At Our Practice Field
Sometimes things get very weird.
This was the scene when we arrived.
!?
Can you say weird?
U12 Lightning's Home
!?
Can you say weird?
Exhibition/Practice Match Saturday
We have our regular practice this Saturday at 9AM, immediately followed by an exhibition/practice match at 11AM against a U12/U13 team. Players are asked to wear their full uniforms.
If your son will not be there please let us know ASAP.
Please bring plenty of water, and snacks for your son, and apply sunscreen if desired.
Britannia vs Britannia West
Thursday's practice is at Grandeur (called Britannia West). Since there are no real goal posts there, and since we have noticed that Britannia football field has been empty for the last 2 or 3 weeks, we might just walk over there if is empty again.
We still head to Grandeur field as usual ay 6:15PM.
Oh My, Thunder, Funnel Clouds, Tornadoes and... No Game
The kids saw funnel Clouds and Tornadoes, the ref. called it off. It was going to be a good game!
By the way, rules state that a match must have been 3/4rs completed for it to count. So it will be rescheduled for some other time, starting 0-0.
Video:
And some played darts instead...
Support for Hay Mu's Family
As you may have read in the newspaper over the last week, Hay Mu, a teenager that came to Canada as a Karen refugee from Burma, died in a tragic drowning accident. It was the 2nd death of a son for the family, with the first one having occurred at the refugee camp a couple of years ago. There is a connection with our team and we feel deeply their loss.
While we are at a loss of words, those who wish to help pay for funeral expenses may do so as per instructions below, with discretion.
"Please makes donations by cheque payable directly to Moo Htaw, Hay Mu's father.
Cheque and cash donations can be delivered to Quichua International at the following two locations, 175 Sparks Street(between Bank and O'Connor) or 325 Richmond Road, (corner of Richmond Road and Churchill Ave.). Please deliver your donation in a sealed envelope.
KLEO's (Karen Learning and Education Opportunities) mailing address is 2009-465 Richmond Road, Ottawa, Ont. K2A 1Z1. Cheques to Moo Htaw.
Many thanks for your thoughtfulness for this grieving family".
There is no tax receipt. Donations go straight to the family. For any questions, please contact Raul, or if it more convenient you may also make a donation through him and it will be delivered to the Richmond Rd. location ASAP.
Video Analysis Match June 21
Mr. M. was kind enough to tape many segments of our last match, focusing on our defense, including all 5 goals by the opponents.
Our defense in the first half was not positioned properly and was not providing support for the outside Defenders. Other highlights, some included and others not included in the video below, were some "watching of the ball" and letting the opponents take shots, and general lack of aggressiveness in taking the ball away.
Players of the Week for June 15 to 23
These are the Players of the Week for June 15 to 23.
For coming to every practice, focusing, paying attention, working very hard, playing hard during matches, and always giving 100% effort, etc.
Aidan,
Alex,
Cameron,
Francois,
Gustavo,
Mekuria,
Thank you! The coaches really appreciate it.
Thunder, and Practice Saturday
After the rain fiasco yesterday (it never actually rained, but we could not play as there was lightning in the distance), practice Saturday is at 2PM, rain or shine. A fun match follows at 4PM, and several players have been invited.
Parents are reminded that in case of thunder and lightning they must be around to pick their sons up.
See you Saturday!
The Amazing Khalilullah Khan. Can You Beat His Time?
A six-year-old Mississauga boy set an unofficial world record in the Slainte St. Patrick's Day Five-kilometre Run in Hamilton. Khalilullah Khan completed the course in 23 minutes, 33 seconds.
Everything is possible!
"Khizer Khan, who trains and runs with his five sons, said his youngest boy has improved immensely since he began running one year ago.
"We always knew he had something in him," he said. "From the youngest age, he ran around like a windup toy. Effectively, I thought he'd be a fairly decent runner from the onset. He just got better and better within months."
His training regimen typically consists of one slow run of five to eight kilometres each weekend, another faster run and speed intervals during the week.
Khan's father said he and his other children help Khan whenever they can.
"Everybody knows how to run, but they don't necessarily know the strategies like how to keep a pace or the final kilometre kick," he said. "All of his races, I run alongside him and typically work as his pace bunny."
Khan has competed in several five-kilometre races and plans to run the Mississauga Marathon.
MVPs for Match vs Hotspurs
In some matches a few players stand out. Here are a couple of notable players for last night.
- Francois for playing hard, trying to win - and winning - balls, tackling (fair), and putting his skin at risk for the team
- Noah for the 2 goals scored, for his speed, and for creating opportunities
Match June 21
It was a great effort on the 2nd half (score was 2-2 on that half, tieing the Hotspurs!) :-)
Another 2 goals for the team, 2 beauties by Noah, and one left footed!
Not sure what was going on here. Ball is on left side!?
Bbq
A beautiful day for adventures involving suntanning girls, getting lost in Mud lake, confronting guys with knives - food, ice cream and lots of fun.
Players of the Week, June 8 to 14
These are the Players of the Week for June 8 to 14.
For coming to every practice, focusing, paying attention, working hard, and playing hard and always giving 100% effort, etc
Alex,
Cameron,
Dylan,
Francois,
Gustavo,
Mekuria
Our First Point
Oh Yes! Play hard and you can do it!
So many smiles! The kids got their first point, and against an OSU team.
Our players played really hard tonight. Well done, well done.
Our Hard Working Parents
Day in and day out, flawlessly and tirelessly setting up our home field, putting and removing the net and the corner flags. Thank you!
Practice June 9
That was a really good session last night. The kids enjoyed "the radar" and the "tennis balls", and of course, we have the nicest field in town.
Players of the Week June 1 to June 7
Here are the players of the week for June 1 to June 7
Aidan,
Alex,
Dylan,
Gustavo,
Solan,
Jacob,
Francois,
John,
Shar,
Peter
For coming to all practices, working hard, being on time, focusing, always paying attention to the coaches, and participating in all activities (including fitness).
Congratulations to all.
The '100' Keeper
During the Icebreaker the kids were asking if keepers could score. I mentioned that my home team's gk has scored over official 100 goals as a keeper.
This video shows all his official 100 goals.
Incidentally, last night, Rogerio Ceni played on his 100th consecutive match for the team - no breaks at all, a 1-0 win, and his latest 3rd consecutive game with no goals against. Amazing.
Ceni was on the Brazilian squad in the Japan/Korea WC and has won three World titles with Sao Paulo FC (Beating Milan, Barcelona FC, and Liverpool), besides several Brazilian championships.
Baseline Testing
Our players safety is of paramount concern to the coaches. Please read below about baseline testing and concussions in soccer and what parents can do - before it happens.
"You could preface this with our experience with our 12-year-old who got a concussion when he was fouled by an opponent when running full-speed in early May, and landed on his head. Hospital diagnosed it as a mild concussion, and he's been taking it easy (avoiding high-impact physical activities) for a month. But he had another (less severe) fall on his head in a game this weekend; and the dizziness and blurred vision returned.
I wish we already had the baseline test results that Carleton U can provide; to help gauge my son's recovery progress. And I recommend this as a pretty economical safety measure for youths who are involved in competitive contact sports like soccer, hockey, etc…
I'm taking my whole family to get the baseline testing this week"
Signs observed:
- Appears to be dazed or stunned
- Is confused about assignment
- Forgets plays
- Is unsure of game, score, or opponent
- Moves clumsily
- Answers questions slowly
- Loses consciousness (even temporarily)
- Shows behaviour or personality change
- Forgets events prior to hit (retrograde amnesia)
- Forgets events after hit (anterograde amnesia)
Signs reported by athlete:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Balance problems or dizziness
- Double or fuzzy vision
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Feeling sluggish
- Feeling "foggy"
- Change in sleep pattern
- Concentration or memory problems
______________________________________________
Some info on "neurocognitive" baseline testing that is available at the Carleton U Sports Medicine Clinic.
Back in March, a friend mentioned a group at the Carleton Univ Sports Medicine Clinic who offer base-line "neurocognitive" testing for individuals. Idea being to gather some baseline metrics on a person's cognitive ability, so healing can be better 'measured' in the event of any future concussion/brain injury.
Cost for the baseline testing is $30.
I wish I'd taken the whole family for this testing before Matt got injured… Then we could have gone-back to do comparative testing during the past month.
I called, spoke with Bruce Marshall, head therapist at Carleton U (613-520-5623), and got this info:
· Baseline testing costs $30, takes appx 30minutest per person, and can be done during evenings. They can test 2 or 3 people at a time.
· Call 613-520-5623 to book appointment.
· They're located in the Carleton U Athletic Centre, same building as the Tim Horton's, just South of Keith Harris stadium. Enter the doors from parking lot and take a quick Left toward the "Athlete Therapy Clinic". Ask for Bruce Marshall.
Things Not To Do On a Field
I am falling off my chair laughing, from Brazilian TV:
Just don't do it, ok?
Spectacular Alexandria
A beautiful place it is! The coach was also a really nice fellow, and their kids were nice too.
A bit of an apres-tournament let down, and that was expected. However, it should be pointed out that Glengarry finished 1st last year in the U11. They chose this year not to go into Premier for reasons related to not having enough players around there.
Braden and Noah scored goals, but the ref. did not see Noah's goal. The other coach confirmed Noah's goal. We are told that rectifying this officially can't be done, but it does not matter, Noah scored a beautiful goal. Both goals actually were beauties.
I want to pass on their coach's comments about our players after the game. These were made when we we were getting into our (very full) cars after the match:
"you guys are good players" "you just need to work on being more aggressive".
New Display Option For Online Fitness System
Please note that we have added a new display option for our online fitness system. The new display sheet is accessed through the menu on the top left (please see image capture below). It shows the totals for each player for each month, as well as the team totals.
The system can be accessed through here to enter data, or here to view responses, both links available under Favorite Sites on the right hand menu.
Please use it! :-)
Tournament stories
1. When we won the penalty shootout on Sunday's 1st match, the keeper for the other tream was very upset and inconsolable, so I went to talk to him. I told him he was a very good keeper who had made many saves to prevent us from scoring, which was very true. After our 2nd match against them later, when players were shaking hands, he saw me and recognized me, and I asked him: "what did I tell you?" He said "that I was a good keeper". He smiled from ear to ear, we hugged, and he said a heartful thanks.
2. Dylan came running to see me to tell me that "next tournament we will do better, and the one after that, we will win".
This is why coaches are coaches.
Tournament Notes
The great.
First of all, the parents efforts on the weekend with the long tournament are immensely appreciated. Thank you.
2nd, a huge thank you to Deb for keeping us on track this weekend, from verifying what we needed to do ahead of time, from entering the players info (including OSA numbers), generating the game sheets, going to registration on Thursday night, and then keeping track of everything on the weekend. Saturday night I was trying to figure out the bizarre tournament schematics and I gave up.
That was an awesome and very long "never-ending" tournament, and a great showing by our team until they tired out. The tournament was very well organized, from the coaches perspective, and good refereeing. 7 matches later, we think it was a great learning experience for our kids. It helped them realize what it takes to win and play at the next level: play a lot more aggressively, much harder, run faster, give 100% effort and focus all the time - including practices. It is clear that we need to improve our fitness as the team's energy sagged in the last matches of every day. We had 5 very, very close 0 or 1-goal difference matches, and our very first penalty shootout, which we won! (see video).
We had a fantastic shootout, with 4 of our players scoring, including our keeper, and him also saving two opponents' shots. We had practiced PKs in our last practice, and our keeper was instructed to stay in the center because balls would be shot at or near him.
The players talked the coach into DQ, so DQ they got.
Next 3
The level of play improved for sure, but we now have 3 very difficult matches in a row, so parents should be patient and supportive. Two of the teams we had very close matches on the weekend are in our own league, but they will only come up later in the season.
The not so good.
Please remember that is against our code of conduct for players or parents to complain or argue coaches' decisions, including playing time.
We have a fair play policy but as this is competitive league players are not guaranteed equal playing time, the coaches make the decision they think it's best for the team at every moment. We are working very hard on the players' development, on our own time and away from our families. We are not paid for this or to be treated harshly, and we do so at our own cost. Playing time must be earned - by the players.
Players should realize that they get 3 days of soccer a week from the coaches, 2 days for practices and 1 day for match. In addition, our practices (2h and 3h each) are longer than 99% of other teams. That is around 385 to 400 minutes per week (not counting the optional fourth night we just added). Overall, the difference between when they are active doing or playing soccer or not is quite small (i.e, playing time in this is a small part). Players should not come just to play matches. Players must come to work very hard, learn, and focus during practices - not just playing matches. Unlike other clubs we try hard to make every player play in every match. Also, please understand that shift times are mostly beyond our control as there are strict rules and limits on when players can and cannot go in, and we realize a lot of this is unknown to parents, as is a zillion other things that are going on.
It is a team effort. One of our most skilled players will no longer be playing due to indiscipline and unwillingness to practice hard. What happened then: the team improved. Nobody is irreplaceable. Do practice hard, there is no other option.
The players get a fourth fitness night a week, starting this week, see previous post
Set the example.
While parents sit on the sidelines and watch, the coaches have to deal with a whole lot more complicated issues. Another team also harassed one of our players, and several players were swearing, we can't do much about them. Guess what their kids learn and how they will behave.
Please remember: Everything coaches and parents do will be emulated by the children.
4th Night Offered: Fitness
A 4th night a week for fitness is now been offered by the coach. The first night is today, 5PM or 5:30PM, starting at Lincoln Heigths park. Please contact Raul. It will consist of a long run, speed training, and body building.
This night will not have attendance taken, but players must work on their fitness on their own time too.
Tournament, Sunday
Some photos and videos from Sunday.
What happened to the players' legs?
Some were having fun!
Let's see, who is paying attention to the coach?
Coach promised DQ, and Mystery player with no face.
DQ fun
Videos:
Penalty shootout:
Sunday jokes:
Icebreaker Saturday
Next Match is Sunday 8AM, followed by another match later!
Great job by our players today.
Some pics from today:
Telling jokes.
Peter and his riddles.
That must have been a good one!
Wait, I know one too!
Was that supposed to be a joke?
But of course!
Race Weekends Pictures 2
Official pictures and videos from our players at the National Capital Race Weekend were released today.
(click to enlarge)
Practice June 2
1,000 years ago...
Singing for him, who was away... Gee, he would be 1,012 years old?
Player of the Month For May
The Player of the Month for the month of May is.... David. David was Player of the Week for all weeks in May.
David is always focused, comes to every single practice, always works hard, and on top of that submitted 4 entries on the fitness system (the most of any player, tied with Gustavo).
He will receive another gift as a big thank you from the coaches who could not be happier.
Honourable mention goes to Alex.
Players of the Week May 24-May 31
Here are the players of the week for May 24 to May 31.
Alex,
David,
Jacob,
For coming to all practices, focusing, and participating in all activities (including fitness runs).
Congratulations to all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
