Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Opening Day
The first day of the session was a great success and there are many people to thank for that. Thanks to Andrea Sipple, Tod and Stacy Kielborth, Tim Cahill, Lori Thomas, Dave Schaffer and Tim Sutter for getting the fields set up for game day. Also my personal thanks to Ben Lighthall, Roz Forshe and Chris Michels for their help in managing the teams. And thanks parents. All of the kids showed up ready to play and all three games were great fun.
U4 I was thrilled with how much of an actual game this turned out to be. The kids were really moving the ball all over the field. Karolyn Lighthall had an especially good game and showed some real toughness and determination. Noah Roach showed some amazing skill and enthusiasm and Jill Riedmatter would have played the whole game if I'd let her.
U6 I feel lucky to have a group of players this strong and I'm hoping that playing together will allow all of them to develop rapidly. Kendall and Kendra, our youngest players, were completely engaged in the game and I see them improving with every game and practice.
It was great to have Ethan back on the team and despite some head gear problems he was in the thick of things all the time.
Kaleb had a breakthrough game in that he had a greater focus and determination to get to the goal than we've seen before. His goalie skills didn't get tested much but he took his opportunity on offense to shine.
Alex's goalie skills did get tested and he showed his quality repeatedly. The dude can play that position! And can he throw it!
Justin was strong in the field with some big kicks and throw-ins, and at least one assist.
Owen had a good game too and showed grace and endurance. He had a lot of shots on goal that were blocked but he did get an assist on one of Nate's goals.
Which brings us to our star, Nate Griffith. This little guy loves the game and he goes at it full tilt, taking on bigger kids and driving the ball right through them.
Great game all around.
U10 This was such a good game with both teams playing really well. I was most impressed with how the kids dealt with the heat. They all showed great toughness. Olivia and Lauren were very impressive despite having been away from the game for a while. Erin was her usual strong self with a pair of goals and an assist on Avery's beautiful goal. Helen had a great game with one especially thrilling drive to the goal. Justin came on strong in the second half with two good attempts. And William has developed into a great (and tireless) player since the last time I coached him.
The stand out player of the game was Maddie Griffith who played her usual energetic midfield despite the heat. Just so you know, Maddie is playing up a division. She could be in U8 but Avery, Erin and Helen couldn't play without her so she had to move up to U10 with them.
U4 I was thrilled with how much of an actual game this turned out to be. The kids were really moving the ball all over the field. Karolyn Lighthall had an especially good game and showed some real toughness and determination. Noah Roach showed some amazing skill and enthusiasm and Jill Riedmatter would have played the whole game if I'd let her.
U6 I feel lucky to have a group of players this strong and I'm hoping that playing together will allow all of them to develop rapidly. Kendall and Kendra, our youngest players, were completely engaged in the game and I see them improving with every game and practice.
It was great to have Ethan back on the team and despite some head gear problems he was in the thick of things all the time.
Kaleb had a breakthrough game in that he had a greater focus and determination to get to the goal than we've seen before. His goalie skills didn't get tested much but he took his opportunity on offense to shine.
Alex's goalie skills did get tested and he showed his quality repeatedly. The dude can play that position! And can he throw it!
Justin was strong in the field with some big kicks and throw-ins, and at least one assist.
Owen had a good game too and showed grace and endurance. He had a lot of shots on goal that were blocked but he did get an assist on one of Nate's goals.
Which brings us to our star, Nate Griffith. This little guy loves the game and he goes at it full tilt, taking on bigger kids and driving the ball right through them.
Great game all around.
U10 This was such a good game with both teams playing really well. I was most impressed with how the kids dealt with the heat. They all showed great toughness. Olivia and Lauren were very impressive despite having been away from the game for a while. Erin was her usual strong self with a pair of goals and an assist on Avery's beautiful goal. Helen had a great game with one especially thrilling drive to the goal. Justin came on strong in the second half with two good attempts. And William has developed into a great (and tireless) player since the last time I coached him.
The stand out player of the game was Maddie Griffith who played her usual energetic midfield despite the heat. Just so you know, Maddie is playing up a division. She could be in U8 but Avery, Erin and Helen couldn't play without her so she had to move up to U10 with them.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Laws (rules) of the Game highlights.
It is going to be hot and sunny this Saturday so please remember the sunscreen and the water. I'll be picking-up the snack this first week. Everyone's been great at practice and I know opening day will be great fun.
A few things you might want to know about the games:
U4 will play 3 versus 3 with no goalies. Games will be played on half of the U6 field that we've been practicing on and we will be using small pop-up type goals.
U4 games will be divided into 4 equal 5 minute quarters with 2 minute breaks between each quarter. There will be free substitution meaning I can take players on and off the field as necessary. I will also be on the field with the team during play helping them.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.
U6 will play 6 versus 6 with a goalie. The goalie will be permitted to handle the ball within the goalie box.
U6 games will be divided into 4 equal 6 minute quarters with 2 minute breaks between each quarter. There will be free substitution and I will be on the field with the team during play.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.
U10 will play 9 versus 9 with a goalie. The offsides rule will also be in force.
U10 games will be divided into 2 equal 25 minute halves with a 3 minute break between halves. Unlimited substitution will be permitted although there will be only specific times when a substitution can occur, i.e. whenever play has stopped and we are in possession of the ball.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.
A few things you might want to know about the games:
U4 will play 3 versus 3 with no goalies. Games will be played on half of the U6 field that we've been practicing on and we will be using small pop-up type goals.
U4 games will be divided into 4 equal 5 minute quarters with 2 minute breaks between each quarter. There will be free substitution meaning I can take players on and off the field as necessary. I will also be on the field with the team during play helping them.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.
U6 will play 6 versus 6 with a goalie. The goalie will be permitted to handle the ball within the goalie box.
U6 games will be divided into 4 equal 6 minute quarters with 2 minute breaks between each quarter. There will be free substitution and I will be on the field with the team during play.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.
U10 will play 9 versus 9 with a goalie. The offsides rule will also be in force.
U10 games will be divided into 2 equal 25 minute halves with a 3 minute break between halves. Unlimited substitution will be permitted although there will be only specific times when a substitution can occur, i.e. whenever play has stopped and we are in possession of the ball.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.
Monday, August 3, 2009
U6 Chose a name too!
They are The Blue Jays.
I'll be bringing a snack sign-up sheet to practice Thursday. Once it's filled in I'll add that to the Game Schedule.
I'll be bringing a snack sign-up sheet to practice Thursday. Once it's filled in I'll add that to the Game Schedule.
U10 has a name.
At our first U10 practice we got one very important task taken care of. The players chose a team name. I like the choice because it has a certain ambitiousness to it. And I think they'll live up to that name given how hard they worked at the first practice.
At this Wednesday's practice I expect to work the Tsunami hard again on their ball handling and throw-in drills. I'd also like to get in some game situation practice, especially for my goalies, and to do that I'd like to extend practice by an extra half hour. If you can't stay past 7:30 though that is not a problem. See everyone Wednesday night.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
NKYA August Session Begins!
Well here we are in the first week of practice with barely ten days until opening game day and the weather is perfect...if you're a farmer. Hopefully U6 practice will not be rained out and I'm also planning to schedule a U10 practice for this Saturday the 1st. (I'll be calling)
All of the rosters and schedules to the right are up to date and I'll add in the snack dates as we work that out at practice.
Just for reference the practice times are:
U4 and U6 Thursdays at 6:30
U10 Wednesdays at 6:30
Weather permitting we'll practice throughout the season.
All of the rosters and schedules to the right are up to date and I'll add in the snack dates as we work that out at practice.
Just for reference the practice times are:
U4 and U6 Thursdays at 6:30
U10 Wednesdays at 6:30
Weather permitting we'll practice throughout the season.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
August Session. U10 plays Offside
The August outdoor session will be starting soon and I'll be contacting everyone about practice times when I have a schedule. The U10 division will be playing with the Offside rule in force and getting the kids familiar with that will be one of the big challenges for this session. I've embedded a power point explanation of the rule that I found on YouTube. It's fairly straightforward so take a moment to watch it and if possible have your player watch it too. And the MLS season is in full swing with 2 or 3 games a week on ESPN. Try to get your player to watch a bit of these games. That also might help them understand the offsides rule.
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