinez, along with Gary O'Neil and others.  This is copy and pasted directly from an email attachment that was sent to the Pulse late last night:

September 7, 2007

To FC Crush, Dan Martinez, Kurt Pendt, Gary O”Neil, Mike Dieckman,
From, Washington State Youth Soccer.
Re: Decision

To all parties concerning the FC Crush issue.

WSYSA,has studied the recent incidents regarding the FC Crush 94 Team. WSYSA is deeply disappointed in this course of events concerning this team and the community impact that has occurred.. It is unfortunate that WSYSA and other soccer community members have spent far too many hours with this issue.

The resolution that is presented here is the final decision for this FC Crush 94 team.

1.   WSYSA will leave the FC Crush 94 Team in the South Sound Club in District 7
2.   We require them to list them selves on all web sites, flyers, and other media events as the South Sound Select Club
3.   We require them to stop wearing the FC Crush Academy 94 uniforms and other resemblance to the FC Crush Academy and to wear the colors and uniforms of the South Sound Select Club.
4.   We will require the FC Crush 94 to remove any reference to this particular team off the FC Crush Web Site in its entirety within 30 days of the date of this letter.
5.   No reference to the FC Crush 94 is used by the South Sound team, which includes logos, uniforms, tournaments inside the State of Washington and outside the State of Washington.
6.   The team does not practice in District 4, unless written permission is granted by District 4, its association President and notification of its Commissioner. This team may only practice in District 7 & Starfire, unless written permission is granted by the respective District Commissioner, all communication must include the WSYSA President, and District 4 Commissioner.
7.   Should any violation of these directives occur, WSYSA will immediately suspend the FC Crush/South Sound Select team from play with out a hearing and this will be sent directly to the WSYSA Appeals board.

WSYSA requests these actions to take place immediately and will monitor the changes requested. We will expect a full report to be issued to WSYSA by the South Sound Select Club President and District 7 commissioner on or before November 1,2007

We appreciate your cooperation.

Washington State Youth Soccer Association

In conjunction with this email attachment, the Pulse also received a letter in rebuttle to the States decisions from a parent on the 94 Crush team.

Dear WSYSA,

   First off thank you for including all of FC Crush in your correspondence.  I (as a parent of the Crush 94 team) was a little concerned over the memorandum that you sent us and was hoping you could answer a few of my questions through your presidents correspondence with Squash the WPS administrator.

To start with your initial statement to all parties concerned with the FC Crush issue.
I for one was unaware there was an issue overall with the team it self.  I did know that you (the board of WSYSA) was making a decision over rather we should play under the umbrella of Dist4/KPYSA or Dist7/TCYSA. That is all I was aware of so the following statement caught me off guard;   "WSYSA, has studied the recent incidents regarding the FC Crush 94 team".
What is this in reference to?  What recent incidents?  Are you referring to our team winning the State Championship this year?  Representing the state well at the Far West Regional's in Las Vegas?  Doing a stand up job at the Surf Cup and being one of 2 teams that represented Washington for our age group?  I am totally confused at this statement and would love to know what "Incidents" have occurred recently.  I am also sorry that you find yourself disappointed in the course of events concerning the team; Again though, I find myself in the dark wondering what course of events you are referring to in recent history.  I for one am deeply sorry if my daughter or her team mates have had any negative impact on the community you referred to.
I would also like to address the seven statements made in your final decision:

#1 Thank you for leaving our team with SSFC.  Myself and the fellow parents could not think of any reason people would want us to move anyway.  So a sincere thank you!

#2 As far as us listing ourselves only as SSFC on "ALL WEB SITES", does that include the forum here at WPS?  I for one see nothing wrong with calling the team "Crush" when I or another parent write about them on a web site.  We all know we are the SSFC White 94 team, but we still refer to ourselves as "Crush".  A similar case is the 93 WPFC Black team that still refer to themselves by the parents as the Piranhas'.  There are even little piranha's on their web page:

  http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=MIKEC&sport=soccer&t=c&p=home&s=soccer

And in some area's they even still refer to themselves as their old team name ON the website, as in this quote for a picture:

"A couple of Piranhas relaxing after State Cup"

I am not pointing fingers at that team, because they should have the right to call themselves anything they wish, I am just  curious if this is a statewide ban on all teams with former names or just ours?

#3 In this bulletin your final decision says we cannot wear FC Crush Academy uniforms or other resemblances of FC Crush Academy.  Our team has 4 kits (white, navy blue, sky blue, and orange), Younger teams of FC Crush only have 3.  No where on our uniforms does it say Crush or FC Crush at all; They are just plain uniform kits from Nike with the required #'s on them.  You also stated we must wear the colors and uniforms of SSFC.  They also wear Nike kit uniforms with the colors of navy blue or white.  Again, our uniforms are the same already except we have two other colors at our disposal.  The only main difference I see is not having the letters "SSFC" embroidered" on the sleeve.  If that is all your requesting of us then that is a fair deal.  But if you are saying we need to buy all new uniform kits and not ever wear our additional ones then that causes undo hardship financially on the parents, and is money down the drain in my opinion. The SSFC teams that have not bought the new kits yet are given until next year to change, therefore the change to uniforms should be effective next year after state cups are over, not by Nov 1st 2007.  The bottom line is each club should be able to dictate what color of uniforms their teams may wear, not the state.  Several larger clubs have some teams with more then 1 or 2 kits that are different then other age groups.  How are we any different?

#4 On this decision you stated; "We will require the FC Crush 94 to remove any reference to this particular team off the FC Crush Web Site in its entirety within 30 days".  From what I know as a parent the FCA website is a privately owned website. And it is used (concerning the 94's) to highlight what the 94 team does as a member of US Club soccer as well as what they do with SSFC.  I do not see an issue with this.  How does this effect anyone or any other team in a negative way?

#5 This is the same as #4 except it is directed at SSFC.  When it comes to out of state tournaments though (or any for that matter), FC Crush usually plays under US Club Soccer not WSYSA.  Again, this just seems like a strange thing to say.  (it's just a name).

#6  All I will say to this decision is thank you very much!  If you told us that we could not practice at Starfire you would effectively disband the team, so again thank you for letting us stay together as a team.

#7  This last "final decision" is what saddens me the most.  Saying that you would suspend a team without a hearing for just wearing an "orange jersey" or referring to their team as their old name is truly sad.  Is this what it has come down to?  I again have no clue why you had to come up with these rules in the first place, was there a problem?  How did our uniforms or website effect anyone in a negative way?  

An answer to any of these question would be appreciated Mr. President.  Thank you for your time.  And sorry that you may have to spend some more hours on "this issue"...again though, why was it an issue in the first place??

In closing I would like to make a statement.  I am confused how the color of a uniform or the name of a team bothers anyone and I do not know why you even wasted a moment of your time with this issue.  And lastly, I as a parent who enjoyed what WSYSA stands for and does for our community, I am Very Disappointed in your statements made:
"WSYSA, has studied the recent incidents regarding the FC Crush 94 Team. WSYSA is deeply disappointed in this course of events concerning this team and the community impact that has occurred..It is unfortunate that WSYSA and other soccer community members have spent far too many hours with this issue."
I used to defend the State to parents or others who were paranoid that people or WSYSA was "out to get them", now I am not so sure anymore... :cry:

Whoa!  Dragon doesn't really know what to think about this situation.  Will leave it up to the readers of WPS to form opinions, while the Pulse continues to report the news :mrgreen:





HEADLINES!



"New Moderators take over and Take Charge on WPS!!!


HOLY COW!  Have these new Moderators taken on a challenge or what?!  To help keep us all better informed and abreast of the lastest scores and action they volunteered their own time to do what I thought impossible!  Thank you Thank you Thank you all for doing such a splendid job in the last 24 hours.  I cannot wait until each of you get your section "just the way you want it".  A special thanks to all, but must bow in praise over Dogedog's Girls PDL section...Bro, that area is Da Bomb!!!!!  If every section looks that good in the end, I think I will faint! :lol:

Lets give a big WPS round of applause to these following "new moderators" that are doing an awesome job!

Dogedog (moderator of the girls PDL section)





Dragon Slayer (moderator of the Washington Premier League girls area)





BratilliaJr (moderator of Girls D3 area)





Eggy (moderator of Oregon leagues for girls)





Big Tuck (moderator of District 1)




Bravo to all our new moderators!!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:





Team Highlights- The dawning of a new nickname: The Uber-Killers"!



Not a current picture, but here are the Uber-Killers with some bling bling



Dragon did something different then he had in the past.  Instead of taking recaps from PM's that parents had sent who were from a team that was playing in a big match, he decided to send an "unknown" sideline reporter from a different age group and that had no ties to either team.  This week's assignment for our roving reporter was the ECFC Green 95  vs  WPFC Black 95 match!  Let's see how the game played out from an unbiased spectator!

Opening Weekend Thrilla

ECFC 95 Green 3, WPFC Black 2


Beautiful day for a game at Magnuson Park. Fields were a little difficult to find, but everyone got there. Run of play in the first half favored Green. Green got on the board midway through the first half when left wing (sorry forgot the #) cleaned up a rebound on the backside. Black had its best chance of the half a few minutes later when left wing #9  made a nice cross in front of the goal that was pushed wide right. Green made it 2-0 when right wing #18 knocked in a backside rebound off of a spectacular save from Blacks goalie #1! It was off a great shot from #29. 2-0 at the half. Black came out hard in the second half and quickly made it 2-1 on a spectacular long distance shot from the center mid #6. Midway through the second half, right wing #16 nails a long one from the right side of the box at a very difficult angle with a Black defender right on her. 3-1 Green. At that point, Black kicks it into gear, and makes it a one-goal game with about 10 minutes left when forward #8 scores on a highlight-film header off a cross from the right. Black knocked on the door for the rest of the game, but that's the way it ended. Another thrilla between these two talented teams. On the ride home I had to agree that the Black team was indeed "Das Uberteam", but on this day, the girls in green surely earned the name; "The Uber-Killers".

Thanks for that report!  Sounds like a great match whose rematch is an automatic GOTW!!  So here is a warning for all you teams out there...you never know when a PULSE Sideline Reporter is at your game...the next game reported on, could be yours!  :mrgreen:





LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST


PDL-

U11 Girls: Eagles vs Harbor:  Dragon went with Harbor to win 3-1.
Well the Steve Miller Jr gals sure proved Dragon wrong in a great battle that ended 2-1 in their favor!  Great job to both teams!

U12 Girls:  Das Uberteam  vs  Lil' Red:  Well Dragon picked the Uberteam to win 1-0 in a close match.  It was a close match, but higher scoring then he thought.  In a 2-2 tie, the two teams set the stage for the next rematch!

U13 Girls:  X-Empire Batman  vs  X-Empire Batgirl:  Dragon made no prediction in this match, just said it would be a great match. Batmans girls walked away with a 2-0 victory, but not before the Batgirls gave it all they could!  Great job by both teams!



For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread:
http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6238
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


Lets see what games Dragon has picked for the GOTW's in week #2!

U11

Going with a BOYS game this week!!!!

NWN Red  vs  WPFC Black:  Wow this sounds like the last game was a nail bitter with NWN's coming out on top 3-2 at the Crossfire challenge.  This game is going to be much more of the same, but with a possible different result!
Dragon say - Black 3-1


U12

Going with the Girls PDL on this pick!!!!

Crossfire T.  vs  ECFC Green: Well will the newly dubbed "Uber-Killers" prove that they are worthy, or was it just a "one day of greatness"?  It's another big match, but this time against the defending state champs and we might see a let down!!
Dragon say - Crossfire 2-1
 

U13

Another PDL battle of the undefeateds!!!!

EFC Red  vs  Reign Purple:  The Gumby gals vs the Prince gals!  This will be a great battle.  The gals in purple who are 2-0 so far in league look to keep the steamroller going over their next opponent.  While the gals in red look to get revenge for the loss to Reign at Lake Oswego!  Should be one the ages with the winner maybe rolling on to a league title!
Dragon say - EFC Red 1-0


U14

Going with State League P1 for this match up!!!!

Patriots Blue 93  vs  FC @&*$# 94:  (yes that is a new nickname!  It is Prince symbol talk for the "gals formally known as Crush LOL).  This should be a great match as two teams that people consider one of the top 4 in P1 meet head to head.  The bigger team will come on strong after a couple of "off" weeks (in their minds) and find the net.  The @&*$# girls will still be dazed trying to pronounce their new name.
Dragon say - Patirots 2-1



That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  


And now, a brand new section that Dragon loves doing with all his heart! :mrgreen:


WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!


After sending out a ton of nominations for each age group (thank you U13's for sending in the most), The judges have come up with a winner for each age group U11 through u14!





Drumroll........................................



U11

#18 NATE - SNOHOMISH UNITED H.!!!

Nate, the little super stud that he is won this week for his outstanding team play getting 2 asst's from the midfield in the 1st half, and recording a shut out 2nd half as goalie!  Great job super stud, Dragon is proud of you!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


U12

#11 ALLISON - WASHINGTON PREMIER FC BLACK!!!

Allison, a little super star for the last couple of years has added her skills to the Uberteam and it has payed off for them.  Even though the team had very hard games this weekend, she was able to walk away as Player of the Match for both games!  Great job little super star, Dragon as always is very proud of you!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


U13

#17 DEE DEE - SSFC @&*$# '94!!!

This young super star after the last few years of trying finally got her first header goal in Sat's P1 game!  Was she done there?  No way!  She turned around and got her 2nd header goal in the next game on Sunday!!  Great job little super star, Dragon is very proud of you!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


U14

#21 MELANIE - TRI MOUNTAIN AVALANCE!!!

This young lady showed her stuff on opening weekend with a couple of fantastic 2nd half goals in her teams win over OR. Heartbreakers.  In a 4-0 win, she scored once on a beautiful header and once off a hard corner kick!  Dragon is proud of you, keep up the great work!!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:
 



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:

"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

Starbritey
Sosoccer

As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer, even better to see new young superstars posting!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

To the rest of you newbies, don't be scared jump in! The waters fine!





And now (you won't believe this) another great new weekly section!!!


"A view from the Mini-Van"

Parent Expectations..

Now that I have been into this for my 4th year now, it always amazes me to hear the parents talk about their expectations of the coach, team, etc… yet when you hear them talk, never once do they consider their CHILD’S expectations for the year!!

I have heard, “I pay for this, I pay for that, I expect my child to be at a higher level by now.”   The coach should be doing this, the coach is paid for that…

REALITY CHECK FOR ALL PARENTS..  The coaches are there for practices 2-3 times per week…. Your child will only improve IF THEY want to, and spend time outside of practice working on what they need to be working on..  DESIRE comes from within!!!!

Secondly, yes, we pay the coaches, clubs, etc… but most coaches also hold FULL TIME JOBS!!!  If your boss asks you to stay for an important meeting, that might make your child late for practice, you will stay for that meeting..  child may be late- Coach will understand…  However, we don’t always give the coaches that same latitude… if they are running late because of work, parents tend to assume the team is not their priority..  I am soooooooooo tired of hearing that!!!  If a coach is there, giving all they have, dedicating their time to the girls, (paid or not) the team is their priority!!


REMEMBER THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE KIDS AND THEIR TEAMS!!!!   Let’s stop trying to screw it all up with parent expectations and demands… If the kids are growing, improving and enjoying themselves—yes even PDL (enjoying themselves)- let it be!!!

Thanks Van driver!  We all look forward to your next words of wisdom next week! :mrgreen:




"WPS Paparazzi"


Let's take a look at what our "under cover" photographer brings us this week!

This week our staff photographer brings us more up to date (taken today) shots of the Turf Field at River Road!!!

One HUGE pile of gravel ( underlayment for the new turf?)





A view from between the fields:





And the view from River Road:



Thank you Paparazzi, what would we do without your wonderful photos!  You Rock!!! :mrgreen:




"The Weekly, Can't win for losin' award"

And this weeks winner is..............

Drumroll..........................





Cheese!


Wow Cheeser, you posted a great post today about 2008 tournaments, and you already have over 40 replies!  Way to bring home the bacon aka blah blah bro!!!!





OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Looking for a team"

This week I am responding to a question that was sent to me via Dragon.  Here is the question:

Hi D - I hope you are doing well. I have a question of sorts that I would like you to send to your guest coach. I am wondering what they see as the most important factors to look for as a player and parent when evaluating new teams to play for. i.e. - technical, tactical, relationship with players/parents, league standing, future, etc... If a coach had a DD that was looking for a new team and it was a blank slate, what are the most important things they would look for. What are the most important characteristics that make a team a team besides the emotional component. Would they rather see their DD play on the current best or develop for the future, etc.

This is a great question. Usually a coach is asked at tryouts what he/she looks for in a player, but its not often people ask their advice on what is best spot for their player and what they should look for. To answer this I will break it into the parts that you asked:

First thing you need to do is evaluate where your player is. Ask your self the questions, how old is my player, where they are at technically and tactically, and what their personal goals are for soccer. Without understanding these factors about your child you can’t make a proper decision.  Personally if they are young (8-11) I would focus on going somewhere with a strong technical background. If your child develops above average at a young age technically then they should be able to make it onto any team as they get older, and learn the tactical side of things. If your child is only playing for fun, then pick a team that has plenty of friends and is close in proximity. Plus a team that doesn’t travel as much simply because if they are playing for fun they usually don’t want to spend all weekend traveling, rather play a relatively close game and then go hang out with their friends afterwards.

Now since I don’t know what areas your child fits into, and since there are way to many circumstances for me to list all of them I am going to make up the one I think most people struggle with the most. They have a young child (under 10 or just turning 10 so they are just starting their premier lives) and that child wants to be a great player and the parent wants to help, but is unsure the best course of action for their child.

1. Homework: Do your homework, research the clubs in your area that you are interested in. The things I would look at are coaching staff’s, club history and success, and if the club has written syllabus for each age group. First the coaching staff is important since they will be the ones working with your child all year. You want a coach that relates well to the age group they are coaching. Someone that has shown they have a good history at that age group and has plenty of help i.e. trainers. Remember at the young ages most top clubs have coaches that do a great job of teaching the basics. Next look at the clubs history. If they have a history of producing great technical players out of their program at each age group, then they must be doing something right and you can trust they know what they are doing. Finally, if a club has made a syllabus then it shows they are organized and it gives you a chance to see what they want to focus on throughout the year. When you have a club that has good communication with the parents the season ALWAYS goes smoother, and you will have less problems with the team and its parents. Miscommunications or under communicating are the basis for most parental problems with a team.

2. Talk to the COD: There’s nothing wrong with talking to the coaching director for the club. It’s their job to inform you on their club or at least help point you in the right direction. I understand that most of them are very busy, but a good one will at least take the time to put you into contact with the people that can help you (the coach for that team). If the coaching director wont even take the time to do this then he wont take the time to help things run smoothly also. That’s not a good sign.

3. Talk to the coach: Have a conversation. Every coach I have dealt with is at least willing to spend some time talking with someone truly interested in their club. Not only do coaches have egos they like to stroke but the more people they bring in (good or bad talent) the better chances they have of putting together a strong team. Plus this will help you get an idea of their soccer knowledge. Ask them what they want to focus on for that year, and other questions that will help you understand their personality.

4. Time to tryout: Go to as many tryouts as you can. Nothing wrong with this, you are just keeping your options open.

A few final notes: DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE OTHER KIDS AT THE TRYOUTS. You asked in your original question about what makes a good team. Well don’t worry about the personality’s on the team. No two teams are alike. That’s what makes it hard to coach, every time you switch teams it’s a new challenge. If you have a good coach with good communication with the parents and players then the amount of issues your team is going to see will be drastically decreased.  I also know it seems like I have really pushed towards the bigger clubs, well its probably because I have. Not because I coach for one of them, but because overall I think they have the opportunities to offer more for you child. Having multiple teams (a, b, c, ect) gives you the chance to find a team that truly fits your Childs ability, and in the future moving up to the better teams. Plus those clubs usually have the money to bring in higher profile coaches and give more help to each coach. Would you rather play for a club where each team is independent from the club and other age groups, and your lucky to have a coach and an assistant coach, or would you rather be with a club that has a lot of unity and you have coaches, assistance, trainers, GK coaches, and so on to help. I think that’s an easy question to ask and the bigger clubs tend to offer those.

Hopefully that’s a good answer for your question. If anyone is curious about the clubs in their area and which ones I would recommend and why please feel free to send dragon a pm and he will forward it to me. I have a few personal favorites, but I don’t want to show any bias on here. Thank you all for reading through these, and hopefully they are helpful to you all. Thank you, Coachie

Wow!  Are you ever going to do a "bad" coachs corner?  This are all awesome! :mrgreen:




"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions.  


Handball ref!

It hit the arm and gained advantage!
Girls allowed cross their arms across the chest to play the ball!

In soccer, there’s no such thing as “handball.”  The foul is called Deliberately Handles the Ball and officials use the term “handling” for short.  I also discourage the term “handball” because I fear it furthers the misconception that any contact of the ball with the hand/arm is an infraction.

Note that it is NOT “intentionally handles the ball.” The word “deliberate” is a very important word for the “handling” infraction and it means that the player consciously made a decision for their action. It is possible to deliberately handle the ball even though you didn’t intentionally handle the ball.  

A player who stands at a defensive wall with their hands in the air made a decision and deliberately placed the arms in a position where that ball could hit the arm.  The same for the player who chooses not to move out of the way of a ball that is played at his/her arm (assuming they had time to react); or who jumps to head the ball but misplays it with the upper arm/shoulder.  These are all examples of handling even though not intending to handle the ball.

Also note that Deliberately Handles the Ball is not defined by whether the player gained advantage from the hand’s contact with the ball. If in the opinion of the referee the handling was not deliberate, then there’s no infraction even if the ball falls to the player’s feet.

Handling always requires the referee’s judgment of “deliberate” and will vary with the age of players and level play.

Some questions that can help the referee make the proper decision are:
1. Did a) the ball hit the hand, or b) did the hand play the ball?
2. Was the hand some place it didn't belong? Was the hand not in a natural position?
3. Should and could the player have avoided the contact and chose not to?
4. If the hand moved to the ball, was it NOT instinctive to protect themselves?

If the answer to #1 is a), then NO handling occurred; no matter how advantageous the ball's trajectory follows, there is NO foul.

If the answer to questions 2 - 4 is "no", then again you do not have handling – no matter what the ball does after the contact.

Great job Ref as always.  You are a man amongst ref's for sure! :mrgreen:  





"Dear Eggy"


Dear Eggy, I am single soccer parent and my DD is everything to me. How can I find a good partner that understands that soccer is #1 in our life? Where do I look?
Single Parent

Dear Single Parent,
You will need to be very patient in finding a partner that will understand our way of life. Maybe Squash can start a dating forum that could match up single soccer parents, until then maybe BratJr or Gumby can PM you some possible mates.


Dear Eggy, As players, what should we do when the parents on our team don't get along?
Superstar

Dear Superstar,
Never worry about who your parents gets along with. Gently remind them that they are at the soccer field to support you. If you worry about the sidelines you may miss a play on the pitch- Parents don't make you kids worry about your behavior on the sideline. Drive the van, support your kids and bring Gatoraide.

Dear Eggy,
What kind of cleats should I get?
Shoeless

Shoeless,
Have your CP's take you to a soccer shop. You will find that the people there can help you decide what would be the best fit for you. DON'T buy a pair because they "look good" or because somebody else has them. Buy the best pair your CP's can afford that fit correctly.

Gosh, thanks again Eggy!  That is some wonderful advice!  Where would we be without our very own "Dear Abby"? :mrgreen:
Keep sending in those questions to "Dear Eggy".

 



Well our section in previous Pulse's called "Screaming Mad" has been cancelled.  BUT, here is a new section that is input from you, the posters of WPS and readers of the Pulse.  Each week I will look to all of you to send in any article or thought or idea that you think is worthy of the Pulse.  Just send it in a Private Message to Dragon and he will post it for you!...enjoy the new section :mrgreen:


"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

Here is something for the newsletter ....

PREMIER LEAGUE SEEDING

This is the first year where the two selection different methods can be compared.  The PDL uses a panel/committee to decide which teams belong in which league, while the WSPL uses the LPT process.

Both processes seem to take about the same amount of time.

WSPL requires teams to spend 1-3 weeks battling it out on the field for seeding.  The PDL requires 1-3 weeks of meetings and revisions to determine their seedings

While the debate will rage on as to who should be in what league.  In the end, the goal of any league is balanced play within the divisions.

Here are some numbers from week 1 ...

BY THE NUMBERS

Here are some figures from week 1.

LEAGUE               . GP . Tie . 1GG . Widest Margin
BU14 WSPL Division 1 .  4 .  0  .  3  . 2 goals
BU14 WSPL Division 2 .  5 .  3  .  0  . 2 goals g2
BU14 WSPL DIvision 3 .  3 .  0  .  2  . 4 goals g2
* 2 games unreported

LEAGUE               . GP . Tie . 1GG . Widest Margin
BU14 PDL 1-A         .  5 .  1  .  0  . 3 goals g3
BU14 PDL 1-B         .  9 .  1  .  4  . 5 goals g3
BU14 PDL 1-C         .  5 .  3  .  0  . 7 goals g2
* 3 games unreported

LEAGUE               . GP . Tie . 1GG . Widest Margin
GU14 WSPL Division 1 .  6 .  1  .  2  . 4 goals
GU14 WSPL Division 2 .  4 .  2  .  1  . 3 goals
GU14 WSPL Division 3 .  4 .  0  .  2  . 5 goals
GU14 WSYDL           .  4 .  2  .  0  . 4 goals

LEAGUE               . GP . Tie . 1GG . Widest Margin
GU14 PDL 1-A         .  9 .  1  .  5  . 4 goals
GU14 PDL 1-B         .  6 .  1  .  5  . 1 goal
GU14 PDL 1-C         .  7 .  0  .  4  . 3 goals

BU14 WSPL
 Games Played.. 12
 Ties                        3 25.0%
 1 Goal Games        5 41.7%
..................................66.7%  
 Widest Margin-  4 goals

BU14 PDL
 Games Played - 19
 Ties         -  5 26.3%
 1 Goal Games -  4 21.1%
..................................47.4%
 Widest Margin-  7 goals

GU14 WSPL
 Games Played - 18
 Ties         -  5 27.8%
 1 Goal Games -  5 27.8%
..................................55.6%                
 Widest Margin-  5 goals

GU14 PDL
 Games Played - 24
 Ties         -  2  8.3%
 1 Goal Games - 14 58.3%
..................................66.6%
 Widest Margin-  4 goals

Thank you very much for being the first "people reporter" on the My 2 cents worth...the posters voice section.  I look forward to what other things the readers have to say next week!  Send those articles in at any time :mrgreen:  




THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


...and now, a section that Dragon loves to do, and all of you love to read!!

"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"



Coach: Jaide (pron; J. D.)
Age: 24
Club: CPSC Timbers.
History: 5th year coaching
Experience:  Boys U12 1st year.  Asst coach GU91 Reds 2yrs, Head Coach G91 Red.  Asst Coach G93 Red 1yr. Trainer 2007 both 93 Red and Blue teams.


DRAGON: Why did you decide to start coaching kid's soccer?

Jaide: I wasn’t always the most talented player, but I seemed to read the game well.  I owe most my coaching to my current coaching director Sunny Dulai. Not only did he coach me when I was younger ( I love making him feel old), but he is the one that brought me into the Timbers club and has given me a lot of freedom when it comes to developing my own coaching skills. I also just love watching these kids grow up and do great things. One of my best experiences was last year watching my first team enter their first year of high school. It was a blast seeing them play with seniors and seeing them hold their own and watch them play against their team mate.


DRAGON: What do you do for a living outside of coaching?

Jaide: Well right now I’m looking to get back to school and finish my bachelors some time soon, plus I DJ at clubs in the area. I’m still young and not married so it makes it pretty easy to enjoy the little things in life right now.


DRAGON: Who do you think is easier to coach, boys or girls?

Jaide: Neither is easier. It really depends on the coaches personality. You have to be completely different depending on which sex you are coaching. To coach boys you need to be a little more strict and serious. They will play for you if they respect you and your skills. Girls on the other hand will play for you if they trust you. I personally enjoy coaching girls because I feel like I can joke around a little more and just have more of a personality. When I’m out there having fun it really shows in how the team plays.  


DRAGON: What is your feelings on the WPS site? (if you have ever read it)?

Jaide: I get on to mostly read the update’s on games. It’s nice to have a place where I can read opinions on teams, and games and which teams are playing well. Also as a coach it helps me learn who the other coaches are across the state so when I finally meet them I actually have an idea who they are. As far as the parents side of things I think its great to have a place where you can vent, or ask questions about soccer. The more knowledge the better.


DRAGON: If you have read it, has anything you have ever read had an influence on what you have done as a coach?

Jaide: Not really. I would love to say I read people comments about teams, and used those to help prepare my team for a game, but everyone sees games through different eyes. And I have a lot of trust in my own eyes, and I don’t think you can ever really prepare for a team without seeing them for yourself.


DRAGON: What do you think your team's chances are this year?

Jaide: Well I’m working with two teams this year. The Timbers 93 reds are competitive and great group of girls. Like most teams they have had to deal with the injury bug, but I have all the confidence in the world in them once they get healthy. They have some great potential, and have already started showing it with a great summer. The second team, Timbers 93 blues, are basically a brand new team this year that had an awesome summer. They are just a fun group of girls that are gaining a lot of confidence. I see nothing but big things in their future.


DRAGON: What are your personal goals as a coach?

Jaide: I would love to be a coaching director one of these days. I still have a long ways to go, and hopefully I am heading in the right direction. Other than that I’m just enjoying the teams I get to work with year to year.


DRAGON: Besides yourself (LOL), who is the best coach you have seen?

Jaide: Unfortunately I have not gotten a chance to go to many other coaches practice’s. And its really hard to judge a coach. You can’t just look at win and loss records. I prefer to look at how they interact with their kids, and also the development of the team itself. But if I had to list a few coaches here are a few (and ill apologize now for not knowing everyone’s names, or last names):

Tom coach for Gu14 thusc Zink: He just has a great demeanor with his girls. You can tell he is well liked, and does a great job communicating with his players. That team has come a long way from when I watched them last year.

Joey Fleming: He is a friend of mine, and has done a great job in all the positions he has been put into. He has done a great job with the timbers 94 girls, and has given them a great boost this year.  

Westsound Gu16 coach: I believe it’s the same coach from last year, and if it is he has done a great job with that team. They are extremely organized and each year have improved so much at speed of play and ball movement. This has always been a fun team for me to watch.

That’s just a couple coach’s. We all know there are so many good ones that spend so much of their time on these kids. I wish I could list them all but no one wants to read that.


DRAGON: How long do you feel a coach should coach a specific team?

Jaide: That’s a tough call. I think it really depends on if the kids are still improving, and if its still a good situation for both coach and player. Just as a general guideline I like a coach being with a team for 2-3 years, then moving on. With how the system is set up now good ages for coaching changes would be: first coach u10-u12, second coach u13-u15, third coach u16-u18. At u10-u12 a coach with a good handle on teaching individual skills is ideal. Then at u13 its time the kids really start learning the tactical side of the game, so a coach that is great at teaching that is a good step. Then at u16 they already have been in high school for one year so having a coach that understands the high school life, and college recruiting process is a great final step.


DRAGON: What are your feelings on players "playing time"?

Jaide: At the premier level a 0% playing time guarantee. Typically it’s rare I have a player that doesn’t get at least 30-40%.  If they are getting low playing time its important to talk to the player and parents and let the child know why they aren’t playing enough. The only times that I will sit a player all game would be in Lpt’s or state cup. Other than that I think its important you play the players.


DRAGON: If you could not coach with your team tomorrow, name one team you would not mind taking over if you had your pick of any?

Jaide: That feels like a catch 22, but I would have loved to coach a team I saw two years ago in Boise. It was the 91’ Albion white team. They were fast and extremely talented. Not to mention one of my players moved from California and used to play for that team, so she always told me I would have a blast coaching them.

DRAGON: What is some thing you would like Dragon to tell the whole world about you?

Jaide: There’s not a lot to say. But I would like to wish everyone luck on finding coaches and teams that help your kids develop, and have fun. That’s all that really matters. It doesn’t matter if your on an A team or a B team as long as they enjoy it and continue to develop. Not everyone can be a super star at 10 years old, some kids take time to come out of their shell.


Dragon:  Thanks Coach for being the first one in a long time to step to the plate!

Look forward to a few more coachs to volunteer out there to make this section one of the most looked forward to in the newsletter! :mrgreen:




WOW!  Had sooooo much good stuff to put out, just could not wait until Tuesday! LOL  Don't get spoiled though, next weeks issue may be back at the regular scheduled time

And if I say so myself, this is the BEST Pulse ever!!! :mrgreen:  
 

See ya'll next week, and as always "play with Heart & Fire, play with Heart & Fire always" :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #11



COVER



Dragon...

...Interviews...


WSYSA President...

...Doug Andreassen!







The Pulse!  No. #11




COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:





"DRAGON'S INTERVIEW WITH WSYSA PRESIDENT ~
 DOUG ANDREASSEN!!!"



First off I would like to say that I (Dragon) wrote the President of WSYSA and asked his permission for an "email interview".  He graciously agreed to do one for all of you readers of the Pulse! The questions were originated by myself, so if you don't like the questions you can only blame Dragon :lol:   I wanted the interview geared towards the "newer" parents to select/premier soccer who have limited understanding of what WSYSA & the position of President is all about.  Not only was Doug kind enough to answer all the questions, but he stayed up late (he sent the answers long after D goes to bed) answering them for all of you just so you would be able to read them in this issue of the Pulse!!!

Enjoy :mrgreen:

 

DRAGON:  Doug, how long has you been involved with youth soccer in Washington State either as a parent, coach, or administrator?

DOUG:  I have been involved in soccer as a parent, coach and a as an administrator for over 16 years in one capacity or another. Like many members I too started at the club level, and then my association and then on to the President of WSYSA I filled the need to coach and then saw the need to be involved in my community club, which attracted me to volunteer at the Association level in various offices, and saw that I could provide some leadership as one of forty two association presidents. I finally saw the need to fill a void at WSYSA and I chose to run for President.


DRAGON:  Do you have children that play soccer now or in the past?  How was there experience?

DOUG:  Yes in the past and currently, they have played at multiple levels in WSYSA. I have hung nets, striped fields, filled in holes on fields and other numerous activities. They have all had a wonderful experience with a few challenges thrown in, as with most members.


DRAGON:  When did you decide that you wanted to run for president of WSYSA?  Being that this was a major decision, how supportive was your family?

DOUG: I decided to run in June of 2006, while on a family holiday, when I noticed that access to communications was difficult, items like no answers to the emails, no answers to the phone calls, no replies from state officers and while attending national events I found our state lagging further and further behind the other states. I felt then and still feel that I could do more. My family was supportive, however not knowing the complete time commitments that are required, they encouraged me to run for the office. Now four months into the office the family now wonders where I am at, more often that not. I have displaced family vacations, holidays and other events in an effort to provide top notch service to the members and get the WSYSA house in order. My goal is to professionalize how WSYSA operates, from top to bottom. By the way we have along ways to go. This position takes a lot of support from my family, they support my commitment to youth soccer 100%, and I appreciate that from them every day.


DRAGON:  Is being the President of WSYSA a full time job for you, or do you also have another non-soccer related job?

DOUG:  As President of WSYSA it is a volunteer position, I have another non soccer related position(s) I occupy in the private sector. I have a great deal of responsibility to my employees and their lives, just as I feel that commitment to the WSYSA members.


DRAGON:  If you could list one personal goal that is important to you to accomplish while in office, what would it be?

DOUG:  To provide programs at all levels for the kids to play soccer, whether it be recreational, select and premier. My goal is to provide quality programs from the top level of soccer to the recreational level. If I can get people excited about the game of soccer and what it provides to you as a member of our soccer community, our society, and to contribute to our world around us. Soccer is a game of passion.


DRAGON:  How often in your busy life do you get a chance to go out and watch youth soccer?

DOUG:  I get out almost every weekend, weekdays some times and even a game or two for ethics/judicial reasons. I have a lot of friends who play the game and their kids who play, I watch many games for the thrill of watching soccer. I like to see the soccer community, listen to the soccer community and see how the rules, policies and other items we do affect the games.


DRAGON:  Do you have any funny stories that have taken place since you have been in office?

DOUG:  I occasionally will be at the WSYSA office and will answer a phone call. One individual called and said she was trying to contact the State President. I told her I am that person and what could I help her with, she angrily responded to stop placating her and to transfer to the President. She said she had been calling the state office for over 3 years in an attempt to talk to the President. I again informed her that I was that person. There was a moment of silence. She then said she forgot what her concern was and hung up the phone on me, I have yet to hear from her, if you are out there and read this message, email me, I am still eager to answer your concerns!


DRAGON:  How many hours do you normally put in, in 1 week related to your job and soccer as a whole?

DOUG:  I put in anywhere between 25 to 35 hours a week into soccer, everything from meetings, answering email, disusing soccer topics with community members, meeting with staff, meeting with marketing firms etc etc etc. this is in addition to my private sector companies where I will put in another 50 + hours a week.

 
DRAGON:  What is your personal “Vision” of Washington soccer in the future?

DOUG:  My vision is to reach out to those communities that are being under served, provide diversity to all WSYSA and to leave office someday with programs that serve all of our players abilities as well as have the members feel that the WSYSA office/staff are as professional as any sports organization, whether it be youth or professional in the country.


DRAGON:  If you could tell our readers one thing about yourself that they probably don’t know, what would it be?

DOUG:  I am an avid fan of sports car racing around the world. I have enjoyed that for 30+ years and travel around the world to watch these events. I also collect and have owned several sports cars.


BONUS QUESTION:  
Doug took his time to add onto our interview, and give us some wonderful insight into what he and the members of WSYSA are hoping to accomplish in the future!

DOUG:  I frequently get asked what is on my soccer plate at any given time, so I have provided you here a list of 52 items that are currently on my plate, they are not in order of importance or critical nature, however I do work on all of them simultaneously.

1. Diversity in WSYSA.

2. Risk Management, to provide programs to protect our members.

3. Recreation Issues

4. PDL issues

5. Membership passes

6. Player passes

7. Registration questions and certification

8. Updating Play On publication

9. Revising Soccer Fair from Top to bottom

10. Revising the Web site/Spanish

11. Coaching clinics in Spanish

12. All of our forms, books and other materials in Spanish

13. Soccer Summits for all parts of the state

14. Recreation Summit

15 WSYSA office restructuring

16. Budget Items

17. Insurance issues as they relate to our players

18. Legal issues that confront WSYSA on a monthly basis

19. Development programs for our members

20. Attending Club events, Association Events, District events

21.  Reviewing all state leagues from Top to bottom

22. Reviewing all State Cups from Top to bottom

23. Revising WSYSA Logo and mission

24. Reviewing our Rules and guidelines

25. Reviewing our Disciplinary Rules

26. Interaction with Region 4 on State Issues

27. Interaction with US Youth on Diversity, Programs for our youth

28. Better communication systems with our members

29. Professionalize WSYSA office

30. Work with our Exec Director on multiple issues

31. Interaction with USSF and our Academy teams

32. MLS in Seattle

33. Sounders and promotions

34. Promotion of WSYSA within our State

35. Communication with Assoc Presidents

36. Communication with Districts

37. Communication with Clubs

38. Advise to clubs on administrative issues

39. Responding to members concerns

40. Bonzi system

41. Field Issues and how we can provide new Fields to our members.

42. Sponsorships to help keep our Fees reduced.

43. Sponsorships contacts

44. Administrative hearings

45. Judicial hearings and how we can improve them

46. Referees, how to improve

47. Coaching Director and coaching clinics

48. State League Brkfst of Champions

49. Soccer Ball for every player

50. Interaction with other State Presidents in ideas and issues that affect WSYSA.

51. Returning to a Public Draw for State Cup. Be ready!

52. ATTRACTING A TOP NOTCH SPEAKER FOR SOCCER FAIR DINNER. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

 

DRAGON:  Thank you Doug for taking time out of your very busy schedule to answer these questions for the Pulse!  We all look forward to you accomplishing all the items on your "plate".  
And to borrow a line you wrote to me; "Look forward to more communication not less". :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:




HEADLINES!



"Another New Moderator Joins the Team to make the Pulse your one stop place for the lastest info on youth soccer!


Thanks needs to go out to:

93soccerdad!

New moderator for the D5 section!  Thank you for putting in some of your free time to continue to make this the best site ever! :mrgreen:




THE MEGSON DYNASTY!

Don Megson


Cyril Megson


Gary Megson


Neil Megson




Always browsing through team/club websites; we came across a nice article on Crossfire's Asst Coaching Director, Neil Megson, and his family history.  This article was originally published back in the day, in a UK Fanzine called; "Grorty Dick".  Enjoy the article:

That our (West Bromwich Albion) Gaffer has a Dad who also made his name in the beautiful game is well known. Albion supporters aged over 50 will recall Don Megson, who played for the Owls first team between 1959 and 1970. Don came to the professional stage quite late, making his debut at the age of 23. Included in his footballing apprenticeship prior to that were a couple of games for Mossley in the Cheshire League, in the 1952/53 season.

Some six months before his professional debut, Don became a proud Dad and no doubt was eager to teach his young son significant words like “pass” and “don’t foul.” Wednesday were a powerful side in those days, and in 1966, reached the FA Cup Final where they led 2-0 before losing 3-2. After 440 games for Wednesday, the midfielder joined Bristol Rovers, where he played 31 games. Don went to manage the side for over five years, leaving in November 1977. His goalkeeper for much of that time was one Dick Sheppard. During the latter part of that spell, he was able to fix up a trial for his eldest lad at Plymouth, who were suitably impressed, and signed him up. After managing Rovers, Megson Senior had a big offer from the States in the form of an opportunity to move to Oregon and coach Portland Timbers. This was a major upheaval for the family, but clearly Don made a decent impression, because he set a new club record for victories, which still holds to this day. The team won 20 fixtures before losing to the New York Cosmos in the Conference Finals. How many of the matches finished 1-0 is not recorded.

Son Gary was making a name for himself at Home Park, Plymouth, but younger brother Neil went with the Megson family to the States, and basically never returned home (unlike the rest of the family, who went back to the UK after two years). His playing career included a stint with the Seattle Sounders (North American Soccer League) in 1983, and nine indoors seasons with the Tacoma Stars (1983-92), where he was a two-time MISL All-Star. He played for the US national team in 1988, and then after returning to Seattle in 1995, his Sounders team won the Championship. He moved into coaching in March 1996, while still playing as sweeper, replacing Alan Hinton as coach. His popularity with his teammates gave him the edge over 7 other candidates.

Neil ran the Seattle Sounders for five years, and was named A-League coach of the year in 2000. “The 5-2-3 lineup pitched by Megson was a joy to watch, with all backs attacking at times and everyone defending when the opponents had the ball” said Seattle Pitch News. Megson- coached Sounders teams made the playoffs every year, and reached at least the second round of the playoffs every season. He holds a USSF “B” licence.

Neil, aged 41 now lives in Galleon Drive, Tacoma, with wife Vicky, son Alex, and daughter Samantha. In between tipping off his brother about talent like Jeff Agoos, he currently works as the Technical Director of FC Kitsap. They claim to be the premier soccer club on the Kitsap Peninsula, with more teams playing in the Washington State Youth League.

In December, the FC Kitsap coach Mike Meherg talked him into taking on an additional job, running Olympic College's fledgling soccer programme for both men and women from autumn this year. "He said it was a bit of a shame, because there was so much talent, and nowhere to go in the community," said Megson, "Mike asked if I'd be interested, and the old coaching juices got flowing again. The challenge was thrown down and we'll take it on next year. I enjoy coaching youth," he said. "It's not the highest and most demanding coaching position. In professional leagues, the results mean everything, and sometimes you forget to enjoy it. The kids, they're a lot more gung-ho, if you know what I mean. They make more mistakes, but you just have to put up with it. They're there to go to school first and play soccer secondly."

There are more footballing Megsons out there Take Uncle Cyril.

Just like brother Don, Cyril Megson also played for Mossley FC, and just like Don, transferred from the quaintly-named Linotype & Machinery. The big difference was Cyril stayed with the Seel Park club for seven years upwards (1951-1958 and scored an impressive 94 goals from his wing in 219 games.) Not surprisingly, he was the club top scorer for three years in a row, but missed a year out of his career with Mossley due to a fractured skull. In 1952, the local Sentinel newspaper described one of his goals against Ashton United in the FA Cup. “ The winger looked a match-winner from the first minute. After five minutes he shocked Ashton into silence by scoring in typical Megson style. Receiving a pass near the halfway line, Megson moved ten yards down the touchline, switched inside suddenly and with Ashton defenders waiting for him to pass, Megson put in a shot from 25 yards, which dipped in the downfield wind, and the ball was in the net. What a cup-tie tonic!”

Neil Megson’s son Alex is 17, and already has honours to his name. In 2001, he was the Washington State Under 15 Champion, and in 2001 and 2002, he was the Rainier Challenge Champion (whatever that is, but it sounds impressive!) He’s typically Megson sized at only 5 foot 8, which makes him one of the shortest members of the 2003 FC United U-18 Navy Team. He also turns out for his college side – the Stadium Tigers from Tiger High School. “Stadium boys are shocking the league with their impressive record and goal-scoring ability” enthused the school magazine excitedly.

Meanwhile, back in beautiful down-town Sheffield, Simon Megson is quietly making a name for himself in Sheffield. Imagine the effect on the coach when Dad turns up to watch… “err umm more effort lads,… don’t foul … errr PASS!” Is the third generation of footballing Megson’s on the way? Bank on it. It’s in their blood.


The reason they re-published this story is due to Neil's brother recently getting a coaching position for the Leicester City Football Club of the Champions League back in the UK.  Here is the link for that article if you would like to read more about it:
http://www.crossfiresoccer.org/home/203973.html
Nice story :mrgreen:



LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

U11
(Boys) NWN Red  vs  WPFC Black:  Dragon went with the boys in black on this one, predicted 3-1.  Actual score was- 5-0

U12
Crossfire T.  vs  ECFC Green: Dragon picked the Xgals to win 2-1, the actual score was- 1-0 Crossfire!  

U13
EFC Red  vs  Reign Purple:  Dragon picked EFC to win this one 1-0, the actual score was- a 2-2 tie!

U14
Patriots Blue 93  vs  FC @&*$# 94:  Dragon went with the Patriots to win this one 2-1, the actual score was- 4-1 SSFC girls!

Dragon 2 wins 2 loses in the "big games" this week.


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #2:
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6329
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


Lets see what games Dragon has picked for the GOTW's in week #3!

BU11 - Crossfire M.  vs  NWN Red - Last two times NW has won, will this be any different? Dragon say - NWN 2-1

GU12 - Lil' Red  vs  Crossfire T. - Think both teams are on a high right now...but..Dragon says - Thomas girls 2-0

GU13 - Bend Storm  vs  Ireland - Battle of the unbeatens!!!  Could go either way. Dragon say - 2-2 tie!

GU14 - none on the radar (as posted by the CP's) :?


That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  



WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!







U11

NONE!
very sad no one got recognition this week :cry:

U12

#1 MADI - MRFC COSMOS!!!
Madi came off the bench in both halfs, to score both goals in a 2-0 victory for her team.  Both goals were left footed, and she is a righty! Dragon proud of you little super star! :mrgreen:

U13

NONE!
very sad no one got reconition this week :cry:

U14

#13 and #12 BRI & HANNA - NEMESIS 93!!!
First time ever that we have a "2 for 1" special on POTW!  These  young superstars celebrated both their birthdays by scoring hat-tricks (combined) over the weekend!  Very cool gals!  Dragon very proud of you both! :mrgreen:

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

ChevySoccer
Skagitonian
Old lady River

As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer!



"A view from the Mini-Van"

Observations:
While sitting in the car before my child’s game this weekend, I was observing parents talking/listening to their children after the game, on the way to their car.
There were two very different scenarios; 1- the kid who is sometimes smiling, sometimes not, but very talkative and head up regardless of the outcome of the game and the parent is LISTENING, then,  2- the other parent, TALKING to their child, child head hung down looking at the ground not saying a word, again regardless of the outcome.
Which one are you?

"WPS Paparazzi"


Our Staff Paparazzi did such a good job in the past few weeks at keeping us up to date on the new field down at River Road, I asked him to keep me updated weekly!  (gee with all this free publicity, maybe Coach Fish will finally do that interview for me or even coach Robi from the Uberteam)



Who wants some free sand?  Nice sign huh?



Ready for some black little pebbles almost!


Thanks Papa-R   As always, you rock!! :mrgreen:


...and now a blantant advertisment brought to you by the Pulse (hey, you can't have a newsletter without classified ads!) LOL


For Sale 1953 Chevy Belair 2Dr HT Send inquiries to the Pulse email address


 


"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email



...A young 93 Nemesis player (Moose) listens to the Ref's plea; "OK, I will not call that goal off-sides if you can get your dad to let me drive his stang!"




Happiness is....when you can enjoy a friend's birthday party, and be totally unaware that over 222 CP's yaked about your team name



"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"
*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*

This is a great article on Concussions and a checklist for all to copy and carry in their pockets/medical bags for games!
 
Concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), is the most common and least serious type of traumatic brain injury. A milder type of diffuse axonal injury, concussion involves a transient loss of mental function. It can be caused by acceleration or deceleration forces, or by a direct blow. Concussion is generally not associated with penetrating injuries
The brain floats within the skull surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), one of the functions of which is to protect the brain from normal light "trauma", e.g., being jostled in the skull by walking, jumping, etc., as well as mild head impacts. More severe impacts or the forces associated with rapid acceleration/deceleration may not be absorbed by this cushion.

Concussion is considered a type of diffuse brain injury (as opposed to focal brain injury), meaning that the dysfunction occurs over a more widespread area of the brain.

Symptoms of concussion can include a period of unconsciousness for less than 30 minutes, vomiting, confusion, and visual disturbances. Amnesia, the hallmark sign of concussion, can be retrograde amnesia (loss of memories that were formed before the injury) or anterograde amnesia (loss of memories formed post-injury). In concussion, amnesia is much more likely to be anterograde (also called post traumatic amnesia or PTA). This type of amnesia is the inability to create and save new memories, much like the process of saving something from the RAM on a computer to its hard drive. Amnesia may not become apparent until the next day or the next week. A common example in sports concussion is the quarterback who was able to conduct all the complicated mental tasks of leading a football team after a concussion, but has no recollection the next day or the part of the game that took place after the concussion.

Patients with concussion may act confused, for example repeatedly asking the same questions, or forgetting where they are. Patients may have focal neurological deficits, signs that a specific part of the brain is not working correctly.

The most critical mistake for those suffering from concussion, is not returning for further medical care and evaluation in the time period of 24 to 72 hours after the concussive event, if the symptoms are getting worse. Athletes, especially intercollegiate or professional athletes would typically be followed closely by team trainers during such period. But those injured in accidents may be sent home with no medical person monitoring them unless the situation gets worse. If the person had a concussion yesterday, and they don't have a clear recollection of the time period between the concussion and today, then they are likely suffering from Post-Traumatic Amnesia, and are more likely to have a long term or permanent problems.

Concussion is classified into five grades

The mildest, grade I, involves only confusion.
Grade II involves anterograde amnesia that lasts less than five minutes as well as confusion.
Grade III involves the symptoms above, as well as retrograde amnesia and unconsciousness for less than five minutes
Grade IV involves all of the above symptoms, as well as unconsciousness that lasts between 5 and 10 minutes.
Grade V is the same as grade IV, with unconsciousness lasting longer than ten minutes.
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guidelines make it clear that permanent brain injury can occur with either Grade 2 or Grade 3 concussion. Thus, it is clear that subtle brain injury can have permanent consequences if the acute symptoms of the concussion continue for more than 15 minutes.

Each grade of concussion comes with different recommendations for patients who play sports:

In grade I, the patient may return to contact sports in 1 week.
A patient with a second time grade I concussion may return to play contact sports in 2 weeks after being asymptomatic for a week.
In grade II, the patient may return to contact sports in 1 week of being asymptomatic.
A second time grade II may return to play contact sports 1 month after being asymptomatic for a week.
In grade III, the patient may return to contact sports in 1 month.
For a patient with a second time grade III concussion, the season is over.
However, if the patient has repeated concussions after contact sports, grade I x 3, grade II x 2, and especially grade III x 2, then it should be recommended that the season is over and a thorough medical evaluation should be considered manSome concussions can have serious, lasting effects. The symptoms of most concussions are resolved in 48 to 72 hours, but in many patients, problems persist.

Concussion Checklist
Management of Concussion in Sports  
Grades of Concussion  
Grade 1:
Transient confusion (inattention, inability to maintain a coherent stream of thought and carry out goal-directed movements)
No loss of consciousness
Concussion symptoms or mental status abnormalities on examination resolve in less than 15 minutes
 Grade 2:
Transient confusion
No loss of consciousness
Concussion symptoms or mental status abnormalities (including amnesia) on examination last more than 15 minutes
 Grade 3:
Any loss of consciousness
Brief (seconds)
Prolonged (minutes)
 
Management Recommendations
Grade 1:
Remove from contest
Examine immediately and at 5 minute intervals for the development of mental status abnormalities or post-concussive symptoms at rest and with exertion
May return to contest if mental status abnormalities or post-concussive symptoms clear within minutes
 Grade 2:
Remove from contest and disallow return that day
Examine on-site frequently for signs of evolving intracranial pathology
A trained person should reexamine the athlete the following day
A physician should perform a neurologic examination to clear the athlete for return to play after 1 full asymptomatic week at rest and with exertion
Grade 3:
Transport the athlete from the field to the nearest emergency department by ambulance if still unconscious or if worrisome signs are detected (with cervical spine immobilized, if indicated)
A thorough neurologic evaluation should be performed emergently, including appropriate neuroimaging procedures when indicated
Hospital admission is indicated if any signs of pathology are detected, or if the mental status of the athlete remains abnormal
 
When to Return to Play Grade of Concussion: Return to Play only After Being Asymptomatic with Normal Neurologic Assessment at Rest and with Exercise:
Grade 1 Concussion At least 15 minutes
Multiple Grade 1 Concussions 1 week
Grade 2 Concussion 1 week
Multiple Grade 2 Concussions 2 weeks
Grade 3 - Brief Loss of Consciousness (seconds) 1 week
Grade 3 - Prolonged Loss of Consciousness (minutes) 2 weeks
Multiple Grade 3 Concussions 1 month or longer, based on decision of evaluating physician
 
Features of Concussion Frequently Observed Vacant stare (befuddled facial expression)
Delayed verbal and motor responses (slow to answer questions or follow instructions)
Confusion and inability to focus attention (easily distracted and unable to follow through with normal activities)
Disorientation (walking in the wrong direction; unaware of time, date and place)
Slurred or incoherent speech (making disjointed or incomprehensible statements)
Gross observable incoordination (stumbling, inability to walk tandem/straight line)
Emotions out of proportion to circumstances (distraught, crying for no apparent reason)
Memory deficits (exhibited by the athlete repeatedly asking the same question that has already been answered, or inability to memorize and recall 3 of 3 words or 3 of 3 objects in 5 minutes)
Any period of loss of consciousness (paralytic coma, unresponsiveness to arousal)
 
 
Sideline Evaluation Mental Status Testing  
Orientation: Time, place, person, and situation (circumstances of injury).
Concentration: Digits backward (i.e., 3-1-7, 4-6-8-2, 5-3-0-7-4).
Months of the year in reverse order.  
Memory: Names of teams in prior contest.
Recall of 3 words and 3 objects at 0 and 5 minutes.
Recent newsworthy events.
Details of the contest (plays, moves, strategies, etc.)  
Exertional Provocative Tests
40 yard sprint
5 push-ups
5 sit-ups
5 knee-bends  Neurological Tests
Strength
Coordination
Sensation  
Any appearance of associated symptoms is abnormal, e.g. headaches, dizziness, nausea, unsteadiness, photophobia, blurred or double vision, emotional lability, or mental status changes.  
 
For more information about the management of Concussion in Sports Public Education Campaign, please call the American Academy of Neurology at (651) 695-1940 or the Brain Injury Association at (703) 761-0750


 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Well what can Dragon say?  WPS rules Washington when it comes to reporting youth soccer...we are slowly but surely taking over Oregon as well...Sooo, what was Dragon to do?  Keep branching out of course! :lol:   So the next logical soccer-mecca for Dragon to reach out to was the state of California who is broken down into two sections (Nor-Cal and So-Cal).  Dragon hunted high and low to find a parent of one of the best (if not the best) U13 team in Nor-Cal.  He found one!  So, Dragon is adopting the Central Valley ChiliPeppers as our Nor-Cal team (State Champs at U12), and they are going to give us weekly updates on their team and some of their competition!  Cal-North now...tomorrow the world :lol:

Dragon,  Lets start with last  weekends results. The Peppers are off to a 2-0  start in District 2 Cal North winning both games opening weekend vs Deanza 1-0 and the CV Revolution 8- 0. Maddie our GK had to have surgery on the arm she broke in our Tournaments Championship game vs Mustang Blast. We lost to Mustang 1-0 but played the whole 2nd half without subs due to injuries and ODP. The other big team at U13, the Mustang Blast opened up with a decisive 4 -0 vistory over Lamorinda and then tied DVSC 1-1 who played with only 10 players in the 2nd half.  That's it for week #1, for week #2 here are some of the scores from our Dist 3 and Dist 2-

District 3
Dubkin Flame 1 Mustang United 0
Mustang Blast 5 Pleasanton Rage 0
ACC Mavericks 1 Lamorinda 0
Bay Oaks Speed demons 2 DVSC 0

In District 2
Chilipeppers 2 Santa Cruz 0
Orchard Valley Storm 2 Deanza Force 1
Almaden Ice 0 Cenral Valley Revolution 0

Here is my recap for the C.P. game on 9-15:
The goals were scored by Marrissa #13 and Celeste #14 both in the 1st half  off of assists from Zarette #15 and Colby #4. Our defense recorded their 3rd straight shutout as Sam #21, Brittany #2 Sloan #5 and Sarina #16 were outstanding allowing only 3 shots on our goalie Leslie # 11. We will get our defender  Hannah #12 back this week from her broken arm before regionals and Maddie #8 our keeper had successful surgery to put a plate in her right forearm that she broke. We also picked up an excellent midfielder who is transferring over from a D2 rival. When all paperwork is finalized we will introduce her

The Chilipeppers!

Thanks ChiliPepper-Reporter!  Look forward to your report next week!!!
Hope Maddie get well and recovers soon, we up here in Washington will have her in our thoughts :mrgreen:





OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Bad coaching?"

This weeks article comes from a parents who asked a very good question:
"So........what do you do when your Coach is not getting the job done? How do you talk to the coach without hurting your kid"?

This is something you run into with just about every team at every age. There’s always some parent that disagrees with the coach, and either his coaching style, ability, or knowledge. However, I am not here to defend the coaches, because there are situations where the coach may be at fault. The first thing I would do in this situation is make a list of all the things that your coach has done that you do not agree with, and the reasons why they are not getting the job done. Also before you do anything you should probably have an idea of what solutions you are hoping to come to, whether that be keeping the same coach but having him change some of his coaching style, or whether you believe he is not a good person for the job and should be removed. And please remember just because you feel he should be removed does not mean he will be, or that being removed is the best thing for the team. That is just your opinion.
Next thing DO NOT TALK TO THE COACH about this. If you do you are asking for confrontation and this is where things could go poorly for your relationship with him and with your child and him. Instead set up a meeting with the coaching director. This is part of their job after all and any good coaching director would be happy to meet with you. Take your list with you and bring up all your concerns. Most likely they will not make any decisions right there, and they will also try to calm you down and do the whole political correct stuff. Just be prepared for that. Once you are getting towards the end of the meeting finish by giving them a deadline that you would like to hear back from him. And not 24 hours give them at least a week to look into it.
Next step is up to the Coaching director. They will most likely take your concerns to the coach (and they should be doing this in confidence and not bringing up the names of the individuals who made the complaints ) In the meeting with the coach (which I have been a part of some of these meetings) they usually will just get the coaches opinions on the topics discussed. Of course its usually a different story. This is where things get difficult for the DOC. At this point they will usually ask around to some parents they trust off the team or other coaches close to the team to figure out which side is closer to the truth. After which they will usually make some sort of decisions and changes.
Do not expect the coach to be replaced, that is the last case scenario and rarely happens. Instead expect some other solutions like: another coach coming to help out the current coach, An email from the coach acknowledging the problems he has had and what he intends to do to fix them, or any other number of solutions that usually start with better communication.
This is the best way to approach this situation because if done right names are left out and problems get solved. I hate to say it but expect quicker changes and solutions from bigger clubs also. You may be asking yourself what difference this would have, well there’s a few key reasons. First of all bigger clubs generally have paid directors whose job is to deal with these issues. Plus they have more resources for easier solutions, such as bringing in more coaches to help out with the current coach. It has nothing to do with which club is better, it has everything to do with the resources at hand.
Hopefully this helps you out in your current situation. It’s times like this I wish I knew who you were and if you lived in my area because I would love to help you out throughout the process. However, if you do it calmly and think through it you should be fine.

"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions.  


Obstruction ref!

In the Beautiful game, the foul is Impeding the progress of an opponent.  

From Laws of the Game 2007/2008:
Impeding the progress of an opponent means moving into the path of the opponent to obstruct, block, slow down or force a change of direction by an opponent when the ball is not within playing distance of either player.

All players have a right to their position on the field of play, being in the way of an opponent is not the same as moving into the way of an opponent.

Shielding the ball is permitted. A player who places himself between an opponent and the ball for tactical reasons has not committed an offence as long as the ball is kept in playing distance and the player does not hold off the opponent with his arms or body. If the ball is within playing distance, the player may be fairly charged by an opponent.

Impeding usually occurs with no contact between opponents.  If contact occurs, the foul is more likely holding or pushing.  

Note that shielding a ball that is within playing distance is permitted, even when this is done to prevent an opponent from playing the ball as it goes in to touch.  This is not “Obstruction ref!”

"Dear Eggy"


Dear Eggy,

My oldest DD (20 yrs old) has a crush on my younger daughter's coach.  She wants to approach him but she is really shy.  I know he is single but I have a strange feeling his is "not into girls" if you know what I mean.  Should I tell me oldest daughter, or let her find out for herself?
Signed, unsure in cowtown.

Dear Cowtown,
It's time to let your oldest DD fly. She may be surprised and find her soul mate. She may have a reality check and find her first heartbreak.
Who knows maybe it will work out and the younger DD will get more playing time. Good luck and watch where you step.
 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:



"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

Here is an idea for a Premier league that does not use LPT's.  Has a combination of Promotion/Relegation at the higher levels ... and RPI for lower levels.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

PREMIER LEAGUE STRUCTURE

Because of various factors, the Premier League has been split between the WSPL and the PDL.  The result is that there are more teams playing in a Premier League than in years past.

This year there are 51 girls U13 teams playing in either the WSPL or PDL.  In addition, there are 4 GU13 teams playing up in the WSPL and several other quality teams playing in Oregon.

I am sure that the following is just one opinion out of many.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST PREMIER LEAGUE

To leave old names behind, lets refer to this new league as the Pacific Northwest Premier League (PNPL).

This league will incorporate a few ideas brought forth in the WSYSA summit.  This includes the following ...

1. Club Player Passes
2. Fall & Spring Season
3. Elimination of LPT's
4. Use of an RPI

LEAGUE ENTRY - INITIAL YEAR

The initial seeding of the PNPL will be strictly based on a RPI forumla.  For this exercise, I have used BC's GU13 End of Summer Ratings.

Please do not take offense if your team is in the WSPL or PDL and is not listed here.

This example uses the U13 age as the initial year for entering the league, but it could be rolled out at an earlier age such as U12.  No matter where the league starts, it is important that teams wishing to enter the PNPL exist the year prior to establish their initial RPI.  So if the league starts at U12, teams must exist and build their RPI at U11.

Any RPI should be published.  While most will never understand the math behind any RPI calculation, it is important that the general soccer community know what factors are used.  This could include State Cup, local tournaments, league games etc.  

RPI will have to be kept for all teams in the state for entry into the league at later age groups.  For this example that would start at the U14 age.

LEAGUE STRUCTURE - INITIAL YEAR

The PNPL will place 52 teams into three divisions.

Division 1 will consist of 12 teams in two conferences.

Division 2 will consist of 16 teams in two conferences.

Division 3 will consist of 24 teams in four conferences.

An example of seeding the top 52 teams (Using BC's Ratings) is at the end.

FALL SEASON

As per the recommendation at the WSYSA Summit, the fall season will run from September to Thanksgiving weekend.

Division 1 - Each conference of 6 teams will play a 10 game, home/home schedule within their conference.

Division 2 - Each conference of 8 teams will play as 14 game, home/home schedule within their conference.

Division 3 - Each conference of 6 teams will play a 10 game, home/home schedule within their conference.

MID SEASON PROMOTION/RELEGATION

After the fall season and prior to the spring season, Divisions will be remixed using a promotion/relegation based on the fall league results.

Division 1 - Bottom two teams from each conference will be relegated to Division 2 for the spring.  Using the example at the end, the following will occur.

PNPL D1-CASCADE
5TH -> D2-COLUMBIA
6TH -> D2-CLEARWATER

PNPL D1-PUGET SOUND
5TH -> D2-CLEARWATER
6TH -> D2-COLUMBIA

Division 2 - Top two teams from each conference will be promoted to Division 1 for the spring.  In addition, the 7th & 8th placed teams will be relegated to Division 3.

PNPL D2-COLUMBIA
1ST -> D1-CASCADE
2ND -> D1-PUGET SOUND
7TH -> D3-OAK
8TH -> D3-MAPLE

PNPL D2-CLEARWATER
1ST -> D1-PUGET SOUND
2ND -> D1-CASCADE
7TH -> D3-SPRUCE
8TH -> D3-FIR

DIVISION 3 - The top team in each conference will be promoted to Division 2 for the spring season.

PNPL D3-OAK
1ST -> D2-CLEARWATER

PNPL D3-MAPLE
1ST -> D2-CLEARWATER

PNPL D3-SPRUCE
1ST -> D2-COLUMBIA

PNPL D3-FIR
1ST -> D2-COLUMBIA

SPRING SEASON

As per the recommendations, the spring season will run from February to early April.

Division 1 - Each conference will play a 12 game season, home/home crossover schedule with teams from the opposite conference.

Division 2 - Each conference will play a 8 games season against the opposite conference.

Division 3 - Each conference will play a 12 games season, home/home crossover schedule with teams from a paired conference.  Example D3-OAK <->D3-SPRUCE and D3-MAPLE <-> D3-FIR

POST SEASON

As per the WSYSA Summit Recommendations, State Cup will be played April-May.


PNPL LEAGUE ENTRY - YEAR 2

In year two the following will determine the league structure.  A returning player requirement may be applied.

Division 1 - Bottom two teams from each conference will drop into the RPI Pool

Division 2 - Top two teams in each conference will be promoted to Division 1.

To promote balanced conferences, the 12 Division 1 teams will have an RPI index applied to them.  All odd ranked teams will be placed in D1-Cascade and even ranked teams in D1-Puget Sound.  

After movement, all Division 1 teams are considered seeded.  All other teams will be placed in the RPI Pool for placement.  This includes any new teams wishing to enter the PNPL.


RPI POOL PLACEMENT

Based on the previous 12 months play, including state cup, local tournaments, league play, each team not seeded will have an RPI calculated.

Division 1 - If for any reason a seeded team should drop from Division 1.  Open positions will be filled using the RPI rankings starting with the highest ranked team first.

Division 2 - Top 16 teams will be placed in Division 2.  Odd ranked teams in D2-Columbia and Even ranked teams in D2-Clearwater.

Division 3 - After Division 2 has been filled, the next 24 ranked teams will be placed in Division 3.  One team to be place in each division in order until all positions are filled.

CLUB PLAYER PASSES

Clubs may use the club player pass to help player development with the following restrictions.

1. Only players registered to a team playing in the PNPL may use the Club Player Pass

2. Players from the same club may move up or laterally  ... never down.  
a) Division 1 players may only play for another D1 club team or any club team within the league in an older age group.
b) Division 2 players may play for another D2 or D1 club team within their age or any club team within the league in an older age group.
c) Division 3 players may play for another club team within their age or play up.

3. Players are restricted to no more than 2 league games per weekend.

EXAMPLE : PACIFIC NORTHWEST PREMIER LEAGUE
Initial Year Seeding - And Where they are now

PREMIER DIVISION I - CASCADE (6 teams)
1. 6.1158 FC Crush - WSPL-D1 GU14
3. 5.3586 Eastside Red - PDL 1-A
5. 5.1263 Columbia Timbers Red - Oregon Premier Gold
7. 5.0831 NWN Red - PDL 1-A
9. 5.0347 Dosveedanya Red - PDL 1-A
11. 4.9668 ECFC Green - PDL 1-A

PREMIER DIVISION I - PUGET SOUND (6 teams)
2. 5.4037 Crossfire Porter - PDL 1-A
4. 5.2210 Reign Purple - PDL 1-A
6. 5.1001 WPFC Black - PDL 1-A
8. 5.0692 Harbor Waters - PDL 1-A
10. 4.9993 Snohomish Chika Lobos - PDL 1-A
12. 4.8361 Eagles Bennett - PDL 1-A

PREMIER DIVISION II - COLUMBIA (8 teams)
13. 4.7697 Evergreen Rivera - PDL 1-A
15. 4.7219 NWN Blue - PDL 1-A
17. 4.4043 Crossfire Amy - PDL 1-A
19. 4.1819 Whatcom Rangers Gold - PDL-1B
21. 4.1676 Pacific Premier Red - WSPL-D3 GU14
23. 3.8677 Sun City Strikers Morton - PDL-1B
25. 3.6846 Synergy Clark - WSPL GU13
27. 3.6626 Spokane Elite Fardinia - WSPL-D4 GU14  

PREMIER DIVISION II - CLEARWATER (8 teams)
14. 4.7687 Patriots Blue - WSPL-D2 GU14
16. 4.6543 FCSC Nemesis - Oregon Premier Silver
18. 4.1999 MRFC Celtic Blue - WSPL GU13
20. 4.1811 FCV XPlosion - Oregon Division 1
22. 3.9259 3 Rivers Lightning - PDL 1-A
24. 3.7690 Cascade FC - WSPL GU13
26. 3.6707 Skagit Red - WSPL GU13
28. 3.4869 RC Rockets - WSPL GU13

PREMIER DIVISION III - OAK (6 teams)
29. 3.4401 SH Revolution - WSPL GU13  
33. 3.3142 Bainbridge Force - WSPL GU13  
37. 3.1406 CB United - WSPL GU13  
41. 2.9088 CW Magic - Oregon Division 1
45. 2.8167 WPFC White - PDL 1-C
49. 2.6369 Evergreen Emerson - PDL 1-C

PREMIER DIVISION III - MAPLE (6 teams)
30. 3.3977 Eastside White - PDL 1-B
34. 3.2770 FC Alliance Gold - PDL 1-B
38. 3.0773 Reign White - PDL 1-C
42. 2.9050 Harbor FC Canas - PDL 1-C
46. 2.8005 Blackhills Johnson - WSPL G13
50. 2.5740 Eagles Gordon - PDL 1-C

PREMIER DIVISION III - SPRUCE (6 teams)
31. 3.3821 Sun City Strikers Washburn - PDL 1-B
35. 3.2562 ECFC White - PDL 1-C
39. 3.0570 Pacific Premier White - WSPL GU13
43. 2.8856 Marauders Blue - PDL 1-B
47. 2.7685 Sparta 94 - District 3 Gold/Platinum
51. 2.5235 ISC Arsenal Blue - WSPL GU13

PREMIER DIVISION III - FIR (6 teams)
32. 3.3663 Mukilteo Spirit - WSPL GU13
36. 3.1439 Westsound McDonnell - PDL 1-B
40. 2.9445 Cheney - District 6 Umbro
44. 2.8289 Norpoint Americans - District 3 Gold/Platinum
48. 2.7465 Crossfire Megson - PDL 1-B
52. 2.5179 Spokane Elite Philp - WSPL GU13

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"



NAME: Ric
CLUB: North Whidbey Soccer Club
Team(s): Islander Blast (GU-13), Lady Islanders '90 (GU-17)
AGE: 40
EXPERIENCE: NSCAA ADV Regional, NSCAA State & Regional Goalkeeping, UEFA L1CCF, USSF E License



DRAGON: Why did you decide to start coaching kid's soccer?

RIC:  I probably started along the lines of many youth coaches...my daughter.  I walked out to the field with my 8-year old daughter and quickly realized that I had more knowledge of the game then the coach.  The great thing was the team's coach was honest and said that without her the team wasn't possible and she was just a warm body filling the position.  So I opened my motuh and thus began the second life!

DRAGON: What do you do for a living outside of coaching?

RIC:  I retired a year ago July after 21 years of service to my country and now am employed by the Federal Government as a Program Manager.  I work in a LEAN and 6-SIGMA program and will have fully achieved my Black Belt later this year.      

DRAGON: Who do you think is easier to coach, boys or girls?

RIC:  GIRLS!!!!  I am slightly skewed here as I have daughters and outside of the cats, I'm the only male in the household!  Raising two daughters (my wife did the hard work, I'm just along for the ride) has made it that much "easier" to coach girls.    

DRAGON: What is your feelings on the WPS site? (if you have ever read it)?

RIC:  I was a lurker for quite sometime before joining.  I enjoy the read and occasional posting.  

DRAGON: If you have read it, has anything you have ever read had an influence on what you have done as a coach?

RIC:  Yes...it has gotten me to drive further south then I have in the past to catch a couple of games involving teams I have read so much about!  

DRAGON: What do you think your team's chances are this year?

RIC:  I coach two teams at two very different age groups, GU-13 Islander Blast and GU-17 Lady Islander's '90.  My younger team's chances are just like any others....we will win some, lose some and have a tie or three....the season for them is to continue to develop and it's theirs to play.  I will be proud of them and their accomplishments no matter the outcome.  Our goal this year is to enjoy the season, learn as individuals, grow as a team and to try and score more then we are scored on!  Post season our goal is to get out of group play in the Commissioner's Cup.  

My GU-17's will be playing in the CYL after a couple of eye openers at LPT's.  Last season this group of girls did a fantastic job of qualifying at LPTs to play in the YDL and go onto a 2nd place finish.  Playing in the Challenge Cup, the team advanced all the way to the semi-finals before meeting our end at the hands of River City...a team that we battled with throughout the season all the way back to LPTs!  Losing several talented players to larger clubs (rightly so as it was needed for the players continued development), the team has been rebuilding and relearning how to compete.  They continue to impress me and are looking forward to the spring.

So all in all, to answer the question....like every team we have a chance!

DRAGON: What are your personal goals as a coach?

RIC:  To help each player become a better player, to help them learn the game, to help them grow as an individual and as a team, and to remember it is a game, one that must be fun and be enjoyed!

DRAGON: Besides yourself (LOL), who is the best coach you have seen?

RIC:  The best coach....there are so many ways this can be answered...but I'll have to say that my favorite youth coach is Mark Abboud of Bangu Tsunami in Minnesota.  I enjoy his approach to the girl's youth game as well as his coaching and training style.

DRAGON: How long do you feel a coach should coach a specific team?

RIC:  Till the parents toss him or her! Just kidding...this is a really hard one to answer and one that I consider quite often.  The simple answer is as long as the team and coach continue to learn, improve and grow.  Once I figure this out, I'll get back to you on it! ; )  

DRAGON: What are your feelings on players "playing time"?

RIC:  Some may disagree and others may find a way to approach this differently then I, however here is my take...I train players and they will play.  Since my focus is player development, all players must have opportunities on the pitch.  My goal is for every player to play as much as possible.  I am up front with any player and parent that try's out for this team that winning is not the most important thing.  If that's what they are looking for, then they may be happier elsewhere.   Even at the older age groups I wouldn't put them on the team if I didn't believe they were capable of competing.  A real life example of my approach can be found in our Challenge Cup play last year.  I added three guest players to our roster.  I was up front with the team and the guests as well as the parents....all were equal and I wasn't bringing players along just to sit the bench.  Each guest player started at some point and every player played quantity and quality minutes.  

DRAGON: If you could not coach with your team tomorrow, name one team you would not mind taking over if you had your pick of any?

RIC:  None, I'd rather start from scratch.  Give me a mixed bunch of U-11 or U-12 girls that just want to play, this is the real joy of coaching!

DRAGON: What is some thing you would like Dragon to tell the whole world about you?

RIC:  At a young 40, this husband of 16 years, father of two and coach of many over many years will become a father of three around mid-September.  A big surprise to our family, but a joy to have an opportunity to raise another daughter and future soccer player!

DRAGON: Thanks Ric! Fantastic interview!!!!  Thanks so much for taking time to do this interview for all of us to enjoy!!  Well that is all the interviews in Dragon's hopper right now, hope some of you other coachs take the time to send in an interview before next week...we sure enjoy them :mrgreen:



Editors note- Had to refrain from making "little comments" after each section to save on space

[color=red:daa0b

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #12



COVER



...a WPS reporter goes out to the local pitchs to find the story, and all they find is.........?




The Pulse!  No. #12




COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:



"Player Passes!...is that crap on the pitch?"


Dragon sent a WPS reporter out on the local pitchs this weekend to uncover the story (if there was any), after all the talk generated here on the forum.  Here is that reporters findings:

I started out this assignment not expecting to find anything, and figured I would come to the conclusion that parents were gabbering about nothing. Instead I found a load of Crap!

OK, so we are now 3 weeks into the season and one of the hottest topics along the sidelines was this “Player Pass” deal.  It has also been a hot topic here on WPS the Pulse of Washington Soccer.  

So what the CRAP is going on?  I personally witnessed “Player Pass” violations this past weekend that makes me think that it’s "development my arse".  

Here are just a few examples I wittnessed while on assignment:

Lets see first I heard did not see that a team had 20 players on the bench only 19 played and yet one of the rules below states that all rosters must meet the State maximum even if you use a “Player Pass”. This violates Rule 3(a)(i) below.  Let’s all say it together “What the CRAP”.  

Secondly I heard that a starting “A” team keeper (OK, they need development) played on the “B” team after playing for her “A” team in the morning.  This contradicts Todd’s Lincoln statement below “The Club Player Pass is not to be used to bolster the competitive level of multiple teams within a club by sharing the higher achieving players between teams” All together now “What the CRAP”.

Also I found out that not 1 player but 2 players on different teams played in 3 separate games this past weekend.  This violates Rule 4(a) below.  But before you jump my ass lets take a closer look at this one.  I would say “HEY” we played Saturday and Sunday.  This rule sucks, half my team can’t even play if I follow this rule.  So play both of your games no problem, play in a third game that weekend and I say wrong.  How can a kid develop in their third game of the day. OK, one more time “What the CRAP”.

Anytime you give these coaches an opportunity to read into the rules to benefit them they will take advantage of it.

I even heard a coach trying to explain his reasoning on the Player Pass by saying “The spirit of the rule” states.  Wait a second!! The rules are in black and white.  There is no “Spirit” here.  “What the CRAP”.

Personally the Player Pass if used correctly would or could benefit these young superstars.  But until they tighten the rules up so the “Spirit” does not interfere, then these blatant violations of the written rules will still continue.  Will we ever see Rule 4(b) enforced?  
 
I’ve gone to the liberty of gathering the below information directly off the District 4 website.

Comments from the PDL Committee Chair - Todd Lincoln

The Club Player Pass is a unique feature to the Player Development League. It focuses on the development cycle of the individual player, allowing for shifts in level of play that match the player's progress. Ultimately this is most fair for the player, who gets more opportunities to play at the correct level, and not be forced into higher, or lower, level competition without due consideration.
Players may be moved between teams on a club to maximize their potential through play. Players are still rostered to their original team, but are given opportunities for a beneficial experience at other levels of play.
The Club Player Pass is not to be used to bolster the competitive level of multiple teams within a club by sharing the higher achieving players between teams.


Club Player Pass

This is a pilot program for the PDL only, and is effective for the
seasonal year of 2007/2008.

1) The purposes of the Club Pass System are:
a) To assist in the development of every player by providing a
variety of appropriate competitive playing levels;
b) To allow for mobility of players between teams within a club.
c) To allow for players to compete as registered and rostered
players in PDL league competitions outside of the team the player
is rostered on, but within the club the player is registered to
(Movement limited within PDL division games).
d) To allow PDL teams an additional tool for the development of the
PDL players. It is the responsibility of the each PDL Club as to
whether or not they implement this system.
2) Registration/Rostering of teams and players.
a) Players shall register with a club within an Association per the
WSYSA Administrative Handbook.
b) Teams are rostered in accordance with the WSYSA Administrative
Handbook.
c) This will be their standard and permanent roster.
d) This will also be the roster that will be used for State Cup
competitions.
i) Changes to this roster will be subject to the same rules as
WSYSA, and subject to all State and National cup rules. This
includes transfers, and transfers limits of 5 players. Only 1
WSYSA player card will be issued to each player at any given
time.
3) Movement of players using the club pass system.
a) Players may move between same age teams within their club.
i) All rosters are limited to the State maximums and must include
all Club pass players currently ‘active’ on that team.
b) Players may play up one team age within their club.
i) All rosters are limited to the State maximums and must
include all Club pass players currently ‘active’ on that team.
c) It is highly recommended that coaches communicate with individual
players and their parents/guardians about the temporary movement
of the player and that it is coordinated through the Club
Coaching Director. This will be deemed an internal club issue and
not a state issue. This movement is also not a violation of the
illegal recruitment rules as it is within a club.
d) players may be pulled from other PDL teams within their club to
allow for appropriate numbers for a match.
e) Maximum number of players that can be moved per team per game is
3 for U11 teams and 4 for U12 and up.
4) PLAYING TIME LIMITS for players using the club pass system.
a) For league competitions, there will be a maximum playing time
limit for each player using the club pass of 3 halves of soccer
per weekend.
b) Teams and coaches violating the above restriction will be subject
to disciplinary action by the PDL Committee and possible removal
from the PDL.
5) Governance:
a) Teams will provide the following at all matches:
i) A game day roster of all players the team is using for the
game;
ii) And show valid player passes for all the players the team
is using for the game;
iii) All players and their player passes must be from the same
club;
b) It is the responsibility of the PDL Clubs to ensure they meet all
National Rules on team eligibility.
c) In the case of a question on any game day roster, it must be
mailed within 48 hours of the email request by each coach,
manager, or club official to Todd Lincoln PDL Administrator at PO
Box 1462, Silverdale, WA. 98383 or email a scanned copy to
tlincoln13@wavecable.com.
6) Player Pass requirements.
a) All player passes must have a minimum of:
i) a current picture of the player,
ii) the club name,
iii) the player id #
iv) a team id #
v) must be computer generated
vi) must be signed by player
vii) must have lamination over all of the above.

Thanks for the story!  We here at the Pulse welcome any "rebuttals" to any articles printed




HEADLINES!



"Lighter side of being a youth sports parent LOL"!

Here is a funny article that one of our CP's wanted to share.  It was originally found in SI by Bill Reilly:


I went out to get my paper this morning and found my neighbor Dalton instead.
He was slumped on my stoop, looking as though he'd slept under a marching band. His eyes sported
five-pound bags, his right hand was bandaged and bloody, and his face was sunk like a bad soufflé.
"My God!" I said. "What happened to you? You look like a 20-car funeral!"
"Youth lacrosse happened to me," he grumbled. "The Competitive Elite Lacrosse League. My little
Ashley made one of those 'travel teams.' Pray it never happens to you, dude."
He explained. "See, I really never thought Ashley was all that hot at lacrosse, and she's only 14. But
when she made this competitive team, all the parents said it was a big honor. They said it's the only way to
make your high school varsity, and it's the road to a scholarship, and it looks great on your résumé.
"I'm not even sure Ashley wanted to do it. But all of her friends made it, so she just had to do it.
What was I gonna do? Tell my little girl no?
"Next thing you know, I'm writing a check for $1,500. Then it turns out, they practice or play seven
days a week on these things. And it's clear across town, so pretty soon I'm standing on the sidelines every
day of the week.
"My wife can't do it 'cause she has to take Justin to hockey every day. Why an eight-year-old
nearsighted kid needs a 42-game schedule is beyond me. What is he, Wayne Gretzky? Plus there's pylon
camp and forecheck camp and backward-skating lessons with his personal coach, Hans.
"So pretty soon I got no life. Family dinners? Forget it. Every meal is in the car--righthanded Taco
Bell. I almost never see my wife awake. When I do, I have to ask for I.D.
"Then this lunatic lacrosse coach schedules an extra 6 a.m. practice every day. It's like the old
bottle-feeding days. I'd be like, 'I got her last time. You get her.' And Denise would moan, 'I had to stay up
for Midnight Madness last night. Your turn.' Then, at night Ashley is so tired, we end up doing her dang
homework! And we're gettin' C's!
"Anyway, Ashley and I started flying to all these stupid tournaments--Dallas and Baltimore and, my
God, Ottawa!--and every one is billed as 'the recruiting event of the year!' And do you know who we see at
these tournaments? The same damn girls we used to play in our neighborhood league! Essentially, we're
flying across the country to get our ass kicked by the same exact people!
"So I start talking to these girls' parents, and it turns out they don't really want to be there either,
but their kids were saying we were going to do it, so they had to!
"But then my wife gets to talking to some other moms at Justin's slap shot workshop, and they say
we're crazy if we don't have a 'performance-enhancement specialist' for our kids. So she signs them both up
with one. Then she finds out most of these girls have 'recruiting consultants' who make highlight reels of
kids and send them to college coaches. I'm like, 'She's 14!' And my wife is like, 'You're gonna tell our little
girl no?' Then we add a rating-service guy and a sports psychologist and a webmaster.
"Well, what with me working half time and all this crap I'm paying for and all these trips, I had to
take out a second mortgage. Denise can't work because she's spending every waking moment in a freezing
ice rink, which makes her joints stiffen up. Luckily, Hans knows some New Age massage technique that
makes her feel better.
"So now I'm getting no sleep, turning my stomach into a Dumpster and having less sex than a dead
monk. But before I can put my foot down, my boss does. He fires me! And as he's firing me, he adds, 'By
the way, the average lacrosse scholarship is $1,000, you putz!' So I punch him, and now I think my hand
might be broken.
"I stomp out and go find Ashley to say, 'It's over.' And she goes, 'Whatever. I quit today anyway. My
sports psychologist says you guys push me too hard.'
"Nice. So I go home to tell Denise, but she's not there. Three days go by. I figure she's at the Elite
Competitive Hockeypalooza in Cheyenne. Turns out she moved in with Hans. Says she wants to be with
someone who 'knows' her. Oh, and she really likes massages.
"So now I get home and somebody changed the locks! Probably the mortgage company, since I'm
way behind.
"And do you know what I learned from all this, man? I learned that the most viciously competitive
sport in the world is parenting.
"Anyway, what I wanted to ask you is--you wanna buy some lacrosse sticks?"



THE DUCHESS' OF DUCKVILLE!!



The newly Crowned; "Duchess' of Duckville"!  Leading the Gold Division after this past weekend!

The new dubbed "DOD" team is on fire down in Duckville.  At best they would of been picked to be a 3rd place team at this point of the season playing in the Gold division.  Well all of Oregon is standing up and taking notice after their 6-0 start to the fall season!  They have racked up 6 wins in a row beating some great teams along the way:
vs Sunderland they won 3-2
vs Ginga they won 2-0
vs FC Will. Poss. they won 1-0
vs WSM Energy they won 3-1
vs SSC Ireland they won 2-1
vs Timbers Red they won 2-1
Over all they have 18pts now and sit 9 points ahead of the second place team.  They have also put up 13 goals for with only 5 goals against!  What a great effort from the little Duchess' living way out in the sticks of Bend!  Keep up the great work, we are all proud of you!! :mrgreen:



LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

Lets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #3!

BU11 - Crossfire M.  vs  NWN Red - Last two times NW has won, will this be any different? Dragon say - NWN 2-1
WOW!  Was D ever off on this one LOL.  Remind D to never pick boys games again...Final Crossfire 7-1!

GU12 - Lil' Red  vs  Crossfire T. - Think both teams are on a high right now...but..Dragon says - Thomas girls 2-0
Another big match showed that the U12's are going to be a close division this year...Final Tie 1-1

GU13 - Bend Storm  vs  Ireland - Battle of the unbeatens!!!  Could go either way. Dragon say - 2-2 tie!
As you can see in their article, the Ducthess' won 2-1!

GU14 - no games were selected last week :? :cry:


Dragon 0-3 this past week...mmmm bad ju-ju :lol:


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #3:
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=111707#111707
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


U11
Crossfire Dev  vs  Eagles Blue Dev - gonna go with the popular choice on this one and follow the little Developmental teams.  Great match no matter who wins!
Dragon says - Eagles 2-1

U12
Das Uberteam  vs  Crossfire T. - What can we say about this match!?  It is gonna be a knock down drag out slobber knocker LOL!  Couple of weeks ago might of had a different prediction, but knowing what D knows....
Dragon says - Crossfire 2-1

U13
NWN Red  vs  Reign Purple - This one needs no introduction.  The undefeated Big Red gals want to stay that way going into their match with Xfire.  Reign want a good showing after falling to the RR gals last weekend!  Should be a great battle!
Dragon say - NWN 1-0

U14
Timbers Red  vs  Crossfire S. - This will be a test for the Timber gals.  Can they step up their game when the #1 team comes a calling.  We will find out.  Should be a knock down, drag out for sure!
Dragon say - Crossfire 2-0


That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  



WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!





*note - had many many nominations this week (thank you).  The winners came down to the wire and was a tough call at each age bracket* :oops:


U11

#6 BLAKE - SNO-HO UNITED H.!
This young stud is the first ever POTW to win it based on his throw ins!  He arms are like canons, and 4 of his throwins lead to goals over this weekend!  Great job young one, Dragon is proud of you! :mrgreen:

U12

#24 JENNA - REIGN PURPLE!!!
Jenna had a wonderful weekend playing hard and being a beacon of team work.  Her overall play helped all her team-mates reach that Heart & Fire level!  Way to go Jenna, Dragon is proud of you little leader! :mrgreen:  

U13

#1 EMMA - CROSSFIRE PREMIER P.!
This little superstar turned into a scoring machine this past weekend, racking up 3 goals over two games in helping to lead her team over NWN Blue and EFC Red this weekend!  Great job little superstar, Dragon is proud of you! :mrgreen:

U14

NONE
Very sad indeed when no one recognizes all the talent out there at the 93 level :cry:  

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

Gunner
Bad Boys Girlfriend
Mike O
4soccer
Mr. Underhill
H x C
lurkernomore


As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



"A view from the Mini-Van"

Player Development League

Here are my thoughts after listening to and talking to parents over the last few weeks:
If the PDL is truly about player development, and that is exactly what your child’s coach is using it for, why are you complaining about wins and losses?  Every game my child has played in this season could have easily been won “if the starters and stronger players played the entire game,”  meaning the same parent complaining about the wins and losses would have seen their child sit most of the game on the bench, instead of trying to figure out what they should be doing on the field.  I have seen every child on this team play at least half the game if not more… lots of time for development.
Why can’t you see through to the end of the season, and the potential at State Cup Time?  I can guarantee you, your child is having more fun on the field, than if they were watching his/her team win from the bench.  Your child and someone else’s child are only going to improve with field time in different positions.   Some kid that starts out playing sweeper, may end up being that team’s best forward… but the coach won’t know that unless they try to “develop” players in different positions.
Try to sit back, watch and enjoy your kid and your kid’s team.  Think about where they were in May, and where they are now.. and the potential for State Cup Time!!!

"WPS Paparazzi"


Our Staff Paparazzi cont's to do a bang up job on his assignment down by the river.  Here are the latest pictures of the turf field:


 
Looking good for sure!


mmmmm....is this were the final's game of the RC will be played?





"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email




young AR:   "I am really nervous, what should I do?"
Experienced Ref:   "well when I am nervous I like to put my hands under my arm pits like this...."

 :lol:  :lol:   Just messing with you Soccrtaxi


**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom!  Anything soccer related is welcome!** :mrgreen:  



"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"
*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*

Question for the Doc: "my daughter experience's foot pain after every game.  What are we to do besides icing it?"

Dear Footpain,

The age of the DD is important and the location of the pain. Is she flat footed? Or high arches? Many young ladies get heel pain, called apophysitis. Heel pads in the shoes are helpful. Advil if no allergies. And lots of stretches. Ice after activities. Kids do outgrow this but it can last a season. Physical therapy may benefit refractory cases.
If the foot pain is in the arch or instep, orthotics may be necessary. an extra bone may be seen in some on Xray. It is called an accessory ossicle (os navicular syndrome). Again same RX as above but followup with an Ortho is needed.
Stress fractures can occur so Xrays are needed if symptoms do not improve.

Stay healthy,
The Doc


 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Dragon, we were rained out this weekend.

LMAO!  That has got to be (sorry CP Reporter) one of the funniest comments made ever on a Washington Soccer site...as you may know up here in the northwest, it would have to rain 40days and 40nights to have our games called off :lol:

Good luck to the ChiliPeppers next week!  We will look forward to your next report!  We all hope Maddie is recovering fine :mrgreen:




OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Captains?"

Hey everyone, I received a great question this week:

Captains?
Do you believe that the Captain role should be rotated up to a certain age?
What age is that?
What is the role of the Captain?
What are some of your expectations of the Captains?
 
Captains always sound so important, but for the most part they are pretty much in name only at the younger ages. First thing to do is list the ideal roles of a captain: 1st Leadership. 2nd be the coaches voice on the field. Pretty much anything you could think of that a captain does falls into those two categories. Ex. Coin flip (coaches voice on the field) talking to the ref (coaches voice on the field) running the warm ups (leadership). So if those are what a captain really is then what age can we really expect players to do those things? The answer isn’t a specific age, but generally you will start seeing players develop those characteristc around u15. So then why do we have captain at a young age? Well it’s the same reason that we make kids wash their hands before they eat. Do they know why they are doing it? Not really. However when they get older its natural and then they understand its purpose. Well when they are young they really don’t understand what captains roles truly are, but as they grow older and learn the game more they start to understand.
Each coach has their different philosophy as far as rotating or picking captains. I personally wait till I see the players on the team. Sometimes you have a dozen leaders so its important to rotate. On some you have 2-3 natural leaders. One thing I really look at is a player that is not misses/mister social butterfly because they tend to lose focus easily which can filter down the rest of the team. I do like to have a player which is respected, but has a great work ethic and isn’t afraid to speak up.
Hopefully that helps answer some of the captain questions. Just remember being captain is not the most important thing in the world. Instead think of captains as just a position on the field. Its no different then being a goal keeper. Think about it we put players in goal because they have good hands, don’t mind diving, and lets be honest are a little on the crazy side. We make them goal keepers because of their personal traits. That is the same way we pick captains.  

"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions.  


Watch the pushing ref!

Use of hands and arms to hold or push the opponent is illegal, but hands or an arm in contact with the opponent is not enough evidence that a pushing foul has occurred.  There is no prohibition against players touching or placing their hands on their opponents during play. Players will often legally use hands and arms to cushion contact from an opponent.

The legal form of pushing is called charging an opponent and is performed “shoulder to shoulder.”  The shoulder area is defined to include the shoulder blade, the side of the body, and to some degree the front part of the shoulder.  A charge to the spinal area or rib cage is dangerous, illegal, and merits at minimum a foul and is likely misconduct.

A charge performed with excessive force is also a foul. What would otherwise be a legal charge becomes illegal when it’s done by taking a 10 yard running leap at a player.  The referee sets the bar for excessive force depending on the level of play.

Note that arms are not used during a legal charge (other than to cushion initial contact).  Use of the arms during or after a charge is the easiest way to turn a legal charge into a pushing foul.

A player shielding the ball may be legally charged from behind, but this does not mean they can be charged into their back.  As long as neither player uses excessive force, you’ll likely see both players “pushing” into each other as one tries to legally charge and move around, while the other uses their body to block the charge.

If either player uses excessive force, or uses their arms to block, push or hold the opponent, or their hip to throw the opponent, then they have committed a foul.

"Dear Eggy"




Dear Eggy,

I don't post on the site but am a frequent reader. Why is it that some parents feel the need to go out of their way to post negative things directed at specific players? Do these parents need mental counseling?

Dear Poster,
I am at a loss of words as to why anyone would post negative comments about a child. Do they need counseling? I am not an expert in that area but I believe that only they know why they spew the venom. The one thing that Eggy likes about WPS is that most of the posters are very positive in their comments.

On a personal note- Eggy was declared "Unsportman- Like" for posting the Nemesis scores on Oregon live. He was told by an oppsoing parent that "Eggy only posts so that he can brag"

So you see there is negative everywhere- Choose not to participate.

Eggy Out




"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

A SAD DAY IN DISTRICT 6, A FEW SPOIL IT FOR MANY!

**a letter copied from the D6 Commissioner**

To all District 6 members:

It is with a mixture of anger, frustration but mostly deep sadness that I have to inform the membership that the future of District 6 league play is in doubt.  This is also a call to action for the majority who have supported our league.

My anger is a result of the fact that a minority of the membership has created enough problems that the continuation of league play past the fall season needs to be seriously evaluated.  Although the District has worked long and hard to create a league that best meets the need of the WHOLE membership, there remains that group of coaches, teams, clubs and/or Associations who seems to believe that the only thing that matters is what best suits them.

My frustration is over the fact that the District has worked hard to give the membership a chance to say how they want the league structured, abided by the feedback given and yet are criticized for the decisions.  Recognize that District decisions are not made in a vacuum.  The Board has a representative from each Association on the Board and those representatives are there to ensure that the voice of their members is heard.  Each Board decision requires a majority vote from the Board and often the decision is unanimous.  The Board has gone even further in trying to give individual members a chance to express their voice.  Town hall meetings were held throughout the District to let individual members provide their feedback.  The result?  Only a handful of you could be bothered to show up and yet those that couldn’t be bothered now seem to think that they have the right to complain, criticize and attempt to circumvent decisions.  My frustration is simple:  where were you when feedback was being sought?

My sadness is that the District has lost a dedicated, caring volunteer and put our league in jeopardy.  Our Director of Competition has resigned due to the thankless response and criticism that he received on a continual basis.  The saddest part is that the complainers & criticizers were directing their venom to the wrong person.  The Director of Competition does not set the rules.  The Board does and he was simply following the rules (apparently a foreign concept to some coaches, teams and clubs).  The Director of Competition did not set the 12 game season; the Board did and yet he received the flak and political gamesmanship that some chose to play.  The Director of Competition did not set the reschedule rule; the Board did, and yet he was forced to deal with all of the coaches, teams, clubs and Associations that were bound and determined to circumvent the rule or claim ignorance even though the deadline was communicated numerous times.  The “vocal minority” refused to abide by the established communication protocol.  Coaches, teams, and clubs are not even supposed to communicate with the Director of Competition.  They are supposed to address their concerns with their own Association.  If the Association cannot solve the problem, then the Association would communicate with the District.    Unfortunately, the Director of Competition was too nice and in an effort to provide superior customer service he would respond to the emails when he should have kicked them back to the Association.  The thanks he got for his efforts were virtually non-existent.  Rest assured, I will ensure that the next Director of Competition (if we can fill the position) sends improper communication back to the proper line of communication.
 So what does this all mean?

1)   As we now stand, District 6 has no Director of Competition.  The fall league will play out as scheduled, so DO NOT attempt to change anything since there is no one to respond to your requests (or criticism).  Unless someone steps forward to fill this position by January 2008, there will be no spring league.  If the position remains unfilled, the District may no longer offer a league.  I recognize that this seems like a harsh assessment, but frankly, unless this situation changes, I have trouble seeing why anyone would want this position and without a Director of Competition, there is no league.

2)   For all of you members who felt so free to criticize, now is your chance to prove that you can do it better.  I challenge you to be a part of the solution.  Step up and volunteer to fill this position.  If you are truly out for the best interests of the kids throughout the District, then step up and prove it.  If not, then stop your criticism and complaints.

For the majority that has supported the District, this is my call for action:

1)   Demand that your voice be heard.  If your Association has not been soliciting your feedback, then demand that they start listening.
2)   Demand that your Association abides by the decisions of the District board.
3)   Demand that your Association attend the District Board meetings.  Some Associations do not attend on a regular basis.  To me that is inexcusable.  Distance should not be an excuse since the Board meetings are held in Moses Lake.  This means that all of us have the same burden for travel (except Columbia Basin!).
4)   If you are aware of someone being the “vocal minority”, demand that they “step up or step off”.  By that I mean that they either choose to be part of the solution by working with their Association to find a solution that best meets the needs of the membership or else they remove themselves.  Lobby your Association to remove coaches or individuals that refuse to be a part of the solution.  
5)   Attend the town hall meetings and make your desires known.
6)   If you are dissatisfied with your Board (Association level or District level) then vote us out.  The key to a successful Board is a membership that holds them accountable.

 
Finally, I am taking the following action immediately:

1)   I am instructing all of the District Board members and our part time office staff to redirect all calls or emails from coaches, parents, teams, or clubs to their Association.  This is the established protocol and I intend to enforce it before we lose more Board members.
2)   I will be conducting a series of town hall meetings at the end of the season.  The intent is for you to express your desires for the league.  I will start from a clean slate and let you tell me (and the Board) how you would like the league structured.
3)   I am calling for anyone interested in filling the Director of Competition position to email me.  

It is sad that the vocal minority has brought us to this situation, but just as sadly, there are plenty of stories in Corporate America where a handful of dissidents have brought down a company.  I truly hope that District 6 can carry on with its proud tradition of quality competition for its kids, but in order for that to happen, it is time for the silent majority to speak up and reclaim this league.  

Yours in soccer,

Mike Terris
District 6 Commissioner

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"



NAME: Rob Cowles
CLUB: Tri Mountain Avalanche
Team(s):  Tri Mountain Avalanche '93 GU14
AGE:  38
EXPERIENCE: 8 years.  Currently hold my National D license and would like to obtain my C someday.


Coach Rob wearing lipstick after losing a bet.....



DRAGON: Why did you decide to start coaching kid's soccer?

ROB:  Probably the same reason that most of us get involved.  My daughter wanted to play soccer 8 years ago and the team didn't have a coach.  I volunteered and now I'm stuck!  :lol:


DRAGON: What do you do for a living outside of coaching?

ROB:  Realestate agent for Keller Williams in Vancouver, WA



DRAGON: Who do you think is easier to coach, boys or girls?

ROB:  Boys. Especially at U12 - U14 age.  The girls have a lot more drama going on in their lives and they are at a very sensitive age right now.
Boys just punch each other in the arm and keep playing.
I've mostly only coached girls for the last 8 years though so I'm used to it.  Having a wife and 2 girls at home helps too.  My son and I are definitely out numbered!

     

DRAGON: What is your feelings on the WPS site? (if you have ever read it)?

ROB:  Great information.  There are a lot of great comments and ideas in here.  Some heated conversations but always interesting to read.  I'm pretty new to the site.


 
DRAGON: If you have read it, has anything you have ever read had an influence on what you have done as a coach?

ROB:  Not yet.  But I'm sure if I pay attention I will pick up some good stuff here!


   
DRAGON: What do you think your team's chances are this year?

ROB:  I think we will do great.  We are the defending D5 Champs and I think we have a pretty good shot at winning D5 again this year.
We'll see what happens in State.  I'd like to think that we should finish top 3 for our age / level.



DRAGON: What are your personal goals as a coach?

ROB:  To be a positive male role model in my players lives.  I would like them to learn how to have fun winning and to be graceful when they loose too.  
Someday, I would love to turn on the T.V. and see one of my players playing at an advanced level and think to myself, "You had a part in that."
I'm very proud of who my girls have become both as players and as young women.



DRAGON: Besides yourself (LOL), who is the best coach you have seen?

ROB:  I have a couple:

I admire Garrett Smith from UP.  I like how patient and calm he is during the game.  He trusts his players to play.  I should try that sometime.  

I have also had the privilege of coaching with John Samwel, coach for the Timbers Blue team, for about 4 years.  He's a great mentor.

Most of what I have learned about coaching at the advanced level I have learned from John and Sunny Dulai.
I have my National D license and have taken both my E and D with Sunny as the State instructor.  He's a great teacher of kids and adults.



DRAGON: How long do you feel a coach should coach a specific team?

ROB:  As long as they can keep the players interested.  I've been coaching the same girls team for about 5 years now.



DRAGON: What are your feelings on players "playing time"?

ROB:  My favorite line to my girls at practice is, "Your position is always up for grabs and you never know when I'm watching!"

Zero percent guarantee.  You need to earn it and learn to be competitive, in a positive way, to earn your spot.  Nothing is handed to you.
Another life lesson.


 
DRAGON: If you could not coach with your team tomorrow, name one team you would not mind taking over if you had your pick of any?

ROB:  GU14 Timbers Blue or Red.  Coaching with John or Sunny.

I would also like to coach a boys team from the U11 or U12 age.  Knowing what I know now, I think I would have a better foundation to start with.



DRAGON: What is some thing you would like Dragon to tell the whole world about you?

ROB:  Ok, ok.....I'm soccer12.  Look for my posts!  



DRAGON:  Thanks for the great interview coach!  I think you are the first person ever to "come out of the closet" in regards to their posting ID, in the coach's interview section!  Way to make a statement! :mrgreen:




Guest Editor's, EDITORIAL:

Character - It Starts and Ends with Parents

Soccer is a game, and games are part of life. Teamwork, competition, hard work, passion - these are things we learn as children and develop throughout our lives. While nothiing in life is black and white, there are some simple rules:

1) Respect for elders
2) Respect for rules and those that enforce them
3) Respect for peers - teammates and competitors
4) Respect for self

While many people are involved in the development of our children - teachers, coaches, public figures - it starts and ends with parents. As parents, you choose who interacts with your child. It's up to you to help your child interpret the lessons they receive every day, whether it's letting them draw their own conclusions and make their own mistakes, or making clear what is and isn't acceptable as they form their values.

So the next time you see a coach(yours or the opponent's)  showing disgust with the referee, decide how you want your child to respond to this modeled behavior. The next time you hear a spectator or player make a negative comment about an opponent - mocking their effort, their appearance, or their race - you decide what lesson your child should take away. When your child is affected by what appears to be a lack of fairness (in our out of the PDL, player passes, or whatever other latest controversy comes into the soccer community), you decide how your child can understand and respond in a positive way.

Our children are shaped by the experiences they have, and the models they see - but it starts and ends with parents...

Thank you guest Editor!  That was fun, we hope to do that again in the future!

Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to...Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #13



COVER

DRAGON HEATS IT UP!!!!!



....And EASTERNWASHINGTON ASKS THE TOUGH QUESTIONS!!



....AS WE INTERVIEW "THE ASSASSIN" NEIL MEGSON/PUSHUP!!!!!

...picture taken today (10-2-07) at a greek restraunt in Federal Way...as Neil met Doug Andreassen for lunch...





The Pulse!  No. #13




COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:



DRAGON'S INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF THE KINGS OF THE PDL ~ NEIL MEGSON!


DRAGON:  What do you think about your move to Crossfire?


NEIL:  So far it's been wonderful. Crossfire is so organized. The real story behind Crossfire is their office staff and volunteer's. If it weren't for people like Curt, Celeste, Connie, Sandy, Dick and Bernie crossfire would be just another club. The volunteers base ran by Tina, Veronica, Barry, Lance and Brain also create massive funds so that every child who needs financial help gets to play.



DRAGON:  Do you do anything for a living outside of coaching?


NEIL:  I coach 7 days a week in the evenings. I've just started a spec house project in Gig Harbor.



DRAGON:  You are frequently “bashed or applauded” on WPS. How do you feel about the “accolades”? How do you feel about the “bashing”?


NEIL:  It comes with coaching soccer. Some people hate you , some people love you. I do however love it when people take time out of their day to bash me. It would be like me wasteing my time telling people how to do their jobs when I have no idea what I'm talking about.
 


DRAGON:  What is your feelings on the WPS site? What made you decide to “Come out” as your persona “Pushup” as you did on the site?


NEIL:  I don't care what people say about me on the Internet, as I said it goes with the territory. But while I was at Westsound not only me, but volunteer board members and players were getting bashed. So I fought fire with fire. Over time I realized nobody cares about anyone else's problems so when someone bashed my BU11 team at Crossfire I posted as my self.



DRAGON:  It is obvious that several of the posters on the site are unknown. Name 3 people (that are unknown to you now) who you would like to meet in person someday and why.


NEIL:
Duffer and Eastern Washington - two tuff talking chickens who nobody knows who they are, and who hide on the internet. Duffer actually says he's going to walk up to my face and tell me what an ass#$%^^ I am. Well Duffer here's my stats. Height 6'2". Weight 216. Position when playing pro; Hard nose defender. Nickname.... "Assassin". Let's meet for coffee :twisted:
Dragon -  Of course, who wouldn't.
Gumby - 99% of the time this person is so positive.
94soccermom - I honestly don't know who this is but shes always has my back.

99% of the parents at Westsound are wonderful people who get bashed because of a few. I still say that if the Kitsap Peninsula could unite they would become an overnight club to deal with. The other 1% ruin it for the other 99%.


DRAGON:  What do you think your team's chances are this year? Boys team? Girls team?

NEIL:
BU11 - the best group of young boys I've ever had. I have between 11 to 14 depending on which roster Dick, Seth and myself put them on. All of them would be starters on any other team in the State. They practice and play 4 times a week. Our goal this year is to go undefeated and win State.
GU13C - This group of girls are the most improved team I've ever had the privilege to coach. I decided with Porter and Amy they would practice exactly the same as the A and B team. We practice 3 times a week and focused on fitness and ball skills for the first 6 weeks. I did actually have parents complain that the C team shouldn't have to run as much as the A and B team. Go figure. What was great is that it paid off, we won 2 tournaments and it was great to see a C team have success.
GU18 - this team makes me sad a little. I've had 4 players follow me from Norpoint, to Harbor to Kitsap to Crossfire in the past 6 years. They were wonderful kids who grew up to be great young adults. On the other hand they are great young adults and players that I wish I had the chance to coach on Crossfire when they were younger. We had a good summer and I know that this team can play with anybody.


DRAGON:  What are your personal goals as a coach?


NEIL: This ones easy. Bernie, Dick and myself have the same formula. Listen to what we coach. Practice hard and practice often. That's it. You won't find much help in a book.



DRAGON:  Besides yourself, name some of the best coach you have seen?

NEIL:  Old school - Bernie James. Dick McCormick. Tommy Jenkins. Fran O'Brien. Bash all you want, they produce quality teams that win at the highest tournaments.
New on the block - Tim Reynolds. Michell French, Jason Harnasch, Jim Thomas. There are many other coaches who do fantastic jobs (mainly at Crossfire. I had to say it ) but I don't see them coach. If your happy with your coach, the grass is not always greener on the other side.


DRAGON:  Describe the 94 Crush team as you would to a friend over a pint at MadPizza.

NEIL:  This is a tricky question. I don't think that the 94 Crush team has ever had a player that wouldn't start on any other team in the state. Their fun to watch, their quick over 2 yards, fast over 20. Their powerful and good on the ball. Their wonderful going forward but have the worst offside trap I've ever seen. The parents that are now on the team have nothing to do with the fight I had when they were U10/U11. Those players have been replaced by recruited players. I don't care what you say about me, O'Neil recruits cause he can't coach, In my humble opinion.



DRAGON:  All of us here on WPS know that you don't care for G.O.; Can you think of 3 people that you would rather NOT spend a month with on a desert island?


NEIL:  Wow trying to find 1 person is like trying to find a needle in in a haystack!... but 3?!!
#1 Hitler. he would yell at kids like O'Neil.
#2 Jeffrey Dahmer. He might get hungey.
#3 Lauren Bobbit. She might get mad.



DRAGON:  If you could not coach with your team tomorrow, name one team you would not mind taking over if you had your pick of any?


NEIL:  GU13 FC Crush.


DRAGON:  What is some thing you would like Dragon to tell the whole world about you?


NEIL:  A lot of stuff has been posted on this web page about me. Most of it's not true. I haven't had any problems with the Crush since I left WS for XF. When I first went to Westsound the FC kitsap versus FC Crush was just beginning. When ever the Crush didn't get their own way after breaking WSYSA and D4 rules I got blamed. I even got blamed when O'Neil had an argument with the Gig Harbor tournament director, he got his teams kicked out. Then some idiot puts on WPS that I had them removed. Total BS. Never happened;  But because it was posted on here people think its true. Any how, most of the players from back then have been cut and replaced with more developed recruited players. I don't know any of the new parents and I haven't really had any problems with the new parents. Anyhow, just like you don't judge a book by it's cover, please meet me before you decide if you like me or not.


DRAGON:  I have a young son or daughter looking to play for a top level coach…you are one of the coach’s they are considering. Tell us all why they should pick you over another coach.

NEIL:  All of the DOC"S and coach's at Crossfire have the same formula. Listen to the coach, practice hard and practice often.
Well, I've coached youth, college and pro. Sometimes with good talent and sometimes not so good. If your children played for me I would make them become the best player they could be.


 
DRAGON:  Being one of the Kings of the PDL, what is something you would like to tell everyone about the PDL if you were given the chance?


NEIL:  Give the PDL a chance. It's evolving. Some things may work some may not. We may stay apart from the state, we may go back with them. All we know is for 20 years nothing changed, in 3 months we moved the girls season to save numerous ACL tears and injuries. There are other ideas that are being talked about to help develop WA State youth soccer. Look for Tier 1, 2 and 3 PDL club league. Most parents think that all clubs are the same. There not. Some clubs are well organized machines, some clubs don't know their ass from their elbow. Get organized or get out of the way.


DRAGON:  Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.  The readers of the Pulse all appreciate it!  Dragon and the Pulse welcome any response from parents or coachs to this interview



HEADLINES!


**BONUS INTERVIEW**


EASTERNWASHINGTON'S INTERVIEW WITH PUSHUP!!


EW:  What the requirements to get into the PDL?

PU:  You have to a DOC with at least a B License. You have to have a history of producing quality teams year after year. You have to have the majority of age teams from U11 to U18.

EW:  Why do they change from year to year so drastically? (first number of teams in premier, then performance in state cup.)

PU:  The PDL is developing all the time. WSYSA has had the same rules for the past 20 years. With layer after layer within WSYSA it is virtually impossible to change anything.

EW:  Why is the PDL so hush, hush with what they are doing? Where are minutes?

PU:   Your the one who's saying it's hush, not us. The DOC's get together at Starfire and talk about what we can do better for youth soccer in Washington. We don't have minutes. Todd and Greg take notes. If you want information ask a DOC, we have nothing to hide.

EW:  If the PDL is truly about like competition against like competition and "player development", then why is it not based upon RPI rating like Blue Chips per age group?

PU:   This is the first year. We aren't certain but we think the RPI will be implemented very soon. When we had the debate all the DOC's had their opinions of where their young teams should be placed. They were told they would be held accountable for placing their teams to high or low. After we get the first year out of the way we will then have data for the U12/13/14 teams so we can then place them accordingly.

EW:  Were not the PDL teams supposed to go to less tournaments? Are any discipline being done since teams did just as much if not more?

PU:  It was up to the teams to decide that. Most parents and teams can figure that out on their own.

EW:  Why is the PDL club based? Have their not been great individual teams like Parrots, Tyncastle(didn't your son play for them? cant remember could be wrong, sorry if I'm?) etc.?

PU:  Yes, your correct. My son did play for Tyncastle. I was new to youth soccer in WA and was contacted by the manager. I have to admit I bought in. My son was recruited. All independent teams that are quality teams are recruited. No one has ever developed a team from U11. If they say they did it's BS. David Hoggan who's a friend of mine coached Tyncastle. He's a good trainer and would be the first to admit if a really good player was available he would try and get them.

EW:  Can not individual teams develop great players? And if the PDL is about "PLAYER DEVELOPMENT" then how can these teams not be included?

PU:  See above

EW:  Who is to say one program/club is better at developing players then an individual team? Numerous individual teams have sent players on to higher levels, are there not all different ways to develop players? Are not every club country do something different?

PU:  No one's saying that. As I just said all independent teams that have huge success are coached by coaches who recruited. How do you think they replace players, from within their club? There is no club! 99% of these coach's are nut jobs. The only coach who I know who was an independent coach who wasn't a nut job was Eugene at the parrots. He is a good coach/trainer who was supplied players though his manager. I'm on the look out for players all the time. I don't contact them but if they contact me I'll definitely take a look at them. I've had 2 players who came out to practice who are play ups who now play for Bernie's U10 team. My friend Hoggie was a nutter but can coach. Gary O'Neil. ( NOT)

EW:  Southern California is probably developing the best players in the US.....why not have our league setup like theres? Granted we do not have the population/climate/demographics, but what is wrong with their league setup? Individual quality teams compete with the Irvine Strikers etc.....

PU:  We will never be able to do what Southern Cal does.

EW:  There was once a requirement to be in the PDL of having a fulltime coaching director, why? If a club/team can do well without a fulltime CD why not let them in? IF the team starts to suck just boot them out.......

PU:  Some clubs are really well organized, some are not. The PDL was set up to raise the standard for the elite youth players in WA. Club's who want to pursue this need a leader who is committed to raising their clubs standers. We don't want clubs to suck and fail. Were only talking about 7% of all of the soccer players in WA. These 7% deserve the same commitment from WSYSA as the other 93% rec players. What is wrong with that. Parents of talented players also put a lot of time and effort in to their child's development. Are you saying these are just CP'S who should have no say in their child's development? Why don't these 7% parents have the same say and rights as the other 93% rec players?

EW:  Whatever happened with the Sounders? Did you quit? or get fired? Did it have to do with the Sounder's (owner/manager) son?

PU:  It had nothing to do with the owners son. I was fired because I wouldn't guarantee the German players playing time. We had an partnership with Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga that we would swap players. I told the Sounders we had nothing to gain from this relationship. After winning coach of the year in 2000 I was told I had to start the German players who WB sent over. I was trying to sign 2 UW players at the time but had my hands tied financially. We had a heated meeting where I was told you will play the German players or else. I told them we should be trying to develop young Americans. If these young German players were any good they wouldn't send them over here. There was a stand off, I lost.


EW:  What is the payscale at Crossfire?   for coaches, directors etc.?

PU:  It's a really good second paying job. No DOC or coach only coaches for a living. Bernie remodels house's. Dick is on another planet in real estate. I, over the years have owned 2 Baskin Robbins, built a few spes house's and with the wife owned and managed hair salons for 20 years. Oh wait, I forgot, it was posted so it must be true. Duffer said were all stupid ex soccer pros who can't count. Love you Duffer, ...KMA, Neil :twisted: .


DRAGON:  Thanks to both EW and PU for doing this *Bonus* interview for the Pulse!





"ATTRACTIVE"  VS  "WINNING" Soccer.  Why not Both?

Here is an article by one of the Pulse Staff writers:


I see the key to improvement for US Soccer is a drastic change of core coaching beliefs of what actually is "attractive" vs. "winning" soccer. Why not both?

Why is it that often a coach doesn't mind losing possession with a long lumping kick up field to no one? (Good kick/clear Johnny !!!!!)

Yet, he always gets pissed if Johnny actually tries something imaginative like dribbling, or a new move he saw on GolTV, or trying to do something skillful? (Who does he think he is, Ronaldo? Just pass the ball.)

The modern soccer world craves players that excite the crowds whenever they have the ball at their feet. Who reading this does not enjoy watching CRonaldo, Ronaldinho or Messi once they have the ball at their feet (What is he going to try/do this time?). However, in the junior ranks the so-called “greedy players” would be on the “B” team for not passing.

If the US wants to create our own CRonaldo, an environment has to be created in which creativity is far more important than results. He has to have the environment in which he is encouraged, and allowed to try.

The game of soccer is a series of continuous 1v1 battles all over the field.

A major part of learning technique is learning how to use the acquired skill(s) correctly to defeat a possibly larger, stronger opponent by using the opponents' very size, mass, quickness, balance, and speed of foot against them. Such skill combined with a good first touch, accurate passing, correct body positioning, and skillful dribbling is what leads to more success.

However, it is much easier to coach the player to just “kick it long/clear it out”.

These "winning" coaches will run usually the players through the exact same boring "foot skill" drills virtually every practice yet his players never use the skills during a game.

Why?

Often it is because during initial applications, if a mistake takes place during “training”, they will be chewed out. So why chance it and try the “new move” during a “real” game.

These "winning" coaches are the ones who believe “A best offense is a strong defense" or "Defense wins championships".

Try telling Brasil, Netherlands or Argentina that. These 3 countries consistently produce the best forwards and midfielders (and arguably defenders) in the world.

I was once told by a Brasilian coach that the "unofficial" tactic he was taught was,

You score 3, we will score 4. You score 4, and we'll score 5.

Can you imagine watching soccer without Ronaldinho, Kaka, Messi, Henry, Eto’o, Deco, Figo, Ronaldo(s), Roberto Carlos, Van Basten, Robinho, Sanchez, Cruyff, Maradona, Best, Ibrahimovic, Totti, Giggs, etc?

I wonder how many times their youth coaches told them to not try something new during a game? (Ronaldinho, you have a 4 touch max)

Yes, it is actually ok for a BU11 to try a bicycle kick at midfield.

I don't think this opinion will be very popular with the English influenced soccer groups in the US …

But,

If the US ever really wants to get into the top 10 in the world consistently, we really need to find a new “teacher” country to follow, and to teach the US how to train to “play the game” at the highest level.

I think in order to play at the highest level, you have to be able to score goals. You have to be able to train players to score goals.

How many “World Class” forwards has England produced in the past 10 years? Owen and possibly Rooney. What have England won recently? One World Cup 40 years ago as the host nation and …

A majority of the best players and coaches in the EPL are not even English. Looking at the recent major transfers, I don’t remember any major English player signings. (Any help here?)

If the English coaching/training method worked so well, why do they not export more players and coaches to other countries (other than the US, Scottish and Australia leagues) like the Spanish, French, Dutch and Italian and German leagues?

Face it. Very, very few of the English import coaches in this country (US) are any better than the coaches born, played and trained here in this country within the last 15 years.

If these poorly trained/qualified English “imports” were really 1st class FA coaches, they would be with a professional club at home (working/scouting with a premier club youth system 10+ years ago does not mean you know what to do today). Even if they were 2nd class FA coaches, they should still be able to make a living over there coaching (one would think).

So, the US is stuck with mostly reject and wannabee coaches dreaming of glorious tackles from behind (Heeee got allll baaawwwlll refahreeeee) like the famous ManU hack, Roy Keane.

English coaches do a good job of teaching parents that running fast and tackling hard, trumps technical ability. There can be no argument that U.S. soccer is currently along the lines of the long ball and direct play vs. the slow buildup of Brasil and the Dutch.

While our very top players have decent ball skills, where are the “youth” Iniesta, Sneijder, Van Persie, Saviola, Guardado, Robinho, Messi, CRonaldo and Fabregas in the U.S.?

Until every single club offers additional and specialized "Striker" training like "goalkeeper" training usually offered, we will never consistently produce world class forwards and mid-fielders.

How many coaches really know how to coach forwards?

“True” forwards are very special players and a different type of player just like goalkeepers are. (I can speak of this personally since DS is a forward)

They (forwards) often think they have to score in every single game multiple times and when they don’t, they often pout. Yes, they are temperamental too. They often believe it is not just fun to beat 1 or 2 players; they will often try to beat another player (instead of shooting) because they often can and that is where the “fun” is for them. And when they are successful beating the 3rd player and scoring, the smile and the look in their eyes is like “See, I told you I could do it”.

Most U.S. players simply aren't as comfortable with the ball as players from other nations. I think this is because our English “teachers” cannot teach what they do not know.

More poor training however, won't fix poor training.

If the US seriously wants to succeed as a soccer “power”, learning and following the methods used to train Dutch coaches and players seems the logical choice. The Dutch system has consistently produced quality players at all positions for decades. This same system also produces many coaches coaching other countries national teams. I can think of no other country with so many head coaches coaching at the national team level other than the Brasilians.

What the US desperately needs is better coaching at the little-little age levels, and let it work it's way up. This will take at least one generation. And that, is the greatest challenge.

Often parents of youth players don't understand that development is not always winning or the club that charges the most. Nor is it always the club that produces the most ODP players either. Remember, ODP is where we draw our “spectacular” national sides from.

We need those who can recognize the differences between adequate, good, better and best coaching. We do not have that.

The only way I can see to solve this dilemma is to hire several someone(s) at the national/state/local level from the Netherlands, Brasil, Mexico or Argentina to really implement training which is known to work in those respected countries.

Whereas the current result is a system that appoints coaches based on more of a good old boys network.

Its not where you came from, it is what you can do that makes the coach.






LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

Lets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #4!

U11
Crossfire Dev  vs  Eagles Blue Dev - Dragon says - Eagles 2-1
Score was 2-0 Eagles! :mrgreen:

U12
Das Uberteam  vs  Crossfire T. - Dragon says - Crossfire 2-1
Score was 3-1 Crossfire :mrgreen:

U13
NWN Red  vs  Reign Purple -Dragon say - NWN 1-0
Score was 3-2 Reign :oops:

U14
Timbers Red  vs  Crossfire S. - Dragon say - Crossfire 2-0
Score was 2-0 Crossfire! Dead On!!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Dragon 3-1 this past week...Good showing!! :lol:


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #4:
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6453
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


U11
Looking at the Boys PDL A...
Sno-Ho United vs  NWN Red - Its the 3rd place team vs the 4th place team.  As its been said these two have yet to face this year!  NWN's have giving up too many goals so far in D's mind (20), to overcome the powerful attack of Sno-Ho who are on fire with 28 goals for!
Dragon say - Sno-Ho 3-1

U12
Looking at the boys PDL C...
Crossfire H.  vs  Sun City Stikers -  We have our very own Lord of the forum's team vs the little studs from across the pass!  SS is on fire with 37 goals this year, but the little studs from Crossfire have yet to concide a goal!  In what will surely be a battle to remember!!!
Dragon says - Crossfire 1-0


U13
On girls U13 Gold Oregon...
Timbers Red  vs  Bend Storm - The rematch of all rematchs!  The DOD's are in 1st and the Timbers want it back!  Will the Mighty Timbers be able to get revenge?  Will the Bend gals be able to hold on to the crown?
Dragon say - Timbers 1-0

U14
Looking at PDL B...
EFC White  vs  Spokane Shadow - To be honest with you D knows nothing about these two teams...but as an old friend pointed out, we just cannot focus on the "A" divisions all the time. So D gonna hope both teams play great and gonna go with the gut!
Dragon say - EFC 1-0



That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  





WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!






U11

NOT ONE SINGLE PLAYER!
This really hurts D's heart...U11 is the time to encourage and praise our little ones...come on people :oops:  

U12

NOT ONE SINGLE PLAYER!
Same with U12's...if you all wish, we can stop doing these awards...just write to the editor and let me know if you feel these are no longer warrented  

U13

Hats off to the U13's!!!  Had SO MANY nominations that D had to send them off to special judge for voting!


#8 EMILY &  #12 ANNA - EASTSIDE WHITE!
For only the 2nd time we give 2 players on the same team this award.  Emily turned the Heart into overdrive scoring 2 goals, while Anna brought the fire to shut down the other team!  Congrats to both these young super stars!  Dragon very proud of you both! :mrgreen:

*honorable mention to Spud who played up from the "C" team on  Crossfire Amy for getting their first goal, and to Lil' Apple Core for playing "out of her mind"! :mrgreen:

U14

*actually had several nominations this week at U14...Great job!!!!

#15 TAYLER - WPFC WHITE!!!
Very Awesome to see U14's getting nominations again!  We had several, and this young superstar stood out as she played with the Black team this weekend.  Even though they lost big to Dos. Several of the parents noted how she stood out as playing with Heart & Fire the whole game til the last whistle!  Great job young lady, Dragon very proud of you! :mrgreen:  

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

Cougman
ScreamnG
Let's Pick 'em
CWsoccer
Whatever...
D signer$520


As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



"A view from the Mini-Van"

Time to let them grow up?

When is it time for parents to pull away? As the girls/boys grow up, its more important for players to develop a relationship with their coach where they are the ones to communicate missing practices, illnesses, problems with the team, etc. instead of their parents...it shows growth and development for the girls/boys to have to take some responsibility for those things. It also eliminates the parent influence on the team/atmosphere.

When I watch parents go "talk" to the coaches at U13 and above, I wonder what the real motive is!!! #1- Don't ruin it for your kid, #2, let them own what happens on the field!!!!!

"WPS Paparazzi"


Our Staff Paparazzi took a vacation this week.  He will return next week with more great pictures! :mrgreen:



"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email




The Pulse's "guest editor" will never live down the day he took this flop....is that butt crack?!  :lol:  :lol:


**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom!  Anything soccer related is welcome!** :mrgreen:  



"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"
*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*

Question for the Doc: "Why do so many young girls these days seem to have problems with their achilles and arches? What can we do to help kids with this problem? Also, could wearing sandals/flip flops have anything to do with this?"

Dear Flip Flop,
Good  :?: .
Many young women are hyperlax in their joints most notably their shoulders and feet. Laxity leads to structural changes under load (ie, running) so many young ladies playing sports have a tendency to hyperpronate, ie, their arches start to sag and they develop a fatfoot type deformity. Flip flops give ZERO support so if the tendency is there, pain in the arches will be accentuated (including barefoot walking) because the arch is collapsing .
Achilles problems occur because of the excess stress placed on them when the arch sags. So the two sometimes occur in combo.
Moral of the story: if your DD is flatfooted , make sure she has a rigid boot when she plays.Vapors while all the rage   should  NOT be the boot of choice for your young striker. If they insist, then get a good orthotic, custom made if pain is a chronic issue.
If Achilles problems occur without arch troubles, then a small 1/4 inch  VISCO heel pad obtainable at sporting good stores can be placed in the boot.
Stay healthy,
The Doc


 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Hi everyone in Washington, The ChiliPeppers played in the Almaden Champions Cup this weeend and came home with the Gold!
In our first match we played East Diablo shutting them out 7-0 our goals were scored by Lauren #9  and Sloan #5 each had 2 while Sam #21, Leslie #11 and Zarete #15 each had one. Unfourtunately we lost Sarah # 10 to a badly sprained ankle. In our second game we played a very fiesty ACC Mavericks team  we won 2-0 on 2nd half goals by  Marrissa #13 and Zarette #15. In our sunday morning match we played the Los Gatos Thundercats who scored 30 seconds into the game shocking the Peppers but the final would find it 4-1 Peppers, on goals by Sloan #5, Gabby #20, Zarette #15 and Kaylyn #3. Los Gatos by scoring the goal against us earned a narrow 1 pt Margin over the ACC Mavericks to face us again in the Championship match. The Peppers came out   strong taking a 3-0 lead at the half and cruising th 2nd half with zereo subs for a 4-0 Championship sealing Victory. the goals were scored by Zarette #15, Gabby #20, and Kaylyn #3 added 2 more. The Goalie duo of Leslie and Lauren were outstanding as were our back 4 of Sarina, Sloan, Brittany and Hannah who finally returned from her broken arm suffered before we went to regionals. The midfield of Zarette, Celeste, Marrissa and Sam controlled the tempo of the games.
 
Two side notes our regular goalie Maddie gets her cast off on Tues. and can begin practicing next week. The other is Janessa #17  will be eligible to play this week, Janessa is an outstanding midfielder from our league rival OV Storm. Janessa decided to join her two old teammates Colby and Sam and make the Peppers even that more dangerous with her wicked left footed shot and her excellent vision from the midfield.  Until next week!!!!

GREAT JOB Peppers!!!  We are all proud of you bringing home the gold bling bling! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:




OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Line Up Changes"

This week was kind of boring for me. No on submitted any questions, how sad. O wells life goes on, instead I’ll pick a quick topic. Line up’s and line up changes. I wonder why I’m picking this topic. Maybe because its my turn to make a few topics on Ryan’s decision with the US national team.

As a coach he screwed up and screwed up badly. You do not bench your starting goal keeper for a player that hasn’t played in 3 months. That’s just not wise. The only way he could have done this and avoided disrupting the team as much is before the world cup even starts sit down with the entire team and say this
“If we end up playing against brazil I will be starting scurry because of her history against brazil and her quickness”. If he would have done this then at least they would already know its going to happen and then its not a last minute surprise. Once again it comes down to communication, or lack there of.

On the other side Hope Solo was definitely wrong with her decision to address the public. You never want to make comments while you are emotional as a coach or a player. When it comes to what she said I don’t really mind what she said about her coach but she screwed up when she brought scurry into it. It wasn’t scurry’s fault that her coach threw her under the bus.

Fact is two bad decisions both by a coach and a player. Now how does this relate to youth sports? Well it really doesn’t but we can all learn a few lessons. Coaches: communicate whenever you can. The more the better and it will help your team from being upset by last minute changes. Parents and Players: If your upset about something take a day or two to cool down before approaching the coach or anyone else about it. You will almost always say something you may regret later if you don’t cool down. Then you will force the coach to perhaps do something he does not want to after your blow up. Remember lets teach our kids some good life lessons, that’s what this is all about.

"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions.  

Law 7
Periods of Play
The match lasts two equal periods of 45 minutes, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the referee and the two participating teams. Any agreement to alter the periods of play (for example to reduce each half to 40 minutes because of insufficient light) must be made before the start of play and must comply with competition rules.

Allowance for Time Lost
Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:
• substitution(s)
• assessment of injury to players
• removal of injured players from the fi eld of play for treatment
• wasting time
• any other cause
The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.

2007-2008 ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR REFEREES
Additional Time Allowance for Time Lost
Many stoppages in play are entirely natural (e.g. throw-ins, goal kicks).  An allowance is to be made only when these delays are excessive.
The fourth official indicates the minimum additional time decided by the referee at the end of the final minute of each period of play.
The announcement of the additional time does not indicate the exact amount of time left in the match. The time may be increased if the referee considers it appropriate but never reduced.
The referee shall not compensate for a timekeeping error during the first half by increasing or reducing the length of the second half.

Time belongs to the players and the LOTG empowers the referee as timekeeper to ensure the players get their full time. In youth matches I’m sometimes disappointed with officials who blow for full-time at exactly 30:00 of a 30 minute half.  I have yet to witness a match that did not have some lost time that could be added.

The time belongs to the players - not the referee or coaches.  The only reason not to add lost time is if the players don’t want the time.  This could happen in a blowout game or any game where the players are signaling to the referee they want the half or game to end.

The USSF ATR has additional explanations on proper procedures for timekeeping errors.  In a nut shell, if the referee blows too early, he calls the players back onto the field to finish the time (as long as the next half hasn't begun).  If time goes too long (and the referee believes he's made an error), the error is noted in the match report.

"Dear Eggy"


Dear Eggy
My DD was able to play more in the past 3 games than she has all the games before. Do you think this is because she has improved or because I talked to the Coach?

Signed,
Mama Mouth

Dear Mama Mouth,
I can't really say the the increase in your DD's playing time is directly related to your speaking with the coach. It might be. Let me caution you that your continued conversations with the coach just might result in your DD getting reduced playing time.

Hopefully, the increase in time was from your DD's skills improving. As a former coach (not soccer) I was always willing to talk to parents that had concerns about playing time. Just becareful about your "opinion" of your DD's skills and remember you hired the coach for his/her evaluation of those skills.



Dear Eggy,
my mother is a teacher with a masters degree. my dad is a truck driver with out degree. why does my dad make more money? why are teachers so underpaid?

Signed
Confused

Dear Confused,
The world doesn't always make sense. Just look at your own team. Do you think all of those starters are really that much better then the bench players? probably not, but they get loads more playing time,so remember young DD "Sometimes life gives you lemons, So go make lemonaide.

Just be thankful that your mother chose to be an educator, she gets June, July, August, Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring break off so that she can drive you to games and tournaments.




"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

This week we lets the "posters voice" tell their story with pictures! :mrgreen:



The WWC team takes the field as chants of "WPS, WPS, WPS" fills the air!!! :mrgreen:



....Coach Ralph....eat your heart out :twisted:



...ball $39.99....childrens plane ticket $375.00....juggling on the great wall of China!!!!....Priceless
 




THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"

**this week we gave you two interviews for the price of one.  The regular Coachs interviews will return next week** :mrgreen:



Guest Editor's, EDITORIAL:

Club Pass thoughts

So, I think these last couple of weeks have shown us all how controvesial the "Club Pass" is. The WSYSA took quite a bit of grief for not moving and implementing the pass. So lets take a quick look at some of the feed back.

Firstly, and predictably, are the accusations of pass abuse to help teams win games they may not have otherwise won (or tied). There is no doubt this has happened in a few games, I have seen it personally. The PDL has stated there may be movement on a promation/relegation basis. You have already read my thoughts on the compatibility of the pass and this system so we wont go there again.

I have also heard how players using the pass have caused some players to have less playing time. That coaches are using the pass as a "high pressure" motivational tactic to make players improve "or else".

I, myself, have stated how mis-use of the pass could cause one (unworthy) group of kids to be promoted while another (more wothy) group does not.

You know what I haven't heard? I haven't heard any of this from the kids themselves, only from the CP's. All I've heard from the kids is how nice it is to get to know better a friend that shares their passion for the game. How pass players have helped them in a bind. etc.

I still have some concerns about "the pass", but from what I've seen so far it is well worth thr experiment. The kids seem to like it... and thats what this is all about ... right?

Thank you guest Editor!  That was fun, we hope to do that again in the future!

Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to...Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #14



COVER




It may of not been as upsetting as the "war of the worlds" broadcast, but the YAP-Team scam did freak people out!





The Pulse!  No. #14





COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:



DRAGON'S FREAKS OUT MILLIONS WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE YAP-T "YOUTH ADVANCED PREMIER TEAMS"!!!
ok..maybe not that many LOL


Dragon announced on the 4th of October in general posting that a new league would be forming next year, called the youth advanced premier teams (YAP-T).  Little did he know the little hoax to celebrate his second anniversary on WPS would cause such a ruckus LOL.  Several private messages and emails were sent to Dragon concerning the "new league"...112 to be exact!!!  Along with the new league being announced, he also said that scouts would be in the area the next couple of weeks looking for potienial super stars to fill the rosters of these newly formed teams...26 parents sent in location/time/names of their possible YAP-Team members.  The next morning on the 2nd anniversary of the coming of Dragon it was announced it was all a hoax (like the war of the worlds radio broadcast).  Here are a few of the PMs/email Dragon received both Before & After it was announced as a hoax:

Nice! You know the funny thing is I should have gone with my instincts. I was calling BS on this last night. I'm pretty involved in soccer and have never heard of YAPT or Trevor Shaw. I Googled both last night before I sent you the PM. Even after not finding a darn thing about either one. See how much faith I have in the "Dragon knows all". Not no more buddy.....you suck!

I will also mention this on open forum.  What you did to my little girls dreams was cruel and unforgivable!  Damn you to HELL!  

Is there a way that you could mention to the coachs (trevor and chris) that my daughter would very much like to be on their new teams, but ask they can be descrete about the people they pick?  I know several other parents on our team that think their child is worthy, but as the coachs will see most are average when compared to xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Please send the scouts to check out #xxxx, she plays for xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.  She is a regional level player and will prove this next year once she makes ODP.  She singlehandedly wins most of the games for her team.  Please have them contact me directly if they would like to know more about her.  My cell phone is (xxx) xxx-xxxx

You got me you SOB.  I have never laughed so hard in my entire life when I read the news that it was all made up!  Good one, keep up the good work.  I love WPS.

As a coach of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I was a little shocked that I was not made aware of this new league.  I have a call going out to xxxxxxxxxx and I am sure this will be cleared up in a timely manner.  If they think they can start up this new YAPT program without my clubs involvement, they have another think coming!

I must admit this was too funny.  I knew it was a joke from the beginning.  I feel sorry for the saps who fell for it.

**just as a side note, the person who was quoted last sent in a "nomination" as another persona** :lol:  :lol:  :lol:


Well, never thought a joke would cause so much traffic on the internet.  Dragon is gonna have to think of something even better for next year :twisted:
Truthfully though, I am very sorry if this caused anyone any undo stress or hardship.  You all know that Dragon thinks ALL of your players are YAP-T qualified :mrgreen:



HEADLINES!



"WHAT IS LOVE??  A 17 YEAR OLD SUPERSTAR'S DEFINITION OF LOVE AND SOCCER

Dragon is very very pleased to bring you this article from a home grown super star.  This young star has done things and been places that most U11-U14 players only dream about!  A fantasitc article, by a fantastic National Level Player!!!

People always say they love playing a certain sport, playing videogames, hanging with friends, watching movies, etc.  What exactly is this passion?  I always say I "love" playing soccer.  What exactly does that mean?

What is love?

My soccer career has been like a rollercoaster… I have had my highs and I have had serious lows. A few years ago I experienced something no player should have to go through and it was probably one of the hardest times I have ever gone through in my life. I was struggling in soccer and having issues on my club team. With all the issues, stress, pressure, being mistreated, etc… the "fun" in soccer slowly began to drain. Before I knew it, going to practice was a chore and no longer fun for me. It felt like work. It got so bad that my confidence in myself as a player was extremely low and I was about ready to quite playing soccer because I hated it so much.

After months of struggle, I had to step back and ask myself why I was still playing.  Deep down in my soul I knew I still loved the game and wanted to play until I died.  I had to make an unbearably tough decision that most don’t understand and never will.  I switched teams and took myself out of a serious situation.  At last, the "fun" that I once had every time I laced my cleats up slowly began to come back and I was smiling. Soccer finally began to feel alive to me again!

Today I’m playing the best soccer I’ve ever played in my life!  Each game I look forward to a new experience and more competition.  I’m playing the best soccer of my life and I know there is only better play to come.  My teammates and coaches, we are strong and supportive of each other.  But the most important thing was that I realized who my real family was.  Not just my team but the people who surround, love, inspire, cheer, and support me in everything I do…. they were my sounding board and they never judged me for whatever I did.

So, define love? What exactly does it mean?

Since my experience, I have traveled an unbelievable amount.  The flight attendants almost know my name…. just kidding!  My summers are packed with tournaments and camps to attend.  This year I was home a total of a week and a half during the month of July.  However, I’ve never had so much fun in the years I’ve played.  As I look back on the past four years I am just amazed by the opportunities and experiences God has given me.

Coming off an amazing summer and hitting the ground hard with high school ball, it has been a total high point for me from a soccer perspective and having coaches and players saying I played great and all this positive stuff… I absolutely love playing soccer. As much as people joke around and say that I'm always training and always playing soccer and never have time to do anything or hang out with anybody… I honestly don't care! I'm living my dream and I just pray that I'm living God's dream for my life. I chose long ago that my soccer career would be my mission field. I have never gone on a "mission trip" before and may never, but in my eyes I've gone on over 75 mission trips. God has truly blessed me in my abilities to play soccer and I only hope that I'm making Him proud in the things I'm doing.

Love?

Love is the passion I have to play soccer. Love is the gleam in my eyes when I think or talk about soccer. I love working my hardest and being exhausted afterwards from working so hard. I love the feeling after a hard practice when you're out of breath and the sweat is just running down your face. The taste of cold water after you’ve just run yourself into the ground. The countless songs you sing over and over in your head as you run around that track or through the neighborhood.  The dreadful feeling when your coach says, “on the line” after a brutal practice.  The hundreds of different types of shoes you go through.  The time you beat your rival by one goal and you know those two extra sprints were worth it.  The blood, sweat, and tears you experience as a team.  The way you lift one another up after a tough loss or a bad game.  The coaches you hate but appreciate.  The smell of crisp air and freshly cut grass before a game.  Every time you hit that snooze button in the hotel room.  The countless burgers you’ve passed up for a bowl of pasta and chicken.  The laughs, jokes, and memories each team shares.  The feeling after a game when you know you've played with all your heart and left it all on the field no matter what the outcome was.  That one tackle that sends your adrenaline through the roof. The feeling when your coach says a simple "good job".  The feeling when you know you’ve just played the best game of your life.  The feeling when you finally crawl into bed that night after a tough battle.  The feelings I get are numerous and indescribable.

So, what exactly is love?

Love is a feeling that only you yourself can ever experience.

I'll never be able to explain it to anybody and I don't think anybody will ever understand the feelings I get. All I know is that I am seventeen years old and I love playing soccer with all my heart, mind, and soul.  It is part of me—my DNA.  The passion and love I have for the game lives within me and burns stronger every time I cross that white line onto the pitch.




LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

Lets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #5!

U11
Looking at the Boys PDL A...
Sno-Ho United vs  NWN Red - Dragon say - Sno-Ho 3-1
DNP mark that as a win LOL :mrgreen:
 

U12
Looking at the boys PDL C...
Crossfire H.  vs  Sun City Stikers -  
Dragon says - Crossfire 1-0
Final was 3-1 SS Strikers :oops:  

U13
On girls U13 Gold Oregon...
Timbers Red  vs  Bend Storm -
Dragon say - Timbers 1-0
Final was Timbers 3-1 :mrgreen:

U14
Looking at PDL B...
EFC White  vs  Spokane Shadow -
Dragon say - EFC 1-0
And the "gut" calls it Dead On! :mrgreen:

 

Dragon 3-1 this past week...I am on a roll!! :lol:


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #5:
http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6520
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


U11

Boys PDL A
Snohomish United  vs  Eastside Red - This will be a battle for sure.  Snoho has 28 GF and 12 GA, and EFC has 18 GF and 14 GA.  Last time EFC got the "W" when they met...Do you think this time will be any different?
Dragon say - Snoho 4-2


U12

Girls D3 GP
ISC Arsenal Blue  vs  BlackHills FC K. - Here is a battle of the unbeatens!  GP is a long way from the PDL, but it is nice to focus on other teams.  Arsenal has 8 GF and 2 GA, BlackHills has 11 GF and 1 GA.  Arsenal is in first right now, will they stay that way?
Dragon say - Blackhills 2-1



U13

Girls PDL A
Sno-Ho Chika Lobos  vs  Crossfire Batgirl -  This is gonna be a battle!  The winner has a great chance to move up the ladder and be right in the thick of things, while the loser will not be in a happy place!
Dragon say - Tie 1-1


U14

Girl PDL B
Sun City Strikers A.  vs  HPFC Eagles M. - This is a fantastic match up that many don't even know about.  It's number 1 vs number 2.  SC Strikers have 19 GF and 8 GA...Eagles have 14 GF and only 5 GA.  The winner will be in first place alone!  D's gonna go with the scoring machines on this one, my gut tells me to.
Dragon say - Strikers 3-1




That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  





WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!





**Any age group that has more then 5 nominations will also get some "shout outs" from Dragon!

U11

#22 ELIZABETH - FC CRUSH SKY!
This little superstar was on fire this weekend!  She is normally is not a starter, but started this weekend.  She not only played great, but got her first Hat-Trick!  She also had 2 goals the week prior coming in off the bench.  Wow little one, it sounds like you are ready for a starting roll on your team!  Dragon is very proud of you :mrgreen:

Shout out to runners up:
#14 Mykayla - Synergy Dunn
#13 Holli - FCV Glory
 

U12

#4 KENDALL - WPFC WHITE!
This young superstar was moved up from her normal defensive position in a game where they were down 0-3 at the half.  She did not score but sparked the team to come back and score 2 goals in the 2nd half...a few more minutes and who knows!  What a great job of leadership & inspiration young one.  Dragon is proud of you! :mrgreen:
 
Shout out to:
#1 Megan - Reign Purple


U13

#14 MORGAN - SNOHOMISH UNITED CHIKA LOBOS!
The smallest player on the field stepped up her game this past weekend.  She made great passes and had wonderful vision the whole game and set up several scoring chances.  Finally she took matters into her own hands and scored the game winning goal to give the crazy girls their first victory!  An MVP performance for sure, Dragon very proud of you little one! :mrgreen:

Shouts out to:
#8 Lindsey - SSFC White
#00 Ivy - NWN Red

 

U14

#22 SAMMI - MUKILTEO LIGHTNING!
Talk about playing out of your mind!  This young superstar turned it on over-drive this weekend.  She came out on fire and proved she is an MVP caliber player but notching 4 goals to help lead her team to victory!  Great job superstar, sounds like you were in the "heart & fire zone"!  Dragon very proud of you! :mrgreen:

 

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

Preventer
Ky1313
Gimmevino
Quickstep
Mark


As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



"A view from the Mini-Van"

Are you not happy on your own team?

All this talk about what other team would your kid play on, if not the one they are on now.. Got me thinking about another aspect   :shock:  :|
What if you asked your kid how bad THEY really wanted to play??  :shock:  Parents are the ones doing all the driving and I know at least one, if not 2 on the team, that probably would prefer a few short months of high level rec, and then onto other things... but their parents have different agendas...  so they continue to play.
And the tougher question, if your kid said, I don't want to play at this level anymore, it is not fun, how many parents would be willing to allow them to take that step back?

"WPS Paparazzi"


Our Paparazzi cont's to bring us continued updates and free marketing for WPFC's new field (even though Coach Fish don't like Dragon) :lol:




Looking good, and the heavy equipment are ready for the next step...



The New turf is all ready to be rolled out!


*BONUS* - A actual Youtube video of the turf being layed, complete with a "country music" backgroud :lol:




.




"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email


**Special; "Where are the YAP-Team Scouts edition"?**

REMOVED! :x  (CAN'T WIN FOR LOSING AWARD- BRAT & D)
...in obvious pain, this CP realizes soon enough that it was just an elaborate hoax! :lol:


REMOVED! :x (CAN'T WIN FOR LOSING AWARD- BRAT & D)
...a whole gaggle of people look in every direction for the "Scouts"...or is it maybe just wine that some of them were looking for? :lol:



...the phone call went something like this..."Dragon posted that the YAP-T thing is a hoax!??  Damn that lizard!!, I have been camped out at the fields since last night"! :lol:



...An obviously aging parent holds the latest printed out copy of the Pulse as he scans the other sideline for YAP-T scouts! :lol:


**Disclaimer - none of the people pictured above were one's that sent in info for the YAP-T scouts...so put those torchs down ladies :lol:


**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom!  Anything soccer related is welcome!** :mrgreen:  



"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"


*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*

Question for the Doc: "Why is it that kids (girls mostly) seem to start playing worse or have balance troubles in their early teens?  Is it due to puberty?"

Dear new teenager parent,
Good  :?: .
Puberty brings on many changes in our DD/DS. Body hair, B.O.,the ability to mouth off and growth spurts! Growth spurts are just that. Blasts of activity triggered by testosterone...yes in boys and girls!
The arms grow but no one pays attention. But wow some kids grow so fast they look like they are all legs. These are generally the ones who become "clumsy". Their center of gravity changes, girls may become knock kneed as well as some boys and their ability to recognize where their body is in space gets thrown out of whack. so if you run or jump and change direction, your brain cannot react fast enough and you stumble or fall. In most kids as they "grow into their bodies", their coordination comes back (unlike Squash)!

Clumsiness can also be induced by drugs, both prescription and unfortunately recreational. So make sure you know what they are "on"!
Stay healthy,
The Doc


 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Hi Washington, The Chilipeppers were idle this weekend but next weekend we have 2 league games and we open up Norcal Cup competition against Marin!

Thanks for keeping us up to date Pepper-Reporter!  Good luck to your gals next week!!! :mrgreen:




OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"SIDELINE SNIPPETS"

*Here is a new section dedicated to "things heard while on the sidelines"


Heard from the sidelines...
 
how many times do you get to be offside before your really offside...?
 
Quit being a chicken and get in their and fight for the ball.. uh.. sir... its a throw in,,, the ball isnt even in play... opps..
 
coach gems:

It cant possibly be a foul the ball is still moving... huh?
 
can you call a foul on the ball?
 
Hey, the ref has a bloody nose, does he have to sub out with the AR?




"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Style of Play"

Welcome back everyone and I’m excited. I got a great question submitted, and I will try to do so without writing a novel. Thank you for whoever submitted this one, its probably one of the best ones I’ve received yet.

Style of Play?

Is the Style of play dictated by the club, your teams makeup or by the
coach themselves? Each style has it's advantages and disadvantages can
you explain those and the personal required to be successful. What type
of players do you look for from front to back to fulfill your style of
play? Do you like to have a strong defense, midfield or offense that
supports your style?

I’ll just break down each individual question and answer.

Is the Style of play dictated by the club, your teams makeup or by the coach themselves?  The style of play is controlled by the coach. Some coaches are willing to be flexible with their style depending on the players they have, but other coaches are very rigid and will always play the same style and expect the kids to adjust to their beliefs. In a way the style of play is slightly dictated by the club. Most people don’t completely agree with me on that, but the coaching director hires the coaches, and trains them. He/She is more likely to hire coaches that have similar philosophies to their own, and through training with younger coaches those coaches will start to pick up similar beliefs to the coaching director. In those ways he/she has a slight control over style of play.

Each style has it's advantages and disadvantages can you explain those and the personal required to be successful? I’ll go over just the basic formations and styles.  4-4-2: advantages: strong overall formation, good attack on the wing. Disadvantages: weaker offense, can be spread out and played through the holes. Players needed: forwards who can check back and control the ball, center mids who can dstribute. 4-3-3 advantages: strong offense. Maintains 4 at the back. Controls the middle. Disadvantages: no outside wingers, can be counter attacked. Players needed: fast forwards, 3 extremely strong mids who can cover the whole midfield, outside backs that like to attack, and can hit a strong diagonal or crossing ball.  3-4-3 advantages, strong strong attacking, still has plenty of players to control the midfield. Disadvantages: weaker defense. Can be attacked on the defensive wings. Players needed: fast forwards, 3 defenders who are very strong defenders. If you have a weak link back there you will lose. 4-5-1 advantages: strong defense, controls the midfield. Disadvantages: offense, hard to find space to pass the ball. Players needed: strong player up front who can go win the ball. Midfielders who can attack with the dribble out of midfield. 5-4-1 advantages : extremely strong on defense, you can afford to send up to two defenders on the attack, so you can overload one side very easily. Disadvantages: very  hard to get on the attack. The other team usually controls the midfield. Players you need. Fast outside backs that can attack. Strong forward who can win the ball. Those are just some of the basics, and of course those strengths and weaknesses can be changed and affected by how the coach coaches the system. That’s one of the great things about soccer is the coach can really put his mark on the game by who he puts where and what he teaches them to do.

What type of players do you look for from front to back to fulfill your style of play? My style of play is usually a control style. But if I were to use a 4-4-2 (that seems to be the most popular) starting up front this is what I would look for. forwards: One fast, one that is strong at checking to the ball. This way I have two options while attacking. Also it makes it harder for the defense to mark since they are different style of  players. Center mids: quick center mids who will get stuck in and win the ball. Plus right when they win the ball they have to know exactly what they are going to do with it, and make the early play. Outside mids: Fast, plus be able to go 1v1 on the wing. And know how to get their hips around the ball so when they cross it on the baseline it stays inbounds. Center backs: big and strong. Command the middle of the defense. Have confidence to win the ball out of the air, and then make a smart decision. Outside backs: Fast, very good vision. I like both of them to push up and get into the attack. They should have as many crosses as anyone on the field.

Do you like to have a strong defense, midfield or offense that supports your style? I would love to have all 3 of those. However I think at a young age you can win with either a strong defense or a strong offense. As you get older though the stronger defenses seem to be the teams that win. If you don’t give up goals then you are always in the game. It might be frustrating to watch your team not be able to score but at least your not losing 6-4 or in a high scoring game like that. The question is which is more frustrating for a kid to do; lose in a tight 1-0 game or lose in a game 7-6? They might enjoy the scoring, but to me I would probably rather lose 1-0. I’ve also noticed that teams that are known for having that “great” offense often go into state cup, and run into a great defense and all of a sudden are frustrated, and end up losing since they have a weaker defense.

Once again that was a great question, and like I said before every coach has their own style, and it will effect the game differently. Good luck with finding a style that fits your DD/DS way of playing.

"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions. I am also free to answer any and all questions.  Please send your questions to the Pulse Email address.

A question for the REF on:

Handing out Yellow and Red Cards

So I have checked page to page of the LOTG and cannot find any reference
to what age Cards can be issued.  So this brings up some questions.  I
have seen in the past couple of weeks, actually in summer tourney's as
well Referees having discussions with players multiple times during a
game after they have committed multiple fouls.  Now I thought one card
able offense was "persistent infringement" if this is the case why does
the referee need to talk to the player?  Issue the card.  Why do the
Refs refuse to give the younger ages cards?  I also saw a U11 game where
a defensive player caught a ball in front of his goal preventing the
ball from going in.  Now if I remember correctly this is a automatic
"RED" card.  No card was issued.  How will the kids learn the LOTG if
Refs refuse to issue cards.  I would bet that U11 - U13 combined less
yellow cards have been issued then at U14 alone and I would bet not 1
red card has been issued.  I can understand that sometimes the Ref might
determine that talking to a player is necessary first and that the
issuing a card is secondary at the younger ages.  But sometime the
severity of the foul committed should determine whether a talk or card
is warranted.


I agree that referees are often too hesitant to show cards at the younger age groups.  And although I think your observations and expectations are reasonable (particularly for highly competitive leagues), it's not always necessary for an official to resort to cards.  Officials are encouraged to manage situations without cards where possible, but need to be able to recognize when the player "wants" or "needs" the card.

Cards are shown when misconduct has occurred and are one of the tools used to tell the players when they have crossed the line for the level of play set by the referee.  If the referee feels they can accomplish what is needed for that game by just talking with the player, then that is perfectly acceptable.

Some cautions and send-offs have become mandatory because the offenses are considered egregious violations of the spirit of the game, yet referees were not punishing the offense strongly enough (and this is at the Pro level).  Among these are Denial of Goal Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO) by foul and handling.  These are both mandatory send-offs when the offense meets the required criteria.  

Persistent Infringement is also a misconduct not punished frequently enough at all levels of youth play.  Part of this is because it requires an experienced referee crew that is capable of recognizing a pattern or able to track the number of fouls by players.  You are less likely to find advanced referees at the U11-U13 game level.

When I refer to "experience" and "advanced," I don't mean someone who has done the same things at the same type of game for 10 or 20 years; but rather the person who perhaps has only refereed for 2 years but learned and advanced from each game they completed.

If a referee has stopped to speak to the same player three times in a match, that referee should be strongly considering a caution for PI, even at U10.  The player is telling the official they don't understand and need more help.  The referee should help the player and the coach by cautioning the player and showing the yellow card.

In defense of officials who appear slow to caution players at younger age groups, we do find these players are better at listening to the officials than the older age groups.  A word of caution or warning is typically sufficient for the offending player, as well as for the rest of the players, to take notice and think "oh, I better not do that."

Some officials may have also forgotten what 10 year olds are capable of doing quite deliberately in the heat of the moment.  They have fallen into viewing the young players as simply lacking skill or knowledge and thereby not "seeing" their misconduct.

"Dear Eggy"


Dear Eggy,
My DD has some friends that play on a PDL team and she plays on a district team. My DD has been asking about trying out for a PDL team next season. Her father and I would like her to stay with a district team to cut down on travel expenses. What do you think we should do.
Signed,
To district or Not

Dear District,
This is a problem that many CP's face. Is your DD ready, with the proper skills to tryout for a PDL Team? Can your family handle the cost in dollars and time?
If your DD has the skills, I recommend that you find the highest level team that your family can support. Maybe your DD can mow lawns to help with the dollar side of this equation.
There is also the summer guest play route for her to play with a higher level team.

Thanks,
Eggy



"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

**have a new writer for this section this week, hope you enjoy

Soccer is a sport that is supposed to bring us all joy and excitement.
 
I'm getting really sick of the attitude in youth soccer around here that teams should be more concerned with traveling out of state to tournaments or across the state to play “the best competition” than worrying about silly things like training young players to become better soccer players.

You think Barcelona's youth team travels all over Spain playing only La Liga youth teams? Nope. If it works for Barca and Ajax youth teams, playing games against locals could work here, too.

Play the locals until you're sick of them, and you beat them all the time.

It seems anymore, that the days of coaches working their butts off for the simple joy of seeking improvement in their players is a thing of the past.  I believe this was the era of the evil “parent coach”.

Coaching is now viewed as a means to several all-expense-paid trips each year for the coach's (and even the asst coach, “trainers”, etc.) enjoyment. All I want is for my kid to be well trained, and to experience the satisfaction that comes with real achievement from real hard work.  Instead, it appears I've paid for him to join a travel and vacation club with a little soccer thrown in.

I’ve also noticed that coaches’ ego’s seem to have grown by the naming of the team after themselves.  I thought the team was about, and for the players.

Why I coach? It is sure not about the money. My coaches were paid $0, so I figure I should charge at least 2x that and no more.

When we get coaches who actually care for each player to reach their maximum potential, or level, technical ability/tactics, dribbling/passing, skill/speed, and not just the $$$$ they see - then and only then will we be developing players who can truly compete with the best.

The new Academy/PDL system has mandated games only against Academy clubs, which is of course an exclusivity/power thing. The clubs offering this “development” can require you to drive DD/DS them for over 700 miles to play 1 game against “the best competition”.

The US parent and/or player needs to decide what type of soccer they enjoy. Then find a coach who coaches that style

How to make the game better.

1) Limited substitution.    Continual free substitution encourages hustle at the expense of thought.  The game today is too often full speed to no purpose (EPL).  People praise a player for his hustle, but they are oblivious to his effectiveness.  

2) Restrict roster sizes.   This encourage player growth and development. This will also reduce injuries and allow all to see who the better coached teams actually are, and not just the most athletic ones.

Too many kids who are late-bloomers physically are sent to the lower team even though they have superior skills, simply because they are smaller and can't possibly run as fast, or kick as far as the bigger kids until they physically mature. This is true because it is easy to see the huge disparity in size between the A and B team.  It's no secret, it's been going on for years in this country.

Unfortunately, big, fast players with little skill can win games in youth soccer (particularly at the youngest age groups) and many coaches see wins and trophies as more important for their egos and resumes than the technical and tactical development of their players.  When they players start to play U14, this is when the improper training starts to catch up. “Good” teams are no longer “good”.

3) Wider fields.    Hey Bigfoot !!!! make the fields wider, and even eliminate a few to let the skilled teams show what they can do instead of being forced to lump-n-run with the “Big-boys”.

4) VOLUNTEERS    Appreciate them more and help out more yourself. What have YOU given back to the game? They are the ones that make it happen. Without them you have people making decisions based on their pocket books.

5) Referees      Put the basic tests online for anyone to see and learn. In todays busy world, not a lot of people have time to allot to becoming a referee. Let people study at home and when they feel ready to take the test, come test on a Sat. and discuss how to referee.

6) Term limits.    All soccer boards should have term limits (and for the same reason diapers are frequently changed).

 




THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Black Knights U14 Prediction Challenge!"

Alright this was pretty fun to start doing, and it was really interesting to see how everyone did. No one had a great weekend, but Still there were definatly some winners. Instead of listing what EVERYONE got I'll be just listing the winners:

Overall Correct Scores Picked:

1st: BRAT 15/24
2nd: BK :twisted: , ExtremeSoccer 13/24
3rd: Nineteethree, Dragon, Preventer 12/24

Perfect Scores Predicted:

1st: 93soccerdad 4
2nd: Dragon Slayer 3
3rd: BK :twisted: , Extremesoccer, Dragon, Daditude 2

PDL 1A Predictions:

1st: Brat 9/12
2nd: BK :twisted:  8/12
3rd: Yote, DS, Daditude 7/12

PDL 1B Predictions:

1st: Extremesoccer 5/6
2nd: Nineteethree 4/6
3rd: Playon, 93soccerdad, Brat, Dragon, Preventer 3/6

PDL 1C Predictions:

1st: BK :twisted: , Nineteethree,Brat, Dragon, Daditude, preventer 3/6
2nd: Extremesoccer, 93soccerdad, Monday, Yote, DS 2/6
3rd: April 1/6

Alright for the OVERALL WINNER'S this is how i picked them. For getting 1st in any catagory you recieve 3 points, 2nd you recieve 2 points, and 3rd you recieve 1 point.

OVERALL WINNER'S

1st: BRAT Way to make BK :twisted: look like a genius. I picked you at the very beginning and it looks like I know what im doing (except when it comes to my own picks) Brat won with 10 total points.
1st in overall picks 15/24
1st in PDL 1A picks 9/12
3rd in PDL 1B picks 3/6
1st in PDL 1C picks 3/6
GREAT JOB BRAT

2nd TIE: BK :twisted: and Extremesoccer both Tied with 8 points
BK :twisted:
2nd in overall picks 13/24
3rd in Perfect Scores predicted 2
2nd in PDL 1A picks 8/12
1st in PDL 1C picks 3/6
Extremesoccer
2nd in overall picks 13/24
3rd in Perfect scores predicted 2
1st in PDL 1B picks 5/6
2nd in PDL 1C picks 2/6

3rd: A three way tie with 6 points 93soccerdad, Nineteethree, Dragon.
93soccerdad
1st in perfect scores predicted 4
3rd in PDL 1B picks 3/6
2nd in PDL 1C picks 2/6
Nineteethree
3rd in overall picks 12/24
2nd in PDL 1B picks 4/6
1st in PDL 1C picks 3/6
Dragon
3rd in overall picks 12/24
3rd in Perfect scores predicted 2
3rd in PDL 1B picks 3/6
1st in PDL 1C picks 3/6

Great job everybody. it was really fun to do. I'll put together the next one for next week, and Thanks to everyone for playing. The more people the more it means to win  :mrgreen:

"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"

No interview this week.  Sad but True.  If you are a coach, and would not mind answering a few questions please let the Pulse know. :mrgreen:  



Guest Editor's, EDITORIAL:

Do you do more then Cheer?
Have you ever watched a game as a neutral spectator? Well if you ever get a chance to do so just listen to the sidelines. Walk up and down the sidelines for both teams and you hear all sorts of things (some good, some bad). It's amazing!! I looked at myself, and remembered how involved I use to get. I was always embarrassed after the fact. Did me yelling at the ref make a difference? What was my point? I think it really hit home, one day when I was just watching a game. I saw how one sidelines acted (not everyone) toward the ref, the other team and their own players. I then realized what I looked and sounded like (I really liked to suggest calls to the ref). I didn't like it.

Why do CP's feel that they need to be more involved then just cheering? Cheering for them is one thing, but yelling at them or the ref is another. Do you yell at the coach for that substitution? Yeah Right!! This is their game. Not our game!! THEIRS!! Not one time do I shoot on goal. I don't have to make a save nor do I have to mark a player. All I have to do is support my DD/DS and her team with praise. Great pass!! Good shot!! Etc!! Nothing more. This is a youth soccer game where our kids are having the time of their lives playing. I think that sometimes we forget that. These DD/DS's are just kids. They will make mistakes, no kid is ever perfect. I know that if your DD/DS is playing at this level then they have earned it. Let the kids play their game. Let us watch and cheer.

Thank you guest Editor!  That was fun, we hope to do that again in the future!

Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to...Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!


***do NOT POST HERE...this is just a place for Bad Boy to post all the Pulses

[Bad Boy]

PULSE #15

COVER



photo exclusive #1 of 3 The Mysterious and Sexy 94soccermom!  Photo's in this issue! :mrgreen:





The Pulse!  No. #15





COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:


GABE ROOD, WESTERN REGION MANGER ~ US CLUB SOCCER...
Speaks out on the future of US Club in Washington!


US Club Soccer in Washington

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to inform your audience about some of our future endeavors in Washington. Before I get started, I would like to tell a little bit more about US Club Soccer, so the audience has a better understanding of what we do.

US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization committed to the support and development of competitive soccer clubs.  It is founded on the belief that soccer clubs, which are in the business of elite player development, need an organization of their own to foster growth, address concerns, and sanction and provide programs with a minimum of rules and restrictions.  US Club Soccer has been a National Affiliate member of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) since 2001, and as such registers players, and sanctions teams, leagues, tournaments and other soccer programs.  A nine-member Board of Directors, who must be experienced coaches in member soccer clubs, makes policy decisions for the organization.

US Club Soccer Highlights

•   Limited rules and paperwork (no travel requirements or paperwork needed to travel beyond state boundaries)
•   League and Tournament Sanctioning
•   National Cup & State Cup
•   Player Identification Program- id2 program

More information can be found on our website: www.usclubsoccer.com

State Cup in Washington

The Washington teams have shown great support at our National Cup so we are reciprocating our support to the Washington clubs/teams by bringing a US Club Soccer State Cup to Washington. We want to give Washington clubs another opportunity to experience the benefits of being a US Club Soccer member, and the event will also provide another opportunity for id2 scouting.

The inaugural Washington Cup, will be contested Nov. 9-11, 2007 in Tukwila, Washington. Hosted by Starfire Sports, the Washington Cup will be held at the Starfire Sports Soccer Complex. The tournament will be held for Boys and Girls U11-U14 teams. The registration deadline is Oct. 26. After this date, applications will only be accepted on a space available basis.  Applications and more information are available at: http://starfiresports.com/main_addedpages/2007tournaments.asp

Future US Club Soccer Tournaments in Washington

US Club Soccer realizes the talent and the strength of the clubs in Washington. Because of this and the support the clubs have shown, US Club Soccer has been exploring the possibility of holding a National Cup Regional in Washington. We are currently investigating different venues and dates.  We most likely are a year away from this happening.

However, there is a growing trend of clubs turning to US Club Soccer to sanction their tournaments.  This year in Washington “The Showcase of Champions,” hosted by Washington Premier, and “Clash at the Border,” hosted by FC Vancouver, were sanctioned by US Club Soccer.

There has been a growing trend of clubs turning to US Club Soccer to sanction their tournaments due to the benefits our tournament sanctioning program offers.  I’ve seen a significant number of tournaments turning to US Club Soccer because they are listening to the clubs that want to participate in their events. Clubs want to use their US Club Soccer passes when traveling because there are no travel restrictions and also due to the ease of transferring players. There are no sanctioning fees and both US Club Soccer teams and teams registered with other USSF affiliates may participate in a US Club Soccer-sanctioned tournament. Because of these reasons many of the top tournaments in the United States have switched to US Club Soccer. As more clubs become aware of these advantages, the trend will only continue to grow.

US Club Soccer League in Washington

While a couple of Washington clubs participate in the Pacific Northwest Division of the Super Y-League, a US Club Soccer sanctioned league, we have been in discussion with a few Directors of Coaching (DOC) regarding another US Club Soccer League in Washington.  

I have been in talks with DOCs in every state in the western region and there are many leagues set to kick off next spring. Some of these leagues will replace the current system, but many of these US Club Soccer leagues will supplement the current leagues. Every area is different and deals with different situations. However, there are a few themes that are common in each area. Most DOCs want to:
1)   Do what is right for the player
2)   Play against like competition
3)   Make a league cost effective
4)   Create a calendar that works for the member clubs
5)   Be in control of the league format

We have a model league in Northern California that is being shown to others around the country. The Nor Cal Premier League has revolutionized soccer in Northern California. The league is administrated and managed by soccer people. The league has grown in four years to over 500 competitive teams.  The Nor Cal Premier League has created a Player Development Program that identifies the top players and showcases them to id2, the U.S. National Team programs, colleges, and professional teams. The Player Development Program is free to the players so they are getting the best players in the state.
The Nor Cal Premier League also created a free coaches education program. They have brought in top domestic and international coaches to give courses to the coaches in Northern California. Some of the coaches whom have given clinics include:
?   Frans Hoek (Barcelona, Ajax, Holland, Poland)
?   John Owens (Liverpool U18 & English National Team U15)
?   Paolo Baio (Vicenza)
?   Giovanni Barbugian (Vicenza)
?   Pepijn Lijndiers (PSV & Porto)
?   Steve Sampson (US National Team)
?   Cam Rast (Santa Clara University)
?   Molon Giorgio (Calcio Padova)
?   Grandini Gaultiero (Calcio Padova)
?   Dennis Te Kloese (Chivas USA)
?   Jaime Pajarito (Chivas Guadalajara)
?   Hugo Dias (Chivas Guadalajara)

The DOCs in Northern California have come together to create a calendar, league, state cup, player development program, and coaches education program because they felt it was lacking. The league is continuing to grow and is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the clubs.

I’ve been presenting this model to the DOCs in each state. Once they have seen the model they want to do something similar that can fit their situation. Every area is different, but they are all interested in how the coaches have taken control of the calendar and created a league, state cup, player development program and coaches education. The Nor Cal Premier League has been willing to share bylaws, rules and regulations with other leagues, so we will see a number of new leagues in the western region in the spring.  

Player Identification & Development

US Club Soccer’s id2 program takes a fresh approach to identifying players for potential inclusion in the US Soccer National Team program.  Rather than try-outs, players are scouted for the id2 program as they compete in their club’s competitions.  Selected players are invited to an annual four-day regional training camp in the fall, attended by US Soccer staff.  Former international and professional players as well as college coaches participate in the id2 Regional Training Camps, offering lectures, individual assessments, and group training.
We have set up a group of scouts in Washington that have been recommending players to the id2 program. The Washington players that have attended the program have done very well. We are interested in finding more talent in Washington to participate in the program.
One of the benefits of the id2 program is that it is free for the players to attend. This program is not trying to replace any other identification program, but rather to assist in identifying top talent. The program is about identifying talent that might slip through the cracks. At the id2 camp in Irvine, Calif. from Oct. 5-8, a player was discovered that was not playing in any USSF sanctioned club. He was playing in the local Hispanic leagues and now he might have a good shot at being invited into the National Team camp. The camp has improved every year in terms of talent. This year the National staff told us they were impressed with 10-12 of the players.

Adult Services

US Club Soccer has also begun an initiative to register member club and league’s adult teams from U-20 and above.  These teams receive the same registration benefits as the organization’s youth members.  Adult US Club Soccer player passcards can be used for all US Club Soccer competitions and any competition that accepts registration cards from USSF member organizations.  

Among the benefits youth and adult teams carded by US Club Soccer receive are:

•   A quick, simple online registration process
•   The emailing of cards in a .pdf file for printing
•   Paying for cards online
•   A simple check box method for requesting card renewals
•   No travel permissions required

Thank you again for giving us the opportunity to express our support to the clubs of Washington and to give a little insight into our future plans.  If you have any questions, please contact me at 707-571-1425 or grood@usclubsoccer.org.

Sincerely,

Gabriel Rood
US Club Soccer
Western Regional Manager

Thank you so much for doing this article for us Gabe :mrgreen:



HEADLINES!


A proposal to WPS and the Clubs/Coachs in Washington!


Topic: Making informed soccer decisions

Objective: Send up a trial balloon with the WPS faithful and see how much interest there is in having a section (forum?) dedicated to coach, club and team profiles.
                       
Recently, much has been made about the idea of jumping from one team or club to another.  Included in that discussion is the question “when is it the right time” to make such a move.  Although there are varying opinions about what is right and wrong, one common theme appears to be the desire to make the most informed decision possible.  It seems WPS has a unique opportunity to provide the soccer community with a vehicle for assisting in that process.  
 
Whether you’re a new parent to the world of competitive soccer or a grizzled veteran, apples-to-apples comparisons along with common baseline information about coaches, teams and clubs is difficult to come by.  Couple that with a myriad of soccer organizations, leagues, implicit rules and hearsay policies and you have a very high potential for making a poorly informed decision—including the one about “should we stay or should we go?”
 
It also occurred to me, and apparently many of you, that both you and your child share the responsibility for determining which team (coach, club, etc.) is the most qualified and/or best fit for your situation.  In the end, kids should be enjoying and learning from their experience.  If they have repeatedly suggested they are not (having fun and learning) conventional wisdom says they’ve already contributed their part to the equation.  Parents should be assisting with a positive experience by taking on the responsibility of “evaluating”.  Being provided with the information to evaluate current and future considerations—e.g. what is the teaching philosophy of coach X, who will most likely be leading team X at U?? +1 yr, +2 yrs, +3 yrs, does coach X’s communication style compliment my values and expectations, <insert your favorite criteria here>—all become critically important.  Options about when to make a move (or not) then become second-tier considerations.  
 
WPS is one of the few places you can get current information on topics like coaching styles—e.g. interviews can be VERRRRRYYYYYY telling—and IMHO have provided a number of opportunities for some coaches and organizations to shine while others have underscored their preferred approach to simply “shine us on”.  Most team/club websites, as many of you know, do not even come close to providing this kind of information.  Forget trying to compare and contrast teams and coaches across different organizations.  It’s a time consuming, frustrating and often futile effort.  I for one, would be very hesitant to suggest my family opt out of our current situation if we didn’t have a good base of information from which to make our decision.  Conversation with members of a prospective parent group can be beneficial, and most likely warranted, but presents a tall order unless you have scales, breath fire and happen to moderate your own highly successful soccer forum.
*Disclaimer: last comment submitted with a tip of the hat, not a slap in the face
 
I propose WPS consider doing the soccer community a much needed service by creating an area or forum targeted at “WA Soccer Profiles”.  It could include one stop shopping for the soccer public on WA team coaches, their past records, coaching styles, player comments (especially past players), stated position on WPS interview topics, parent opinions and experiences, etc.  This section could eventually include Administrators, DOCs and any job classification that might significantly impact a soccer family’s decision making process.  An informed soccer community helps create a healthy balance between the establishments created and those of us ultimately responsible for our children's well being.  WA Soccer Profiles could go a long way toward helping contribute to that healthy balance.
 
Thanks for entertaining this proposition WPS.



SWEARING COACHS??  Is it a Myth or a Reality?!


..are there coachs that are Swearing around our children?


Well needless to say Dragon has heard a coach a time or two "let one slip" and say an "off word or two" during the heat of a game.  It is even more common at the older ages...but around 12 year olds?? :shock:   Dragon heard a rumor of a "filthy mouthed" coach a couple a weeks ago, so he sent out a "sideline reporter" to get the scoop.  What Dragon got back is too inflamatory to even post here on the Pulse!!
Here is just a small piece of what the reporter sent the Pulse: "The parents on this team are starting to have a problem with the bad language this coach constantly uses with the girls. It started out as no big deal but it's out of hand now!!!! This is a person the girls are supposed to look to for leadership, instruction, and should set a good example. Most people can understand a coach being upset, losing their cool, and letting a four letter word fly now and again, but to use it in every day conversation with these young ladies is Horrible! Does this coach talk like this all the time?  Does this coach talk like this at his day job? This coach is getting paid to coach so shouldn't there be a professional standard that should be adhered to?  I cannot post everything this coach has said, or it would single them out in a heart beat.  Would like to see a discussion among the readers of the Pulse. Now I could be totally wrong and using words such as; B****. F***, and S*** is a normal way for coachs to talk to young players"? :?  


Whoa!   If this is happening, I hope this coach takes notice!  Some parents don't approve of a "Pirate as a coach" :lol:



"HUGE MERGER IN COWTOWN IS ALMOST A REALITY!!! :mrgreen:


...merger time, means these little cowtown kids will be in great hands in the future!!!

Central Vancouver Soccer Club, Evergreen Soccer Club, and Orchards Soccer Club are looking at merging into one club called (possibly) Vancouver United? There will be an open Board Meeting for CVSC (and Tri-Mountain) on October 21...with steering committees from all three clubs slated to begin meetings/discussions on October 23.

So the rumors the Pulse has heard were true! Central Vancouver Soccer Club, Evergreen Soccer Club, and Orchards Soccer Club might merge to form the largest soccer club in Southwest Washington.  Each of the clubs' stakeholders (coaches, parents, players, and board members) will be meeting prior to that date in order to provide input and feedback on the proposal to the steering committee members.  The goal is to have the merger approved and completed by Spring 2008.

According to sources close to the merger, the vision of Vancouver United is to have the club recognized as the center of soccer in Southwest Washington by providing the best in player and coaching development.  In addition, the club hopes to provide a safe and best-in-class complex to increase opportunities for player and team development.

The merger is necessitated by increased competition from Vancouver Parks and Recreation as well as the increased numbers of "premier" teams being formed by the Big Three advanced competition clubs in the area (CPSC Timbers, FC Vancouver, Salmon Creek Soccer Club).  And, as with most mergers, there is the hope of achieving substantial economies of scale by combining resources, sharing facilities, and slashing expenses.  Boards of Directors, registration, teams, and league management would all be be merged under the proposed plan.

According to sources, the plan would divide Vancouver United into two distinct divisions. The Eastern Division would consist of what is now Evergreen Soccer Club and the southeast portion of Orchards Soccer Club.  The Western Division would encompass the current Central Vancouver Soccer Club boundaries plus the northwest portion of the Orchards club. Details on how the Tri-Mountain Soccer Club (select club for CVSC) would fit in were not immediately known.

Actual details will be worked out in the next few weeks.  Insiders report that all three clubs are eager to make this happen quickly.  We'll keep you posted on the details as they happen.

Special tidbit....  it seems like they want to invest in some serious training for kids and coaches.  Looks like Coerver is going to sign a contract to provide advanced competition training on a regular basis!!!
(another Pulse exclusive)...

Here is a sample of the "possible logo"



LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

Lets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #6!

U11
Boys PDL A
Snohomish United  vs  Eastside Red -
Dragon say - Snoho 4-2
final was 2-2 :oops:

U12
Girls D3 GP
ISC Arsenal Blue  vs  BlackHills FC K. -
Dragon say - Blackhills 2-1
final was 2-1 Blackhills...Dead on baby!! :mrgreen:
 

U13
Girls PDL A
Sno-Ho Chika Lobos  vs  Crossfire Batgirl -  
Dragon say - Tie 1-1
final was 2-0 Chikas  :oops: :oops:  

U14
Girl PDL B
Sun City Strikers A.  vs  HPFC Eagles M. - Dragon say - Strikers 3-1
final was 0-0 :oops:


Dragon 1-3 this past week...I suck! :lol:


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #6:
http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6597
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


U11
Synergy vs  Crush - this is the battle Syngy be waiting for!  Each team has battled hard in their last 2 meetings (both ties).  Will it be another tie?  Think not, time for one of the teams to step up to the plate!
Dragon say - Synergy 1-0


U12
Dist 6 baby!
Mead Sabers F. vs  LC United - it is the battle of 1st place (sabers 8-0 with 26GF and 4GA) against the very last place team in D6 GU12 Umbro, LC United (winnless with 0GF and 27GA).  Hope the LC gals keep the heart and fire light on and still have a lot of fun, this one is going to be over soon.
Dragon say - Sabers 8-0


U13
Or. Silver time
FCSC Nemesis  vs  LOSC Dynamite - This is always a battle when the two teams meet.  The Lords of Cowtown have the upper hand in last meeting but the Jimmy Walker gals never gave up.  Who will get the final say so in this one?
Dragon say - Nemesis 2-0


U14
P1 time
MRFC Thunder  vs  SSFC White 94 - This is the battle for the two teams with the lowest GA in P1. (7 each) The two teams have yet to face off so this will be the big one.  Will the 94 team stay undefeated?  Will the Thunder bring it down under?  Sad to say, but D's gut says.
Dragon say - Thunder 1-0


That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  




WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!





**Any age group that has more then 5 nominations will also get some "shout outs" from Dragon!

U11

NONE!
 :cry:  :cry:  :cry:


U12

NONE!
 :cry:  :cry:  :cry:

 
U13

#19 KIAYA - SNO-HO CHIKA LOBOS!

Wow, for the 2nd week in a row a "Crazy girl" has earned the POTW honors!  This time had several parents from the opposing team nominate the little super star, one even went so far as to say; "she was the best goalie we faced all year!"  Even though it was in a loss, this young Goalie, who recently came up from the B team, put on a goalie clinic for all to see.  Too many shots to count were saved by this superstar goalie!  Great job Kiaya, Dragon is very proud of you! :mrgreen:


U14

#4 JESSICA - SYNERGY RITTER!
 
This young goalie star is surely a difference maker.  On Sunday she was on fire!  Twice in the first half she came way off her line to snatch the ball from the girls feet to make the save, and once in the 2nd half. In the 2nd half she made some great diving saves that parents all thought were goals for sure!  Way to bring it with Heart and Fire girl!  Dragon is proud of you! :mrgreen:

 

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

Luvurbutt
snowstorm
socceroo
son of spam
Fab
lifeboat


As always it is great to see so many new members here on the Pulse of Washington soccer! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



"A view from the Mini-Van"

Life Lessons

Are you all seriously thinking soccer is all about life lessons?? Yes, things happen that in the end will teach everyone involved a lesson, but is that really why your kid started playing?

I liked what PnJ had to say about this issue, Just let the kids play and quit trying to make it more than it is, and screw it up for them!!!

Talk about lessons, what lessons are you teaching them by talking trash about other players or your dk's coach in front of them? What lessons are you teaching them when you berate them after every match? What lesson is in it for them when they hear you scream and yell on the sidelines at them, and the other players? I am sure it is not the lesson you want them to learn!!!

"WPS Paparazzi"


Our Paparazzi pulls out all the stops this week, and goes undercover to locate the secret images of 94soccermom!!!!  


photo exclusive #2 of 3  The tease that is 94Soccermom is one picture away from revealing her true beauty!!!
 



"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email




Why this team (Synergy 95) was dubbed the best team by Mufasa! :mrgreen:



Cascade FC returns the favor! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:



all the parents, and even the Ref cannot help but stare when they see that 94Soccermom is sun bathing on the back porch of her trailer! :twisted:




**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom!  Anything soccer related is welcome!** :mrgreen:  



"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"


*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*

Question for the Doc: "Put on Ice, Put on Heat.  I am always hearing this from supposed "experts" on the side lines.  When is the correct time to use heat or ice?"


Another good question from our CPs .  

Ice and heat are NOT interchangeable . Ice causes vasoconstriction (Think George Costanza or Squash on a chilly day!) that decreases swelling from acute injury while heat produces vasodilitation  causing engorgement of tissues(I refuse to comment on that) leading to improved motion in chronic injury.
.
Injuries come in two types, ACUTE and CHRONIC. Acute injuries cause muscle and soft tissue damage leading to swelling and bruising and occasional bleeding. Think Brian McBrides face after he ran into Derossi's elbow in WC! Not pretty. Swollen face,bloody nose and a shiner for a few days!

After injury,Inflammation occurs to help with healing but is a double edged sword.Increased blood flow brings in cells to fight injury and help with healing . But the increased blood flow brings in more fluid to the damaged area and it leaks into the tissues.  Pain occurs for two reasons, mechanical, from the injured tissues which become more distended by increased blood flow and inflammatory, from the pain producing chemicals that are spilled from the damaged tissues and cells.
 
R-I-C-E (Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation) encourages healing the best by decreasing swelling by immobilization and local swelling control.  Ice  causes vasoconstriction of the blood vessels thereby decreasing   blood flow to the injured area and thus decreases swelling. Ice should be used ANYTIME there is swelling or bruising, both denoting tissue injury. Ice should NEVER be applied to the skin for more than 20 minutes at a time as it can actually "burn" the skin by freezing!!Use an ice pack,made or commerciably available or the frozen bag of peas which actually conforms best to the body. And use a towel or cloth between the ice bag and skin. Use ice as much as wanted following the adage "20 minutes ON,at least 20 minutes OFF". Ice is best during the first 48-72 hours when swelling is generally highest . Thereafter it can be used as needed.


Ice can also be used for any garden variety aches and pains that occur AFTER activity. It is a better pain reliever than Tylenol!!

Chronic injuries cause aches and pains that leave you hobbling in the morning when you get out of bed (Think Fred Sanford limping around moaning "Elisabeth!") When we sleep our bodies actually tighten up so everything that has been injured becomes incredibly stiff. (This happens as well after acute injury but heat early on produses increased swelling and should be avoided during the first week or so)  . Would ice feel good when you wake up in the AM? Not on your life ! It's the shower you crave.And rightfully so. Heat increase blood flow and helps limber up tissues especially around joints or aching backs. This helps joint motion and function.So for chronic injury, heat reigns supreme. Avoid heating pads as they dry out the skin and use moist heat or a nice hot (but not TOO hot) shower.In general, heat for 15-20 minutes is appropriate.

Heat may also be administered through massage,using lotions that contain menthol ,camphor or arnica. These all encourage local blood flow as does the massage itself.

So remember:
USE ICE FOR PAIN RELIEF AND SWELLING CONTROL IN ACUTE INJURY FOR 48-72 HOURS AND AFTER ACTIVITIES THAT LEAVE YOU ACHEY . USE HEAT FOR NAGGING,OLD INJURIES THAT LEAVE YOU STIFF AND SORE BEFORE ACTIVITIES

HEAT IT UP BEFORE ACTIVITY, COOL IT DOWN AFTER ACTIVITY!!

Stay healthy,
The Doc


 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Hi Washington, another weird weekend down here in Northern California. First we were rained out of our Norcal Cup game and out league game on Sat. Then in our league game on Sunday  vs Deanza we gave up an own goal and lost 1 -0. The girls played well and controlled 80 % of the game just nothing found the back of the net. I am thinking Deanza who bragged about the victory afterward just awoke a sleeping giant for the rest of the teams in District 2. Hopefully the weather gods will help us get a couple of games in next weekend.
Until Then

Thanks Chili Reporter. We all love to follow your team rather you win or lose, you are the best in Ca. in our minds :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"SIDELINE SNIPPETS"

Parent: "Hey ref. isnt that hazardous play"?
 
Reff: "It could be, does that mean I get hazard pay too call it"?  
 
 
Hey reff: "How could that be a hand ball I only hit it with my hand, I mean my wrist.. well you know. i didnt mean to hand ball it!  Do we get a drop ball if I didnt mean to hand ball it"?


 
Referee stops play to caution a player, and ends up in a lengthy one sided conversation. coach wants to know what  is the card for? Hey ref... ref.... ref... sidelines.. wait a minute he isnt done with his sermon yet... Sunday after noon soccer isnt complete with out at least one sermon ... right? hahahha
 

**Now a special treat.  Dragon received a good question but was unsure if it was for the Coach or the Ref...so to see 2 sides to the answer, Dragon decided to send it to them both but not tell them...lets enjoy seeing how they both answered the same question!!!** :mrgreen:

"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Boys allowed to be more physical?"

It’s time for another coaches corner and I got another great question

Why does it seem that the boys games are allowed to be much more physical than the girls. I have watched many a girls soccer games being played right next to boys games where it seems the whistle is blown every time the girls come near each other only to turn around and see boys going shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip with the play being allowed to continue. I believe the games should be viewed as soccer games and somehow the gender portion left out of the equation when it comes to the play on the field, a foul is a foul, but these girls seem to expect "princess-like" treatment. Is this really happening or is it just my imagination?

I have to say I have seen what you are talking about, and I also agree with you soccer is soccer. I think its really not as lopsided as you would think. One factor though is the speed of play the boys play at. It is so much quicker and faster then the girls that its harder for the ref to catch everything. Plus they naturally throw their body into each other more which means less ends up being called. If you see 40 shoulder to shoulder charges in a game then you start to believe “that’s part of the game” however if you only see 5 shoulder to shoulder charges in a game then people tend to say “that was a foul”. I think its less about girls vs. boys as it is with the style of play being played.

That being said there’s one thing I would like to say. If anyone is unhappy about the quality of refereeing which they are seeing week in and week out then please do something about it. Take a referee class and become a referee. We could always use more. I use to referee and it was one of the best things I could have done as a player. I would encourage all of you to have your DD/DS ref if they have any desire to. It’s a great way to earn money as a child and it will only help them in their game.

**now the same question for the Ref

"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Over the next few weeks in Dragon's newsletter, I’d like to help clear up some common myths in soccer.  My intent is to help increase an understanding of the game and the basis of some referee decisions. I am also free to answer any and all questions.  Please send your questions to the Pulse Email address.

Why does it seem that the boys games are allowed to be much more physical than the girls.  I have watched many a girls soccer games being played right next to boys games where it seems the whistle is blown every time the girls come near each other only to turn around and see boys going shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip with the play being allowed to continue.  I believe the games should be viewed as soccer games and somehow the gender portion left out of the equation when it comes to the play on the field, a foul is a foul, but these girls seem to expect "princess-like" treatment.  Is this really happening or is it just my imagination?


The game of football is for the players.  The referee needs to call the game fairly for those on the pitch that day.  This includes taking into consideration age, gender, skill level, and even ethnic backgrounds of the players.  

Ever seen an amateur British men's team play a Hispanic men's team?  They have markedly different styles of play with different level of tolerances for different types of fouls.  The referee who does not take into consideration the styles and expectations of the team’s ethnic backgrounds could end with a brawl on his hands.  

Boys and girls teams do play differently. Some of this is dictated by physical differences (speed, upper body strength). How they foul and what types of fouls affect them are different.  For example, girls' center of gravity is lower.  Therefore, upper body fouls that would be trivial for boys are much more significant to girls.  Girls will use their hips to accept and cushion a fair challenge differently then boys (although, beware of the true hip check).  Without fouling the opponent, Girls tend to use their arms/hands on each other more than boys and girls more readily accept this hand contact.

But in the end, the level of physical play should reflect what those players on the pitch want.  I've seen some girls' games that have been as physical as any boys, and boys' games that have been extremely "polite."  Of course, this will always be tempered by what the comfort level and experience of the referee on the pitch that day.

A good referee will knows what he has on the pitch that day and adjusts accordingly.  His/her job is to provide the PLAYERS a safe, fair game where they can enjoy demonstrating their skills.

As a spectator, be a student of the game and learn to admire the beautiful game in it's creativity and variety of styles.

"Dear Eggy"


Dear Eggy,

Why does my mother read and post on the soccer forum?

Signed Confused

Dear Confused,
Think of WPS as your mothers MySpace without the pictures and nastiness. Just like you DD's, parents like to social network too. Be glad she has WPS or she might be on MySpace posting your nakey baby pictures.

Love,

Eggy




"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

I like it when the best wins.

Every major pro club in European and South American soccer has a youth development scheme. Call it academy, school, or just youth team program, each club has a focus on finding the best talent available in their local area and beyond.

In Brazil, only the rich can afford to be part of an academy. Thus, their academy system replicates America's travel youth program where kids pay to play. Different clubs have different methods. Other clubs have open tryouts. In Brasil there is no one way of doing things. But there is a cultural style and attitude that is perpetuated throughout their leagues.

The creative skills are developed from the moment kids touch a ball. Then refined with age and put in standard competition as teenagers. The beauty of Brazil is that they believe in giving young players freedom to play within their pro leagues. They want to win as much as the next country and team but they allow players to express their individuality to benefit the team.

What we lack in America is a system that puts our teenagers with adults to accelerate the learning process, and increase the self esteem of our youth.

How many times do you see Hispanics playing in the parks on the weekend, men, boys, girls, etc. all playing together? How many times do you see Whites doing the same.

This "mixed" training is where you learn "how to play the game". You ask the old guy next to you what to do. He will be kind and show you just like he was taught. There is no hard tackling and just play to show your skills. And yes, the girls will knock you on your butt if you get lazy. However, you are not allowed to do the same. We are here to play with skill.

You are supposed to beat your opponent to the ball, frustrate your opponent with your superior ball handling skills, demoralize them by showing him/her that he/she cannot contain you. That, is the game of football.

Who reading this doesn’t like to watch a player literally dance with the ball on their foot.  

Brasil vs. US woman, their was not a single US player that displayed any skill or confidence on the ball or even tried to take players on. Compared to the Brasilians, the US team's style was plodding, lumbering and archaic.

Brasil flowed with the ball, both in flat out foot speed and in quickness and coordination. None of the US women had those qualities. We are getting the big, tough, worker athlete, but not the graceful athlete.

The extra weight comes in handy playing opponents who also have a second-rate first touch, such that the game becomes a battle of 50/50 balls. It's not much help at all when chasing opponents who have a soft first touch and can control the ball, because it's tiring to run around carrying the extra pounds.

Everything in U.S. soccer, boys and girls, men and women, is geared toward beating teams with second-rate first touch. We are very good at that task. (Afterall, most US players have a second-rate touch.)

The US backs constantly thumped the ball out while under the slightest pressure. From almost the beginning until the end, it was very obvious that the US players backs were not confident with the ball.

Is your child confident on the ball? How much $$$$ have you paid for this confidence?  :shock:  Hmmmm?

We need to be more creative, we need more flair, and we need to get away from picking just the bigger players.

However, it is not going to happen.

The reason, I don't think it will happen is due to the fact a majority of parents will not let it happen on their teams.

Once that player try's something different, shows that flair or loses that ball, some parents will start to complain. The majority cannot handle a player with style and flair, you will beat them down. (Mr. Showoff. Why doesn't he just pass like everyone else.)

Especially in an environment where it is not encouraged.

Every Hispanic or Latin American player I know prizes technical ability. They'll marvel at the step-over or bicycle kick at midfield that doesn't accomplish anything, or they'll try to meg a defender rather than trying to beat them and go to goal. They love the style of the game.

The Anglo players are concerned with the result. So they're more tactically astute than technically proficient. Also, since the clubs around here are so devoted to winning, they train to win, rather than to get good on the ball.

We have not yet changed the people in charge of identifying talent. This is where the change needs to be started. Starting at the local District level and working it's way up.

Is your local State/District organization currently a mostly gutless organization(s) of people who lack any vision, creative thinking, leadership, and care about our youth being treated right in the game.

Is "YOUR" association really any better in the past 5 years with the same people in charge? Is there money in the bank? SPEND IT ON THE KIDS !!!!!  Are there any more fieldspace? BUY SOME !!!!!!! Are the same BOD members still going to "Workshops", "retreats" or other "vacations" at your expense? Are the same board members on 2-3 comittees?

Like hustlers, they just look to make as much money as they can from the registered youth. Are they paying themselves an over inflated wage for doing nothing but basic bureaucracy that has no affect on developing players for the future.

Is it time for a change? Get involved. Go to a meeting and see what's going on with your money.

But, one thing still makes me smile though,

at least we beat that 3rd world soccer nation England.

 




THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Black Knights U14 Prediction Challenge!"

Well Due to how GREAT this weeks pulse is i'm shrinking up my contest results a little bit, but dont worry they will be back to normal next week. So instead we will just do the First place finishers.

Total Score: Nineteethree
PDLA: Extremesoccer, Monday, and DS
PDLB: Datitude, Brat, Nineteethree
PDLC: Brat (perfect score 7/7)
Perfect scores: April, Flash, extremesoccer, 93soccerdad

The overall winners are:
1st: Nineteethree
2nd: DS
3rd: Extremesoccer

Great Job NINETEETHREE. Thanx for everyone that played, I cant wait for next weeks, this has been really fun to do.

"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"

For the 2nd week in a row, no coach or coach type person volunteered for an interview....  Sad but True.  The great news it though, we have one lined up for next week! :mrgreen:
If you are a coach, DOC, trainer, or have anything to do with soccer, contact the editor for your chance to do an interview  



Guest Editor's, EDITORIAL:

Got Soccer Forums.... GONE
StandingsPlus............ GONE
WPS.........................  ALIVE AND WELL.

What makes WPS thrive where the others have failed?  

There are times when heated words get the best of all of us. Be it a discussion on how many times a team can use a player pass or a discussion on whom has a better coaching style. Or why a certain team can’t play in the PDL. Heck, even who is the hottest ( or not ) soccer mom

But on WPS most of the time, they are said with tact and respect.
Some posts have a little tongue in cheek in them, but they are never meant to be hurtful or harsh. .  OK I take that back. You attack one of the CP’s and you’re probably going to get raked over the coals by many other CP’s.

I know I have tried to diffuse some situations where it could have gotten out of hand. Usually a line of “that was uncalled for” or a raspberry face icon will do.  
Some things you just have to let run its own course to get it out and over with.

So why did the other sites fail?

One reason is because no one really supported the forums unless there was an argument going on, bickering happening or attacking Duffers 'drunken spiel'. Not to mention attacking him for his spelling abilities. =)
They didn't post when something GOOD happened. Mostly just the bad.
As the saying goes, Good Triumphs Over Evil!

This is the main reason WPS will go on.
WPS CP’s give kudos to a job well done, prayers when a soccer family needs them the most and plenty of LOL moments!

It has Heart and Fire and Power and Pride as its foundation.
Who am I kidding, it has Squash and Dragon as its foundation, and the bricks that keep it building are parents, coaches and kids that care to log on or lurk in the background

It has CPP’s (Crazy Parent Posters) that CARE about each other. They care enough to go out and meet you on the sidelines of your kids’ games, they sit with you at Mad Pizza and chat over a beer, they PM you with funny jokes, or to cry on your virtual shoulder. They text you with score info about the game your not at, but would like to be. And they are just crazy enough to carry around a huge soccer beach ball to have you sign it! Even the kids get in the act by having a limo to go to the Championship Cup to support another team!

WPS has a ‘family’ at its core. <cue We Are Family by Sister Sledge here>.
It has a "family" of 1200+ posters that can play nicely together and voice opinions without resorting to name calling and fighting.  Even when you deserve it, right Tracie?
From Squash on down to the newest member Lifeboat.
  Yes, we may have our ups and downs, but hopefully we can stick out the downs to make the ups that much better.

Have I ever said or did something that I shouldn’t have? You bet! I’ll probably say something again and have to go back and apologize. It happens.
One day, even Gumby will say something that he has to apologize for. That will probably be the final day of WPS =)

I just want to thank each and every one of you that has contributed to the success of WPS.
 From “Brother” PrideNJoy to “Sister” SoccerFanDude to “Uncle” Rodney to “Aunt” CrazyLadyBlue
Keep up the great work.......ALL OF YOU!

Thank you guest Editor!  That was fun, we hope to do that again in the future!

photo exclusive #3 of 3....and now, at last the final picture of 94Soccermom!!!!!...or is it?  




.





...Oh golly, it is just BratJr. Proving a point; "if you cannot laugh at yourself, your world is a sad place indeed".

Thanks Brat, you are the best!!! :mrgreen:

&

Hopefully, a thank you to 94soccermom for be a good sport??



Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to...Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!


***Do not post here, it is just a place for Baby to post the back issues of the Pulse*** :twisted:

[Dragon]

PULSE #16
Baby was tired today


COVER

Can you guess who this young "Stud" is??





The Pulse!  No. #16





COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:


Dragon's interview with the youngest most Charismatic DOC in the state...JASON QUINTERO - Part 1!

DRAGON: How long have you been coaching?

JQ: Since I was 16, so about 9 years. I would say my venture into coaching was a little bit of natural ability and mostly a lot of fate. I just got hired to be the kid that washes windows and picks up garbage at the new indoor soccer facility (the now defunct Soccer House) in Tri-Cities, where I grew up. My second day of work, the lady that was running the indoor clinics for ages 3-10 was sick. My boss had me fill in and run these clinics that day with 15 minutes notice. My dad coached me for a number of years, and I was always captain of my club and high school teams, so I had a little bit of leading ability, but had never even thought about coaching until I was pushed into it that day. It all came pretty natural for me. I love kids and I love soccer, so I hit it off pretty well. At the end of that indoor session, the lady had moved out of town for another job and I was hired to be Youth Programs Coordinator for the facility, putting me in charge of everything associated with kids playing soccer at the facility, including leagues and clinics. Looking back, I can't believe I was 16 and playing high school soccer, club soccer, getting up at 6am and going to school, and working every night until 10 or 11pm. Maybe I'm more of a wuss now or something, but that just seems insane to me now.

DRAGON: By your picture you appear pretty young, are you the youngest DOC in Wa state that you are aware of? Do you know of any younger ones anywhere?

JQ: As far as I know, I believe I'm the youngest in the state. But once again, I'm not sure. I'm 25 now, and was 24 when I was hired. I like to think of my age as both a gift and a curse for my job. On one hand, I can still relate to the culture of the youth, but I'm also college educated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and 1 quarter away from a secondary education/social studies degree. So I can talk with my teenage girls about the songs on their iphone, and how Kanye West is better than 50 Cent, and then turn around and have professional conversations with fellow coaches and parents. On the flip side, when I first started, it was interesting talking soccer with coaches in the club who have been doing this for as long as I've been alive. Thankfully, we have a great group of coaches who have been really accepting of me and my feedback.

DRAGON: You worked as the asst coach for the woman's team of Eastern Wa University, how was that experience for you? How did you come to get that job?

JQ: It was an awesome experience, that was once again, a total product of fate. I played at Columbia Basin College in Tri Cities, where I met my current girlfriend and "fell in love". She was a year older than me, and she transferred to play at EWU her junior year, while I stayed and finished my soph. year at CBC, we tried to the whole long distance thing. It wasn't working great, so I quit my job at the Soccer House, transferred up to EWU spring quarter of my soph year, with the plan being I'll use my redshirt year during her senior year, then she'd go to grad school to wherever I wanted to play after my year off.
But this was my first experience away from home, first experience with the a real college lifestyle in general, and it got to me. I had no identity anymore, not being an athlete six days a week and not working around soccer at all, I got caught up in the college lifestyle. There's just now a lot of research being done about former professional athletes and their troubles transitioning into "real" society after their careers are over. I think they could do similar research to college athletes who go through similar experiences. I know for myself, I didn't want anything to do with soccer anymore. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and had all this free money (aka grants and loans) to blow on whatever I wanted. I tried intramural soccer, but got a red card for scoring a bicycle kick. I tried EWU club soccer, but just couldn't really get into it. I decided I was done playing soccer. My dad, at that time, was bugging me to tryout for the Spokane Shadow team, because some of my former teammates were playing in the PDL with the Yakima Reds and Sounders Select teams. So finally I did, just to get him off my back, and then I accidentally made a couple of cuts. After a couple months of training, I got to play in a preseason friendly against Gonzaga. A starting defender got hurt, so I got pushed into playing central defense (I've never played in the back in my life, but being 6'2 200lbs they thought I should) for 80 minutes that game. I didn't play that bad considering they were having us play an offside trap, and I was slow as molasses and had no idea what the heck I was doing.
I thought I had a decent chance to get one of the last roster spots, but instead I got an email the next week, after being at practice the night before, informing me that I was being released. I wasn't upset at all at being cut. After all, I never expected to make it past the first cut, let alone train with the team for almost 2 months. But I was absolutely irate that I was cut by email. I decided the day I got that email, that I was going to be the most successful soccer coach I could, and that whenever I had to let a player go, I'd at least give them the dignity of a phone call or a face to face talking to.
At the time, I was working in the athletic department at EWU cleaning football uniforms and setting up soccer game equipment, so I had a little relationship with George and Tamara Hageage, the coaches for the women's team. My girlfriend had just finished her playing career there so she knew them pretty well obviously, and and their coach that ran their JV squad was a former player that was moving. The week after getting the email from the Shadow, I cornered George and asked him if he needed help with the JV team, told him my coaching and playing history, and he pretty much hired me on the spot. It was a great leap of faith on his part. I was technically a volunteer, but was able to transfer my work study monies to my new job as assistant coach for the EWU team. The lesson for young people looking to coach would be to work hard, keep an open mind, bang on doors, and try as hard as you can to get your foot in the door wherever you can. Keep the focus on the players overall soccer experience and the rest will take care of itself if you keep plugging along.

DRAGON: How did you gain the respect of the players being that young? Did you learn anything that translates to your current job?

JQ:  That first year, I was a glorified ball boy. I took stats, shagged balls, and all that peon stuff. But the best part was when we were odd players and I got to play with the girls. I was 21 that spring, and the oldest players were just turning 21 and becoming seniors the following fall. I didn't have much coach-player contact with them, instead preferring to try to influence the younger players as much as I could. Playing with the girls, they could see that I could play and somewhat knew what I was talking about, so that helped out a lot. Whenever a coach focuses on doing whatever he can for their players, the players take notice and will respect that. I just tried to focus on providing whatever I could to make the team better and help the players realize their potential.
As far as stuff that translates over, there was tons. First off, I had never coached girls over the age of 10. Here I was with 18-21 year old women. My first "what the heck" moment was my first year when a girl came to practice, seemed fine one minute, and just starting crying hysterically all of a sudden the next minute. I guess she had some boyfriend drama or something. This stuff never happens in boys soccer. It definitely gave me a wake up call in terms of the dramatic differences coaching girls and boys soccer. Tactically, George is the best I had ever seen in terms of teaching the chess game of formations vs. formations, and exposing strengths and weaknesses therein. It was like going to a coaching clinic every day, except not having to pay for it. Finally, in my second and third years at EWU, I was running more and more activities, and even a few full training sessions occasionally. Another lesson learned; fit in where you get in, don't rock the boat, and keep the focus on the game and the players, and learn everything you can.

DRAGON: Besides being the DOC, do you have a full time job outside of soccer?

JQ: I do not. Before I was hired, I was finishing my second degree, bouncing at a bar in downtown Spokane (which was VERY interesting experience), and coaching a girls premier team for River City, and was still active with the EWU Women's team. After I was hired, I dedicated my entire life to the DOC position, as well as coaching my GU15 and GU17 teams.

DRAGON: What made you get involved with your club in the first place? Why not Spokane Shadow, the PDL club in your area?

JQ: George Hageage was the part-time coaching director for River City Soccer Club. My first year being an assistant for him, he had a RCSC coach leave midseason and asked me to fill in. That was my first gig with club soccer. It just happened to be River City. The next year, I filled in for another boys team that needed a coach. The year after that, a girls team's coach had to move away in May, two weeks before LPTs. George had me fill in there as well, and I still coach that team. We just qualified in June to P3, taking the core of players from district, to P4, to P3 in the past few years, including a Challenge Cup win.
During George's tenure as DOC of RCSC, the club went from around 7-8 teams to over 30 teams now, and around 450 players. George couldn't devote the time to both RCSC and his EWU program anymore, so he stepped down last winter and they opened up their first ever full time DOC position for the club, and hired me. So once again, just a product of fate and luck that led me to this particular club over any other.

DRAGON: What are your feelings on the PDL?

JQ: Oh man, I figured you'd go there! As a DOC and a fan of soccer in general, I feel it important to have players playing against similar competition. So I understand the intentions. But I've always lived by the "if it ain't broke, don’t fix it" rule. Were there that many problems with the previous (and current) WSPL setup? I really don't know.

I think a telling sign of the age we live in is the fact that when I was playing for Three Rivers SC in Tri Cities (actually before there was a 3RSC), I had no idea we were playing P1. I knew we had a good team and we won state one year, took second the next, and lost in the semifinals after that. Now everybody is so obsessed with P1, P2, PDL, which tournaments they've placed in, etc. It's really disgusting, because the trickle down effect from the parents eventually impacts the players' overall soccer experience.
I guess the bottom line about the PDL is that whether or not your child's team isn't included shouldn't have a bearing on the amount of fun they're having playing soccer. It's the parents who view their kid playing soccer as an investment in a college scholarship that keep perpetuating the pressure on players, coaches, and clubs regarding which league their kid plays in. And there's a lot of them out there. A great example of this is when you mentioned a new elite youth league and were flooded by a bunch of emails from parents talking about how great their kids are and how they need to play in this supposed new elite league. I didn't know to laugh or cry about that. On one hand, it's funny, on the other side, it’s really, really sad.
We currently have all the requirements to be eligible for PDL; full time DOC, academy setup, etc. Our teams do decent in league play. But it's really difficult to get many of our teams to participate in State Cup due to the travel and money involved, as well as the fact that many of our players do winter sports. I'm not a fan of telling a 13 year old girl she can't play basketball anymore. As far as we know, you're only a teenager once, so they should be able to live it up.
If we get invited to the PDL, great. If not, I'm not going to lose sleep about it.

DRAGON: Do you coach teams as well as being DOC?

JQ:  I have a GU15 District team and a GU17 P3 team.

DRAGON: Well you said one of your teams won the Challenge Cup in 2007, how was that experience for you as a coach?

JQ:  It was a great ride of up and downs. We started off as down as you can get too! We had 1 week of practice before scrimmaging our GU15 RCSC Thunder team, a younger P2 team. We had scrimmaged before and beat them comfortably a few times, but this time, my girls just didn't have their heads in it, and they lost 3-0. In the first Cup game, we traveled to Snohomish and lost 2-0. Then we tied away at Westsound 0-0. We squeaked out a home win against FC Milan 1-0. We made it through the group stages with a grand total of 1 goal scored. Then, something clicked in the quarterfinal and we went on to play our best football in the final 3 games. The final feather in the hat was that we beat a good FC Aanvallen team that beat us in a shootout at LPT's in the P3/P4 final game. They went P3, rolled through, and now are P2, while we struggled in the middle of P4. We were fortunate to have beat Aanvallen 3-2 in the final, and our girl that missed the PK in the 6th round of shooters at LPT's for us to lose, ended up scoring with 2 minutes left in the Challenge Cup Final to give us the win. It was like living a Disney movie.
Another part of the trek was our travels. We had a grand total of 1 home game of 6 overall games. We traveled to the west side of the state 5 times in 6 weeks. For the girls and parents not to get burned out was a great testament to their character and determination.

DRAGON: How long have you been aware of WPS? How did you become aware of it?

JQ: I've been lurking for almost 2 years now. I believe I stumbled across it while googling something, but I can't remember what.

DRAGON: Why do you think so few people from Ea. Wa. post here?

JQ: I'm not sure if that's a result of the population difference, or just lack of awareness/interest, or what. I'd definitely like to see more east siders become active on the site, though.

DRAGON: You admitted to me you have a "Love/Hate" relationship with WPS...can you explain that for us?

JQ:  (laughs) well... Let me preface everything I'm about to say by saying it's a great site, with a lot of great people. Overall, I'd estimate 95% of the material, 95% of the posters, they're all positive and engaging in constructive conversation that is really healthy for our game. But there's always bad apples that have a tendency for spoiling things.
After being named DOC this spring, I decided to frequent the site again and see what people across the state think about our club and Eastern Washington soccer in general. I hadn't been to the site in a number of months, so I had a lot of back reading to do. I came across a post where someone said something to the effect to "We were playing against a team and they kept trying to hurt our players", and the follow up post from another person said, "Yeah probably a River City team, they're dirty." I was appalled. First, why a person would come on the internet under the protection of anonymity and attack minors blows my mind. And to attack another club, it's not like attacking a kid, but it's still ridiculous. As far as I know, all clubs in WSYSA are non-profit setups. Does this poster really think we have special meetings where I teach coaches how to teach kids to hurt opponents?
Some parents have misconceptions that clubs are these big, giant, corporations with secret handbooks and codes where we require players to play dirty or their coaches get fired. Every team has a different personality within every club, some have physical players, some have technical players. It's insane to think of one club a "dirty" and the next as angels. Players and teams vary so much.
There also seems to be a general despisal for DOC's as well. I've seen a couple people post things about "those greedy DOC's", like I'm some kind of millionaire. It's an interesting job, where I get, on average, about 1 night a week to maintain a healthy living relationship with my girlfriend, spend 6 days a week coaching, evaluating, communicating, scheduling, etc. I'm out of the house from 4-9pm on most weeknights and from 8am to 4pm on weekends. My girlfriend works a 9-5. Our bonding time is usually her sitting next to me when I'm coaching or evaluating other teams, or when she practices with my girls teams. I make enough to pay my bills and don't have any health insurance, aside from on-field coaching insurance. Aside from a couple SoCal DOC's who I met at a DOC conference in San Jose this spring, who really are rolling in money, this is the lifestyle of other DOC's. (One of my favorite presenters at the DOC Conference talked about stress management in the lifestyle of DOC's, and said something like, you're constantly away from real life, you're out of town constantly, and in the end, my relationship with my girlfriend suffered and we went our separate ways, but luckily I still had my wife around!) The bottom line is that it's not a glamorous or financially extravagant lifestyle, but I'd rather do something I love then make a little more money stuck in a corporate ladder.
People that use the site as a sounding off forum to attack people (coaches, DOC's, players, parents) and non profit entities (clubs) really turn me off to the site and I've stayed away for many months at a time because of it, but like I said, there's a lot of positivity that outweighs those bad apples.

DRAGON: What are your thoughts on the over-all treatment and perception of Eastern Washington teams in our state?

JQ: It's kind of disconcerting. Growing up playing in Tri-Cities, and now coaching in Spokane, we were on the road every other weekend. It's hard for players and parents, both in time and financial commitments. You hear from west-siders how horrible it is to travel over here; too windy, too snowy, too hot, horrible reffing, horrible fields, I've heard it all. This coming from people who come over, what, 4-6 times a year total ? That's half a season's worth of travel for us. Having been around the country, I've seen every one of those aforementioned factors in every state I've played/coached in. When EWU played USC in LA last year, we we're on the most beautiful pitch money could buy, the weather was a ridiculously balmy 75 degrees in September, and the linesman didn't know that even is onside to save his life. This was supposedly a top notch SoCal reffing crew. There's poor reffing, and good refs having bad days everywhere! There's poor weather and fields everywhere! And we don't ride our horses into town to play our games over here! (Plus we just got indoor plumbing last year).
I think the new WSYSA regime is taking some great steps though. I'm excited that they're finally holding an event on the east side of the state (Soccer Summit, Nov 10-11) to hear what we have to say. Some immediate changes I'd like to see regard the locations of State Cup games. Like I said before we traveled 5 times in 6 weeks. The "neutral" site for the semi and final were in Silverdale, the farthest possible location for us to go. I don't understand why this cant be fixed. Games in Ellensburg sound like a great idea to me when East/West teams have to play each other.
As far as the general state of soccer in Eastern Washington, I think it's very healthy. I live right next to a grade school, and one day this summer I hear all these kids screaming. I look outside and there's about 15 kids, aged 5-12ish, running around playing a pickup soccer game. I hadn't seen anything like it since I lived in Tri-Cities, and Hispanics would play anywhere and everywhere in informal games. Here were a bunch of white kids, and couple African American kids, playing a pickup game of soccer, with no adults around, when they could have been home playing video games. It almost made me cry I was so happy.

DRAGON: So you think diversity is important for our game?

JQ:  100% absolutely, yes. I saw you had some stuff from Gabe Rood on the site awhile back. I was actualy talking with him a few weeks ago and he told me there were over 30,000 youth foreigners in California alone that were not participating in organized, USSF sanctioned soccer. We really need to do a better job finding those players, regardless of economic or racial/language status, and give them a place to play.
On my club team I grew up playing on, we had 2 Hispanics that didn't speak English, a Korean/Mexican kid, a Brazilian kid, an African American kid, 1.5 Hispanics that spoke English, and our GK's parents were from England (I was the .5 Hispanic, in case you are wondering), poor kids that were scholarshipped (myself included), and really well off kids. We had 2 kids that were in and out of Juvenile jail for anger management problems. It was really a rag tag/mixed bag bunch.
There's something to be said about what diversity does for team chemistry as well. We had maybe 3 "pure" soccer players, that were born to play this sport and this sport only. Of course, these were people from other ethnicities than white. Other than that, we had a bunch of above average athletes that were effective because they worked hard, but were not pure, technically gifted players by any means. We shouldn't have been as successful as we were, but I think the chemistry and harmony of different ethnicities' styles of play coming together helped us out a lot. To this day, I still notice that 3 Rivers teams are usually the most diverse in the state. They do a really good job at young ages making soccer available and affordable for everybody.

DRAGON: What future do you see for your club?

JQ: I've always said, if you get good people doing good things for the right reasons, good things will happen. If our coaches continue to put player development over results, I'll be happy. We are not going to measure our success on wins and losses. It's this philosophy that has attracted so many players, parents, and coaches to our club in recent years, and it's that philosophy that will help us down the road as well.

DRAGON: What do you feel your teams (the one's you personally coach) chances are this year? Will they play in State cup, or Challenge again?

JQ:  My GU17 team will play State Cup, and I'd like to see if my GU15 team is ready for Challenge Cup. We'll see how they develop this winter and go from there. As far as expectations, our goal for the GU17 team is to promote to P2 and have a decent showing in State. My GU15 team's goal is to continue to progress throughout the spring and have a stronger showing (and a little more luck) at LPTs next year and qualify P3, which I know they're capable of.

DRAGON:  Well, that's the end of Part 1, cannot wait til next week for Part 2 :mrgreen:




HEADLINES!


PATRIOTS 94 ROCK IN ARIZONA!




While the rest of us were enjoying the muddy fields and bad weather up in Needletown, the Patriots 94 Blue took their show on the road to Arizona to face off with some of the best of the West!  On their plate was the Arizona state champs, Arsenal from Albuquerque, and MSC United from Az.  The tournament was hosted by the Serno White team (Arizona state champs).  Facing off with them first the Patgals played some of their finest soccer.  Losing the war, but winning a moral battle with their style of play and overall Heart & Fire out on the pitch.  Geared up for their 2nd game they brought it to the New Mexico team and showed them what Wa soccer is all about while getting the "W".  In their final game they again showed they could score on the out of state teams and held off a tough MSC United team for the draw!  Here are their results:
0-3 Loss Sereno White (Az. State Champs and winner of the tournament)
1-0 Win Albuquerque Arsenal
1-1 Tie MSC United Az.
Great job Patriots, we here back in Washington are all very proud of you and look forward to your safe return home!!!  Go Pats!!! :mrgreen:


COACH WHO CARES SHOWS US WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN LIFE



Dragon received this PM and wanted to share it all with you in the Pulse:

Dear Dragon,
Last Saturday Harbor FC ‘94 Canas was treated to a special moment before our game. It has been a sad time for this team as one of our teammate’s relatives was diagnosed with lung cancer……never smoked a day in her life and she is only in her 40’s!

The teammate is Mac, who is a wonderful forward and an exemplary team captain!

Coach Oscar Canas knew that several members of this player’s family would be attending our home game and wanted to do something special.

The girls arrived an hour early as usual, warming up, preparing for the task at hand. Right before game time Coach Canas retrieved from an ordinary looking bag, specially ordered t-shirts. The girls were thrilled with new gear complete with Harbor F.C. emblem on the front, player number on the back, and something special on the sleeve of each shirt. Coach Canas had placed on new gear the name of our player’s Aunt, including a white ribbon symbolizing this deadly disease.

I have to say it was the most emotional start to a game that I have ever witnessed, and how special for a Coach to care to go to great lengths to recognize the struggles that a teammate is going through. I watched as all the family members went up and hugged the Coach. Unfortunately, the Aunt was too ill to attend the game, but there were many “cell phone” pictures taken and immediately sent to Aunt Terri.

Please send your best wishes to Terri Hunziker…..we’re wishing the family all the best!

Thank you Coach Oscar – for setting an example for what is TRUELY IMPORTANT!

What a wonderful thing to do coach, You are awesome!!!...and D is sure, all of WPS will be saying a prayer for you Terri...




LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

Lets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #7!

U11
Synergy vs  Crush
Dragon say - Synergy 1-0
Final-Crush 2-1 :oops:


U12
Dist 6 baby!
Mead Sabers F. vs  LC United
Dragon say - Sabers 8-0
Final-Sabers 6-0 :mrgreen:   yeah!  D got one right LOL
 

U13
Or. Silver time
FCSC Nemesis  vs  LOSC Dynamite
Dragon say - Nemesis 2-0
Final-tie 1-1 (damn) :oops:

 
U14

P1 time
MRFC Thunder  vs  SSFC White 94
Dragon say - Thunder 1-0
Final-SSFC White 3-1 :oops:   Should stick behind my 94's

 


Dragon 1-3 this past week...I suck so bad...arrrgggghhhh! :lol:


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #7:
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6663
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


U11
Boys PDL A
Sno-Ho  vs  Crossfire M. - well a CP wanted the "Friday night lights" kind of attn to this big game, and thats what they are gonna get!  Crossfire is gonna be seeking some payback for last weeks loss to the RR-boys.  Meanwhile Sno-ho wants to be more then just a "third string" team...Can the boys from Sno-Ho join the ranks of the elite?
Dragon says - Crossfire 3-2


U12
D6 Umbro
Spokane Elite  vs  Mead Sabers - This is gonna be a battle over in the land EW.  Two undefeated teams going head to head for the final game of the season!!  Spokane is 9-0-2 and Sabers are 10-0-0.  Will one of these teams knock off the other from the ranks of the undefeated?  It will be a knock down drag out for sure!
Dragon says - Sabers 2-1


U13
Girls PDL A
Crossfire Amy  vs  HPFC Eagles - The Eagles are looking to jump up from the middle of the pack while the Batgirls are looking for their first win!  As an Amy parent said last year; "We can tie anybody" lol.  But this week they want more then that.  Last week a key player for the Eagles was injured, will she be back for this game?
Dragon say - Batgirls 1-0!


U14
Girls PDL A
FC Vancouver  vs  Timbers Red - Right now the Timbers have the better record but that usually don't matter when these two teams met.  Rivalry baby, and a great one at that.  Both teams will leave it out on the field in this one.  Timbers looking to climb up to the top, and Vancouver looks to over take them.  Only 2 pts seperate the two teams right now.
Dragon say - Timbers 2-1


That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  




WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!





**Any age group that has more then 5 nominations will also get some "shout outs" from Dragon!

BOYS U11

#16 RYAN - WPFC BLACK! - This young stud played Defense out of his mind this past weekend.  Knowing that he was going against the mighty Crossfire in a battle for 1st only fueled his fire.  He did an awesome job of not diving in too soon, clearing the ball, and utilizing his team mates when he needed.  Great job young stud, Dragon is proud of you! :mrgreen:



GIRLS U12

#16 MOLLY - SYNERGY! - This young superstar played in goal in the first half, and was covered chest to foot in mud.  She didn't stop every goal against Fusion, but played with such Heart & Fire the other team took notice.  Out on field in the 2nd half, you could spot her by the whites covered in mud.  Great job young superstar, Dragon is very proud of your grit! :mrgreen:


 
U13

#1 MADDY - EVERGREEN WHITE! - This young superstar played with pure Heart & Fire all weekend to keep her team from getting a "L".  She had a beautiful cross on Sat to even up the Game with Dos White, then on Sunday facing her first ever "off side trap" it took her a while to figure it out, but by the second half she not only scored, but got her first Hat Trick Ever!!  Great job little star, may you have many more in the future!  Dragon is proud of you! :mrgreen:

shout outs:
#11 Ali - EFC White
#22 Shelby - NWN Red
#18 Nick - WPFC Black (Boys)


U14

NONE! - Sorry 93's, no one saw your games this weekend :oops:
 

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

teamdoc


Only 1 Dragon noticed that posted since last week, please let me know if I missed someone! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



"A view from the Mini-Van"

The talk about  player pass has died down a little.  But here are some serious questions for parents to think about.  If your child is in the PDL, they have the “luxury” of being challenged if they are one of the top players on the “B” or “C” team and can move around within their club even after the looming Oct. 31st deadline.

Here are 2 other scenarios to look at:
1-   Your child is on a “B” team of a non-pdl club.  They wanted to be there, even though they had the opportunity to play with the “A” team, because at the time, they were “snowed” into believing or really believed it would be better for development.  Now here they are middle of Oct, and realizing that is not the case.  The “A” team would love to have them, and they really want to play, but that would mean “leaving” their team.  How do you guide your child and how should the ”B” team coach support the player?  If this was or is a club that wants to belong to the PDL, shouldn’t that child be encouraged to play with the “A” team??
2-   Your child is on a non pdl team, their season is not what they had hoped for, and half the girls on the team aren’t even committed to practices or games anymore.  Your child is wanting to and you would like for them to have a better opportunity.  They are a committed and serious player, at tryouts you really weren’t sure what your options were.  You know they are not really having fun losing game after game and the others on the team, don’t really care.  An opportunity arises for the kid to be challenged.  He/She wants to go for it, but is concerned about his/her teammates.   Child talks to the coach, how should that coach support this child?  Knowing that player and most likely the team will not even be together next year.

These are just issues that have come up while talking to other parents and I am curious about what the views are.   This is much different than bailing at the last minute, and without warning.  These are situations that were done while having conversations with the coaches and the kids looking to their coaches for support.

"WPS Paparazzi"


Our Paparazzi continues to do a bang up job!  Give her a raise!! :mrgreen:


Dragon has only 1 word to describe the new turf at Riverroad!.....



FANFREAKINGTASTIC!!!





"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email


Our very own, U12 Player Of The Week!  Shows off her love of mud! :mrgreen:



The Patriots 94 keep their "touch" going strong with a little kick around at the Airport! :mrgreen:


**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom!  Anything soccer related is welcome!** :mrgreen:  




"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"


*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*


Dr.
Everytime I look at my coach he says I have a twinkle in my eye.  My mother says that when you "like someone" that there is a medical reason for the "Twinkle".  Is this true? Can you explain it to me?

This sounds like a question for Esquire magazine or maybe Cosmo. :lol:  The Doc knows that happiness oozes from the soul and the eyes are the reflection of that happiness. Or maybe you just have something caught in your eye

Stay healthy,
The Doc


 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Hi Washington, no games this weekend, but the girls enjoyed a friday night out to watch the Santa Clara Broncos womens team beat Pepperdine 2-1. We have some scrimmage games lined up for the upcoming weekend against our good friends the Livermore Flames.

Thanks Chili Reporter. Love hearing about all the action or even the lack there of :mrgreen:  *Are you letting other Nor-Cal CP's know about our site?  



OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"SIDELINE SNIPPETS"

Hmmm. not a lot happening this weekend
 
I do know that several teams were out practicing thier dribbling skills on Thursday  during the windstorm, kinda hard to try and shoot with the wind coming right at ya. One player stated after practice. "This was the best practice ever" because the wind made for some interestng practice techniques  
 
Heard in the indoor areana during the wind storm, as long as the lights stay on, I coud play here all night. Can we have a soccer slumber party? please :mrgreen:
 

"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "The Wall?"

Alright everyone I had another great question this week.

Information on setting up a wall to defend a direct kick.

How many players are normally in the wall?
Is it determined by where the kick is taken from.

Who sets the Wall? Is it the keeper?

I assume the keeper plays a huge role in this as the wall is covering part of the goal for them.

These questions are mostly from a defensive point of view, what do you do offensively when taking a kick

First of all let me start this by making it clear every coach has their own style and ideas when it comes to set pieces, both offensive and defensive. So these ideas are my own.

How many players are normally in the wall?  This really depends on how close the free kick is to your goal. Usually outside of 30 yards you may have a 2-3 man wall. Once you get between 25-30 yards usually a 4 man wall, and inside of that a 5 man wall.

Who sets the Wall? Is it the keeper?  Some people may ask a defender to set the all, however I am not a fan of this at all and I have my goal keeper set the wall,  for two reasons. The first reason is the goal keeper is the one saving the ball. They are the ones that see the whole field and know how many people and where they want the wall to be (obviously this is easier as they get older and more experienced). Second If you have a defender setting it what do you do when they are subbed out on the bench? The goal keeper usually stays in the entire game and is the one constant on your team whichever team you are on.

what do you do offensively when taking a kick? Wow there are tons of options someone has when offensively taking kicks. For me it depends on where the kick is on the field. If its past 35-40 yards out I want a player who can lift a ball without driving it to give the players time to reach it in front of the goal before the goal keeper gets it. This way it’s a true 50/50. If its within 25-30 yards depending on how strong a foot my player has I will have them shoot with everyone crashing the back post where the shot is going. This way with a decent shot the goal keeper will have a hard time holding on to the ball and hopefully it will either score on the shot, or by a rebound. 20-25 yards out. I like to do something somewhat unique. The point of the wall is to block the near post while allowing the goal keeper to cover the back post and still see the ball. I prefer to have a few players crash the goal, but also set up my own 4-5 man wall next to the defensive wall. The point of this wall is to block the goal keepers few of the ball completely. This makes it very tough for them to react to the ball, and makes it easier to score off of the kick.

Thank you for the great question and hopefully this helps answer your questions. Have a great day.

"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

The Advantage Rule

I would appreciate a discussion of the advantage rule. There are sometimes complaints in WPS discussions as to whether this rule is being applied correctly.
I have an illustration from a girls U14 WSYSA Premier 3 soccer game last weekend that may serve a starting point for a discussion.
There was close range shot on goal in a crowd from a forward that went in and immediately out of the arms of the goalie. Three players (the forward, goalie and another defensive player) tumbled to ground close to the penalty spot. The other forward kicked the ball into the goal. Then the whistle blew. There was about 1 to 2 seconds between the two shots on goal.
The referee placed the ball near the penalty spot and both teams appeared confused. The offensive team began to back down the field and the defensive player after a pause began to approach the ball to kick it. Before the kick was attempted the referee again blew the whistle and explained that he was awarding a penalty kick. The penalty kick was attempted and the goalie saved it.
The coach of the team on offence asked why call had been had been made and the referee said the goalie had grabbed the forward’s (who first shot) ankles and impeded her from getting back to her feet. When asked why goal did not count even though it preceded the whistle. The referee said that he had made his decision before he blew the whistle.
I have a gut feeling the advantage in this case was taken away by the awarding of the penalty kick. I’d be pleased to hear your comments on this or on the rule in general.

In your scenario, the referee is correct.  Play was stopped when the referee decided to stop play, not when the whistle blows (which only announces his decision).   This referee was not situationally aware and did not recognize the goal scoring opportunity; therefore he did not play Advantage.  A very unfortunate result, but it happens.

If the sequence of events is such that the referee can "sell" a different decision, it might be wise for the referee to decide he really blew the whistle to recognize that a goal was scored.  But the referee in this scenario was correct in Law.

What about advantage, ref?
From USSF Advice to referees:
Applying advantage permits the referee to allow play to continue when the team against which the foul has been committed will actually benefit from the referee not stopping play.

In a typical match, there are rarely more than 3 or 4 true advantage play situations. Retaining possession of the ball after a foul is not sufficient reason to play advantage. The referee must judge that there is greater advantage to the fouled team by continuing play than stopping for a free kick.

The referee can allow a few seconds to see if the advantage he foresaw develops. If it doesn’t, he can stop play for the original offense.

Advantage is often confused or mistaken with trivial and doubtful fouls or violations.

Trivial: Player dribbling the ball near the halfway line is kicked in the shin, but he retains possession and doesn’t want to stop playing. This player considered that foul trivial. When making a decision on whether a foul is trivial, the referee evaluates the foul from the perspective of the fouled player – does the fouled player consider it trivial? If the player doesn’t consider it trivial, then retained ball possession by the player or another teammate is NOT enough to continue play.

Doubtful: Player dribbling the ball near the halfway line appears to get slightly tripped but retains possession. Essentially the referee didn’t see the foul contact. The player might have grimaced, tripped slightly, or something else that indicates a foul may have occurred. But not having seen foul contact and judging that it has not affected play, the referee considers the incident doubtful and takes no action.

Advantage: Player is tripped just past the halfway line, the ball rolls to a teammate who has an unchallenged run towards goal. The referee signals advantage (both arms sweep forward and calls out “Advantage” or “Play on” or both). The teammate runs toward the Penalty Area and takes a shot on goal. Advantage has been properly played.

As a rule of thumb, there is almost never advantage in the defensive third, rarely in the middle third, and only sometimes in the attacking third. In the modern game, set plays at free kicks have become important goal scoring opportunities. Players often prefer the free kick.

"Dear Eggy"


Dear Eggy,
This question is a little off of the normal line of questions. My DD hopes to earn a soccer scholarship to pay for her studies. My husband and I are more realistic and are wondering if you know of the best way to save for her education.
Financialy yours,
Mamamoney

Dear Mamamoney,
You are right, this one is a little out of left field. The Eggster did a little research and has found some answers for you. 1). The state of Washington has a program called the GET program. This program allows you to buy college tuition at todays prices. If you go to www.access.wa.gov you can find a link that will be helpful. 2). If you have a financial advisor ask them about a 529 college savings plan and or a Coverdale plan. these are after tax saving plans for college educations.
Be advised, I am not a fanancial guy, I just looked on the internet.
Hope this helps.
Eggy





"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

What kind of coach does your child have?

Does he believe in teaching players to "compete" by challenging them to win their positions on the field, like top university programs or the pros. You either get the job done or you don't play.

or,

Does he make some concessions?

Which is actually the best model for player development? How about for YOUR player development?

If you select kids for elite teams, and if player development is key, there can be no development if kids don't play. You may in fact be playing a system that plays to some player's strengths and not the strengths of other, equally talented players in their own right. Those player's needs are not being met if they don't get regular shifts.

Confidence and team-building are important things to learn too. Youth players develop faster if they aren't constantly looking over their shoulder at the prospect of being replaced because they made some mistakes.

Instead, we need to promote creativity and experimentation, and that will only thrive in where kids who are working hard, and training regularly, get minimum playing time guarantees, even if they aren't starters.

How many subs do you really need? Let the kids play more.

How about guest/player pass players playing at the expense of regular players?

Which approach best serves the interests of developing high level players?

I thought the "goal" of youth soccer is to have a team full of skillful, good decision making starters no matter who is on the field.

I read where playing the strongest players 80% of the match, most players 60%, and the weakest players 40%. Is this fair to the players who work hard at practice/home to still sit while players who don't try their best still get almost half a game?

Coaches greatly exaggerate their abilities when it comes to allotting playing time. Their favorites are not as good as they think, and their weaker players are not as bad.

Just play them.

In my experience, paid professional coaches are more likely to punish children with reduced playing time if the parent complaints, than are parent coaches.

A team is made up of players. If you believe that you win and lose as a team, everyone must play. If not, what are you telling these kids. If they aren't good enough to play, cut them and give them a chance to play more at their own level.

Some players crave praise for a good performance nothing wrong with that. It helps give them incentive to be as good or better in the next match.

In the other extreme you can destroy a player with critism. Got to be careful as a coach know what to say to each player to get the most out of him.

Well parents, hopefully some things to think about this weekend.

 


THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Black Knights U14 Prediction Challenge!"

Alright everyone its time for this weeks results, and i PROMISE it will be better than last weeks.

PDL A Picks
1st: Brat, April, Flash (7/11)
2nd: BK :twisted:, Victory, Yote, Dragon (6/11)
3rd: Extremesoccer, DS, Nineteethree, Daditutde (5/11)

PDL B Picks
1st: DS, Daditude (6/7)
2nd: BK :twisted: , Victory, {93soccerdad} (5/7)
3rd: Extremesoccer, Brat, Nineteethree, April, Yote, Flash, Dragon (4/7)

PDL C Picks
1st: Daditude (3/6)
2nd: Brat, Victory, Nineteethree, April, Flash, Dragon (2/6)
3rd: BK :twisted: , Extremesoccer, DS, {93soccerdad}, Yote (1/6)

Perfect Scores Predicted
1st: Brat (4)
2nd: BK :twisted: , DS, April, {93soccerdad}, yote, Flash, Dragon (2)
3rd: Extremesoccer, Victory, Nineteethree, Daditude (1)

Overall correct Picks
1st: Daditude (14/24)
2nd: Brat, Victory, April, flash (13/24)
3rd: BK :twisted: , DS, Dragon (12/24)

And the Winners are:::::::::

1st: DADITUDE & BRAT (11 points)

2nd: April & Flash (10 points)

3rd: Victory (9 points) and thanx for making me look alright by picking you. You did well for me victory


And a special award for hurting my eyes goes to YOTE for that horrible text color. I guess that was payback for picking him last week and things not working out to well.

Good luck to everyone next week, I should have the brackets out by late tuesday night, or wed. morning. Thank you all for playing.

"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"

See cover story!  
If you are a coach, DOC, trainer, or have anything to do with soccer, contact the editor for your chance to do an interview  



Guest Editor's, EDITORIAL:

This year will be my 44th, while my soccer accolades are few, the game has left me with some good memories. I will share a few that come to mind

When I was U10 I remember our games were played on Sundays. It seemed to take an eternity for the morning to pass leading up to game time. The game would come and go, after the game one of the team dads would load the entire team in the back of his truck and parade us to “Big scoop” or the Ranch drive in for ice cream. It is funny that I remember the Ice cream with the team as much or more than I remember the games.

1976-I remember going to the Kingdome with my team to watch the New York Cosmos play the Sounders. I remember seeing Pele play. I can’t remember who won…probably the Cosmos

When I was U13 I remember the coach telling the team that we would be going to Canada to play against a Canadian team and in a few weeks they would come down to stay and play with us. I remember that I had never heard of Powell River and I remember how unsure I felt of the idea of staying overnight at someone’s home that I had just met. There was some comfort as the team we were playing had two brothers and one of my team mates would be staying with me at this place. I remember the drive to their home getting out of the car and taking our bags to the boy’s rooms where we would stay. It was a rainy day and we were left to find entertainment indoors. I am not sure how much time had passed however I remember all four boys sitting in each corner of the room bored when someone suggested we play a game. The idea of the game was to make the other fellows laugh without making any noise. The game had gone on for some time and it appeared that all of the classic funny moves were failing. It was late in the game when one of the Canadian chaps in a desperate grasp for the title, pulled down his shorts and began to shake his “goods” at the rest of the players. This move had all the makings of a game winner as we fought back the laughter, how unfortunate for him that his mother should open the door just as her boy was about to win the game. At that point we were rolling on the ground as his mother obviously shocked, drug him out of the room with a handfull of ear and hair as he struggled to pull up his shorts….He was the winner. They went on to beat us in both soccer games but it was fun.

When I was U28- I played 1 season of soccer on a team with My mother (U50), My Father (U52) and my brother (U18) at the time it didn’t seem that great, but now I know how great it was.

At U38 Retired- I remember watching from the sideline as my DD95er then at U8 made a long run down the sideline, moved to the middle, shot and scored. I remember how beautiful the whole thing seemed as I was brimming with pride and fighting back the tears.

Recently U43- I will not forget the expression on my son’s face as he scored his first header goal in a game…

And finally the unbridled enthusiasm and genuine excitement that DD99er has for the game is certain to leave me with more stories to tell.

I can’t seem to recall many of the scores of the games but I remember all of the players…
Thanks for reading

Thank you guest Editor!  That was enjoyable and fun to read! :mrgreen:



Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to...Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!

[Dragon]

PULSE #17


COVER

The Young Stud DOC returns this week for part 2 of his interview! :mrgreen:





The Pulse!  No. #17





COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:


Dragon's interview with the youngest most Charismatic DOC in the state...JASON QUINTERO - Part 2!


DRAGON: Why did you decide to start coaching kid's soccer?

JQ:  Like I said, I was kind of pushed into it all of a sudden at a young age and I loved it.  I told a story earlier of how I played with the EWU and it helped me gain their respect.  There was one day, it was one of those weird Eastern Washington days where its sunny, warm, no wind, but its pouring rain, absolutely beautiful.  I had spent the last year or so living the college lifestyle, making a pig of myself, not eating right, not exercising right, 20lbs from my playing weight, and I look around during an 11v11 game that I'm playing in with 20 other girls, fighting and clawing to earn playing time, but still supporting eachother and trying to make the team better, plus the surreal weather, and for some reason I got all caught up in the moment.  I realized this is what I was missing, this team atmosphere, almost a family type energy to it, and it was on that day that I decided I really wanted to do this the rest of my life.  I couldn't wake up and go to a cubicle and stare at a computer all day.  I'm just wired that way.  I'd go nuts.  I want to be a part of that competitive family atmosphere for as long as I'm healthy enough to do so.


DRAGON: Who do you think is easier to coach, boys or girls?

JQ:   Oh wow, I could probably write a book on this.  I'll try to keep it short and sweet.  Girls are more difficult to persuade to play "outside the box".  Boys are more naturally inclined to try new things and fail.  Finding the balance between discipline and creativity is a difficult task for both boys and girls, but for boys you're usually disciplining (in the soccer sense, i.e. undestanding defensive responsibilities) more than girls, and for girls you're battling societal influences they've grown up with that says they shouldn't stand out, shouldn't take chances.  I enjoy working with players that challenge my coaching.  It creates a healthy dialogue between myself and players.  Boys constantly challenge, girls have more of a tendency to not raise a stink about anything, which isn't good for them.  Players, and people in general, need to ask questions, challenge authority, question the status quo, and girls have been trained by society not to do so.  Look at the Hope Solo situation.  If any pro male athlete would have done that, nobody would take much notice, because they'd say it's just a "man" sounding off, being a "man".  But since it happens to be a young, attractive female, everyone goes into an uproar.  She is absolutely justified to speak her mind.  I'm horrified to know that there are probably little girls out there that saw the backlash from the American media and think that it's not OK to voice their feelings.


DRAGON: What are your personal goals as a coach?

JQ:  Well, let me backtrack for a second.  I mentioned earlier about how I grew up poor.  Every time I was playing a sport, it was an escape from that reality.  It was the highlight of my day, whether it was baseball, basketball, or soccer practices or games.  So my goal, as a coach, is to create that fantasy type environment for players.  If you look at it from a broader, "real world" view, there's wars going on, people are dying everywhere, AIDS kills thousands a day in Africa, people are starving on 6 continents, genocide is still, in 2007 being practiced and nobody is doing anything about it.  And here we are, 16 kids and a coach on a grass field, playing a game.  A game.  It's surreal.  We get to escape everything in the world for the next 2 hours.  It's better than any drug, and it's the exact reason people use drugs.  That feeling of euphoria, escape, fantasy.  In a few short years, these kids will be sent off to war, doing cancer research, becoming police officers and teachers, contributing to society, all real world stuff.  For now, they're 16 young people focusing in harmony on a rather trivial common goal, to put a ball in a net.  How crazy will that look when civilizations millions of years from now dig up our pitches and try to explain what the heck we were doing?  They’re going to think there was some mysticism to this little round ball we kicked around.  

So my goal, as a coach, is to make every training session and game the thing they look forward to that day when they wake up.  


DRAGON: Besides yourself (LOL), who is the best coach you have seen, and what have you learned from them?

JQ: I have to pay respects to a number of people here, so I apologize for the long answer.  I'll highlight each coach and what they taught me as a person, player, and coach.

First off, the most inspirational coach I've ever had was my coach at CBC, Ray Evans.  He was a former starting defender for Tottenham for a number of years, before coming to the States, along with the foriegn explosion of the 70's and played for the Tacoma Stars and Seattle Sounders, as well as a few other teams around the country.  He had a mystic aura around him that inspired you to run through brick walls for him, a dominating, confident presence.  The guy was in his 50's and could pick out a blade of grass 50 yards away and hit it, with tennis shoes on.  Unreal stuff.  He was one of the reasons I wanted to go to CBC instead of trying my hand at a 4 year school right out of High School.  The only problem I had with Ray was that I never got to see what he was capable of.  Generally, in my experiences at the Community College level of soccer, you get around 6-8 guys that could really play, and then the rest are glaring holes in your lineup.  So he spent more time fixing holes than taking the better players to the next level.  Unfortunately, at the college level, your success is guaged on results, so he was coaching to win, instead of developing players.  Although don't misinterpret my words, he did make the better players more qualified overall players.  I was always the best or top 2 or 3 players on every team I ever played on.  I was always captain.  Nobody ever challenged me.  Until Ray did.  At first I took offense and was kind of like "how dare him, I'm the captain here, these are my boys, and you're calling me out in front of my boys?"  But then I realized after he called me out (with a few choice English-accented unrepeatable words, I might add), that I played with a much more intense, passionate style.  Taking that to my coaching now, I challenge my captains harder than any other player, because they need to show that they can take and respond to criticism and set examples for their teammates.

My lesson learned from Ray; strong personality goes a long way, lead as a coach as if you were taking your players to the battlefront.  Demand the strive for perfection, because perfection itself is never achieved, but the strive for it only takes effort, not skill.

My High School team was horrible. In my 4 years on varsity, we never qualified for the playoffs.  The coach, John Garvey wasn't your typical soccer guy, never played, never coached until his kids got involved, but was an easy hire as he was a Social Studies teacher at the school.  He never stopped studying the game though.  Always a student, always looking for fresh angles on the game.  The other great thing I learned from John was how to manage personalities.  Take into account, that John was also my social studies teacher, and remember that stuff about challenging authority and all that?  Well, yeah, that was me.  Sometimes I wouldn't last more than 5 minutes in his class before getting kicked out.  On the field, he had a gifted attacking player, who's idea of defense was trying to foul people and not get carded.  I had a big head and thought I was God's gift to the game.  He had 2 possible approaches to handling a player like me.  A) Let our relationship as a teacher-student influence our coach-player relationship, discipline me constantly, etc.  Or B)  "Massage" my personality, use my strengths, hide my weaknesses, get me to buy into the team concept, and make a leader and an example of me.  Needless to say, he chose the latter route, and I had absolutely nothing but respect for him.  He really did a great job of taking my passion for the game to a new level even though we were constantly losing.  It's no coincidence that when I got out of high school, the only things I was looking forward to was soccer, and teaching high school social studies.

Sometimes good coaches inspire you to be better players, John inspired me to want to teach high school!  And I hated school!

As I mentioned before, George and Tamara Hageage put on personal coaching clinics for me the past 3 years.  I gained incalculable knowledge about the game in terms of tactics, player management, and every thing in between.  Plus Tamara is the absolute best GK trainer I’ve ever seen.  She has popular books she’s written to prove it, as well.

Lastly, my dad coached me from age 5-12.  I can't really sum up into words all the lessons I've learned from him, but let me give you a quick synopsis on his life.  He's Hispanic, born in Texas to parents who didn't speak a lick of English, family moved to Eastern Oregon as migrant workers, has a scar on his hand from when he was 7 and using a machete to pick onions for Ore-Ida, (hooray for 98 cent bags of potatoes obrien!) was beat in school for speaking the only language he knew at the time (Spanish), served his country (his country that physically beat him for speaking Spanish when he was 6) in Vietnam, married a white woman (probably against both white and Hispanic norms at the time) never played soccer in his life, took on the volunteer role of coaching a sport he knew nothing about, sought out books and magazines to do it as well as he could, worked construction for 30+ years before hurting his back to the point where he's on Social Security Disability now, and convinced me that when I grow up, I need to get a job where I use my brain, not my body.

How do you sum that up?  So many life lessons learned that translate into me become a better person and coach.


DRAGON: How long do you feel a coach should coach a specific team?

JQ:  With younger kids, if you can find a qualified parent coach that knows the game real well, then I'd say 4-5 years.  Older kids, I'd say 3 years max, but usually closer to 2 years.


DRAGON: What are your feelings on players "playing time"?

JQ:  I actually just wrote an article on that this spring.  To sum it up, District players should be playing half a game,  Premier players should get at least 10-15 minutes on the field.  During State Cup and LPT's, where it's the only time that results have a direct correlation on your success, some players might not see the field.  It's the unfortunate byproduct of result based tournaments.


DRAGON: If you could not coach with your team tomorrow, name one team you would not mind taking over if you had your pick of any?

JQ:  The US Women's team.  Total trainwreck right now.  Plus my girlfriend grew up playing on Hope Solo's club and High School teams, so maybe I can use that connection to get me in


DRAGON: What is some thing you would like Dragon to tell the whole world about you?

JQ:  That I'm a soccer junkie.  I could talk soccer all day every day.  Fox Soccer Channel is on at my house about 12 hours a day, whether I'm watching it or listening in while I'm working.  I'd love to hear from people all over the state, and I enjoy shooting the breeze when it comes to our game.  After all, I just spent over an hour talking to someone I only know as "Dragon" for Pete's sake!  My phone number is on our club's website, as well as my email address.  If you see me out and about the state, don't hesitate to introduce yourself and we'll have a chat


DRAGON:  Thanks Jason, that was a great interview, and we here at the Pulse are so happy you took the time to give us such a well thought out and contructed interview.  Best wishes to you and your club!




HEADLINES!


CROSSFIRE AMY PUT'S THE "HEART IN THE FIRE" TO WIN FIRST LEAGUE GAME!


The girls looked loose and relaxed before the big game Sat.


Dragon would like to say Congrats to the "Batgirls" on their first PDL A win this year.  I know the coach loves you gals and so Dragon contacted her via email to ask her to say a few words for this weeks pulse.  Which she gladly did for her team!  Dragon would like to point out that they may have just won their first game but they have all season long been among the best on defense with their great goal against average!  Here is the message from Coach Batgirl! :mrgreen:

Before I forget let me please note that the Eagles changed their game time so I could make it!  They were great sports.  And the Dad who was our ref was great!  The “real” ref's didn't show up because they thought it was at the original time.  Thank you Eagles for changing the game time so that I could I be there!

The "Batgirls" have been challenged and pushed to their limits and have gone through some personnel changes this season, but not once have they been discouraged or had the thought of giving up!

They did just the opposite!!......they worked harder, got more physically fit (they are probably the most fit team out there!), and through all their changes they learned to come together, be there for each other, and have fun with each other.

Being in this tough league has taught them many lessons and they would not want it any other way.  

I think what has helped keep their heads up is their parent support.  No matter how many ties, losses or no wins, the parents have been nothing but supportive....they realize what their DD's are getting out of playing with the best day in and day out.

As a coach, I've had to take a deep breath every week and remind myself that in the "big picture" the players don't remember the record but they will remember if they give it their all and that is all a coach can ask for.  If my team can give it their 110% consistently then what more can a coach ask for?  Ok, I give, I'll take win but only if they played well enough to get the win or a tie where they had to battle non-stop for entire game!  

Thanks Dragon for believing in us.  Your pulse is what makes us ticks!

Thank you coach Amy for taking the time to send this note, D is proud of your whole team!!! :mrgreen:



FCV Puts on Wonderful Clinic at Nike Head-Quarters!

Heard a ton of positive feedback on the Tiffany Millbrett and Christine Sinclair camp that happened this past weekend in Beaverton at the Nike Headquarters.  Asked one of the orginizers to send us a little comment on how it went and also some pictures! :mrgreen:

Dragon, What made this clinic so successful for the 76 girls that attended? It wasn't just the beautiful, warm sunny fall weather, or the pristine Nike World Campus setting, It wasn't just that the girls had the opportunity to learn skills in six different training stations.  But rather, both Tiffeny and Christine told the girls no matter what we showed them that enjoying the game is the most important thing.  It was that this clinic made 76 girls wonder if they wanted to take their game to the next level.  No matter if that level was rec, select, premier, hi-school or even the Olympics. What a successful clinic!

Here are a few Pictures of the event:







Looks like a great time had by all!!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


Coerver Coaching NW Opens Center of Excellence in Southwest Washington

Tryouts begin Sunday, November 4 for boys/girls playing U9, U10, and U11 in current Fall 2007 season

Coerver Coaching NW has established the first of 8 Centers of Excellence throughout the State of Washington.  Designed specifically for players ages 8 to 10 who are serious about improving their skills, knowledge and playing ability, the first regional center will be run out of Camas, Washington, with tryouts beginning on Sunday, November 4.

According to Coerver Coaching NW Director, TR Stoneback, "The Coerver Center of Excellence  is a structured player development program designed to foster a competitive environment for talented players.  This program will stimulate young players to develop at an accelerated rate while allowing them--and their families--to enjoy the benefits of continuing to play with their friends on their existing teams.  The more proficient our students become, the more fun they will have playing the world's most popular sport!"

Each student will receive more than 50 hours of training and will have a chance to compete against other regional Centers of Excellence students during a Spring Festival and a Summer School.

Tryouts for the South Washington Region take place on three consecutive weekends beginning on Sunday, November 4.  The tryouts for the 36 spots at each age/gender grouping will be held at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas.  Cost to tryout is $30.

If accepted, players will receive 18 weekly 1.5 hour training sessions beginning on November 30, 2007, participate in a Coerver COE Spring Festival in April 2008, and will also participate in a week-long Coerver COE Summer School in July 2008.  Player evaluations and skill test reports will be provided for each participant.  Overall tuition of the program will be $600.

Last year's inaugural COE was also held in Camas, Washington and helped prove the COE concept.  While hosted at Doc Harris in Camas, this program is open to all players in the region no matter what soccer club they belong to.  Last year, more than nine different soccer clubs were represented in the program.

Centers of Excellence locations are anticipated in the following areas:

North Metro
South Metro
West Metro
East Metro
Inner City
Washington North
Washington East
Washington South

For more information on the Coerver Centers of Excellence or to register go to: www.coervercoachingnw.com or contact Coerver at 206-243-3984.  The Pulse will keep you informed as other centers are established.




LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

Lets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #8!

U11
Boys PDL A
Sno-Ho  vs  Crossfire M.
Dragon says - Crossfire 3-2
Actual score was 2-0 Cross  :mrgreen:



U12
D6 Umbro
Spokane Elite  vs  Mead Sabers
Dragon says - Sabers 2-1
Actual score was 2-2 tie

 

U13
Girls PDL A
Crossfire Amy  vs  HPFC Eagles -
Dragon say - Batgirls 1-0!
Actual score was 2-0...DKA Baby! :twisted:

 
U14
Girls PDL A
FC Vancouver  vs  Timbers Red
Dragon say - Timbers 2-1
Actual score was FCV 3-0



Dragon 2-2 this past week...Gettin' better, but those other age groups get me all the time! :lol:


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #8:
http://www.washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6743
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE


U11
D3 Girls GT
Synergy D  vs  Cascade FC - This is a battle for 2nd place in GT, both teams have showed they have got what it takes to be near the very top at GT this year.  Should be a great game to go catch if you don't have one this weekend!
Dragon says - Synergy 3-1


U12
PDL A
WPFC Black  vs  Eastside Red - This is the very first game to be played on the new turf fields down by the river!  The Uber team has had its ups and downs this league season but know they will be pumped up for this one!  Will EFC be ready for the Challenge of this High profile game?
Dragon say - Uberteam 2-1


U13
Girls D4
SK United  vs  North Kitsap - We venture over the bridge for this weeks U13 thriller.  Both of these teams are undefeated and have tied eachother twice!  This is their final meeting and it will be a slobberknocker for sure!!  Do not think either team wants a tie this time...we are going to have a winner for sure!
Dragon say - SK 2-1


U14
Girls P4
Legacy 93  vs  Spokane Elite 94 - Had to pick the game with the 94's in it LOL.  The 94 teams are doing well all through out the P1 through P4 league this year, see no reason why they won't do a great job this weekend as well!
Dragon say - Elite 2-0

That's it for now.   Will do 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  




WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!





**Any age group that has more then 5 nominations will also get some "shout outs" from Dragon!

GIRLS U11

#13 HAILEY "CRASH" - FC CRUSH 96! -  This young superstar was on fire this weekend.  Known as "crash" to her team mates, that is exactly what she did!  Crash the net with goals!  At halftime the game was 0-0 so this little superstar put her team on her back and scored 2 goals and 1 asst to help her team to victory!  One goal was on a 1 touch volly off a CK, and the other a left footed rocket into the far post!  Dragon is proud of you little one! :mrgreen:

Shout outs:

#0 Jake - WPFC Black (boys)
would like to note that we recieved a TON of boys nominations this week, but did not get names of most of them :oops:



GIRLS U12

#17 M'KENNA - DOSVEEDANYA RED! - This little star "Big Mac" to us here at WPS had a great game.  She played the whole game and worked her butt off the entire match.  Coolest thing is for the second week in a row she has bent in a ball to the goal on a CK!  Heard this young superstar has been working on this for weeks!  Way to go girl, practice really does pay off!  Dragon is very proud of you! :mrgreen:

Shout outs:
#14 Sofia - WPFC White
#10 Ashleigh - MRFC Cosmos
 

GIRLS U13

#3 JULIA "J" - CROSSFIRE AMY! -  What can Dragon say about this young star?  Her along with her team mate Texas and their awesome defense helped secure their teams first PDL A win!  The proof is in the picture on how happy this young star was (see the picture in this issue).  Dragon is very proud of you little super star!  I think you have many many more game winning goals to come in your soccer career! :mrgreen:

Shout outs:

#5 Emma "Bubba" - Crossfire P. (Dragon will miss you super star)
#13 Alexi - Eastside White
#12 Mecca - FCSC Nemesis
#29 Texas - Crossfire A.



U14

NONE! - Second week in a row no one watched any 93 games...that is sad folks :oops:
 

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

Crazy4sokker
Protector
Greatcross
SidelineCheer
Mikesil


Welcome aboard folks! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



"A view from the Mini-Van"

Grassisalwaysgreener.. syndrome

Oh, funny how this topic comes up this time every year!!! Interesting to see the different parent views on this situation under “When is it time to leave”

All the speculations about why it happens and who is to blame. Really the only people that really know why, are the ones that make the decision to leave. Maybe there were interactions with the coach, or interactions with the teammates that not everyone was aware of. Maybe it really is to go to the better team… Do you blame the kid? Or wish them the best in their future!!

I tend to look at the team that DK and their CP’s are going to. Were they really looking for an additional player? How do the other kids feel on that team?? I am not talking about tryouts time, I am talking mid season…. If you have done it mid-season, how has your dk been received by the other teammates? Were any resentful, or were they all grateful you joined their team? Remember even though you are making a decision for you and your child, you are making a decision that impacts 2 different teams. Was it worth it? And did you stay with that team the following year?

"WPS Paparazzi"


Kennard trys out the latest version of the "male sports bra"


A little superstar from Big Red gets to meet with Tina E.


....also, Hope enters the "smile off contest" ...Dragon gives the nod to the little star :mrgreen:

Our Paparazzi continues to do a bang up job!  Give her a raise!! :mrgreen:



"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email


The U13 player of the Week "J", (left) shakes Hands with Texas (right) after her game winning goal!


**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom!  Anything soccer related is welcome!** :mrgreen:  




"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"


*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*

Dear Doc,
What is best for my young player to eat before, during, or after a game to ensure they get the best nutrition?

Rather than reinvent the wheel, the following articles are must reads for soccer players and their parents regarding the appropriateness of nutrition in our DKs!!

http://www.collierville-soccer.org/lobos/nutrition.shtml

We wonder why our kids sometimes have no energy. Hmmm. Maybe that Big Mac before the game has something to do with it!! And think about what you give your kids for after game snacks. EFC parents used to make their players drink apple juice and have a bagel!! Good stuff ...and hold the soda and Krispy Kreams please

Bon appetit!
&
Stay healthy,
The Doc


 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Hi Washington, The Chilipeppers were in rare form sunday morning easily beating a usually TOUGH  Livermore Flame team 7 - 1 in the first game of a double header. In the second game the real Flame team stood up and the Chillpeppers walked away with a 2 - 1  victory.  We will open up Norcal cup play this Saturday then  Sunday we have 2 league games. Have a Great Week in Washington!

Thanks C.P. Reporter...Go Peppers! :mrgreen:  



OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"SIDELINE SNIPPETS"


Gu12 game, quickly going badly for the one team,  parents; “ well at least the weather is nice”. Doh!

GU14 game lots of yelling somewhat encouraging. “ could you run any slower” yelled to a player, Daughter says “ could you be any louder and stupider”… from the mouth of babes … hahahha

Grumbling coach, yells out loud. That is a horrible call, center ref.states I will consider that dissent please settle down. Coach wanting the last word says, I consider this my opinion, that was a horrible call, center referee, opinion dualy noted but next time I hear that opinion consider it dissent and you will be sitting in your car with your opinion.:O



"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Where is the Coach?"

I will miss you all, but I won't miss the rain.  See you all next week.  Warm wishes from Rio Brazil!

Ouch, a paid vacation for the coach this week! LOL  Enjoy your time studying the beautiful game down in Samba Land :mrgreen:



"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

Question for the Ref:
Team A has a corner kick and Team B is defending. Team A places a player right in front of the keeper. The keeper moves and then the player from Team A moves as well. The keeper then tries to muscle thier way in front of the player from Team A. The player from Team A then pushes back. At what point does the Referee come in.

I thought that once Team A player has established position they were not allowed to shadow the keeper if the keeper choose to move to a different location?

While the ball is out of play (before the corner kick is taken) all players can move freely and take any spot on the field not already occupied by another player. Each player is entitled to their space and no player has more "right" to a particular space than another.

The pushing before the ball is in play could be punished as misconduct. But the referee should act to prevent any misconduct by the players prior to the kick. A simple "knock it off you two" or "Keeper, I see him, leave him to me" is often sufficient.

Once the ball is in play, players can't interfere with the keeper without playing the ball. Shadowing the keeper could be impeding which is punished with an IFK for the defending team.

"Dear Eggy"

Dear Eggy,

Is there such a thing as a parent that is so "self-absorbed" and self centered on their own DD that it could force other parents to pull their kids off a team?

Signed
Help before I Bolt

Dear Bolter
Yes, in all youth sports you will find parents that are out of control. They believe that the whole team, club, league, and state should revolve around their child.
How do you resolve this? First- does the majority of the parents on your team agree with your opinion on this?- If so, hold an intervention with the parent, leave the child out of it. Second- if the intervention doesn't work talk with the coach and find out if the team can be successful with this player remaining on the team?. Third- stick out the season, go to tryouts for your team and a couple of others. If the player remains on your team then maybe it's time to move on. Or maybe it's time for the coach and parent to move on.




"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

Giving Yank This a week off, they will return next week

CLUB PASS - Chips Keeps Time

Concerned about miss use of the new Club Pass System, the PDL Directors have approved a pilot project to monitor the actual game time for each player.

According to one Director, the technology is based on an application specific integrated circuit chip (radio requency indentification chip) with a transmitter to send data.  The chip, similar to the one used in chip-imbedded soccer balls, is smaller and flatter than its counter part and is designed for players shin guards.  "While FIFA decided to pass on this technology, we find it a perfect fit to solve a unique problem"  

The system is simple, when a player enters the boundaries of a soccer field, their time on the field is automatically transmitted for auditing purposes.  Each chip has a unique identification number that is encrypted to prevent duplication.

According to the WASRC, the referee's watch will indicate how many chips are present on the field for each team.  If a player enters the field without a chip it will be considered an illegal substitution.  The system is far from fool proof as players can easily exchange shin guards.

Currently several fields at Crossfires 60-acre complex are being equipted to test the new chip.  While it is unconfirmed, sources at Washington Premier have indicated that the new technology is already part of their new field designs.

The office of the PDL did not want to comment on the rumors that a new subdermal form of the chip was already being tested.

The chip-imbedded soccer ball is being developed by Adidas, the Fraunhofer Institute and software company Cairos Technologies AG.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/02/16/75479_HNworldcupsoccer_1.html

 


THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Black Knights U14 Prediction Challenge!"

Alright everyone. This week was kind of ruined thanx to the PDL scheduling. Just not enough games. But we will do what we can. I couldn't break it down like last time. So instead we will just do overall picks, broken by perfect scores predicted.

1st: Nineteethree 5/11 with 2 perfect Scores

2nd: Brat, April, Yote, Daditude, And Extremesoccer 5/11 with 1 perfect score

3rd: Victory 5/11

Sorry I cant make it much more exciting than that. BUT to make up for it next week I'm going to find a way to incorperate the Crossover schedule, plus add a few other differences.

"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"

See cover story!  

If you are a coach, DOC, trainer, or have anything to do with soccer, contact the editor for your chance to do an interview  



Guest Editor's, EDITORIAL:

***  WISH OUR GIRLS COULD HAVE IT ALL  ***
Back when I was young it was common place for the best athletes to participate in multiple sports.  Personally, I chose basketball, baseball, and football – which were probably the most common and popular three sports for the kids in my area.  This remained the yearly recipe all the way through high-school, and I earned a total of 10 letters in those three sports, receiving all-conference recognition multiple times in two of the three sports.  Like anyone, I had a favorite sport, but I never had to “choose” one over the other while growing up.  I probably enjoyed basketball the most, but actually was the most talented in baseball, yet received the most press and had the most impact in football.  Offers to play at the college level came in from both football and baseball, but not the sport I enjoyed the most (basketball).  I often think back that if I had to make a choice when I was a 9 or 10 year old as to which sport to focus on (and essentially give up the rest), I probably would have chosen basketball and never had the opportunity to play sports at the next level. What a truly sad thing that would have been.  

I think the days of multiple sport athletes like Deion Sanders are over, because it seems there is such a push these days to have kids focus on one (maybe two) sports when they are young rather than allowing them to play multiple sports throughout their youth.  I don’t blame just soccer for this trend, as it appears to be the same for lots of different sports.  I’m told by some that if the kid wants to “really be good” and to “be all they can be”, then he/she needs to focus on one sport.  I’m sure there’s probably no arguing that if you focus year round attention to one sport, you will be better at that particular sport than if you only focused on it for say 4 months.  Yet, I just don’t like the idea of giving up that variety for kids (especially at the age of 9 or 10) and not sure it’s in their best interest.  Some try to have their cake and eat it too by playing multiple sports while, for example, playing on a year round soccer team.  I’ve talked to those people who’ve tried it, and typically their lives become total chaos.  Then combine that with the other kids in the family wanting to do the same and it become insanity.

I do find it exciting that my daughter has become an extremely good player because she has chosen a sport she really loves and she is able to improve so much because of the focus she has on it throughout the year.  But, even though this is the choice she made (i.e. wanting to focus on just soccer and play year round), I often wonder if she really knows what she’s missing by giving up other sports she likes.  She’s played basketball and softball in the past is a very good player in both of those sports.  Or, I suppose maybe she is she actually getting a more rewarding experience by sticking with soccer only?  Hard to say.  I just know there are lots of young fantastic athletes out there which have chosen to limit themselves to just one sport (maybe two), and I’m wondering if that really is a good thing or not.  It may be a path a kid has to take these days to play at the college level, but most kids don’t make it that far anyway and your child may be giving up a lot in the process. Am I the only one who ponders this issue?  Hope it gives you something to think about, but only do so if you’re sure YOU CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH!  :mrgreen:

Thank you guest Editor!  That was enjoyable and fun to read! :mrgreen:


Time to do a "READERS CHECK" again, give a quick shout out to the POTW or one of your favorite articles so we can see how many of you out there read this each week! :mrgreen:


Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to...Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!

[Dragon]

Pulse #18


COVER



WPFC's Scott Halasz......, the "Man in Black" down by the River. Their Junior Director gives the Pulse an exclusive interview!




The Pulse!  No. #18






COVER STORY & LATEST HEADLINES:


Dragon's interview with WPFC's Junior Director, and Coach of the Girls '93 & '92 teams!...SCOTT HALASZ!


DRAGON:  How long have you been coaching? How did you get into coaching?

SCOTT:  I have been coaching on and off for 12 years, but only started coaching youth teams about 6 years ago.  After high school I took a “walk-about” until I was 21.  During those 3 years I was fortunate to be able to travel to different states, and countries.  Over those 3 years I would work with teams and kids in Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Belgium and England.  Soccer was my entry and way of acceptance into their communities.  When I got back to the states from England I met my wife entered college and started playing again.  The winter before transferring into a 4 year college I tore my ACL.  I got a call from my old High School coach asking me to coach and since I could not play that year I agreed to help.  The fun that I had from that year of coaching high school helped me make the decision to stop playing and get into coaching.


DRAGON:  Did you ever play soccer yourself? What are some of your greatest memories?

SCOTT:  Yes, I played premier, participated in ODP, and played college soccer.  There are so many great memories but a few that I will always remember is winning the Surf Cup, being cut from my club team for speaking my mind, and the “locker room” friendships and banter that went along with playing at any and all levels.  I was 16 when we won the Surf Cup.  I was playing for Emerald City and we entered the tournament not knowing what to expect.  As the tournament progressed our confidence continued to grow from game to game.  In the finals we played Surf and tore them apart.  It was fantastic, better than winning state.  

I was cut from my team because I spoke out to some changes that were taking place with the team.  I was captain of the team, had been for some time, and a new coach came in and started making changes that were not right.  As captain I thought it was my duty to stand up for the players and be the voice for them.  Well coach did not like that too much and I found myself let go by the coach.  It was a blessing, I joined the Emerald City team won Surf and enjoyed the game again.


DRAGON:  Tell us about your Experience as Tacoma Community College Mens asst coach.

SCOTT:  TCC was a great opportunity for me to learn how to bring players with different motives together.  At that level there are players there who are good enough to play at a 4 year institute but for different reasons they were not able to attend.  So they are using the CC as a stepping stone.  You then have players that the CC level is the highest level they could play.  Finally you have the players where it is a stretch for them to play at that level because of talent or they never played at a high level club and only played high school soccer.   You need to integrate these different skill levels, commitment level, and discipline into your trainings and expectations of the team.


DRAGON:  What was the draw for you to be a coach at WPFC?

SCOTT:  A few girls on the high school soccer team I coached played for the Royals.  Their dad was the coach of a team in the program and asked if I wanted to help him out.  Knowing the rich history of the club, the facilities, the dedication of the people involved in the program, and the dedication that the players showed, made it an easy yes.  That was my first club position and I have been with the club since then.  I continue to drive 45+ minutes to training because those things are still present.  


DRAGON:  Have any of the other coachs at WPFC been a positive influence for you or had a positive influence on your coaching style?

SCOTT:  I can not point to one coach in particular but I can say I have been influenced by every coach in the club in some way.  My basic belief is you can learn something from everybody and from every situation if you are willing and looking to learn. The minute I stop evolving, learning, or believe I know it all; I will be useless to my players and club.  There are some great coaches at WPFC that are always available to other coaches to bounce ideas off of, offer advice, step in if you need, or just come and support you and the kids.      


DRAGON:  Tell us about a few coachs that have shaped who you are as a coach right now.

SCOTT:  This goes back to the answer I gave above.  I can say there are qualities from everybody I have been coached by or coached with that I draw from.  But one individual that I always look back upon, never coached me, and I never saw them coach.  Never-the-less they influenced me tremendously as a coach.  Pepe Fernandez is the individual that showed me how to enjoy the game, enjoy kids, and enjoy life.   Along the way my father met Pepe and they became friends.  Our families would not get together that much but when we did Pepe always found time to get away from the adults and come and play with the me and the kids.  Pepe always made the game fun, always smiled and laughed, and made us kids feel like he would rather be with us then the adults.  He passed along his joy for the game to me.  My ultimate goal as a coach is that my players enjoy soccer long after they stop playing.  I hope that I show my players the enjoyment that can come from the game.
Greg Ion, how to look at the bigger picture.  Reece Onley, always be prepared and not leave anything to chance.  Scott Newman, how to balance a coach / player relationship while maintaining discipline.  Brian VanB, how to motivate and care for players.  


DRAGON:  You are an ODP asst coach and have been for the last 4 yrs. How did you get started with that program? How has the experience been for you? Would you like to become Head of an age group?

SCOTT:  Greg Ion asked me if I was interested and I said sure.  I started as a second or third assistant my first year and I have been Scott Newman’s assistant coach for the last three years.  The experience has been fantastic.  Being able to work with some of the best players this state has to offer is special.  The best experience is Regional Camp.  Taking a group of kids to a try-out where they are dependent on players they may not play club soccer with, and coaches that they do not work with year round, and see how it all comes together is special.  
At this time being an assistant is fine with me.  The time that goes into being the number one is too much for me at this point in my life.  


DRAGON:  You are the "Girls junior Director: at WPFC. Can you tell us more about this position and what it encompasses? How did you wind up getting hired for that position?

SCOTT:  Well, in short, I help out the teams if there needs to be a fill-in coach for trainings and / or games.  I hold extra training sessions from time to time for the younger ages.  Answer parent concerns from time to time.  I attend as many games as possible during the summer and state cup to help our teams in anyway I can.  From tactical suggestions, tending to hurt players, chasing down balls, ect.  Whatever I can do to help the team be more successful I will do it.
Greg asked me at one point if that is something I would like to do and I said sure.


DRAGON:  What kind of things does your club do to "Give back to the Community"?

SCOTT:  It is two-fold.  The club provides over $30,000.00 annually in scholarships to players.  WPFC participate in toy, blanket, food, and book drives.  With our partnership with Premier Soccer Academy we provide coaches for local camps and clinics.

The other part to this is teams are encouraged to do some sort of community service.  For instance some do relays for many different charities.  Recently the U11 girls helped out at the Tacoma Marathon and the 15 boys helped unloaded food collected by the Puyallup South Hill Post Office during the National Association of Letter Carriers food drive.  

Last year a friend of mine was traveling to Africa on a mission trip.  I was allowed to solicit the families of WPFC to donate soccer clothing for him to take with him.  In a two week time frame we the members were donated about 4 totes full of soccer articles.  


DRAGON:  How do you feel about the new turf fields?

SCOTT:  I think it is a fantastic step for the continued success of WPFC.  It allows us to have year round trainings at one facility.  The winter months were hard; there was never enough field space to accommodate what we needed.  On top of that the cost of renting fields is crazy.  We have turned an annually increasing variable expense into a steady fixed cost.  I know it took a year longer than first designed but it is amazing the amount of hoops you need to jump through to get it done.  The Board of Directors and Leadership group did a great job at making sure we got the best deal possible.  I would like to personally thank Jeff Woodworth, WPFC President, for everything he did to make sure the players have a great facility to play at.  
   
Over the last two-three years the Board of Directors (all volunteers) has been giving endless hours of their time to help in the transition of WPFC.  There are many things that these individuals give up to help make sure the club runs today and is making the necessary changes to ensure the future of youth soccer in the Tacoma area is alive and well.  They are making the hard decisions, those that will benefit future kids as much, if not more, than the current kids.  Today many people will choose what benefits them the most, but I feel our Board have the best interests of not only current players but players to come.      

The kids seem to be excited about it.  But more importantly? I think the parents are excited.  They do not need to drive all over the Tacoma area for training anymore.  


DRAGON:  Have you ever had the chance to read the Pulse newsletter on WPS? Or read WPS in general? What are some positive things you think our site offers our "Washington Soccer Family"?

SCOTT:  Yes I have read the Pulse and visited WPS.  One of the things that I feel is great is that this site is for the most part positive, it is the most efficient way to provide information to the Washington Soccer Family, and brings to light many of the positive things people do for kids.  


DRAGON:  What is something you would like to tell the world about yourself, that they probably don't know?

SCOTT:  One, I have a fantastic wife.  I work as a tax account and financial investment advisor, coach two teams, and go support as many teams as I can.  This takes me away from my wife and daughter until 9pm on many nights and takes up huge chunks of weekend time.  Yet, she supports me because of the joy that I get from being around kids and the game.  Or it may be due to the fact that when I am home I cause more trouble by starting projects and not finishing, making a mess playing with my 2 year old daughter and not cleaning up, or watching Fox Sports World.


"Man in Black" to his players, but still "My Daddy" to his two year old :mrgreen:


DRAGON:  What are your views about playing multiple sports?  

SCOTT:  With coaching the younger age groups it is something that comes up all the time.   I will not provide players or parents with a decision.  I think they are looking for an easy answer, coach told me I had to quit.  So if the decision is the wrong they have someone to blame.  All I tell them is if it does not interfere with this team I have no say.
In short, I personally feel that at some point a player needs to make a decision on what they want to focus on.  A body and mind can only handle so many activities before a persons performance becomes affected in negative ways.  School, a ridicules amount of homework, friends, being a kid, and playing two sports at a high level is nuts.  Some kids hit a saturation point at 12, 13, 14, etc.  At that time I feel it is the parents’ job to step in and help the child understand they are doing too much and some things need to change.  It may be giving up a sport, time with friends, or maybe playing the other sports in a less competitive manner.  Whatever the decision we owe it to the kid.  I think there quality of life will be much better.  I made this decision as a 6th grader.  I was good at many sports, but soccer is what I loved.  So I quit other sports, focused on school, and having some sort of personal life outside of sports.  


DRAGON:  If you were president of WSYSA what is the first thing you would do?

SCOTT:  Find a time where we shut organized soccer down for three weeks.   I think players, coaches, parents, volunteers; etc need time to recharge their batteries.  I feel the only way that this would happen is for it to be mandated by the state.   If professionals deserve it and need it why is it any different for our kids?  I think that it will only happen if it is mandated by the state.  The league season for girls have been changed to provide the girls some type of rest, but you still have coaches that are holding training sessions.  This defeats the entire purpose of moving the season.  

This would call for a complete revamping of the league season, state cups, and tryouts.  Along with holding clubs accountable for their coaching staffs and training schedules during the time off.  


DRAGON:  Thank you coach for taking time from your really busy schedule to do this interview and being the first WPFC coach to step up to the plate!...Simply awesome!! :mrgreen:

For the first time, as a special favor to all the CP's on WPS, Coach Scott is willing to address questions that you might have that are relevent to himself or his club!  Just send them to the Pulse email address and I will forward them to the coach himself! :mrgreen:





HEADLINES!



LIL' RED (NWN RED 95) KNOCK CROSSFIRE THOMAS FROM THE RANKS OF THE UNBEATEN!!


After Saturdays performance, all these little superstars should be wearing a big "S" on their chests!


What can one say about "Lil' Red" that hasn't already been either said on the forum?  They are doing fantastic this year in the U12 PDL A league!  They are currently in 2nd place and are the only team this fall league to knock off the state champs/Crossfire Thomas!  They currently have a record of 6-1-4, and have a Awesome 25 Goals For (1st in League) with only 10 goals against!  After having a player or two come in from NWN Blue last year and having a good run during the summer; They are now posed to be the #1 contender to knock Crossfire off the "throne" as the 95 champions!  Look forward to seeing this team develop more and accomplish more then anyone thought at the beginning of the season. Come state cup time, anyone that takes this team lightly just might find them selfs at home reading the forum about the "New" state champs!  Great job gals, Dragon is very proud of you! :mrgreen:  



POOR SPORTSMANSHIP FROM CRAZY PARENTS!  HOW FAR ARE THEY WILLING TO GO?!


Some states have taken a stand on bad sportsmanship..


OK folks, get real now.  I know we have at least as much Sportsmanship and good will as any state (specially a corn feed Iowa parent) LOL.  Instead of rehashing all of the comments about the recent incident, maybe we need to take this time to look in the mirror and make sure this does not become one of us.  Are we examples to our children? YES...Are we representing our clubs/teams when we are out on the pitch?  YES.  So lets conduct ourselfs in a mature way and not let things like this happen again in the future.  I firmly believe that Poor Sportsmanship is Not confined to one club or team or orginization.  All clubs realize that this type of behavior is not acceptable and I am positive it will not be tolerated....PERIOD. Finally, lets hopefully put poor sportsmanship to rest and Dragon will leave you with this quote:

"You can be assured there will be severe consequences and the person(s) responsible will be dealt with in the most severe matter I assure you."

That could be about any of you! :shock:




Das BOYS Uberteam has a Perfect season!!



WPFC Boys 96 Black - 2007 Boys U11 PDL1-A CHAMPS with a perfect 13-0-0 record !



The WPFC boys 96 black team came into fall PDL league play following a very successful spring PDL league and summer tournament season.  During the spring PDL league the team was just coming together and learning to play together and managed to put together a 5-1 record.  The team then went on to play 4 tournaments over the summer, walking away with 2 Championships (Beaverton Cup and Starfire Labor Day Cup), 1 appearance in the Finals at the Crossfire Challenge (which they lost in PK's), and 1 Semi-Finalist finish (Rainier Challenge).  Over the course of the 4 tournaments the boys compiled a 15-3  record and outscored their opponents 113-19.  



The spring and summer seemed to have helped the team gel and the boys were just hitting their stride to start fall PDL league play.  Starting the fall season with a roster of only 9, the boys had little (or often no) time to rest (only rotations to goalie) and a gruelling schedule that had them playing back to back Saturday and Sunday games for 3 of the first 4 weekends.  Coach Black had the boys well conditioned though and they have been able to play hard to the final whistle in every game all the while avoiding  injury and illness.

League play started with a home game against Federal Way .  The boys were a little slow to get into the game but once they got going they didn't hold back, starting the season with a 7-2 victory.  The second weekend would be a challenge with the boys having games against both NWN and Eastside, two teams expected to finish toward the top of the league.  With no subs and two very physical opponents, the boys really stepped up...not only winning both games but shutting both opponents out.  The scores for the weekend were 5-0 and 4-0.  On to the second of three weekends in a row with 2 games....this time two away games at Westsound and HPFC Heat.  Still with no subs, the boys came ready to play and for the second straight weekend got two wins and shut out both opponents.  The final scores:  5-0 over Westsound and 8-0 over Heat.  The third two game weekend had 96 black facing Snohomish United and FC Alliance .  Snohomish came into the game undefeated as well and played a very physical game.  Fortunately, the boys were up to the task and the game concluded with a 5-2 victory.  The following day 96 black continued to take care of business with an 8-0 win over FC Alliance .  This marked the half way point of league play with 96 black accumulating a record of 7-0-0.

At this point with still only 9 players on the team roster Coach Black decided to use the Club Pass and give the keeper from the 96 white team (Jake J.) an opportunity to show his stuff.  He did not disappoint as he secured the shutout against 3-Rivers and 96 black went on to win 7-0.  I think the boys were glad to have a sub and the opportunity to take a quick breather on ocassion!  Jake J. has played with the team since then and has been officiallly added to the 96 black roster.  Week 6 of the season had the boys travelling over to Spokane for a matchup with the Spokane Shadow.  The boys prepared with a nice Italian dinner the night before and after a good nights sleep, brought all they had, earning a 9-1 victory.  



Week #7 (Oct 20th)....a week we had circled on the schedule as soon as it was released....a week we knew at the start of the season was likely to determine (or at least heavily influence) who ended up at the top at the end of league play.  The opponent....Crossfire.  Both teams came into the game undefeated....96 black at 9-0 and Crossfire at 8-0.  Previous meetings had been all out battles and the Crossfire team is very physical and fast, so 96 black knew they had a challenge.  Both teams were nervous and excited. The boys (from both teams) came out playing hard from the opening whistle.  96 black scored first about 5 minutes into the game but allowed Crossfire to equalize just moments later.  That seemed to spark something in the team though as 96 black took their level of play up a notch and really got going in their controlled possession game.  This allowed 96 black to set the pace and tempo of the game and to put 2 more in the back of the net before halftime.  The second half was more of the same and when the final whistle blew, 96 black had a hard earned 4-2 victory!  

On to week #8, another  double header weekend with matches against Harbor and Emerald City.  Wins in both games would secure a league championship.  The boys came out a bit slow against Harbor on Saturday with good possession play but only a few shots on goal, taking a 2-0 lead at halftime.  They really poured it on in the second half though finishing with an impressive 9-0 win.  On Sunday, 96 black faced off with Emerald City, playing their first game of the year on turf.  Emerald City came out charged and ready to play, but once 96 black settled in and started knocking the ball around there was no stopping them.  The game ended with a 4-0 win for 96 black...another shutout weekend and a win that secured WPFC 96 black as the BOYS U11 PDL 1-A CHAMPIONS for 2007!!  This past weekend 96 black had their final game of league play for the year vs Evergreen.  This was also the second weekend in a row without their coach on the sideline to guide them.  96 black finished of the season with a 2-0 win resulting in the completion of a perfect 13-0-0 league record.

What has been especially impressive is the fact that for the first half of the season they played with only 9 players.  The boys worked hard and had to play every minute of every game through that point.  The boys have had to be extremely flexible in their roles on the field due to the limited roster and have truly played as a team.  Every player on the team is a scoring threat (in fact in 2 of the tournaments every player on the roster scored), and every player on the team hustles back to defend.  The addition of a full time keeper has made the team even stronger.   In league play the boys scored 77 goals and only allowed 7, with 9 of the 13 matches resulting in shutouts...and this is playing against the top competition that the state of Washington has to offer at U11.



These little guys may be one of the youngest teams at the competitive level, but they are very impressive and fun to watch.  Well done:  Jake J, Jacob B, Bryce, Daniel, Tanner, Matthew, Lorenzo, Tyler, Hassani and Kasey!

Coach Ralph Black has WPFC 96 black playing very good team soccer. Congratulations to Coach Black for not only the perfect league record at U11 PDL 1-A but also a near perfect league finish with his older team (WPFC 93 black) in the U14 PDL 1-A.  The two teams accumulated a combined record of 22-0-1!!  Way to go Coach Black!



MESSAGE FROM THE WSYSA PRESIDENT!

Hi Jason & WPS,
I wanted to let you know that WSYSA is hosting the Eastern Washington Soccer Summit this Saturday the 10th of November in Spokane. The event starts at 11:00 AM and will end at 4:00 PM. We have created a late start time so that our members from the farther areas of Eastern Washington can take the time to travel to Spokane on Saturday AM. The location is Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center, the address: 1100 North Sullivan Road, Spokane Valley, Wa 99037. The members can sign up on the WSYSA website so we can get an accurate count of those planning to attend.

We are bringing over to Spokane WSYSA leadership for the sole purpose of listening to what our Eastern Washington Members have to say about WSYSA. Along with WSYSA Staff we will also be joined by our Coaching Director, Dave Schumacher, along with our moderator, Stu Snow, District 3 Commissioner and Laurie Myers, District 4 Commissioner, as our self appointed scribe, to take copious notes of the topics that are going to be discussed. We have also invited other WSYSA officers to attend and LISTEN to what is being said and asked of us. As with our Western Washington Summit, we will bring the same format for this venue, no agendas from WSYSA, just policy makers willing to listen to what is being asked of us.

WSYSA is committed to learning what the membership wants in its state administration and its state programs. As the soccer landscape continues to change around us, we have committed ourselves to provide what we feel is the best programs in Region 4 and perhaps the rest of the United States. We are working on a number of new programs and topics in the months to come, please stay tuned to our web site as these changes are made available for viewing.

If you would like to post this notice on your Website, please feel free to do so. I will send you more updates as they begin to break in the coming weeks. WSYSA is not sitting still, we continue to reshape, redirect and restructure what we have been doing for over 40 years. I think you will like the changes that we are making.

Thank you for your support.

Doug Andreassen
WSYSA President




LEAGUE LOONEYNESS!


"League News!"

First we will look at the "highlighted" games that happened this past weekend:


PAST

Lets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #9!

U11
D3 Girls GT
Synergy D  vs  Cascade FC -
Dragon says - Synergy 3-1
Actual score: Tie 1-1 :|


U12
PDL A
WPFC Black  vs  Eastside Red -
Dragon say - Uberteam 2-1
Actual score:  DNP (game rescheduled) :oops: ...that's ok, D will count as a win! :mrgreen:
 

U13
Girls D4
SK United  vs  North Kitsap -
Dragon say - SK 2-1
Actual score SK 3-0 :mrgreen:

 
U14

Girls P4
Legacy 93  vs  Spokane Elite 94 -
Dragon say - Elite 2-0
Actual score Legacy 4-0 :cry:  :cry:  :cry:


Dragon claims a lame 2-2 this past week...Need to get a lot better before state cup time! :lol:


For all other game scores go to our new STANDINGS AREA.  For recaps though, you know what to do....please look to our Recap thread for week #9:
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6808
and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have yourselfs to blame :lol:


FUTURE

*US Club Special Predictions!*

This week, Dragon is going to predict the top 4 teams finishing in each Bracket (girls only, sorry) :mrgreen:

U11
TOP 4-
EFC RED - HPFC EAGLES BLUE - FC CRUSH 96 - SAPRISSA

(Note, on the boys side D will be rooting for the play ups)


U12
TOP 4-
ECFC GREEN - SYNERGY MORSE - FC ALLIANCE - GRFC PAT'S



U13
TOP 4-
NWN RED - EFC RED - FC CRUSH - CROSSFIRE P.


U14
TOP 4-
PAT'S BLUE - FCV INDEPENDENCE - TIMBERS RED - MRFC BLUE


Good luck to all teams involved in this upcoming tournament! :mrgreen:

Will go back to doing 4 more "highlighted gotw" next issue :mrgreen:  




WPS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!





**Any age group that has more then 5 nominations will also get some "shout outs" from Dragon!

BOYS U11

#14 KASEY - WPFC BLACK 96! -  This young superstud is a cut above the rest in U11 land for sure!  Noted by several parents out there as probably the "best midfielder" in the state at BU11 at this time!  Not only did he control the midfield this past weekend, he made passes beyond his years and look out!...he knows how to score too!!  His teams 2-0 victory this weekend was just that; A team effort. But!, without this youngstud, the team would not be the same!  Great job little stud, Dragon is very proud of you! :mrgreen:  (look for his photo later in this issue)

Shout outs:

BU11 #17 Conor - Westsound Drew 96
GU11 #11 Katherine - Cascade FC 96


GIRLS U12

#15 SOPHIE - FC KENT FUSION 95! -   This young superstar is a special midfielder who plays with Heart & Fire weekend and weekout. She showed how generous she was this weekend by giving a 110% as usually.  Even the non-partial AR had to comment on her fantastic play this weekend!  She didn't score, even though she had a rocket from the 20yd line.  She did more then that, she was the glue in the middle that makes her team so special!  Great job little one, Dragon is very proud of you! :mrgreen:


GIRLS U13

#5 KRISTEN - EASTSIDE RED 94! -  This young star came out on fire this weekend scoring 2 goals in her teams 3-0 victory!  Her first goal was a fantastic header off a corner kick, but she wasn't done there.  Late in the 1st half EFC mounted a counter attack that started in the defensive end, and when the ball found Kristen she was off to the races beating two defenders.  She did a quick move that left the two defenders flying past her, and even quicker then her move she took the shot!  GOAL! from 16yds out!  What a wonderful game you had little one, Dragon is very proud of you! :mrgreen:



GU14

#5 JESSICA - WESTSOUND RED! -   This young star placed her team on her shoulders this weekend in her teams 4-0 win!  Not only did she score, but she got a much deserved Hat Trick!  Her Heart & Fire for her team helped to motivate them and keep the whole team playing fantastic ball this past weekend!  Jessica is modest as ever and will probably blush at even being nominated by one of her team mates.  Well great job Dragon says, he is very proud of you super star! :mrgreen:

Shout Outs:

GU14 - #12 Jenn - Patriots Blue
GU14 - #10 Bri - Timbers Blue
GU14 - #21 Melanie - Tri-Mtn Avalanche
GU14 - #1 Becca - Patriots Blue

**Great job 93 parents!**
 

Thats it for this week, keep those nominations coming in next week!! :mrgreen:  



CRAZY PARENT WATCH:



"Shout out to da newbies"

A few new posters this week that Dragon noticed!  As always lets give a shout out to all the new ones that have taken the time to post at least one post since joining recently:

This week Dragon would like to point out!

Soccerparent
Mundial42
DOMoftheSOUTH
ThatJustHappened
Indys


Welcome aboard folks! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



"A view from the Mini-Van"

Once upon a time at an older kids game...

Had a few interesting articles I was working on, then a situation was brought to my attention this weekend, and would really like to hear responses on this one..  This was for an older team, not U13+

Scenario: FIrst half, game being played pretty close, team is on defense, goalie calls for the ball, defender either doesn't hear or thinks they have a better shot at clearing it out, makes that attempt, misses the ball, and goalie has already adjusted to player not listening/hearing... miscommunication, other team scores.

2nd half- defender doesn't play much of the 2nd half at all.  Apparently coach feels a point needs to be made. (not saying I agree,just an observation)

Game over, player is upset they didn't play alot. Parent, thinking they are doing what is best (or something like that) ..marches up to the coach in the middle of the field after the game... screaming and making a scene..

Coaches and parents alike..  what would you do...  maybe both the coach and the parent could use some guidance imo...

Always been used to the 24 hour rule when it comes to talking to coaches...  Also think at U13+ it should be the player talking to the coach about this... not mommy or daddy...

"WPS Paparazzi"



One of our CP's having fun on Halloween "Ref Magoo" :lol:




"...Out on the Pitch"

Please submit pictures for the newsletter to the Pulse email



At a U11 game this year....Small Goalie pointing at the other captains; "Can you Please check their birthcertificates?"  :lol:



Our very own Boys U11 POTW in Action!! :mrgreen:



**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom!  Anything soccer related is welcome!** :mrgreen:  




"Help!  Is there a Doctor in the house?"



Dear Doc,
Someone said my child may have "turf toe"...What is turf toe? Can soccer players get this? What should we do for him if he has it? Thank you for your help.


Good question TT . The name turf toe comes from the fact that this injury is especially common among athletes who play on artificial turf.  Even EW could have figured that out
 
Turf toe is a condition secondary to an injury at the base of the big toe. Most common in footballers tackled from behind, the same can happen to our DKs in soccer (I refuse to go there and point fingers!! :lol: ). Running and landing on the ball of the foot and then being knocked forward causes the great toe to be bent too far forward, ie, onto the top of the foot  When a player sustains a turf toe injury they are actually tearing the capsule (ligaments)  that surrounds the joint at the base of the toe.

The diagnosis of turf toe is not difficult really. An inability to walk without pain accompanied by swelling, bruising and stiffness are the most common initial complaints. (Long term complaints include the inability to kick or cut without pain) Tenderness with stretching the very angry toe generally gives the diagnosis .  It just looks like it hurts!!! Always obtain Xrays to ensure there is no fracture as growth plate injuries may mimic the condition in the young.

Most are diagnosed with a sprain and technically that is what it is. But the grade of the sprain is what dictates the future. Grade 1 sprains are mild and generally heal within 2-14 days. Grade 2 injuries involve minor tearing but may take 2-6 weeks for complete recovery. Grade 3 injuries are complete tears and follow a frustratingly slow course.
 

Acute treatment of turf toe consists of resting the sore toe, icing the area, and elevating the foot. (RICE). Advil or Alleve may be helpful as well.
DKs  diagnosed with turf toe should avoid their sport for at least two weeks to allow the joint capsule to heal unless there is RAPID decrease in swelling and dramatic pain improvement  .Immobilization (walking boot) may be needed for those with persistent swelling after 48 hours.

If the toe swelling goes down rapidly , then return to sports may be considered. But you need to WALK without pain before RUNNING!!
If there are  persistent pain complaints after 4-6 weeks, an MRI needs to be obtained. Further prolonged immobilization may be needed. Rehab may continue with Pool Therapy. But impact activities must be avoided until swelling is down OR pain has improved.

 
Unfortunately, turf toe often does NOT heal well.Tearing the joint capsule (Grade 3 tears) can lead to instability and even dislocation of the joint at the base of the toe. This may lead to accelerated cartilage wear and arthritis of the big toe (hallux rigidus). Once returning to activities, special inserts can be used to limit the motion of the big toe and prevent further damage to the joint capsule.
.

Fortunately, surgery is rarely needed for treatment of turf toe, but in certain cases it may be helpful. If a bone spur forms, and severely limits motion of the toe joint, surgery to remove the spur may be helpful. Rarely, based on MRI , repair of the capsule with pins is performed.

Remember rehab/healing is slow with this condition. Do not rush back too soon. Treat it easy early on and you have a chance to heal. And play the beautiful game again! Like the Heat, right Eddy

 And EW , the condition CAN occur on grass fields as well. So don't go looking for a new field unless your Club has an epidemic!

Stay healthy,
The Doc



*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address*



 

GIRLS U13 NORTH-CALIFORNIA REPORTS!!!

Hello again Washington!  The Chilipeppers has a very successful weekend, starting out friday night against the Central Valley Revolution our sister team we ran away with an 8-0 victory. I cant remember all the scoring except the newest Pepper Janessa #17 scored her first official goal for us and the first goal of the game.
 
On saturday we played the Santa Cruz Breakers an up and coming team here in district 2 we started offf hot taking a 2-0 lead just 12 mins. in but they fought hard and we ended up winning 3-2.
 
On sunday we played against our  biggest district 2 rival, the OV Storm which Janessa #17 just came over from and Colby #4 and Sam #21 started with at U7. We dominated play from the get go running away 4-0. What once was a very closely battled series 2 Wins  2 Losses and 2 Draws before Colby ans Sam left is now very lopsised towards the Peppers 5 Wins, 0 Losses and 0 Draws  20 goals for and 1 against. I think we are doing something right.
 
Sunday afternoon we opened up our Norcal cup play against a scrappy Mill Vally Rockers we raced away with a 5-1 win putting us in the Premier pool play, up next we don't know but I think we are ready for just about anybody. Until next week take care from Northern California. :mrgreen:

Great job Pepperkids!  We are rooting for you!! :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:



OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:



"SIDELINE SNIPPETS"


Only 1 this week, and not from our usual reporter.  But it still made me laugh. :lol:

U13 Coach - "there must be a sniper in the woods if thats not a foul!"



"COACHS CORNER!"

This weeks topic for the coach is "Still getting a tan!"

Trip is running longer then I thought folks, Miss all of you, just not the rain!

When look forward to your return coach, have some good questions in your inbox :mrgreen:



"VIEW FROM BEHIND THE WHISTLE"

Myths of the Game and other Nonsense

I heard of a parent who is a referee in his spare time that was at one of his daughters U12 games.  He approached the game referee before the game started and said he was there to "evaluate" the referee during that match! Are people allowed to do this if their own daughters team is involved? I am not pointing fingers because I don't know the whole story, but it sounds a little "unethical" to me, does it to you?


If this was a referee, he is violating our code of ethics.  Unless you are an assessor, assignor or mentor whom the referee has invited, no one has any reason to approach the referee regarding an "evaluation."  This would be considered an intimidation tactic that brings the game into disrepute.  

If this were to happen to me, I would ask the person his name and the name of his referee association.  I would then invite him to leave the area as the game will not begin until I can no longer see him or hear him (and I can typically see all the way to the parking lot).  

If this person was indeed a referee, they would soon be hearing from the State Referee Committee regarding a disciplinary complaint and hearing.

The proper way for anyone to provide an "evaluation" or feedback on a referee is through the referee's assignor, association (website if available), or your club.  Anything else might make you feel better, but it will do nothing to improve the game.

"Dear Eggy"

Dear Eggy,
Are we trying to “professionalize” youth (KIDS) sports too much? NO acts of sportsmanship like player tunnels after the game, ‘cause that’s for Rec. NO talking during practice. NO parents talking to the coach. Line your bags in a perfect line, etc

Dear Pulse E-mailer,
I can only answer this question from the experience I have seen with my DD's team. I think that the word "professionalize" is a little harsh.
First, lining up the bags, to me, shows organization and team work. I see nothing wrong with it. I would not want to see a player have to sit on the bench because their bag was out of order.
Second, I for one do not see any reason why a parent would need to talk to the coach during the game or practice. For that time period we turn our DD's over to the coach. Now, if the coach will never talk with the parents it's time to find another coach. I'm not sure what coach would think that they could keep 10,11,12, and 13 year old girls from talking in practice. This seems a little unrealistic to me.
Third, players tunnels and hand slapping should be left up to the players and their parents. If parents want to tunnel and the team thinks it cool the go for it.l
Lastly- Life is too short to sweat these small things. Ask your DD after every practice and game- "Are you or did you HAVE FUN?" if the answer is yes smile and know that you are doing a good thing. If the answer is no, brew some hot chocolate, bake some cookies and sit down in front of the fire place and find out why the answer is no.

Eggy  




"My 2 cents worth...The Posters Voice!"

What is a Director of Coaching?

This is a person you, as the parent, are paying ~$5-7 per month (I have been told) out of your monthly fee. Please correct me if I am wrong on the amt. paid.

I was wondering to myself; What is this person responsibilities to my child that I am paying them for?

I expected at least 1 eval on my child by now. It would be nice to know his professional opinion of what improvements my child needs to make to become a better player. I expected 1 eval upon making the team, 1 at the end of summer tournament season and 1 at the end. I have nothing to see how my child has been progressing through the season.

I expect 2 weekly practices. If the regular coach is unavailable, I expect a licenced/qualified replacement. I do not expect to pay for training while trainer is out of state/country if no training is available.

If DD/DS team is struggling, I expect DOC to get that team extra coaching. Not to suddenly "win", but to make improvement toward more success. The DOC needs to show up and help make the team better, or find another coach to help the improvement of the team.

I would expect some extra training/camp by the DOC in the summertime.

I would expect a weekly group e-mail wishing best effort for the teams.

I expect the DOC to have a meeting with just the asst. coaches to discuss his coaching direction.

If asst. coach covers for head coach, win or losr I expect DOC to call asst. coach and thank him.

Am I expecting too much?

What is YOUR DOC doing for you?

[/size]
 


THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO MMMMMMMMMMMMMM?


"Black Knights U14 Prediction Challenge!"

*Sorry.  Due to size contraints Dragon had to edit out a section and poor BK took the brunt :cry:   He prob will post his results under his prediction thread this week! :mrgreen:



"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"

See cover story!

If you are a coach, DOC, trainer, or have anything to do with soccer, contact the editor for your chance to do an interview  



Guest Editor's, EDITORIAL:

A Coach that Yells...means Well
It is afterall a big field, it take a lot to be heard.

They spend 12+ hours a month training our children.  They learn to develop a relationship, a repoire, yet some of us can't even get a word out of them at the dinner table.

Any coach that has a passion for coaching knows its the most exciting profession ever. (I asked my husband).  If you can't get excited for your team, then why bother?

The essence of coaching is communication.  Practice is the time to train, coaching is during the game.  The majority of time, a player reflects their coach.  When th coach's intensity is strong, the players' desire to perform is just as strong, their desire to help their team increases.
A coach must also know when quiet time is the right time, or a player (if they are like my husband) will tune it out.  The key is finding the right mix.
The most important task of the coach is to empower them as players and give them a better understanding of the game.

How influential are we as parents?  Does the team concept get lost on the ride home?  Are we interfering with the coach's concepts?
As a parent of 4 children, I know and understand the internal instinct that brews inside of each of us.  I know as a parent there are things we have a right to say, but the coach should still have the opportunity to find what makes our DKs "tick."
Yelling may motivate a confident player but may have a different effect on a teammate.  Therefore, no two players should be treated the same.  A coach may say what they need to say to motivate your DK and get them to play.
When they are on the field they are soccer players and should be treated as such (I know, I know...I'm my DD's #1 fan too).
Whether my husband is yelling across the football field or the basketball court, his goal is to eliminate the head snap to the sideline after they make a mistake.  If they hear him, don't look and just nod, he knows they are developing an understanding of the game within themselves.  The best learning comes when they get past the fear of making a mistake.

It was a great coach who yelled, "Never lose hope, keep trying, and make a game of it!"

Thank you guest Editor!  That was enjoyable and fun to read! :mrgreen:


**let's hear it folks for all the great articles submitted this week! :mrgreen:


Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to...Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!