Flexibility

I was asked to coach the U15 boy's team because they need a coach. Apparently, they are a group that is not too easy to find a coach for. I know most of them so I'm sure it will be fun!

Yesterday was my last day with the U12 team. And oh boy, they were unbelievably unfocused. I did not have any problems like this last time I coached. That is probably because we (team and coaches) set rules the first day of practice and recited those rules the first several practices. Grrrrrr....... I should have done that this time, but I didn't for various reasons.

So now I will be coaching three days a week instead of two. Project Footy continues!

Football Clinic for Miss Teen Contestants

The clinic for the Ms. Teen contestants went well despite the rain. Sixteen of them showed up and all but two participated (I think they were sick). Several members of the CNMI Women's National Team showed up to volunteer to teach various skills. It was so nice of them to do so and to bring balls and cones to use. Thank you, CNMI Women's National Team!

A few of the contestants seemed to be naturals! A few may join our next season. The girls seemed to have a much higher learning curve than us 20 something year olds!

And guess what, Kayla Atalig, current Ms. Teen, showed up to join the clinic. We didn't know that she played in the Women's Recreational League last Fall. Kayla said, "Now soccer[football] is my favorite sport!" Whoooooot!

What's up with post -holiday school days?

U12 had its first game this past Saturday. They did great! They passed, defended, and played their hearts out! What more can a coach ask for? We didn't win: we had an "own goal". As in, it hit off of one of our defenders feet and slowly rolled into the goal. Final score was 0-1. Oh well, we had 80% possession and had many opportunities to score. We need to work more on shooting.

The kids were quite hyper this past Tuesday. I noticed this even when doing practicums: after a three day holiday (or any holiday for that matter), they come back with a lot of energy. Well, football is a good way to channel that energy.

This weekend we play a much more experienced team. The pre-game message will be, "Never give up!" Even if the score is 4-o we will play our best until the final whistle blows. The post game message will be ....... well, I'll get to that post-game. Who knows we might score more goals than them! Either way, we'll have a great time!

Football Clinic for Ms. Teen Contestants

I'm organizing a two hour football clinic for the CNMI Ms. Teen contestants. It will take
place Sunday, February 24, 2008 from 3:30-5:30 at Garapan Elementary School. I've asked the CNMI-WNT to volunteer with the various drills. A few have agreed to help so far. The media will hopefully provide coverage as well.

It will be a lot of fun. I hope to have some great pictures to post.

Another great opportunity to promote the sport and active living. :-)

U12's first game

I am torn... my son, Gideon, has his game at 2:00 on Saturday. The U12 has its' game at 3:00.
U12's call time is 2:30.

I'll have to do the un-maternal thing and go to the U12 match. I need to log more hours for the SOE class.

Gideon won't mind. His maternal grandparents will be there. His paternal aunt and uncle who are visiting from the states will be there. Hopefully, his father will be there. His mother will be there for the first 15 minutes.

Another Segment of Project Footy

Just because I love to, I decided to coach a U12 co-ed team as another part of Project Footy. We had our first team practice today and it was great! It was made even better by the fact that there are others volunteering to help coach!

We need more females on our team though. It is co-ed, but only one femme showed up! Where are all of the aspiring Women's National Team players?

Feel free to come by and observe. We'll be at SVES every Tuesday from 4:30pm-6:00pm.

NMIFA (Thru Tan Holdings) Donates Goal Posts to Public Schools

I joined the Interscholastic Committee as part of my NMC-SOE project. But mainly I joined because it is important that grassroots football development takes place at the schools.
As in, make goal posts available on campus so that kids can play at recess, lunch, and afterschool.
Yes, yes NMIFA has a Youth League which is also important, but how many of the kid's parents are willing to provide:
a) $25.00 for registration
b) $5-$10 for shinguards
c) $20+ for football shoes (this is optional, but helpful)
d) Transportation to and from one practice a week, plus a game on Saturday?

Furthermore, goal posts at schools allow for better training of interscholastic teams. Just ask any coach and they will tell you how much of a difference having goal posts to practice with makes.
I'm feeling good. My project will have the equipment needed to make it successful and sustainable. :-)

We announced the donation at the December 19th PSS Principal's Meeting. I also announced my NMC-SOE project at that time. :-)