Many school sports teams are now starting to create their own websites to keep fans and players alike abreast of all the up to the minute news.
One of the latest to join the soccer information superhighway is New Albany High School’s girls’ team (freeteams.net/NAHSGirlsSoccer).
The site has many sections, including previous years statistics, the latest news and schedules for varsity and junior varsity, an archive section and a links page.
Web administrator Judy Hoke said there will be constant updates to news and photos as the imminent fall season begins to unfold.
“Fans can also leave good luck messages on the forum on the website,” she said.
New Albany kicks off its season at the Floyd Central jamboree on August 15, which we will have more on next week.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Javanon '91 -- national finalists
There was heartbreak for Javanon '91 at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Lancaster, Massachusetts at the weekend after South Carolina's Discoveries SC Green foiled Louisville's finest not just once, but twice.
Having got off to a flyer with a 3-1 victory in its opener against New York's East Fishkill Thunder, and then securing a point in a 1-1 tie against Westside Metros Internationals of Oregon, Javanon found Discoveries too good in the final group game, losing 4-2.
However, Graham Merryweather's boys had accumulated enough points in the round-robin to earn themselves a final berth and a rematch against the number one ranked team in the nation.
The championship decider didn't start well for Javanon, with Enzo Marinez putting Discoveries up after seven minutes. Then the promising Juan Velasquez, Golden Boot recipient with five goals, doubled the lead with a 44th minute strike.
Javanon fought back with goal six minutes later from Vinny Paiva, and piled on the pressure in the dying minutes without any reward.
There was some consolation for the team, as it received the U18 Fair Play Award.
Jacob Kemper celebrates his goal against Discoveries in the group stages with Kyle Shickel
Assistant coach Lee Weyland said the boys completed a phenomenal season, culminating in a "heartbreaking" loss.
"We are only the third team from Kentucky to ever play in the national championship final and I am proud of every player and how they represented our state by earning the Fair Play Award," he said. “This is a memorable experience for the players, who have achieved something that most youth soccer players only get to dream about.”
Vinny Paiva, scorer in the championship game, said it was a great experience he was privileged to have been a part of.
"I got to spend a week with 18 of the best soccer players I know. And to have been able to make it to the finals and compete for a national championship was great," he said. "It saddened many of the players to lose but when you look back on it, second in the nation isn't bad at all. I'm just glad I got to be a part of it."
This was the first time that Louisville, or indeed Kentucky, had two teams at the national championships in the same year. It produced national champions in 1997 (U16 boys) and 2006 (U19 boys).
The second team at the championships was Javanon '92, returning to the big stage after defending its Midwest regional crown with a penalty shootout victory against Chicago Fire Juniors.
The U17 section was tough to say the least, with six of the best teams in the US challenging for the title.
In its first game, Tim Chastonay's charges faced Lower Merion Velez of Pennsylvania, a team it beat 2-1 at last year's competition in Little Rock, Arkansas. Despite going 1-0 up with a 29th minute goal from South Oldham HS's Will Vitalis – who also scored when the teams last met -- Javanon conceded four without reply.
Unfortunately, it didn't get any better, as the boys lost to CZ Elite of California South 4-0, and rounded out its tournament with a close 1-0 defeat to Triangle United of North Carolina. CZ Elite won the title, beating Triangle 3-2 in the championship decider.
The US Youth Soccer series began with over 10,000 teams and 185,000 players competing for 55 state association titles. Twelve national champions were crowned in Massachusetts from U14 to U19, both boys and girls.
Having got off to a flyer with a 3-1 victory in its opener against New York's East Fishkill Thunder, and then securing a point in a 1-1 tie against Westside Metros Internationals of Oregon, Javanon found Discoveries too good in the final group game, losing 4-2.
However, Graham Merryweather's boys had accumulated enough points in the round-robin to earn themselves a final berth and a rematch against the number one ranked team in the nation.
The championship decider didn't start well for Javanon, with Enzo Marinez putting Discoveries up after seven minutes. Then the promising Juan Velasquez, Golden Boot recipient with five goals, doubled the lead with a 44th minute strike.
Javanon fought back with goal six minutes later from Vinny Paiva, and piled on the pressure in the dying minutes without any reward.
There was some consolation for the team, as it received the U18 Fair Play Award.
Jacob Kemper celebrates his goal against Discoveries in the group stages with Kyle Shickel
Assistant coach Lee Weyland said the boys completed a phenomenal season, culminating in a "heartbreaking" loss.
"We are only the third team from Kentucky to ever play in the national championship final and I am proud of every player and how they represented our state by earning the Fair Play Award," he said. “This is a memorable experience for the players, who have achieved something that most youth soccer players only get to dream about.”
Vinny Paiva, scorer in the championship game, said it was a great experience he was privileged to have been a part of.
"I got to spend a week with 18 of the best soccer players I know. And to have been able to make it to the finals and compete for a national championship was great," he said. "It saddened many of the players to lose but when you look back on it, second in the nation isn't bad at all. I'm just glad I got to be a part of it."
This was the first time that Louisville, or indeed Kentucky, had two teams at the national championships in the same year. It produced national champions in 1997 (U16 boys) and 2006 (U19 boys).
The second team at the championships was Javanon '92, returning to the big stage after defending its Midwest regional crown with a penalty shootout victory against Chicago Fire Juniors.
The U17 section was tough to say the least, with six of the best teams in the US challenging for the title.
In its first game, Tim Chastonay's charges faced Lower Merion Velez of Pennsylvania, a team it beat 2-1 at last year's competition in Little Rock, Arkansas. Despite going 1-0 up with a 29th minute goal from South Oldham HS's Will Vitalis – who also scored when the teams last met -- Javanon conceded four without reply.
Unfortunately, it didn't get any better, as the boys lost to CZ Elite of California South 4-0, and rounded out its tournament with a close 1-0 defeat to Triangle United of North Carolina. CZ Elite won the title, beating Triangle 3-2 in the championship decider.
The US Youth Soccer series began with over 10,000 teams and 185,000 players competing for 55 state association titles. Twelve national champions were crowned in Massachusetts from U14 to U19, both boys and girls.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
High School changes boost regional hopes
High School changes boost regional hopes
With the 2009 spring travel soccer season now a memory, thoughts are turning to the fall high school campaign.
There will be some 288 member schools offering boys' soccer in Indiana and this year's alignment will see just one minor change in the sectional championship.
However, the most significant change as far as teams in Floyd and Clark county are concerned is the fact that the regional championships will not feature reigning champion Columbus North, even if it does win its sectional again. That’s because the Bulldogs will now host a sectional in which its winner will move forward to the East Central regional instead of the one hosted here by Floyd Central.
Sectional 60 will feature Floyd Central, New Albany, North Harrison, Corydon Central and Silver Creek. Salem, which reached last year's final against champion New Albany, will now be in Sectional 57 with Seymour, Trinity Lutheran, Austin and Brown County.
Sectional 59, which includes Jeffersonville, Rock Creek Academy, Providence, Charlestown and Christian Academy of Indiana, doesn't change.
The sectional tournament will take place on October 8 and 10, with the regional competition being played on October 14 and 17.
Meanwhile, the area's girls' teams will play in the eight team Sectional 28, which will include defending champion Floyd Central, New Albany, Providence, Jeffersonville, North Harrison, Corydon, Silver Creek and newcomers Charlestown. Games will be played on October 12, 13, 15, and 17.
A record 249 member schools look like offering women's soccer this fall (245 entered the state tournament last year). It is just seven short of the 256 schools needed to consider class soccer.
With the 2009 spring travel soccer season now a memory, thoughts are turning to the fall high school campaign.
There will be some 288 member schools offering boys' soccer in Indiana and this year's alignment will see just one minor change in the sectional championship.
However, the most significant change as far as teams in Floyd and Clark county are concerned is the fact that the regional championships will not feature reigning champion Columbus North, even if it does win its sectional again. That’s because the Bulldogs will now host a sectional in which its winner will move forward to the East Central regional instead of the one hosted here by Floyd Central.
Sectional 60 will feature Floyd Central, New Albany, North Harrison, Corydon Central and Silver Creek. Salem, which reached last year's final against champion New Albany, will now be in Sectional 57 with Seymour, Trinity Lutheran, Austin and Brown County.
Sectional 59, which includes Jeffersonville, Rock Creek Academy, Providence, Charlestown and Christian Academy of Indiana, doesn't change.
The sectional tournament will take place on October 8 and 10, with the regional competition being played on October 14 and 17.
Meanwhile, the area's girls' teams will play in the eight team Sectional 28, which will include defending champion Floyd Central, New Albany, Providence, Jeffersonville, North Harrison, Corydon, Silver Creek and newcomers Charlestown. Games will be played on October 12, 13, 15, and 17.
A record 249 member schools look like offering women's soccer this fall (245 entered the state tournament last year). It is just seven short of the 256 schools needed to consider class soccer.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Javanon teams head to nationals -- though you wouldn't know it!
(Published Evening News & Tribune, June 30 '09)
.jpeg)
Javanon 91
Last Wednesday was important for United States soccer.
Beating Spain -- the number one ranked team in the world -- in the FIFA Confederations Cup by a 2-0 scoreline brought with it publicity not normally associated with the sport in this country. Spain had not lost a game in its last 35, so it was a big deal. Really.
And it became water cooler talk. Or toilet talk, depending on where you like to have your work conversations.
Then Team USA almost beat Brazil -- sure to become the new No. 1 nation in FIFA rankings -- in the final. Finding itself up 2-0 at the half, Bob Bradley’s boys succumbed to the mass yellow wave in the second 45 minutes, conceding three.
For those that don't know, the competition --- the eighth time it's been held -- is a dress rehearsal to the World Cup, held one year before the main event. It takes place in the World Cup host city -- in this case South Africa -- in preparation for the biggest and most widely viewed sports event on the planet (Yes, it is has more viewers than the Olympics.)
It comprises the current champion from each continent (or confederation), the hosts, and the current World Cup champion. Participating nations also welcome the opportunity to play in stadia being used in a year's time, not to mention acclimatizing to what will be unusual weather for this event, as it will take place during South Africa's winter.
So while the performances brought a timely boost to the squad and attracted attention from those normally oblivious to all matters soccer, it is getting a little ahead of ourselves to believe the US will be winning the 2010 World Cup.
What it has done, though, is give a confidence to the US, as well as show the world that the team is a force to be reckoned with.
On the same day, Javanon Soccer Club from Louisville won two US Youth Soccer Region II titles in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Altogether, some 212 teams from 13 states battled for a place at the national championships in Lancaster, Massachusetts from July 21-26.
You wouldn't have known it in the immediate aftermath, however, if you had been depending on the Derby City's broadcast and print media to provide you information on it.
While it had no problem jumping on the US/Confederations Cup bandwagon, it practically ignored the achievements of local youth soccer players. But the irony is that if the USA's performances get more people interested in the game -- and playing it -- then more people might want to know about achievements like Javanon's.
Both teams feature players from southern Indiana. Javanon '92, winning its second consecutive regional title, has amongst its ranks defender Trevor Bruner from Jeffersonville, while Javanon '91 includes Nathan Driggers, a graduate of New Albany High School and now playing college soccer with Ohio State.
Javanon 92
Javanon '92s final victory was a thriller. Facing the mighty Chicago Fire Juniors, the game remained scoreless for 90 minutes, but Javanon exploded in the fourth minute of overtime with a Dimitri DeChurch-Silva goal. However, Juniors equalized to take the game to penalties.
With the Illinois champion missing one early, and with Javanon’s first four spot kick takers all hitting the net, the stage was set for keeper Taylor Hafling to make himself a hero and he duly obliged when saving Chicago Fire’s final penalty.
On a nearby field, Javanon '91 was going for its first ever Midwest regional title in a final showdown with last year's finalist Scott Gallagher from St Louis, Missouri.
The game was scoreless after regulation time in a tight encounter, but the deadlock was broken by a 94th minute effort from Vincius Paiva and coach Graham Merryweather’s boys held on to make it a historic double for Javanon.
The squad, sicx time state champion, features a core of eight players who have been together since U-11. Driggers, normally deployed as a striker, has stepped in as Javanon's central attacking midfielder, a move which seems to have worked well.
Meanwhile, Javanon is appealing for donations to help with the huge expense that will be incurred traveling to Lancaster. If anyone can help, they can contact the club's development director, Kay Maum, at 502-299-3865.
.jpeg)
Javanon 91
Last Wednesday was important for United States soccer.
Beating Spain -- the number one ranked team in the world -- in the FIFA Confederations Cup by a 2-0 scoreline brought with it publicity not normally associated with the sport in this country. Spain had not lost a game in its last 35, so it was a big deal. Really.
And it became water cooler talk. Or toilet talk, depending on where you like to have your work conversations.
Then Team USA almost beat Brazil -- sure to become the new No. 1 nation in FIFA rankings -- in the final. Finding itself up 2-0 at the half, Bob Bradley’s boys succumbed to the mass yellow wave in the second 45 minutes, conceding three.
For those that don't know, the competition --- the eighth time it's been held -- is a dress rehearsal to the World Cup, held one year before the main event. It takes place in the World Cup host city -- in this case South Africa -- in preparation for the biggest and most widely viewed sports event on the planet (Yes, it is has more viewers than the Olympics.)
It comprises the current champion from each continent (or confederation), the hosts, and the current World Cup champion. Participating nations also welcome the opportunity to play in stadia being used in a year's time, not to mention acclimatizing to what will be unusual weather for this event, as it will take place during South Africa's winter.
So while the performances brought a timely boost to the squad and attracted attention from those normally oblivious to all matters soccer, it is getting a little ahead of ourselves to believe the US will be winning the 2010 World Cup.
What it has done, though, is give a confidence to the US, as well as show the world that the team is a force to be reckoned with.
On the same day, Javanon Soccer Club from Louisville won two US Youth Soccer Region II titles in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Altogether, some 212 teams from 13 states battled for a place at the national championships in Lancaster, Massachusetts from July 21-26.
You wouldn't have known it in the immediate aftermath, however, if you had been depending on the Derby City's broadcast and print media to provide you information on it.
While it had no problem jumping on the US/Confederations Cup bandwagon, it practically ignored the achievements of local youth soccer players. But the irony is that if the USA's performances get more people interested in the game -- and playing it -- then more people might want to know about achievements like Javanon's.
Both teams feature players from southern Indiana. Javanon '92, winning its second consecutive regional title, has amongst its ranks defender Trevor Bruner from Jeffersonville, while Javanon '91 includes Nathan Driggers, a graduate of New Albany High School and now playing college soccer with Ohio State.
Javanon 92
Javanon '92s final victory was a thriller. Facing the mighty Chicago Fire Juniors, the game remained scoreless for 90 minutes, but Javanon exploded in the fourth minute of overtime with a Dimitri DeChurch-Silva goal. However, Juniors equalized to take the game to penalties.
With the Illinois champion missing one early, and with Javanon’s first four spot kick takers all hitting the net, the stage was set for keeper Taylor Hafling to make himself a hero and he duly obliged when saving Chicago Fire’s final penalty.
On a nearby field, Javanon '91 was going for its first ever Midwest regional title in a final showdown with last year's finalist Scott Gallagher from St Louis, Missouri.
The game was scoreless after regulation time in a tight encounter, but the deadlock was broken by a 94th minute effort from Vincius Paiva and coach Graham Merryweather’s boys held on to make it a historic double for Javanon.
The squad, sicx time state champion, features a core of eight players who have been together since U-11. Driggers, normally deployed as a striker, has stepped in as Javanon's central attacking midfielder, a move which seems to have worked well.
Meanwhile, Javanon is appealing for donations to help with the huge expense that will be incurred traveling to Lancaster. If anyone can help, they can contact the club's development director, Kay Maum, at 502-299-3865.
Friday, June 26, 2009
New Balls Please!
Children in Kenya are replacing soccer balls made out of garbage bags for the real deal thanks to local generosity.
Southern Indiana's Net-Surfers are among those helping the Hearts4Kenya charity, and the all-girls' team recently donated 20 balls, which made it to Africa with volunteer Sara Dickman, former varsity girls' soccer coach with New Albany HS.
Also helping the cause are Kraatz Sporting Goods, which has donated 25 balls, and The Quest Class of Trinity Methodist Church, giving 10 balls and 10 hand pumps. Uniform sets were also donated by various local schools.
Dickman said children of all ages play the game in Kenya, usually with a group of discarded garbage bags that are wound with any available string.
"These balls have an amazing bounce but are not close to the touch of a regulation size leather ball," she said.
She added that the regulation balls are a "gift from heaven" to the schools and orphanages in the rural communities of Oyugis and Amani, while the uniforms help the children play in tournaments.
"There will be young men and women who will have qualified to participate in a tournament, but thought they could not as they didn't have the required shirts," said Dickman.
"It is amazing that we put our players in shin guards, long socks, arch supports and braces, and a good pair of cleats. In this area of Kenya, in order to participate in tournaments the teams must have one game ball per team, and matching uniform shirts. Every other part of the uniform may be mis-matched or missing. Most of the players we have watched play barefooted.
“Every year at least one boys' team and one girls' team is able to advance due to the generosity of this community."
Net-Surfers' secretary Jamie Fischer said that this is the second time the club has donated balls to the cause.
"As a club, we feel this a worthwhile endeavor to help kids in a less fortunate situation enjoy the game of soccer," said Fischer. "We want to thank Southern Indiana United U16 coach Bruce Rigsby for helping us obtain the soccer balls at a very reasonable rate and providing them to us for the donation."
Hearts4Kenya, a charity based in Louisville, helps combat poverty, hunger and disease in small, agrarian communities in the Nyanza province of Kenya. Now in its 11th year, it has successfully completed a wide range of projects, including the construction or repair of several churches, clinics, orphanages, playgrounds and a tree nursery.
In recent years, hybrid seed, fertilizer and the instruction of irrigation and planting techniques have been introduced, enabling the people to become self-sufficient.
For more information on the charity, log on to : www.heartsforkenya.org
Pictured above: Children in Oyugis, Kenya play with one of locally donated soccer balls.
Charity soccer auction in Molly's
While we are on the subject of charity work, autographed team jerseys from Tim Howard and Freddy Adu will be among the items you can bid on during a fundraising soccer memorabilia auction being held at Molly Malone's Bar on Baxter Avenue (8 p.m.)
There will also be a World Cup trivia contest and juggling contest, while we are told there will also be soccer celebrities from around the world.
The evening will benefit the Derby City Kicks Back charity, which supports other charities such as Soccer For Kids' Sake, which provides inner city soccer programs, and the Adam Bender Foundation, which brings sports awareness and opportunity to physically challenged children.
Tickets are $50 at the door, or $25 in advance. And if you mention the password 'Man City' the night of the event, you can get in for half price. For more information, call Molly Malone's at (502) 473-1222.
There will also be a World Cup trivia contest and juggling contest, while we are told there will also be soccer celebrities from around the world.
The evening will benefit the Derby City Kicks Back charity, which supports other charities such as Soccer For Kids' Sake, which provides inner city soccer programs, and the Adam Bender Foundation, which brings sports awareness and opportunity to physically challenged children.
Tickets are $50 at the door, or $25 in advance. And if you mention the password 'Man City' the night of the event, you can get in for half price. For more information, call Molly Malone's at (502) 473-1222.
The benefits of staying put
Last week, I touched on the issue of how the standard of soccer in southern Indiana could be improved if the will was there.
I felt it was a topic worth discussing because five of the best teams from Southern Indiana United and Net-Surfers went to the preliminary rounds of the Indiana State Cup recently, played 15 games, and came home without a single win.
There are many ways improvements could be made, and I mentioned just a few. An adequate indoor sports facility would be a big plus, and a number inside the game have suggested this could be supported by the parks department. Another is the addition of tournament standard fields, which wold bring in significant revenue.
The need for organized soccer leagues in elementary and middle schools; a successful academy system for those being introduced to the game for the first time; having a paid staff at club level; and the recruitment of the finest coaches who could attract players to local clubs are also worth noting.
So too is a unity from everyone in the area who has a common dream or goal for the benefit of the soccer community. All easier said than done, I know.
When the best teams are across the river, and the opportunity to play against top opponents regularly and be noticed for college scholarships is dangled carrot-like in your direction, it is hard to resist, and therein lies the difficulty in stemming a tide going in the opposite direction.
Therefore keeping players locally is a problem, but there are now some returning after a stint in Louisville. It’s a start.
Debbie Webb, SIU's vice president with responsibility for select soccer, said they are coming back for a number of reasons.
"Some are returning because they did not make a Louisville team, but also some are coming back because of the cost and the family friendly atmosphere that SIU offers," said Webb.
"Many see Javanon, United and Mockingbird as a better program but I guess it all depends what you are looking for in a travel soccer program. It is true that Javanon, United and Mockingbird have many more state, regional and national championships than SIU will ever have, but there is no guarantee that switching from SIU to one of these clubs will assure you a spot on a winning team. The skill level from age group to age group is not the same."
One to return is Jacob Trulock, who plays for SIU's U10 team. His mother, Donna Trulock-Jones, said they first started their journey into select soccer with Javanon.
"Jacob had fun playing with the other players and his love for the game developed," she said. "We enjoyed the experience and made some good friends along the way. We as a family had fun traveling with the other parents."
But something was missing, said Trulock Jones. Actually, time was missing.
"Our family spent an insane amount of time in the car traveling, 45 minutes back and forth to practices missing out on other events for siblings. This is not to mention, homework and just having a few moments of family time a night to get caught up on how everyone’s day was. That is when we decided to come back across the bridge and give it another try."
Donna said Jacob has excellent coaching, and a special goalie coach in Michael Davis.
"Since the spring, SIU has allowed the goalies for each team to work one on one with a goalie coach," she said. "In one season, Jacob's skills have improved tremendously. This is a great addition to the club.
"He also loves playing with kids that are from his community. It is also nice for him to get together with his soccer team and play on a non game day, since the families live so close."
Paul Chrisco's son, Kevin, started playing select for Javanon at U9 level.
"The first year was fun but it was a lot of work getting him across the bridge to practices," said Paul. "It really hit home when we passed one of the SIU practice fields half an hour into our trip home from a Javanon practice at the end of last season. When Kevin realized how much less driving would be involved playing for SIU we decided to try out for the SIU U10 team."
It ended up being the right choice for the family, said Paul.
"Practices are literally minutes from our house," he said. "Two of Kevin's friends from his school also made the team and I was able to get involved as the assistant coach.
"During his first year at Javanon it seemed as though our lives revolved around soccer. While soccer is important to our son, we don’t want it to completely dominate our lives."
Debbie Webb believes SIU can offer a player much more than the Louisville clubs at the U9-U14 age groups.
"When you get to U15 and older, which are college recruiting ages, Louisville clubs are definitely the best bet for the player who hopes to play in college. This is because of their focus on winning and exposing their players to the most competitive -- and expensive -- leagues and the most competitive, prestigious -- and expensive -- tournaments. This is more than SIU can do.”
And more than they want to do, she revealed.
“ We really don't want to be like Javanon or United or Mockingbird. We do not have the fields or other resources to do so. We want to offer a quality, affordable and fun program in southern Indiana."
And, of course, the expense is a big issue.
"SIU's travel program operates on a zero budget - we only charge what we must in order to run the program and most years we end with a loss," said Webb. "We are not in this to make money but to provide a service. We work with families who need to make payments on their fees."
Meanwhile, Net-Surfers' ability to hold tryouts earlier than usual has paid dividends, it has said. The girls' club received permission from the Indiana Youth Soccer Association for the exemption after the club complained that it would lose numerous players if it couldn't tryout until a month after Louisville teams.
"Players that tryout for clubs in Louisville will have to commit and may not risk that they will have a team to play with or make a spot if so for our club," said Greg Reger, the club's president, in a letter to the IYSA.
As a result of the exemption for Net-Surfers, tryouts were held on June 3 and 4, and coaches believe it has helped save one team and improve others. It will be interesting to see whether the club reaps benefits from the move come next season.
I felt it was a topic worth discussing because five of the best teams from Southern Indiana United and Net-Surfers went to the preliminary rounds of the Indiana State Cup recently, played 15 games, and came home without a single win.
There are many ways improvements could be made, and I mentioned just a few. An adequate indoor sports facility would be a big plus, and a number inside the game have suggested this could be supported by the parks department. Another is the addition of tournament standard fields, which wold bring in significant revenue.
The need for organized soccer leagues in elementary and middle schools; a successful academy system for those being introduced to the game for the first time; having a paid staff at club level; and the recruitment of the finest coaches who could attract players to local clubs are also worth noting.
So too is a unity from everyone in the area who has a common dream or goal for the benefit of the soccer community. All easier said than done, I know.
When the best teams are across the river, and the opportunity to play against top opponents regularly and be noticed for college scholarships is dangled carrot-like in your direction, it is hard to resist, and therein lies the difficulty in stemming a tide going in the opposite direction.
Therefore keeping players locally is a problem, but there are now some returning after a stint in Louisville. It’s a start.
Debbie Webb, SIU's vice president with responsibility for select soccer, said they are coming back for a number of reasons.
"Some are returning because they did not make a Louisville team, but also some are coming back because of the cost and the family friendly atmosphere that SIU offers," said Webb.
"Many see Javanon, United and Mockingbird as a better program but I guess it all depends what you are looking for in a travel soccer program. It is true that Javanon, United and Mockingbird have many more state, regional and national championships than SIU will ever have, but there is no guarantee that switching from SIU to one of these clubs will assure you a spot on a winning team. The skill level from age group to age group is not the same."
One to return is Jacob Trulock, who plays for SIU's U10 team. His mother, Donna Trulock-Jones, said they first started their journey into select soccer with Javanon.
"Jacob had fun playing with the other players and his love for the game developed," she said. "We enjoyed the experience and made some good friends along the way. We as a family had fun traveling with the other parents."
But something was missing, said Trulock Jones. Actually, time was missing.
"Our family spent an insane amount of time in the car traveling, 45 minutes back and forth to practices missing out on other events for siblings. This is not to mention, homework and just having a few moments of family time a night to get caught up on how everyone’s day was. That is when we decided to come back across the bridge and give it another try."
Donna said Jacob has excellent coaching, and a special goalie coach in Michael Davis.
"Since the spring, SIU has allowed the goalies for each team to work one on one with a goalie coach," she said. "In one season, Jacob's skills have improved tremendously. This is a great addition to the club.
"He also loves playing with kids that are from his community. It is also nice for him to get together with his soccer team and play on a non game day, since the families live so close."
Paul Chrisco's son, Kevin, started playing select for Javanon at U9 level.
"The first year was fun but it was a lot of work getting him across the bridge to practices," said Paul. "It really hit home when we passed one of the SIU practice fields half an hour into our trip home from a Javanon practice at the end of last season. When Kevin realized how much less driving would be involved playing for SIU we decided to try out for the SIU U10 team."
It ended up being the right choice for the family, said Paul.
"Practices are literally minutes from our house," he said. "Two of Kevin's friends from his school also made the team and I was able to get involved as the assistant coach.
"During his first year at Javanon it seemed as though our lives revolved around soccer. While soccer is important to our son, we don’t want it to completely dominate our lives."
Debbie Webb believes SIU can offer a player much more than the Louisville clubs at the U9-U14 age groups.
"When you get to U15 and older, which are college recruiting ages, Louisville clubs are definitely the best bet for the player who hopes to play in college. This is because of their focus on winning and exposing their players to the most competitive -- and expensive -- leagues and the most competitive, prestigious -- and expensive -- tournaments. This is more than SIU can do.”
And more than they want to do, she revealed.
“ We really don't want to be like Javanon or United or Mockingbird. We do not have the fields or other resources to do so. We want to offer a quality, affordable and fun program in southern Indiana."
And, of course, the expense is a big issue.
"SIU's travel program operates on a zero budget - we only charge what we must in order to run the program and most years we end with a loss," said Webb. "We are not in this to make money but to provide a service. We work with families who need to make payments on their fees."
Meanwhile, Net-Surfers' ability to hold tryouts earlier than usual has paid dividends, it has said. The girls' club received permission from the Indiana Youth Soccer Association for the exemption after the club complained that it would lose numerous players if it couldn't tryout until a month after Louisville teams.
"Players that tryout for clubs in Louisville will have to commit and may not risk that they will have a team to play with or make a spot if so for our club," said Greg Reger, the club's president, in a letter to the IYSA.
As a result of the exemption for Net-Surfers, tryouts were held on June 3 and 4, and coaches believe it has helped save one team and improve others. It will be interesting to see whether the club reaps benefits from the move come next season.
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