Very good week of soccer...

My daughter's new team (Sting needs to update these web-sites, BAAAD...) has been going through two-a-days for the last week and we just had our first scrimmage on Saturday. The team is coming along nicely and the girls are working hard with little complaint, other than the aches and pains associated with a lot of physical work. This week we prepare for the Puma Cup tournament. Then the real work begins as we look to qualify for LHGCL... that's when the real season starts!

One of the things you should look for in a team is parental commitment and involvement. As girls get older, you should also look at accountability and level of commitment from the child. This team has demonstrated that the families and the girls are all very committed and that's refreshing. Our last team had commitment, but only to a certain degree... in other words, as long as it didn't interfere with this family/social activity or that family/social activity it was ok. I realize we all have obligations and lives outside of soccer, but if you're paying for the "privilege" to play select soccer, you better realize there are some of us who are, relatively speaking, "paying" more than you. We want to get the most out of the time that we can.

Although we didn't "win" our scrimmage, I think we surprised the opponent because our talent level has increased dramatically from the last time they saw this team. Actually, a lot of our girls, including my daughter had worked with that team earlier this summer. As I mentioned then, they turned away a ton of talent and a lot of it ended up on our new team. Funny how things tend to work out. I think I've said that before...

5, no wait, 6 things to do or be aware of on your new team

Well, you've made the big switch and your child is on a new soccer team. Now what?

If you've been following my blog, you know I have been chronicling our decision to find a new home for my DD (darling daughter, in turfmonster.com speak) here, here, here, again here... And finally here... I started this series of somewhat related articles with this article on decisions to make about leaving a team and looking for a new team. And you know we now have a new home with Sting West 94. The search is over, but the journey is just beginning.

I would like to continue this series with list of things to do and look out for once your child and you are settled in to your new team and you can be ready for the "Now what?"

Keep in mind these should apply, for the most part, to both you and your child. So here goes:

1. Be prepared for anything.
   By this I mean, you and your child should be prepared for any and all requests that come your way. Whether the request is to do extra fitness work or volunteering, be prepared.
2. No cliques
   If your child is joining a team with other players from a previous team, make sure that he or she understands that there can be no "us and them" mentality. This is especially true with girls. Make sure that the friendships are spread amongst old and new players. It's also very incumbent on the old players to make the new players feel welcome. Whatever happens, in the end it's still a team and it will live and die by being a "TEAM".
3. Be flexible and open-minded
   Your child may be a stellar forward, but the needs of the team are at midfield. Be prepared to make that change in position because different coaches see different talents in players. Oftentimes the needs of the team will outweigh the needs of the individual. Also, keep in mind that a versatile player can be more valuable than a player that is "tied" to a position.
4. Be fit
   This should go without saying, but if your looking to qualify for the top league, in our case Lake Highlands Girls Classic League, the season starts very quickly. If your not committed by now to being in shape and ready to start a season, then it may be too late to help your team.
5. Be focused
   We all want lives and soccer should only be a part of it, but during training times, soccer should be the ONLY focus. There's a time and a place for everything else. Use the practice time wisely and efficiently. As parents, it is your duty to remind your child to stay focused and in tune with the coach and team during practices. Try to keep distractions to a minimum.
6. Finally, have fun!
   If you can't have some fun, then it's probably not worth doing. Parents have a tendency to take the fun out of things and soccer parents are no different. Ask your child if they are having fun. If the answer is no, maybe it's you. Don't be too proud. I see it everyday, you probably have, too. The overbearing parent can be a detriment to the child AND the team. Don't let it be you!

Well, I hope this was insightful and you find it helpful and useful. Please feel free to comment!

As usual, GL&HF!

Happy 4th! Hope it's dry where you live...

When did we move to Seattle? The rain just will not stop... and when you're not used to it being this rainy, it can be a real pain. It's not like when it snows here, when EVERYTHING just plain shuts down, but it sure puts a damper on outdoor activities. But most celebrations are going forward, rain or shine. So hopefully, we will get out and see some fireworks this evening! Hope you do, too!

What is this... birthday 231? or something like that? It's too bad our best years are behind us... or so the pundits would like us to believe... Oh, well, I really don't see anyone else stepping up to be #1, except for the outside possibility of China. But can you really take a country seriously, that still has third-world tendencies? Maybe they win by sheer numbers... Besides, they had their chance back when the world was a much smaller place!

Well, GL & HF!

And so it ends... finally... and the rain has NOT stopped!

My daughter finally came to a decision yesterday, and we have decided that Sting West 94G is the team of her choice. Wow, this has been an experience. Often disappointing, but inevitably rewarding as she made some new friends and is going to play with some new and old friends. So it's been a positive experience for her. Although, I felt that either club was a good choice, I was leaning more towards FT. Worth FC Red for various reasons. But it was her decision and I have tried to make things like that for her.

I want her to be responsible and accountable for the decisions she makes for herself. All I did was provide her with information and guidance. I truly believe that the problems we have with kids these days is that we don't let them make real decisions and we don't hold them accountable for those decisions they do make. We have made it too easy for them to fail and no consequences for failing. All too often I see parents blame the schools, the teachers, the coaches, the team, the whatever and never hold their own accountable for their actions. I have always tried to see it the other way around with my kids and I think it has worked... Not always to my liking, but at least the kids know that mommy and daddy won't clean up their messes!

Good luck to all you family's still seeking a team for your kids... things have a way of workiing out for the best!

(and don't forget to have fun!)

The search continues - End of Week 4

Well folks the end of open skills practices is upon us. The next phase of choosing a new team is the "actual" tryouts. I put that word, tryouts, in quotes because tryouts began a while ago, these are the "formal" tryouts, which is just a formality. If you don't have an offer from a team that is going to make, it's a mad scramble from this point forward. Fortunately, we have two firm offers and we are weighing the options carefully. We may still look at one more team in the morning...

Honestly, we were spoiled to work with Solar White first. First of all, the level of talent that team is attracting is phenomenal; secondly, the style of practice was hard, up-tempo and very beneficial, especially for my daughter. Unfortunately, no other team has been able to fully match each of those. Sting West 94 has size and talent, but our only practice experience with them was a little too laid back for my liking. Ft. Worth FC has a little less talent, but the practices are tough and a very good workout. There are other factors to consider such as club history, facilities, and future opportunities.

At least we have more concrete opportunities at this time in the process and that is a huge relief after things didn't pan out with our first two choices. I can understand Solar White but Texans West White is still a huge disappointment because of the way it was handled. It will leave a bad taste in my mouth for a while. But like anything, if the right opportunity comes along in the future I'm sure we can find a way to get past it. That's just life...

Here's the rundown for this week:

1. FWFC Red (still looking like a solid choice, FWU D3 core mostly intact; coach is inexperienced, but practices are tough)
   
2. Sting West (history with players, nice mix of size and talent; some former players are going to FWFC)
3. DFW Tornados Blue (former D2 FCD team; NO practices, that I am aware of, since return from Europe, will they even make a team?)
4. Odyssey Gold (history with the coach and a few players; new team with no LHGCL core)
5. Tejanos Premier (D2 core, been together a while; daughter not too interested, some snotty/snobby attitudes from previous experience)

Tomorrow is a big day; wish us luck!

The Search Continues... End of Week 3, Beginning of Week 4

Wish I could say all was bright and cheery in Royboy81 household, but it's not... However, it's not all bad, as I've said before every closed door opens a new one. The soccer family circle is big and sometimes that works to your benefit. As we were attending our final practice/scrimmage with Solar White, I ran into an old workmate back from my first job out of college. I knew her daughter played soccer, but I had not run into her since we played in different leagues and on different clubs. The wife had run into her at a couple of tournaments, but I hadn't. As it turns out, they were heading over to this club for another scrimmage. So we tagged along, knowing that our time with Solar was done.

Oh yeah... well, this was a couple of days after the mad caper that became of our time with the Dallas Texans West. That's a story that is not even as positive as NOT making Solar. We were looking at the #2 team in that division and they were very interested in the daughter... lo and behold, we show up for a practice and they have relegated her to the "new" third team. Now, mind you, we didn't make the Solar team, which I predict will be a force soon in Lake Highlands Classic League, but we didn't miss out by much. The injury really set her back and there were TOO many options for the coach for my daughter to overcome. Plain and simple, he could not go wrong with any of the choices, even if it wasn't my daughter. But this Texans #2 team is nowhere close to the Solar team and now they are telling us that a player they had pursued was now no longer good enough????? Come on, people. Thanks, but no thanks... Movin' on...

This new club looks like it might be a keeper as it's basis is a disbanded D3 Ft. Worth United team. Although the coach is inexperienced, the girls look good. There are some that we know so that's good. I think the coach is a bit inexperienced with respect to North Texas soccer and especially LHGCL, but he is definitely qualified from a pure soccer perspective. We will see how the practices go.

We have not ruled out a couple of other clubs. So here's the rundown:

1. FWFC Red (looking like the likely choice, FWU D3 core; coach is inexperienced, part-time goalie situation)
   
2. DFW Tornados Blue (former D2 FCD team; NO practices since return from Europe, will they make?)
3. Sting West (history with players; some former players are going to FWFC)
   
4. Odyssey Gold (history with the coach and a few players; new team with no LHGCL core)
5. Tejanos Premier (D2 core, been together a while; daughter not too interested, some snotty/snobby attitudes from previous experience)

Wow, still some decent choices. Not where we would have wanted to be at this time, but at least some doors are still open.

Almost forgot... Happy Birthday Mikey!!!

Yesterday was my oldest son's birthday... doesn't even seem that long ago...

The search continues - Start of Week 3

The weather has not been kind to our quest to find a new team for our daughter. First the injury, then camp, and the weather has been a factor throughout. In case you didn't know, after months of drought, we are smack dab in the middle of North Texas monsoon season. Now normally, we expect rain from March to June, but this year has seen the rainiest season in a LOOOONG time. May alone only had NINE days without rain... practically unheard of... Yesterday's practice with the Texans was canceled because a facility could not be found. The practice is rescheduled for Wednesday.

We had a scrimmage with Solar on Saturday in which she did well and played a good bit at multiple positions. I think the issue with Solar is finding her a position; the coach's comments to her were that he was comfortable with his center-mids and was trying to find a place for her. He likes her ability to get to tackles and win most balls. He likes her aggressiveness and toughness. He wants her to play quicker and smarter, which was interesting because I've always considered her a "heady" player but I'm sure he has his reasons. The last few positions on the team are up for grabs and the competition is tough... really tough. Honestly, whatever his decision is, he cannot go wrong based on the talent I have seen out there the last few practices. Even if he doesn't pick my daughter for the team, I can't say it was a bad decision for him and his team. Bad for us, but every closed door opens another.

Also, the list of possible teams is dwindling because my daughter does NOT want to play with one of the teams. So here is the updated list:

1. Solar White (holding out hope; down to last 3-4 positions)
   
2. Dallas Texans West White (closing the gap, nice additions are making them more attractive; down to the last few spots; now, if they would just have a practice...)
   
3. Dallas Texans Black (mainly because they are a Texans team; totally new team)
   
4. DFW Tornados Blue (making their first appearance; may move higher; going BACK to a different Tornados team would be weird)
5. Odyssey 94 Gold (also making their first appearance, previous experience with coach; a new team)

Trashing Teens; The Case Against Adolescence

A couple of interesting articles about how we, as a society, have artificially extended the length of adolescence. I find this highly interesting and see some good, salient points in the article. With three kids, all teens from early to mid to late, I can agree with a lot that is in the article from experience. Go read and make your own conclusions.

Psychology Today: Trashing Teens

Along that same vein is an article I ran across on things one needs to learn, but that are not being taught in schools. Most of these, we have tried to instill in our kids. I would say we have been most successful with the youngest, probably because WE were still learning some of these, on our own, into our adulthood! Ehhh, our parents did their best... just as we do our best.

27 Skills Your Child Needs to Know That She’s Not Getting In School

The search begins... and ends with an injury - Week 1

As noted previously, my daughter is looking for a new soccer club and we would like her to play for one of the two top clubs in the DFW area.

Generally, the Dallas Texans club is one of the best in the nation, actually they were recently ranked the #2 club for girls in the nation by SoccerAmerica. On the other hand, Solar is a great club that consistently has teams battling for league championships and state and regional titles. All Solar teams are in one of the Classic leagues - Lake Highlands, for girls, or Chamber, for boys. And the team we hope to make is already in Lake Highlands Girls Classic League, having played well enough last year to move into D2. The Texans team we are looking at will try to play in to D3 via the qualifying tournament - never a sure thing...

For the sake of this article and a with a nod to Turf Monster, I will refer to my daughter as DD. If she were a boy, she would be my BB. As in, somewhat facetiously, I assume, "darling daughter" and "baby boy". Obviously, the bulk of the membership Turf Monster, are parents. LOL

Anyway, so we also signed up our DD up for the local high school soccer camp. We figure it would be good for her to lay a little ground-work with the high school coach, even though that's over a year away. Monday morning was pretty tough, but she enjoyed the session. Tuesday morning I get a call from her... she had rolled her ankle when she slipped in mud!

We have had a really rainy May and start of June. This is following a prolonged drought. I think for the month of May, we had only 9 days WITHOUT rain. I don't think that's ever happened in my lifetime... but that's another story.

I guess, I am most upset that the high school coach and host of the camp, has not even bothered to call to check on her after four days. Most clubs canceled their open practices on Monday and Tuesday due to the rain. Most of them were only too happy to finally get them back on track on Wednesday. Of course, we did pay for the camp, and I'm sure there was some sense of obligation to have the sessions come hell or high water (damn near!), but still I think safety is a much bigger concern, especially right now as players look to make moves to new teams and are at a very unsure and unsettled time. But anyway, the point is that I would have expected him to at least called to check on her and he has not. I really don't know this fella, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but still... it is not right.

We went to the ortho this morning and she is doing much better. He said she could probably start doing some light running and try to get out on the field, errr pitch, a little. We will need to tape her ankle and she should have a brace on at all times. So that was a setback for this week, but fortunately, the cancellations helped a little. We are still at square one - looking for a team. At least the Texan and Solar coaches have been more than understanding, and so far, have not asked us to move on...

Oh, did I forget to mention she goes to church camp next week? So no soccer for another week. Hopefully, she will heal and be ready to go the following week. She will need to have a good showing as we enter July. That's when clubs can actually start handing out contracts to players. Oh, that's another good subject for an article.

Well, till next time... GL&HF!

When it's time to move on...

As I wrote previously, the end of the spring season comes the time to start evaluating and preparing for any changes. Sadly, we reached the conclusion that our daughter must move on from her current team to one that is more competitive and like-minded. That's not a knock on her current team. It's just that we have different goals and there is more urgency in our decision making based on the decisions we made for our son when he was this age. You learn from your mistakes or you are doomed to repeat them and we cannot afford to do that...

As such, we will have a busy month as we go to different open practices so she can get acclimated to the different teams and coaches. Should be fun and stressful. We are leaving a comfort zone of sure playing time and leadership to one of probable bench time and who knows what. In addition we are looking for a team playing in Lake Highlands Girls Classic League, probably the best girls soccer league in the country. Although I doubt we will find a team in the highest division, D1, I have no doubts she is ready for a team in D2 or D3 and work her way up from there. Her goal is beyond high school, although she wants to play in high school, she wants to be prepared to play in college.

Anyway, busy schedule for the month of June and the first week of July...

When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten?

Interesting article from the New York Times on age variations in kindergarten. It especially offers some insight on "redshirting" where you hold back your child and start them a year later. We did this with our daughter who has an August birthday and it was the best thing we have done for her in terms of maturity and social responsibility. We should have done the same thing with our oldest son, who has a June birthday. Although, gifted and intelligent, his immaturity from the time he was young has been a burden to him and to us. Even now, as a young adult, he struggles to put the past behind him and move on with his life. I think I can safely say that although my oldest son and daughter are different in many ways they have the same personality traits; the difference in maturity, besides the male/female differences, I can attest to holding her back a year.

So my advice to you, if you have young children, is to consider holding them back, especially if they will be one of the youngest in their class. If you hold them back one year, in turn, they will become one of the oldest in a class and hopefully, that small change will make a world of difference. Notice I said consider, as usual your mileage may vary!

Standarized Testing - Education - Schools - Test Scores - New York Times

In Vegas... Yay!

Second day in Vegas... yesterday was a blur. Ate too much, drank too much (oops, did I say that?), and definitely, didn't sleep enough. We went to bed early last night, if 2:00 a.m. is early.

7:30 a.m. is waaaay too early.














Red Rock Casino is a really, nice place! If being away from the Strip is not an issue, then I highly recommend staying here on your next visit to Las Vegas. The rooms are awesome and the restaurants are very good.

I'll post more pictures later today or tomorrow. I need to find a data cable for the wife's camera...

Recipe For A Good Marriage!

Very funny stuff here... Red was a classic!

RED SKELTON'S RECIPE FOR THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

1. Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant, have a little beverage, good food and companionship.
She goes on Tuesdays, I go on Fridays.

2. We also sleep in separate beds.
Hers is in California and mine is in Texas.

3. I take my wife everywhere.....
but she keeps finding her way back.

4. I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our
anniversary. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!"
she said.
So I suggested the kitchen.

5. We always hold hands.
If I let go, she shops.

6. She has an electric blender, electric toaster and electric
bread maker.
She said "There are too many gadgets and no place
to sit down!" . So I bought her an electric chair.

7. My wife told me the car wasn't running well because
there was water in the carburetor.
I asked where the car was; she told me "In the lake."

8. She got a mud pack and looked great for two days.
Then the mud fell off.

9. She ran after the garbage truck, yelling "Am I too late
for the garbage?" .... The driver said "No, jump in!"

10. Remember: Marriage is the number one cause of divorce.

11. I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her
first name was Always.

12. I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months.
I don't like to interrupt her.

13. The last fight was my fault though.
My wife asked "What's on the TV?"
I said "Dust!

Mother

This was forwarded to me and I'm not sure where the original came from but I thought I would post it, anyway. Maybe someone will recognize it's origins.

My mother would have been 71 on April 3rd. I miss her... lots.

"This is so beautiful---Whether your Mother has passed away or is still with you.... enjoy!

(...and I dare you to send it to your kids!!!!! )


Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk

down the street, she's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you

pick and perfume that she wore, she's the cool hand on your brow when

you're not feeling well, she's your breath in the air on a Cold winter's day. She

is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow,

she is Christmas morning. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's

crystallized in every tear drop. A mother shows every emotion....Happiness,

sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy,

sorrow....and all the while, hoping and praying you will only know the Good

feelings in life. She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's

the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your

first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, not space....not even death! Cherish her always!!"

Military family...

My family has been well-represented in modern conflicts, and, as far as I know, thankfully, no family member has lost their life fighting for our country.

The latest, is my second cousin's son, which would make him my third cousin, right? Is that the way these things work; I have never been good with the whole, second-, third-, -removed, etc. convention. Suffice it to say, this young man has always been a good, well-grounded kid, and I know his mother, Cynthia, aunt, Celia, grandmother and grandfather, Toni and Robert, are very proud. I wish him well and pray for his safety.

All I have is this scan of him being presented with his Army Ranger tab, by my cousin, Joe, a Vietnam veteran. I really have special feelings for Vietnam vets, because of the way they were treated back home and the problems they faced, while in-country and upon returning. I really appreciate the efforts of people like this...

Good luck and God speed, Jesse!



My cousin, David, let me know that this scan was from the San Patricio News, in Sinton, TX. Didn't want this article to go uncredited. Thanks, David!

Oldest is movin' on...

My oldest son moved out this weekend. Can't say it wasn't about time, but then again seeing your kids move on is tough. He was a lot of help around here, then again, he was a pain at times. You know, he is an adult, so he wanted to do "adult" things which very much was counter to good night's sleep and well-being of the wife :o. You know if moma ain't happy, nobody's happy, right? Lots of contention at times, but we still love him and wish him well. I fixed him with a goody package tonight, cuz I'm cool like that... I figured I was still shopping for five during that weekly trip to Sam's and Wal-Mart, so I set him up for a week or two. He is a good cook, like his pops!

This is one of my wife's favorite recent skits on Saturday Night Live... Enjoy!

Lunch Conversation...

You have to understand that after a lifetime (well 43, err 44 years...) of being overweight, my wife and I, together, have lost about 90 lbs since last spring/summer with more to come... So here's a snippet of our conversation at lunch:

Brenda: "I am full. So why am I still eating?"
Me (trying to be all supportive): "Ummm, you haven't eaten that much... you still have stuff on your plate?"
Brenda: "I said I was full; I didn't say I was done!"

We laughed... Losing weight can be a challenge!

Pit Bulls - Fact and Fiction

Found this article on one of the 2000 Bloggers sites... We have a pit bull, Duke, and he's the most sincere and fun dog we have, however, I think that's his handiwork on the bannister. We also have a Catahoula (Armani, don't ask) and a Redbone Coonhound (Reba, get it - the red hair and Reba McIntyre, the country singer), but Duke is the most well behaved of them all. Binary Blonde writes an interesting article on facts and non-facts about the breed, which is actually three different breeds. I didn't know that! Anyway, good read here.