Here we go WPS!
The 2007 Player of the Year Award!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
For those new to the POTY award, it is an annual award started 3 years ago to recognize outstanding play during the corse of the summer tournaments and the fall league. In years past it was just for the 94's and no other age group. Then slowly as more people came to WPS the award grew. Now it not only includes all the younger age groups, but also both boys and girls...
Wish every player nominated could win, but then there would be no true winner. The POTY nominees were based on players that won a "player of the week" award during the summer or league play. It was voted on by you the parents and players and coachs who watch the kids the most. This year we had a great turn out for voters on the site, but also had a lot of nominations from "lurkers" to the Pulse email sites....
This year the POTY will win an engraved IPOD from the Administrator of the Site, and of course all the accolades that come along with being the Player of the Year!!!!!!
Without further ado, Let the announcement commence!
.
..........drumroll.............
.
3rd Place ~ for Player of the Year!#2 JACOB - WASHINGTON PREMIER FC BLACK 96!!! :mrgreen:
Here are some of Jacob's Highlights of his "soccer career" to this point:
Since the time he could walk, Jacob has always preferred to kick balls rather than play catch. When Jacob was almost 3 years old the family moved to England for a 3 year work assignment and soon after that Jacob had his first exposure to organized "football". While he was too young for any team at the school that he went to, he did continuously participate in football camps offered by the school and the local leisure center and was always one of the stars for his age group.
Jacob developed a love for the game and his skills developed rapidly. The programs that Jacob was part of were very focused on technical skill development at his age as opposed to match play. Once he started playing actual matches (which was not until he was almost 5), his skill combined with his natural speed and enjoyment of just playing made him a force on the pitch from an early age.
...Our young super stud has a love for the game at an early age! Upon his return to the US, which was shortly before his 6th birthday, Jacob started playing in local leagues in both Sumner and Puyallup. Playing a year up, Jacob was usually one of the smallest guys on the pitch but was always looked to as a solid leader for the teams he played on. Most of his teammates looked to him as a leader due to his ability to distribute the ball and "quarterback" the team. While he has always contributed significantly to the goal scoring, he has ended each season with far more assists than goals and has always been recognized for his "smart" play. The combination of a strong and accurate left foot with good field vision has been one of Jacob's strengths from an early age, a strength he has continued to develop and improve.
In first through third grades Jacob played outdoor only during the fall season but took an interest in indoor soccer during the winter months. This allowed him to continue developing his skills year round and exposed him to some different aspects of the game. Jacob has always been a good all around athlete and spent the rest of the year playing flag football, basketball and baseball as well as taking hip hop and tap dancing lessons. Despite excelling at all of these, his true love has always been soccer.
In fourth grade (as a true U10) Jacob decided he was ready to step up his commitment to soccer and tried out for the U11 program at Washington Premier. This was last year. This was the first time Jacob had ever been through a formal try out process and he was extremely nervous. He was initially assigned to the C team, however, after just a few weeks of practices he was promoted to the B team and spent the year playing for coach Black. This was a whole new level of competition for Jacob and as he adjusted to the level of play he struggled to maintain consistency in his play at times. However, he did consistently work hard the entire year, giving 110% effort at all times and by the end of the year had made significant improvements in his skills, power, field presence and most importantly his confidence. Jacob was a much improved all around player over the course of last year and as his team made their run through the Commissioner's Cup last year (eventually being eliminated in the Semi Finals) you could see his confidence continuing to grow and the leader in him starting to emerge again.
When it came time for tryouts for this year's team, Jacob didn't have the rookie jitters of the prior year and with all the improvements he had made the previous year and the confidence to go with it, he was a solid A team choice. This is the first year Jacob has played at age since returning to the US. Over this past summer, Jacob couldn't seem to get enough soccer. He attended soccer camps held by the Sounders and at the UW, was invited to participate in a 1 week Junior Academy trial in England with Chelsea FC and played in 8 tournaments (4 with his team and 4 with WPFC U12 teams). His highlights of the summer included winning the MVP award for all of the 10 year olds at the Chelsea trial and being invited to come back this coming April for more training with Chelsea, taking the Championships at the Adidas Beaverton Cup and the Starfire Labor Day Cup, a hard fought Finals at the Nike Crossfire Challenge (which they lost in PKs), and leading the U12 white team (with a goal and 2 late assists) in a come from behind win to propel them into the Finals at the Federal Way Blast Off. Jacob spent much of the summer focusing on developing his right foot to become as strong and accurate as his left foot, making him even more versatile on the pitch.
Jacob's solid, consistent play has contributed greatly to his teams undefeated run through league play this year. If you ask him, the perfect record through the 13 game season would probably be his highlight of the year so far. Jacob's entire team has had a fantastic season and Jacob is just one piece of that. He has continued to improve, not only because of his efforts but also the efforts of all of his teammates around him and the guidance of his coach. As we approach State Cup, Jacob is continuing to work hard and I know he is hoping that the final (and biggest) highlight of the year is still ahead of him!
Dragon is proud of Jacob, and awards him a special "Heart & Fire Award" for coming so close to winning, and also being the first boy to even make it this far in the competition! Great job Jacob, Dragon and all of WPS is proud of you! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
.
.........drumroll..............
.
2nd Place ~ for WPS Player of the Year!#17 Dee Dee - South Sound FC White / FC Crush 94!!! :mrgreen:
Great job to Dee Dee of SSFC White/FC Crush! You have a ton of supporters that love watching you play! Here are a few highlights of Dee Dee's "soccer career" to this point:
Dee Dee first kicked a soccer ball when she was three years old at her daycare during an outside activity. From that day forward there was never any doubt in her mind that she wanted to play soccer.
At nine the soccer ball seemed as if it was permanently attached to her feet. It went everywhere with her. To the bathroom, to the kitchen for a glass of milk, to the dinner table and to the foot of her bed at night where it waited for her until the next morning. It was like an inseparable pet.
...Lil' Dee Dee shows off a smile that could sink a thousand ships!This behavior became annoying to her family as there were times when her imagination would get the best of her and she would take wild shots off the dining room wall. All the threats of bodily harm to her and her soccer ball did nothing to tame it.
It was shortly after that season she had her first select level tryout with the 94 Patriots under coach Don Boydston. That year her team took first place in District III GP. At the end of the season coach Don wrote her a letter and this is what it said:
Dee Dee #7, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be your coach this year and assisting Chris Pallis last year. I remember the first time I saw you, you were at Dominic's soccer game and I remember how friendly and funny you were then. You are an amazing person Dee. I have many memories of you making me and all the others smile. What a great kid you are. Not to mention, what a heck of and athlete your are. You have great determination and always give your best effort. You have grown in strides this season and you should be very proud of yourself for doing so. Continue to work on your dribbling, keeping your head up at the same time and making those wall passes. Remember to always keep that head high and don't let anything get you down. I look forward to seeing you grow up in life and watching all of your successes as a person and as an athlete. With all my heart, BEST OF LUCK!
One last thing, remember to give your parents a big hug and thank you for giving you the opportunity to play select soocer this year.
Coach Don.The next year Dee Dee was ready to step up her game and tried out for Crossfire Porter where she made the team but ultimately had to decline the offer.
...Showing grit and Heart and Fire at the Mustang tournament!She moved on to FC Crush currently known as SSFC White. She plays left wing and defense on occasion. Dee Dee has become very hardworking and is developing into a creative midfielder.
There are many aspect of her game that are visibly improving, she strikes the ball cleanly and with great power. Her dribbling and ball control unsettles many defenders.
She is competitive by nature but it is her unwavering determination to win that make her the ultimate team player.
Dragon is very proud of you young super star! Way to play hard and also give back to the younger players! We here at WPS applaude your efforts and you should hold your head high everyday! Special Heart & Fire award to you young lady!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
.
and now.............
.
..............drumroll.................
.
WPS' PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2007!#11 ALLISON - WASHINGTON PREMIER FC BLACK 95!!! :mrgreen: 
Dragon is very Proud to announce our Player of the Year for 2007! This young lady and her family have been with WPS since the beginning and that just makes it special, and even more special that she won in a year when we had SO MUCH talent represented in the POTY competition....
Here are some of Allison's/aka/Lollipop's career highlights to this point-
Allison’s love for soccer did not begin at U-5 like many kids. She discovered her love for the game at U-8. She was 7 years old and got her first soccerball. It was pink with Disney Princesses all over it. That is probably the only reason she began playing with it. She had over a hundred soccer balls in her garage because her dad was a coach and trainer. She never touched those balls… but the pink ball was appealing!
Her parents were downstairs and heard her kicking the ball around in her room. Her parents, especially her dad… were delighted that she started doing that herself.
...Allison showing her stuff at an early age!
Soon after, she asked her dad if he would put together a team. He did, and the Norpoint U-8 Blazing Stars began. Allison got all her school buddies to join the team and the girls had a great time. Allison learned a lot about soccer from her dad and her brother Tyler. She spent many hours doing extra work aside from practices. Her love for the game grew. The Blazing Stars stayed together through U-9… at U-10… they changed their name to the Americans. Most of the teammates were still her classmates. She was the Americans team captain at U-11 and was chosen tournament MVP for the U-11 age group at one Summer tournament.
...The little superstars first trophy ever!
Allison was a year up in school so the team was a year older for her. She was a 95 playing 94. During the Americans U-12 season, Allison decided after state cup that she wanted to play a higher level of soccer and play her own age. This was a huge decision for her as she had to leave the team she had been on for 5 years that had been coached by her Daddy. She left her dads team and went to tryouts. She was offered a spot on WPFC 95 Black. She was very excited about this and accepted.
Allison has become a very confident player and a very smart player. She is a consistent player and gives 100% effort each and every game. She will not let her teammates down. She has grown so much as a player and a person since joining her WPFC team.
Her play has been excellent at a very high level each and every day she steps onto the pitch. She has worked extremely hard on Offense and Defense, and has demonstrated to the Coaches, teammates, peers and supporters that she is a very good all around SOCCER Player. Allison has a great attitude on and off the field. Time and time again she has created opportunities for her teammates thru her hustle and intelligent play. She is a very unselfish player.
Allison has dreams of making the ODP team and one day playing for North Carolina as their starting forward.
Through soccer, Allison has made many wonderful friends and looks forward to many more fun filled years playing the game she loves.
Allison not only is a talented soccer player… she maintains a 4.0 GPA. She is in 7th grade and in all Highly Capable classes a year up in school. She works very hard at everything she does. She’s a good teammate, student, daughter, sister and friend.Dragon is so very very proud of you young lady! A very very special Heart & Fire award to you! May all of your goals be reached and all of your dreams become a reality!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Now lets hear a great huge loud round of applause for our top 3 and our POTY! Also, a big kudo to all of those players that were nominated! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Author
Topic: The WPS 2007 - PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Read 7594 times)