The Indiana High School Athletic Association today gave the green light to reformat the boys’ and girls’ soccer state tournaments into two classes — based on school enrollment – beginning in the fall of 2011.
Both sports have been of a single class structure since the IHSAA began sponsoring the sport in 1994.
Plans for the new tournaments will be announced in the spring of next year following the next classification realignment.
http://www.ihsaa.org/dnn/Media/MediaReleases/IHSAANewsRelease5310/tabid/826/Default.aspx
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
World Cup Countdown – a spot of bother over leopard Zakumi
They almost become as famous as the players who light up the World Cup, and sometimes they can be as controversial as decisions made during the tournament.
We’re talking about the mascots, and there have been some pretty interesting – and odd -- ones through the years.
The first was the quintessentially English lion (with the quintessentially Scottish moniker), World Cup Willie, in 1966.
Willie was considered a commercial masterstroke, who sent a feelgood factor through the team. If he could have talked, he might have even claimed it was he who helped England win the Jules Rimet trophy, as it was then.
Others include Mexican sombrero wearing boy, Juanito (1970); Naranjito, the Spanish orange (1982); German lion Goleo and his sidekick talking ball, Pille (2006); and, of course, Striker, the American pup of 1994.
Goleo was criticized because most people couldn’t see what a lion had to do with Germany, while Japan and South Korea fought over, amongst other issues, what to name its trio of representatives. The Koreans thought the names – Ato, Kaz and Nik -- were too Japanese.
And now we have South Africa’s Zakumi.
Zakumi is a leopard, a common animal found in South Africa, with green hair and wearing the green and gold colors representing those of the host nation.
His name comes from "ZA", (which stands for South Africa), and "kumi", a word that means "10" in various African languages. We are told by FIFA he is a “mascot with attitude,” and is jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous and very shrewd. Others have called him “creepy.”
I didn’t know this previously, but Zakumi is 15-years-old and his birthday falls on June 16. It coincides with Youth Day in South Africa and also with the game between the host nation and Uruguay.
Here’s the controversy: Zakumi figurines were being made in China by Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products as part of a contract in excess of $112 million.
South Africans were not best pleased on hearing this, as they believe the merchandise should be sourced locally so as to give a boost to the flailing manufacturing sector. There was also a bit of politicking going on too, as the contract was awarded to a company owned by an ANC representative member in the South African parliament.
Allegation of sweatshop conditions at the Chinese factory led to an audit, which revealed a number of non-compliance issues.
As a result, FIFA suspended the contract last month due to the abuses.
So all’s good again, except for the fact that there’s still those who think the jolly chap looks a bit creepy. You can decide for yourself come June 11.
Net-Surfers gallop to Derby Cup success!
Let’s hope the weather at Churchill Downs is better this Saturday than it was for those who played at the sixth annual Derby Cup tournament at the weekend.
The rains and tornado alerts may have slowed down the competition’s gallop, but they didn’t stop the Thoroughbreds SC/Oldham County YSA hosted event reaching the finishing line.
All Saturday afternoon games were halted during play and forced to be concluded early, while the later evening matchups were decided from the mark in shootout format.
Over 180 teams from the Midwest region competed in the select soccer tournament, and among them was a large representation from southern Indiana’s Net-Surfers, which had six teams participating over the three days.
And the weather certainly didn’t stop Net-Surfers U12s, who won the White Division by beating the aptly named Cincinnati Thunder 1-0 in the final.
To make it there, the southern Indiana girls beat ESC United 5-2, tied 0-0 with Thoroughbreds, thumped AC United 7-0, and then took care of KASC United 4-2 in the final.
Net Surfers' U11s also made it to the final, losing out to Thoroughbreds in the decider (5-0). Before that, it had lost narrowly to the same opposition in group play (4-3), but trounced SKY SC of Bowling Green 10-0 on Saturday, and beat AC United 5-1 on Sunday. It then beat SWISA Inferno 3-1 for a place in the final.
Net-Surfers had a large representation at the Derby Cup, with other participating teams including U9 Purple and White, U10s, and U14s.
Net Surfers U14 girls beat Louisville Soccer Club Arsenal 1-0 on Friday, lost to SKY SC 2-1 on Saturday, and finished off with a 0-0 tie against the Footie Chick from Taylorsville.
U9 Purple had a nice 5-2 win against LFC on Sunday, while White beat SWISA 5-4, and the U10s tied Nelson County Elite.
Meanwhile, the second week of the Mockingbird Valley organized Louisville Cup saw U10-U18 boys in action, including four teams from Southern Indiana United.
Like the Derby Cup, this competition held at Bullitt and Oxmoor fields was also hit with stoppages thanks to the elements.
And speaking of the weather, one of those taking part was SIU U12 Storm.
Storm has had a good start to its season, as it is 2-0-2 in Kentucky Select Soccer League play and the only unbeaten team in its division.
Tim Rice’s charges got off to a thunderous start at the Louisville Cup, beating CUSC Premier Inferno 4-1, and then tied a shortened game with FSC White 1-1. It narrowly missed the chance to play in the championship game when going down by a lone goal to LSA Central.
U15 Renegade didn’t get off to a great start against Frankfort Fury (4-0), but it bounced back in style to thump Warriors ’94 Black by a 5-0 scoreline. It finished out Sunday with a 1-0 loss to LSA ’95, the eventual winners.
Others SIU teams in action included U10 Revolution, who found Nelson Titans, Carmel United Bradley and Mockingbird Green too good, and U11 Blast, who battled well against LSA East, Mockingbird Gold and Dynamo ’99 Red.
The rains and tornado alerts may have slowed down the competition’s gallop, but they didn’t stop the Thoroughbreds SC/Oldham County YSA hosted event reaching the finishing line.
All Saturday afternoon games were halted during play and forced to be concluded early, while the later evening matchups were decided from the mark in shootout format.
Over 180 teams from the Midwest region competed in the select soccer tournament, and among them was a large representation from southern Indiana’s Net-Surfers, which had six teams participating over the three days.
And the weather certainly didn’t stop Net-Surfers U12s, who won the White Division by beating the aptly named Cincinnati Thunder 1-0 in the final.
To make it there, the southern Indiana girls beat ESC United 5-2, tied 0-0 with Thoroughbreds, thumped AC United 7-0, and then took care of KASC United 4-2 in the final.
Net Surfers' U11s also made it to the final, losing out to Thoroughbreds in the decider (5-0). Before that, it had lost narrowly to the same opposition in group play (4-3), but trounced SKY SC of Bowling Green 10-0 on Saturday, and beat AC United 5-1 on Sunday. It then beat SWISA Inferno 3-1 for a place in the final.
Net-Surfers had a large representation at the Derby Cup, with other participating teams including U9 Purple and White, U10s, and U14s.
Net Surfers U14 girls beat Louisville Soccer Club Arsenal 1-0 on Friday, lost to SKY SC 2-1 on Saturday, and finished off with a 0-0 tie against the Footie Chick from Taylorsville.
U9 Purple had a nice 5-2 win against LFC on Sunday, while White beat SWISA 5-4, and the U10s tied Nelson County Elite.
Meanwhile, the second week of the Mockingbird Valley organized Louisville Cup saw U10-U18 boys in action, including four teams from Southern Indiana United.
Like the Derby Cup, this competition held at Bullitt and Oxmoor fields was also hit with stoppages thanks to the elements.
And speaking of the weather, one of those taking part was SIU U12 Storm.
Storm has had a good start to its season, as it is 2-0-2 in Kentucky Select Soccer League play and the only unbeaten team in its division.
Tim Rice’s charges got off to a thunderous start at the Louisville Cup, beating CUSC Premier Inferno 4-1, and then tied a shortened game with FSC White 1-1. It narrowly missed the chance to play in the championship game when going down by a lone goal to LSA Central.
U15 Renegade didn’t get off to a great start against Frankfort Fury (4-0), but it bounced back in style to thump Warriors ’94 Black by a 5-0 scoreline. It finished out Sunday with a 1-0 loss to LSA ’95, the eventual winners.
Others SIU teams in action included U10 Revolution, who found Nelson Titans, Carmel United Bradley and Mockingbird Green too good, and U11 Blast, who battled well against LSA East, Mockingbird Gold and Dynamo ’99 Red.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
World Cup Countdown – pensioner dies in ticket crush
You have to hand it to FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, for its sheer unashamed brazenness when it comes to selective reporting.
Its website is not a source you would want to heavily rely on, judging from some of its recent covering of events. One that springs to mind was its report of the Republic of Ireland v France World Cup play-off game last November, which featured one of the most controversial moments in international soccer, i.e., the Thierry Henry handball.
The FIFA site stated, “France skipper Thierry Henry won the match for the hosts when his angled pass amid a goalmouth scramble was met by the head of William Gallas.”
Speaking of mad scrambles, those FIFA chaps seemed to miss something again this past week when it ran its “All smiles as fans book seats” story about the remaining half a million World Cup tickets going on sale to the public in South Africa last Thursday morning.
All smiles? Not quite. A 64-year-old pensioner died while queuing in central Cape Town, number 565 in the line, while there were riots at other selling points.
The Cape Town queue, like others around the country, began to build up last Wednesday afternoon, with people skipping work to get their hands on the prized tickets for the 64 World Cup matches.
Around 120,000 of the tickets were available to South Africans for as little as $19, the lowest price at a World Cup for many years.
To add to the frenzy, FIFA announced that 300 late tickets would be released for the final -- a game it previously said had been sold out -- for $142.
In the capital Pretoria, police used pepper spray on people fighting in the doorway of a FIFA outlet, while fights were also broken up in Johannesburg.
Television pictures showed desperate fans - and ticket touts - scuffling over the discounted seats, having queued all night with no food or water.
Tempers flared as the computer system serving 11 outlets in the nine host cities crashed minutes after opening.
The discount followed dire sales in South Africa, where football is largely followed by those with limited access to the internet or credit cards. The complex system used by FIFA on its website was alien to most locals, who are accustomed to paying cash for their tickets on match days.
Officials acknowledged mistakes had been made and launched a new system of sales through ticketing offices and supermarkets, hoping to sell out the tournament as they are keen to make sure no empty seats remain when games are beamed to living rooms and bars across the globe this summer.
Over 2.3m of the 2.7m tickets have now been sold for the tournament, which kicks off on June 11. Of the tournament's 64 matches, 29 have sold out, including the opening and final matches, and both semi-finals.
Its website is not a source you would want to heavily rely on, judging from some of its recent covering of events. One that springs to mind was its report of the Republic of Ireland v France World Cup play-off game last November, which featured one of the most controversial moments in international soccer, i.e., the Thierry Henry handball.
The FIFA site stated, “France skipper Thierry Henry won the match for the hosts when his angled pass amid a goalmouth scramble was met by the head of William Gallas.”
Speaking of mad scrambles, those FIFA chaps seemed to miss something again this past week when it ran its “All smiles as fans book seats” story about the remaining half a million World Cup tickets going on sale to the public in South Africa last Thursday morning.
All smiles? Not quite. A 64-year-old pensioner died while queuing in central Cape Town, number 565 in the line, while there were riots at other selling points.
The Cape Town queue, like others around the country, began to build up last Wednesday afternoon, with people skipping work to get their hands on the prized tickets for the 64 World Cup matches.
Around 120,000 of the tickets were available to South Africans for as little as $19, the lowest price at a World Cup for many years.
To add to the frenzy, FIFA announced that 300 late tickets would be released for the final -- a game it previously said had been sold out -- for $142.
In the capital Pretoria, police used pepper spray on people fighting in the doorway of a FIFA outlet, while fights were also broken up in Johannesburg.
Television pictures showed desperate fans - and ticket touts - scuffling over the discounted seats, having queued all night with no food or water.
Tempers flared as the computer system serving 11 outlets in the nine host cities crashed minutes after opening.
The discount followed dire sales in South Africa, where football is largely followed by those with limited access to the internet or credit cards. The complex system used by FIFA on its website was alien to most locals, who are accustomed to paying cash for their tickets on match days.
Officials acknowledged mistakes had been made and launched a new system of sales through ticketing offices and supermarkets, hoping to sell out the tournament as they are keen to make sure no empty seats remain when games are beamed to living rooms and bars across the globe this summer.
Over 2.3m of the 2.7m tickets have now been sold for the tournament, which kicks off on June 11. Of the tournament's 64 matches, 29 have sold out, including the opening and final matches, and both semi-finals.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Louisville Cups see plenty of local input
There was plenty of local participation at the Louisville and Javanon Cup tournaments at the weekend.
The Louisville Cup, organized by Mockingbird Valley SC, saw girls’ teams from U10 to U18 from far and wide take to the fields at Bullitt and Oxmoor.
Emily Lewis (right) of Net-Surfers U13s in action against Shooting Stars of Evansville at the Louisville Cup last weekend.
Net-Surfers U13s, coached by Marlon Jones, lost 5-2 to a strong Carmel United team, but bounced back to beat Derby City Rossoneri 2-1. It finished up its tournament with a 5-0 loss to eventual overall winners, Shooting Stars from Evansville.
Jordan Reger scored two goals and had one assist, Madi Burns also scored twice, while Emily Lewis contributed an assist.
“Our girls have been hit with several injuries this season including two broken bones -- one is our keeper -- but these girls are keeping their chins up,” said manager Lisa Reger.
The team is looking forward to the Indiana Challenge Cup in Evansville, which starts May 21.
Meanwhile, Net-Surfers U16s lost 2-0 to NKSA Thunder (overall winners), but bounced back to beat Southeast Cincinnati SA Fusion 1-0 in the Saturday afternoon game. It rounded out its tournament against Dubois Spencer United, losing 2-0.
Louisville Soccer Alliance’s U18s has a strong local influence this year as it includes University of Southern Indiana bound Lindsay Hack, Providence goalie Alyssa Hendershot and Miriam Snyder, also a Pioneer.
Unfortunately, Hack was unavailable due to an ankle injury, but Hendershot and Snyder helped LSA win its first game against SCSA Factor 1-0.
The afternoon matchup saw the girls go down 3-1 to Kentucky Rush, and they tied their final group game with Lady Titans 2-2 on Sunday. The section was won by Central Kentucky SC Lightning.
Hendershot, who has an interest in going to Hanover College, has shown great improvement, say coaches, and distinguished herself at the weekend.
Miriam Snyder returns to Providence this fall for her senior year and is gaining great experience while showing a fantastic attitude.
This weekend is the turn of the boys, and Southern Indiana United will have three teams in action.
Renegade play in the U15 Black Division against Frankfort Fury, Warriors ’94 Black, and LSA ’95.
Revolution play in the U10 Black Division against Nelson Titans, Carmel United Bradley and Mockingbird Green.
SIU Blast plays in the U11 Black Division against LSA East, Mockingbird Gold and Dynamo ’99 Red.
Blast was in action at the Javanon Cup, which featured boys’ and girls’ teams from U10 to U15, at Louisville Soccer Park and Thurman-Hutchins Park last weekend. It lost narrowly to Javanon Black 1-0, before finding TUSC Red too good (7-0).
Meanwhile, Javanon ’95, featuring Providence defender Pierce Crawley, had a successful weekend in the prestigious Midwest Regional League with a 5-0 win against Ohio Galaxies Elite (OS) and a defeat of Crew Juniors Gold (OS) 3-1 at Eastern High School.
They will play games in Dublin, Ohio and Toledo before trying to regain the Kentucky State crown it won in 2008.
Jordan Reger of Net-Surfers U13s in action against Derby City Rossoneri at the Louisville Cup last weekend. Reger scored twice at the tournament. Photos cortesy of Lisa Reger.
The Louisville Cup, organized by Mockingbird Valley SC, saw girls’ teams from U10 to U18 from far and wide take to the fields at Bullitt and Oxmoor.
Emily Lewis (right) of Net-Surfers U13s in action against Shooting Stars of Evansville at the Louisville Cup last weekend.
Net-Surfers U13s, coached by Marlon Jones, lost 5-2 to a strong Carmel United team, but bounced back to beat Derby City Rossoneri 2-1. It finished up its tournament with a 5-0 loss to eventual overall winners, Shooting Stars from Evansville.
Jordan Reger scored two goals and had one assist, Madi Burns also scored twice, while Emily Lewis contributed an assist.
“Our girls have been hit with several injuries this season including two broken bones -- one is our keeper -- but these girls are keeping their chins up,” said manager Lisa Reger.
The team is looking forward to the Indiana Challenge Cup in Evansville, which starts May 21.
Meanwhile, Net-Surfers U16s lost 2-0 to NKSA Thunder (overall winners), but bounced back to beat Southeast Cincinnati SA Fusion 1-0 in the Saturday afternoon game. It rounded out its tournament against Dubois Spencer United, losing 2-0.
Louisville Soccer Alliance’s U18s has a strong local influence this year as it includes University of Southern Indiana bound Lindsay Hack, Providence goalie Alyssa Hendershot and Miriam Snyder, also a Pioneer.
Unfortunately, Hack was unavailable due to an ankle injury, but Hendershot and Snyder helped LSA win its first game against SCSA Factor 1-0.
The afternoon matchup saw the girls go down 3-1 to Kentucky Rush, and they tied their final group game with Lady Titans 2-2 on Sunday. The section was won by Central Kentucky SC Lightning.
Hendershot, who has an interest in going to Hanover College, has shown great improvement, say coaches, and distinguished herself at the weekend.
Miriam Snyder returns to Providence this fall for her senior year and is gaining great experience while showing a fantastic attitude.
This weekend is the turn of the boys, and Southern Indiana United will have three teams in action.
Renegade play in the U15 Black Division against Frankfort Fury, Warriors ’94 Black, and LSA ’95.
Revolution play in the U10 Black Division against Nelson Titans, Carmel United Bradley and Mockingbird Green.
SIU Blast plays in the U11 Black Division against LSA East, Mockingbird Gold and Dynamo ’99 Red.
Blast was in action at the Javanon Cup, which featured boys’ and girls’ teams from U10 to U15, at Louisville Soccer Park and Thurman-Hutchins Park last weekend. It lost narrowly to Javanon Black 1-0, before finding TUSC Red too good (7-0).
Meanwhile, Javanon ’95, featuring Providence defender Pierce Crawley, had a successful weekend in the prestigious Midwest Regional League with a 5-0 win against Ohio Galaxies Elite (OS) and a defeat of Crew Juniors Gold (OS) 3-1 at Eastern High School.
They will play games in Dublin, Ohio and Toledo before trying to regain the Kentucky State crown it won in 2008.
Jordan Reger of Net-Surfers U13s in action against Derby City Rossoneri at the Louisville Cup last weekend. Reger scored twice at the tournament. Photos cortesy of Lisa Reger.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
World Cup Countdown – death threats taken seriously
Death threats ahead of major sporting tournaments are nothing new, and last week saw two targeting the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
One in particular will be of concern to anyone from the US planning to travel to Rustenberg for the country’s opening game against England on June 12.
Algerian-based al-Qaeda group, Islamic Maghreb, said that it aims to target the game, using a form of undetectable explosive that will evade security checkpoints. It said that France, Germany and Italy were also on its list of targets.
"All those countries are part of the Zionist-Crusader campaign against Islam," it said in a statement published in a recent online issue of the jihadist 'Mushtaqun Lel Jannah'.
"How amazing could the match between the United States and England be if, during a live broadcast with a stadium packed with spectators, the sound of an explosion rumbles through the stands, the whole stadium is turned upside down and the numbers of dead bodies are in their dozens and hundreds, God willing."
The 42,000 seater Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenberg, which will be the venue for England v USA World Cup clash on June 12.
The threat follows hot on the heels of that issued by white supremacist group, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), after its leader Eugène Terre'Blanche was killed on his farm following an alleged wage dispute with two employees.
Terre'Blanche had been a constant critic of the new South Africa, and the AWB immediately associated his death with the tournament.
Senior member Andre Visagie warned participating nations that they will be sending their soccer teams to a land of murder.
“Don't do that if you don't have sufficient protection for them." he said.
ESPN reported that the organization said it would be looking at ways to take "revenge" for their leader's death, which they see as a “declaration of war.”
Sensing a backlash, another member, Pieter Steyn, backtracked. "Our membership is very, very shocked, angry and horrified. [The AWB] is not going to engage in any form of violent retaliation."
FIFA said it is taking all threats seriously, and is working with authorities across the world to ensure an incident-free World Cup.
One in particular will be of concern to anyone from the US planning to travel to Rustenberg for the country’s opening game against England on June 12.
Algerian-based al-Qaeda group, Islamic Maghreb, said that it aims to target the game, using a form of undetectable explosive that will evade security checkpoints. It said that France, Germany and Italy were also on its list of targets.
"All those countries are part of the Zionist-Crusader campaign against Islam," it said in a statement published in a recent online issue of the jihadist 'Mushtaqun Lel Jannah'.
"How amazing could the match between the United States and England be if, during a live broadcast with a stadium packed with spectators, the sound of an explosion rumbles through the stands, the whole stadium is turned upside down and the numbers of dead bodies are in their dozens and hundreds, God willing."
The 42,000 seater Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenberg, which will be the venue for England v USA World Cup clash on June 12.
The threat follows hot on the heels of that issued by white supremacist group, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), after its leader Eugène Terre'Blanche was killed on his farm following an alleged wage dispute with two employees.
Terre'Blanche had been a constant critic of the new South Africa, and the AWB immediately associated his death with the tournament.
Senior member Andre Visagie warned participating nations that they will be sending their soccer teams to a land of murder.
“Don't do that if you don't have sufficient protection for them." he said.
ESPN reported that the organization said it would be looking at ways to take "revenge" for their leader's death, which they see as a “declaration of war.”
Sensing a backlash, another member, Pieter Steyn, backtracked. "Our membership is very, very shocked, angry and horrified. [The AWB] is not going to engage in any form of violent retaliation."
FIFA said it is taking all threats seriously, and is working with authorities across the world to ensure an incident-free World Cup.
San Diego socks it to Lightning
It was Louisville that was hit by lightning when San Diego Sockers showed its class in the US Open Arena Soccer Championship at Mockingbird Valley on Saturday night.
The Sockers added the knockout cup competition to its Professional Arena Soccer League North American Championship crown by beating the Lightning 11-7 at Mockingbird Valley amid a good atmosphere and plenty of dance music.
San Diego was aided in no small part by a thunderous three goal burst in the first 1:33 of the game, from which Louisville could not recover.
In fact, the Sockers entertained the 800 plus crowd by scoring five goals in the first quarter of play, with each being netted by a different player.
Down 7-2 at the break, Lightning closed the gap to 7-4 in the third quarter with a pair of quick goals, but Sockers used its experience and athleticism to keep them at bay.
“They were a savvy, experienced, veteran squad, and they certainly showed it,” said Lightning coach Scott Budnick, who won the league’s Coach of the Year honors after leading the expansion team to second place in the Eastern Conference of the PASL in its inaugural year, and to an 11-6 record overall.
On its way to the final, the Lightning beat West Virginia Quantum Force, Ohio Vortex, Detroit Waza, and Cincinnati.
The team is made up of mostly local products, with 19 of its 22 players under contract having graduated from Kentucky high schools or colleges.
Indoor games are six versus six, comprising of four 15-minute quarters, and Lightning has had average home attendances of 900 per game.
Leading goal scorer Safet Kovacevic garnered First Team All-PASL league honors, defender John Kincheloe earned Second Team, and goalkeeper Frank Peabody and defender Adam Boyer were named to the Honorable Mention Team.
The expansion is co-owned by Jeffersonville architect Wayne Estopinal (who is also chairman), and Ted Nichols. The nickname of Lightning was selected to acknowledge the city’s original professional franchise, the Louisville Thunder, which played from 1984 to 1987 and won the 1986-87 American Indoor Soccer Association championship.
Above: Louisville Lightning's Nick Judah (12) and John Kincheloe (9) in action at Mockingbird Valley
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