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 WashingtonTryouts 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:
PASTLets see how Dragon did with his GOTW picks in week #8!
U11Boys PDL A
Sno-Ho vs
Crossfire M.Dragon says - Crossfire 3-2Actual score was 2-0 Cross :mrgreen:
U12D6 Umbro
Spokane Elite vs
Mead Sabers Dragon says - Sabers 2-1Actual score was 2-2 tie
U13Girls PDL A
Crossfire Amy vs
HPFC Eagles -
Dragon say - Batgirls 1-0!Actual score was 2-0...DKA Baby! :twisted:
U14Girls PDL A
FC Vancouver vs
Timbers Red Dragon say - Timbers 2-1Actual 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=6743and as always, If there is not enough blah blah blah there for you, then you only have
yourselfs to blame :lol:
FUTUREU11D3 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 3-1U12PDL 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 2-1U13Girls 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 2-1U14Girls 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 2-0That'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.
U14NONE! - 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.shtmlWe 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 TimeConcerned 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!
