Eastside FC helping in Rwanda

Eastside FC coach Dan Redwine recently went to Rwanda to participate in the Play for Hope Rwanda program.

Play for Hope's mission is for long term, sustainable sports growth in Rwanda with two goals: to bring holistic ministry and rehabilitation to the 'street kids' of Rwanda,  and to provide these children with professional level coaching.

Dan's trip was made possible by donations from his G92 White and G94 White teams and Julie Chandler from Michelle French's Girls 94 Red team. Julie will be going to Rwanda with her daughter Katie in June as part of Play for Hope.

Here are a few highlights from Dan's trip in his words:

• Training the Rwandan coach’s who work with the street kids teams that Play for Hope has formed. We basically put the coach’s through a 6 day USSF D license course and added topics like Sports Psychology, Motivation, Drug Rehab, and Leadership Skills. We spent half the day in the classroom and half on the field.

• Traveling to the villages to work with the street kid teams.

• Distributing uniforms and soccer equipment to the street kids teams (it is a HUGE deal for the kids to play with “real” uniforms and a new soccer ball). A lot of the uniforms that Play for Hope has to distribute were donated by Sean Payton's Play it Forward Foundation, which I think some EFC girls are a big part of.

• Visiting the Genocide Memorial Center in Kigali (the capital city of Rwanda).

• Hosting and coordinating a 2 day tournament for all the street kid teams in Play for Hope (this is really hard to pull off in Rwanda because you have to pay for and organize every detail for the teams: transport to and from the fields, food, and we also refereed all the games).

• We were invited to train the top academy team in Rwanda (Club SEC) one afternoon…it awesome. One of their players was just signed by Barcelona and is leaving for their youth academy in Qatar on January 28th. (He is the one I am pictured with in yellow jersey)

• Living locally in Rwanda and seeing how blessed we are to live in America. 

And that last bullet sums it up pretty well. What a great way to give back and help those less fortunate.

Coach Redwine in Rwanda

The essentials:  kids+ball+goal+open space

The Play for Hope Rwanda Vision

One more word on concussions

We train our coaches to do their best in making sound decisions relative to the health and well-being of our players. Players and parents also play a role in prevention of serious concussion-related injury.  Statistics tell us that very severe, life-altering concussions are often sustained soon after an initial concussion.  This is the reason for focusing on keeping a player off the field until recovery is achieved.

It's very important for players and parents to share their concerns with their coach when a potential concussive injury has occurred and particularly if they suspect concussion-related symptoms.  Coaches make better decisions if they are provided with the good information.

Sometimes players and even their parents may feel as if they're 'letting the team down' if they don't play, and may minimize, or even keep important information from their coaches.

Please, if you suspect even the chance that your child has suffered a concussion, on or off the field, make certain that your coach knows the details surrounding the injury and any medical care the child may be under.

It seems like basic common sense, but in practice the pressures of competitive soccer can create an environment where it may seem more important to take the risk than to be 100% safe. Remember that it is just a game, and not worth anyone's long-term health or their life.

Concussion and Taylor Twellman

Here's an eye-opening interview with Taylor Twellman of the New England Revolution by The Shin Guardian yesterday.  He talks about the impact of concussions that led to his retirement.  It's a sobering read.

Thanks to Coach Ryan Dortch for sending it along....

It sparked the following message from Director of Coaching Chance Fry to all our coaches.  Coincidentally we had a training session on concussions last night.  Chance's email reflects the club's position on concussions and playing soccer.

=========

Dear Coaches,

It was great to see most of you last night. Ryan Dortch sent this story to me about Taylor Twellman, one of the best strikers the U.S. has ever produced, who had his career cut short with multiple head injuries. Yesterday's presentation was an excellent reminder about where the game stands in the order of importance.

It is one thing to have a player “loopy” and quite another to have them in a wheel chair or even dead…..and as Dr. Laker explained, the gap between those scenarios can be very small. I realize that most of us grew up playing when it showed toughness to get back out there after having your bell rung. Now there is so much more research and proof that we have to trump toughness with being smart and safe.

The slide last night that hit me the most was the one that asked…”What is this game worth?”  In comparison to the health and lives of all athletes, whether they play for us or not, all games (including state, regional, national or even higher) are really meaningless.  If you always keep that in mind, you can rest assured that you will make sound decisions for your players and you will always be supported by the club.

Have a great break in December!

Chance

Hey, let's not freeze out there

This time of year our kids should be carrying warm-ups, sweats, gloves, stocking cap, rain gear, and under-armor to practices and games in their backpack at all times.

Playing in the rain and cold is a fact of youth soccer life here in the Pacific Northwest. That doesn’t mean our kids have to freeze out there.

Here's what Dan Strom's U17 Girls had to contend with back in Raleigh, NC this past weekend at the Final Four Showcase Tournament.

Unbelievable

Here's a note I received from Brian Curl, VP of Competition at Eastside Youth Soccer Association, our parent organization.  In general, I think Eastside FC does a good job of policing itself with regard to sideline behavior on the part of parents and coaches.  The vast majority conducts themselves in a very positive and enthusiastic manner.  As good as we are, however, we can improve.

As Brian indicates, it's a learning opportunity for all of us.  We need to add our individual voices to those who've called for an END to verbal abuse of referees from the sidelines.  The coach/parent behavior and response described below is completely unacceptable and would be grounds for termination of the coach if it occurred at EFC.  Same goes for the parents involved.

I'd love to hear other comments on this from our parents.  And Brian - thanks for sending this along.

=========

As we’ve discussed in our club and EYSA board meetings, referee abuse seems to be increasing.

I wanted to share with all of you a bit about my experience last evening on the NPSL Disciplinary Committee

Key details are left out to preserve confidentiality, but I’m glad to say the situation didn’t involve an EYSA team.

I’ve also attached a copy of the Coaches’ Ethics from WYS – perhaps we can leverage this as a learning opportunity for our own coaches?

The quick background

• A game described by the center referee as “no worse than a typical BU14 game” got out of control with about 8 minutes left in the match when the AR signaled a goal disputed by one of the teams.
• Shortly afterwards a player from the team was shown a straight red for a violent tackle.
• The player’s (significant) misconduct continued after the sendoff

• Emotions continued to build with parents yelling at the referees and the coach ultimately pulled his team from the field with 2 minutes to play.

• After the match parents (and possibly the coach) from the visiting team crowded around the two AR’s (16-17 yr old girls) and verbally abused them (including profanity) as they collected their bags and headed to the parking lot. A person ID’d as the coach (may have been the manager) told one of the AR’s she was a “piece of crap referee”

• Parents from teams in the next match escorted the ARs to the safety of their car.

The player, team manager, coach, and a club representative were called to last night’s hearing.  The coach and team manager’s primary responses were….

• The referee blew the calls, of course my players and parents were angry.

• I understand my player was angry, the referee had blown the goal call, and it was probably a foul but not a red card.

• The players are the coach’s responsibility, but the parents are not.

• I’m only responsible for the players and the game.

In addition to the sanctions (multiple game suspensions) leveled by the league, the player and coach are being referred to WYS and their Association for additional action – that may include:

• 3 month or longer suspension for the player from WYS

• Current and subsequent season suspension from WYS for the coach

• Suspension or dismissal of the coach by the Association

When the coach appears before WYS he’ll likely be asked:

• What do you tell parents in your preseason meeting about acceptable behavior?

• What do you tell your players about acceptable behavior towards referees?

• Have you read, and do you understand the WYS Coaches Ethics?

• Do you believe you and your parents acted within the guideline of WYS’s Ethics?

Again – the center referee described the time leading up to the goal as being “no worse than a typical BU14 game”.  In less than five minutes the game devolved into referee abuse and possible assault by the player and referee abuse by the coach and parents.

It’s clear the coach had a gross misunderstanding of his responsibilities… and perhaps it’s in extreme examples we can offer a learning opportunity for our own coaches about their obligations and responsibilities.

Feel free to share the narrative and the copy of the Ethics if you so choose…

Brian Curl
VP Competition, Eastside Youth Soccer Association

Eastside FC G93 in Raleigh

Coach Dan Strom is in Raleigh, NC this weekend with his U17 girls playing in the Final Four Showcase Tournament. EFC will play 3 matches against teams from New Jersey, Ohio and Texas. Check out Eastside's schedule and follow along.

Tournament webstie

Go Eastside!

New Dev Goals Are Coming!

KwikGoal's Deluxe European Club Goal

For all our Dev players and parents - are you tired of those temporary dev goals we acquired when the program started up?  I know I'm tired of looking at them and the Field Maintenance crew is running out of zipties, duct tape, and electrician's tape to keep the nets on them.

New dev-sized goals are coming!  We should have 4 new Deluxe European Club goals by mid-December.  Check out the specs over at KwikGoal here.  These are the same as most of the regulation-sized goals we currently use, only in Development format at 6.5' x 18.5'.

The cost of a properly rigged, netted, and wheeled goal runs anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 depending on size. 

We're happy to be able to make this investment in our Development program.

Parents Should Never Get Red Cards

Don't let this be you!

One of our parents passed this along.  Read one coach's perspective on chirpy parents at SoccerNation.com here.

We all get excited once in a while, but remember to keep your comments positive!!!  We want our kids to master the game - let's be master of our own emotions.

If you haven't done your 2010 Player/Parent Feedback Survey, now's the time

For those of you who have completed this year’s Player/Parent Feedback Survey, thanks for the input.

For those of you who have yet to complete it, here’s a gentle reminder that your feedback is very important.

And the week of Thanksgiving is a great time to sit down with your player and fill it out.  We've extended the window for completion to the end of day on November 30.

You can find Eastside FC's 2010 Player/Parent Survey here.

Thanks!

And Happy Thanksgiving!

The Management

B94R - Report from USYS National League Division Tournament

US Youth Soccer National League

Coach Strom's B94R (U16) boys played game 1 Thursday evening at a beautiful field complex in Wilson, NC.  The Wilson Gillette Soccer Complex features lighted fields, scoreboards on each field, PA announcement to the entire field complex of who is playing on what field followed by the walk out and national anthem.   Coach Strom reports "An amazing atmosphere with great national level competition put on by USYSA....."

There are 2 U16 Boys divisions in the US Youth Soccer National League, comprised of 8 teams each.  EFC plays in the U16 Blue Division.

The boys tied Game 1 against NY 1-1, with EFC creating the better chances but not playing their best game for this level.  Alex Shane scored EFC's goal.

Yesterday (Friday) we played Game 2 against Ohio's Everest SC and won 3-1.   We played well and Jordan Morris, Peter Sokolis and Joe Mancini scored.

Game 3 is Saturday and Game 4 is Sunday.  The final three games will be played in March in Las Vegas to decide the division championship and National Championship qualifier.

Nice work, guys.

Read the US Youth Soccer writeup of day two competition here...

View a great video of national class competition here...

EFC Girls Identified as "Players to Watch"

The following EFC girls were named in the Seattle Times as Players to Watch during the upcoming HS Playoffs. Congratulations to these players and good luck to all playing in the WIAA High School Playoffs this weekend!

Kentwood HS (4A) - Sara Bindl, Girls 93 Red

Skyline HS (4A) - Brittanee Randle, Dom Randle and Tina Vargas, Girls 93 Red

Bush (1A) - Elise Wilcox, Girls 93 Red

Overlake (1A) - Quinn Phillips, Girls 94 Red

Eastside Girls Named in All-League Honors

EFC has over 45 girls honored with All-League Honors in the greater Seattle area. Congratulations to these girls. For a complete list, see the HS Honors Page on our website.

EFC was featured in the Examiner.com with our girls 95 Red Team where 3 girls from 3 different high schools will play in the HS State Semi-Finals today. See the Article. The Girls 94 Red and Girls 93 Red team also have 3 or more girls from 3 different school playing in the state playoffs as well!

EFC G95R girls highlighted

Nice article here on several girls from the EFC G95R team.  Hit the link to read more.

http://www.examiner.com/soccer-in-seattle/eastside-fc-95-red-has-players-on-three-different-schools-state-final-four

Chance Fry Wins Golden Scarf

Chance Fry, Eastside FC's Director of Coaching, received the highest honor from the Sounders the week before last. The Golden Scarf is is a way to honor members of our community who are either part of the soccer scene or have done remarkable things for society in Seattle.  It is a great honor for Chance.  Congratutions!  To see Chance interviewed about the award, click here.

EFC B94R (U16) Wins Far West Regional League Championship

B94R USYS - WYS Champions last year.

Congratulations to Coach Dan Strom's B94R (U16) team for being the first WA boys or girls team to win a Far West Regional League championship. The boys cinched the Fall league championship last weekend.  This win qualifies them for the Boise Far West Regional League tournament next June for state champions and FWRL Fall and Spring league champions.


The team plays Northwest Nationals tomorrow to wrap up the State Premier League Championship.  Then it pursues the National League Division Championship to qualify for Nationals next July in Phoenix. The first step is this coming week with the first four games in North Carolina. The second three will be played in Las Vegas in March.

Coach Strom indicates "We intend to win our WA state championship for the 5th time in March. Just because we have a regional berth secure does not mean we won't attempt to secure the top honor in our own state. In addition we intend to win the Northwest Champions League beginning play in December."

EFC Boys 95 Go To Brazil

Some of you may know Coach Fernando Barros is a native of Brazil and grew up playing soccer on the famed beaches of Copacobana.  He's been coaching with Eastside FC since 1992 and was named Washington Youth Soccer Girls Coach of the Year in 2002.  In addition to his success as a soccer coach, Fernando co-founded and sponsors a school in Sao Roque, Brazil, for 80 underprivileged youngsters.  Check out his bio on the link above.

Fernando's B95W team recently sponsored a visit to EFC by a team from Sao Roque, Brazil.  Now, the B95R team has traveled to Sao Roque on a reciprocal visit.

Follow their journey here..

http://www.efcb95brazil.blogspot.com/

20% Off adidas Footwear for a Limited Time Only!

If you have trouble viewing this, click here.

One of the advantages of our partnership with adidas and Eurosport is periodic access to deep discounts.  Here's one related to shoes.   It's worth noting that these offers are the kinds of emails you would receive if you "opted in" to receiving emails from Eurosport when you registered with Eastside FC.

The offer is:

• a 20% discount
• off all adidas footwear
• the 20% discount can be combined with the standard 10% discount associated with Goal Club membership for a total discount of 30%

Use promotion code 1ADIFWFA on SOCCER.COM or when you call 1.800.934.3876.

This offer cannot be combined with other offers and previous purchases and team orders are not eligible for this offer.

The discount is applied before customization fees, shipping, handling & taxes are added.

Offer expires at 11:59 PM ET October 14, 2010.

By the way, there is a special running on Goal Club memberships for $20.10 as part of the World Cup season.  Goal Club membership never expires and entitles the account holder to a standard 10% discount on all items at SOCCER.COM

To update your Goal Club member account, click here.

To contact customer service, email Eurosport at custserv@sportsendeavors.com or call 1.800.950.1994

Need a Scrimmage Ref?

EFC Team Managers -

Ken Robertson has pulled together a pool of referees who want to referee scrimmage/friendly games at EFC. If you would like help getting a referee to a scrimmage/friendly game then contact him.  He'll need the following information:

1) Date, time and field of scrimmage

2) Level of play

3) Number of referees (usually only a center ref, but you can get a full crew of 3)

4) Contact at the field who will pay the referee

5) Anything special you'd like the referee to know (e.g. You'd like to have a shootout at the end of the game so both teams can practice shootout)

This information must be provided a week in advance.  Ken will contact referees who are qualified to handle your match and get them lined up to referee your match.  He'll let you know who the referee is. And he'll let the referee know who will be paying them.
The pay for the referee(s) is:

•  Center Ref U14 and below - $35
• Center Ref U15+ - $50
• Assistant Ref U14 and below - $25 each
• Assistant Ref 15+ - $35 each

The ref won't care which team pays them, so you can work that out with the opponent.

Ken's contact information:

Ken Robertson
EFC Referee Coordinator, MIYSC Referee Coordinator and EYSA VP of Referees CommissionerKen@hotmail.com

206-963-4662 (Cell)

Additional Pass Back dates scheduled

The Pass Back crew is scheduling an additional 2 days for uniform collections:


Monday July 12th at 5:45 and 7:15 @ Preston

Tuesday July 13th at 5:45 and 7:15 @ Preston

Please support this very worthy cause by bringing your gently used Diadora uniforms and any other soccer gear you may wish to part with to Preston Park.

Thanks!

Uniform Donations Start Today!

Casey Kovarik, Anna Deweirdt, and Maddie Christ, members of the EFC Girls '94 Red team, have taken the lead in collecting the club's old uniforms for donation to the Passback program.  Collections start today.  Read more here....

http://www.eastsidefc.org/home.php?layout=1601

Final Results from Medford

Boys EFC 93 (U16) White: Semi-Finalist

Girls EFC 96 (U13) White: Finalist


Girls EFC 93 (U16) White: Semi Finalist


Girls EFC 92 (U17) White: Finalist

Medford Day 2

Day 2 is complete:


Boys

Eastside FC 93 White 3-0 over Oregons CFC Juventus

Girls

Eastside FC 96 White lost 0-2 to Southern Californias Laguna Hills Eclipse (ranked 26th in the nation by GotSoccer)

Eastside FC 95 White 3-1 over Airzonas FC Barcelona

Eastside FC 93 White 4-2 over Southern Californias South Bay Force Blue

Eastside FC 92 White 7-0 over Southern Californias Laguna Nigel SC

Saturday is a huge day for EFC and the door is open for the teams to advance.

The 96 girls met a very good Southern Cal team Friday morning and dropped the match 2 nil to the Laguna Hills Eclipse.  EFC had some great scoring opportunities that just didn't quite end in a goal. Gave up an own goal at the 17th minute and a scecond goal at the 40th minuted. Tough loss but a great experience.


Phil Emory

Medford Day 1

Day one of the US Youth Soccer Region IV President's Cup is in the bag.

Boys

Eastside FC 93 White lost 1-2 to San Diego United FC

Girls

Eastside FC 96 White won 4-0 over Colorado Edge Black

Eastside FC 95 White lost 0-7 to Southern Californias PVSC Exiles

Eastside FC 93 White lost 2-3 to South Bay Foce Blue (EFC took some tough injuries in this one)

Eastside FC 92 White won 6-0 over Grants Pass Nitro

The 96 girls have their biggest match of the year tomorrow when they face Southern Californias Laguna Hills Eclipse who beat Utah 5-2 today. Match time is 10:00 AM

Phil Emory

Update from from Medford

Eastide's first match of the day was the G96 White team beating Colorado Edge Black 4-0. Kellcy Emory got the opening goal at the 17th minute. At the 24th minute Emily Bunnel fired a great cross in from the left which found Mary Witkowski at the far post and a header. In the the second half Silvie Dornay found Stephanie Silke just inside the 18 for the third goal at the 50th minute. At the 68th minute, Anna Pendleton launched on from 35 yards out for the final goal.

The girls played well, controlling the entire match.

Phil Emory

Discounted Eurosport Goal Club Memberships

For a limited time, Eurosport (http://www.soccer.com/) is offering the Goal Club membership at a slightly discounted price of $20.10 (normally $24.95) for a lifetime membership. The special pricing is good until opening day of the World Cup Final, July 11th. Please see the link below for more information about GOAL Club membership.


http://www.soccer.com/channels/goalclub.php

Suzi Kuenster
EFC Uniform Program Manager

Excellent World Cup Calendar

Here's a great calendar of all the World Cup play.  It's available on the website of the Spanish daily newspaper Marca.  This is the english version.  Really good stuff...

All times listed in the calendar are South African local time.  They are 9 hours ahead.  Therefore, to determine schedule in local Pacific time, subtract 9 hours from the time listed in the schedule.

http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html

Below is the official FIFA match schedule.  Not as cool, but does have built in timezone conversion.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/index.html

SAVE YOUR OLD UNIFORMS!

What: You can give ANY OR ALL of your uniform or other gently used equipment.

When: the week of June 21-25

Where: At the PRESTON FIELDS during team practices.

As part of our transition to new uniforms, Eastside FC is joining forces with the US Soccer Foundation's Passback program and Eurosport to collect new and gently used soccer gear to distribute across the globe to underserved communities. 

Three of our athletes from the club, Casey Kovarik, Anna Deweirdt, and Maddie Christ are leading the effort.   They set a great example of volunteer involvement for all of us.   Well done, girls.

Contact:

Casey Kovarik: casenik@comcast.net

Anna Deweirdt: anna.deweirdt@gmail.com

Maddie Christ: soccerstarmaddie@comcast.net

EFC ’94 Red

Frenchie Pulls Duty With GU15 National Team

Michelle French

Michelle French is a great person.   She's unfailingly cheerful and has a ready smile.  She's tough as nails with a sweet disposition.  Perfect for coaching.

Michelle knows soccer.  She played for the University of Portland as an NSCAA All-American, was captain of the US National U21 team, won the silver medal in the Sydney Olympics team, and still plays for the Women Sounders.

Recently, she was asked to serve as Assistant Coach for the GU15 National Team.  On Saturday, she's off to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA to help run the team's training camp through May15th.

Have fun, Michelle!  Don't forget the sunscreen.

5K Run Benefits King County Parks

King County Parks will be hosting their first annual 5K run to benefit the parks system on Sunday, May 23rd at Marymoor Park.  Partnerships like the one between Eastside FC and King County Parks help keep our parks system strong.

This race is the next great 5k run and walk for Seattleites.  Check out the race website for more info.

A Little Something for the G96 (GU13) Scrapbook.....

...Courtesy of Phil Emory

We Want You!

We are looking for a sideline photographer, or any interested volunteer to create a slideshow of club soccer pictures for the EFC family night!
We need someone to collect photos from EFC photographers and put pictures to music for a slideshow presentation at EFC Family Night to be held on May 21st.

Please contact Wendi Racine at wracine@centurytel.net

COME ONE COME ALL TO….

EFC FAMILY NIGHT MAY 21ST 7PM-9PM

Welcome Families to EFC Family Night. An evening for all to meet and greet and hear about the club and celebrate our successes.  You will be introduced to the Board of Directors, Coaches, State Champions, Club Sponsors…..

Special guest speakers…..

PETER FEWING

ADIDAS/EUROSPORT Reps

Play It Forward Program

• Also available for purchase will be EFC t-shirts, hats, cinch sacks, bumper stickers and many other items

• Sign up for volunteer positions

See you on May 21st at the Pacific Cascade Campus in Issaquah

Driving Directions below…

Pacific Cascade Middle School
24635 SE Issaquah Fall City Road
Issaquah, Washington 98029

Driving directions

From I-90 Eastbound

• Take Exit #17 and go left under the freeway on East Lake Sammamish Parkway

• Turn right onto Issaquah-Fall City Road at the first stoplight by the Union 76 station

• Continue up the hill to the 2nd stoplight

• Go straight through the 2nd stop light at the top of the hill and continue on Issaquah-Fall City Road approximately .6 miles

• Turn right at 247th Place SE

Weekend State Cup Results!

Congratulations to our Girls U16-U18 teams for a great weekend of soccer!

Girls 93 White (Cole) - Challenge Cup Champion

Girls 94 White (Redwine) - Challenge Cup Finalist

Girls 92 White (Redwine) - Challenge Cup Champion

Girls 93 Red (Strom) - Championship Cup Finalist

Girls 91 Red (Bialek) - Championship Cup Finalist

Challenge Cup Champions!

Congratulations to Emily Cole's U16 Girls White Team and Dan Redwine's U17 Girls White teams for winning the State Challenge Cup Tournament! Great work EFC!

Emily Cole's G93 White Team - Challenge Cup Champs!

Dan Redwine's U17 White Team - Challenge Cup Champion!

Ken Robertson - EFC's New Referee Coordinator

Please give a warm welcome to Ken Robertson, our new volunteer Referee Coordinator.  Here's a rundown on Ken's background....

• Referee for 4 Years
• Referee Assignor for 4 Years
• Mercer Island Referee Coordinator for 4 Years
• EYSA VP of Referees for 1.5 Years
• Never played soccer, but my wife has coached all 3 kid’s soccer teams, and plays on 2 women’s teams.

Personal:

• Wife – Betsy; Daughters - Kaya and Paige; Son - Blake
• Born and raised in Washington. Live on Mercer Island.
• Moved to Seattle area in 1976
• MS in Computer Science from University of Washington in 1981
• Retired from Microsoft in 2004
• My moto: Always do more than is expected of you.

The club's referee coordinator is a big job.  Largely unseen.  Ken - thanks for stepping up!

Thanks....

... to Mary Ruth Johnson and her team of volunteers for running a great U10 - U12 tryout beginning last Friday evening and ending Monday evening.  We received a number of compliments on how well-organized the process was.  Thanks also to John Sercu for the loan of his trailer.  Very helpful to have onsite storage.

Our numbers were up significantly from last year.  Hopefully that is an indicator that values matter.  To learn more about Eastside FC's values visit our website and click on About Us.

As we all know, tryouts can be pretty stressful, so anything we do to ensure a smooth process is appreciated by all.   For all who helped out over the weekend, volunteers and coaches, a big THANK YOU!

U10 - U12 Tryout Results!

Thank you for attending the Dev (U10) - U12 Tryouts. We have completed all tryout sessions and are finalizing our teams. As our coaches finalize their selections, you will receive an email with a list of the numbers selected for each team. You can also check the Tryout Results Page.

If you do not make one of our EFC teams, be sure to check out the EYSA select teams in your area. There are several great clubs for you to choose from.  Details listed at http://www.eysa.org/

Be sure to read through the Dev Program Overview or the U11 Overview and our Player Movement Guidelines. Good luck to all tryout participants. Have fun!

Volunteers Needed for US Youth Soccer Washington State Cup

Volunteer sign-ups for the US Youth Soccer Washington State Cup semi-finals and finals on the weekends of April 24-25 and May 1-2 have been posted to the Washington Youth Soccer website.  You can read about the various kinds of volunteer opportunities on the Volunteer Corps page.

We need volunteers for:

Girls U15-U18 Challenge Cup and Washington State Championships April 24 & 25

Boys & Girls U12-U14 State Championships May 1 & 2

We encourage you to sign-up.  Our state cup events cannot run without amazing and dedicated volunteers!

If you have questions, please contact:
Elizabeth Flannery
Marketing & Events Coordinator
Washington Youth Soccer
Tel: 253.476.2237 Ext. 112
Toll Free: 1-877-424-4318

Exercise and the brain.

Kate Jacobsen sent this notice of a discussion about the benefits of exercise and how exercise improves brain function.

Eastside FC Teams Challenge Cup Champs!

Congratulations to EFC's Girls 12 White and U13 White Teams for winining the Challenge Cup Gold Bracket! The U12 Girls are coached by Tom Turner and the U13 Coach is Emily Cole.

Girls U12 Champs! They scored 22 goals in the tournament and had 0 scored against them.....What an impressive tournament! Way to go girls!

Coach Emily Cole's U13's also had an amazing tournament with a record of 7-0-0, 30 goals scored and 0 scored against them!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Success in The Challenge Cup Tournament!
EFC had amazing success in the Challenge Cup this season, with almost all of our teams advancing out of bracket into the elimination rounds. Great work EFC! Congratulations to all our teams for a great season!
B98 Red - D1 Gold Finalist (lost in OT), Coach An Nuon

B98 White - D1 Silver Semi-Finalist, Coach Ryan Dortch

B98 Blue - D2 Silver Quarter-Finalist, Coach Fernando Barros

B98 Grey - D2 Silver Elimination Round, Coach Karsten Hoffmann

B99 Dev - D2 Gold Quarter-Finalist, Coach Dan Strom

B97 White - Silver Finalist (lost in pk's), Coach Ryan Dortch

B97 Blue - Silver Quarter-Finalist, Coach An Nuon

B96 White - Gold Finalist, Coach Danny Huet

B96 Blue - Silver Quarter-Finalist, Coach Mark Kovats

B95 White - Gold Semi-Finalist, Coach Fernando Barros

G98 Red - D1 Gold Semi-Finalist, Coach Michelle French

G98 White - D1 Gold Quarter-Finalist (lost to EFC's 98 Red), Coach Kelli Smith

G98 Blue - D2 Gold Elimination Round, Coach Allison Tenney

G98 Grey - D2 Gold Elimination Round, Coach Kevin VanGaver

G99 Dev - D2 Gold Quarter-Finalist, Coach Danny Jackson

G97 White - Gold Champion, Coach Tom Turner

G97 Blue - Gold Elimination Round, Coach Dan Bubar

G96 White - Gold Champion, Coach Emily Cole

G96 Blue - Gold Elimination Round, Coach Kevin VanGaver

G95 White - Gold Finalist (lost in pk's), Coach Ryan Dortch

Letter Back Home

Hi Eastside!  I'm on the Brooklyn Bridge here!!!

This is the uniform gallery at MLS offices.  Wearing home team colors of course!  :)

Maryann Boddy played soccer at Eastside FC from U11 through U18.  She assisted Tom Bialek with our G95R team for several years.  She went on to play for the Redhawks at Seattle University and the Women Sounders.  After graduating from SU, she took a position with Sounders FC in their marketing department.  Recently she was awarded an internship with the MLS in New York City.  We asked her to write and let us know how things are going.....

Here's Maryann's letter home from the Big Apple....

===============
Hey EFC!!

Life here has been a blast so far, filled with adventures and definitely some ups and downs, but mostly ups.

An extremely great couple took me in for the first month and a half and I've been living in their guest bedroom in the upper west side. Mark is a UW alum from SNOQUALMIE who manages a hedge fund out here and was in a fraternity with my uncle David. He and his wife Nicole have two boys under the age of 3 whom I love and tuck in for bed every night I'm home in time. They are great people and have made the transition smooth for me as I've been spoiled with my own bedroom, bathroom and Sunday family dinners.

As for the MLS, I've been learning a ton and am super excited to delve more into some PR projects out here. I'm responsible for managing and updating our Twitter account, actively engaging MLS fans and encouraging involvement from MLS clubs and soccer experts. I also help monitor all the major soccer blogs, whether a worldwide, MLS or US Soccer approach, we keep our ears peeled for any and all PR opportunities. Pretty soon here we'll be delving into some World Cup PR so I'm looking forward to that.

I've also been really lucky to help in the press box for the new Red Bull Arena opener in Harrison, NJ against the Brazilian club Santos as well as the inaugural home game for the expansion Philadelphia Union last weekend. They drafted Sebastian Le Toux from the Sounders this year who was a buddy of mine from a few yrs ago and he scored all 3 goals in the 3-2 win! Very exciting for him and brought a little comfort of home.

Aside from that I'm just enjoying all the sights, sounds and tastes of the city. I was going to play for the NY Magic and signed all the paperwork but the first weekend I got here I tore some cartilage in my knee and could hardly walk on it for a couple weeks. So, I joined a gym instead and have settled into the retirement life :-) I am still working out hard though so that when I come back I can keep up with the girls!

I have gotten robbed a couple times already, first my lock was cut at Bally's and all my belongings stolen, and second my wallet was picked from my backpack. So I've had to deal with all the good and the bad of the Big City but I'm definitely learning and taking it all in stride. Unfortunately it's all part of the experience!

I am moving into a 5 bedroom apartment this weekend and really looking forward to some adventures with my new roommates in Greenwich Village. With work and play it's going to be a great spring/summer.

Talk soon!!

Maryann

Handball! More Information

In a prior post entitled Handball! , we discussed the Laws of the Game around handling the ball.  We recently received an email from our friend Tom Hill, a board member at Issaquah Soccer Club, highlighting the US Soccer Federation's "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game 2009/2010".  This publication by the USSF’s National Referee Development Program is specifically intended to give USSF referees, assistant referees and fourth officials a reliable compilation of the Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees which are provided as part of the Laws of the Game. 

It is not a replacement for the Laws of the Game, nor is it a "how to" book on refereeing: It is an official statement of Federation interpretations of the Laws.

For those interested in learning more about what is (and perhaps more importantly, what is NOT) a 'handball', read on.....

12.9 DELIBERATE HANDLING

The offense known as "handling the ball" involves deliberate contact with the ball by a player's hand or arm (including fingertips, upper arm, or outer shoulder - see diagram below).

"Deliberate contact" means

• that the player could have avoided the touch but chose not to,
• that the player's arms were not in a normal playing position at the time,
• or that the player deliberately continued an initially accidental contact for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage.

Moving hands or arms instinctively to protect the body when suddenly faced with a fast approaching ball does not constitute deliberate contact unless there is subsequent action to direct the ball once contact is made. Likewise, placing hands or arms to protect the body at a free kick or similar restart is not likely to produce an infringement unless there is subsequent action to direct or control the ball.

The fact that a player may benefit from the ball contacting the hand does not transform the otherwise accidental event into an infringement. A player infringes the Law regarding handling the ball even if direct contact is avoided by holding something in the hand (clothing, shinguard, etc.).

NOTE: In most cases in the Laws of the Game, the words "touch," "play," and "make contact with" mean the same thing. This is not true in the case of deliberate handling, where the touch, play, or contact by the offending player must be planned and deliberate.

12.10 RULE OF THUMB FOR "HANDLING"

The rule of thumb for referees is that it is handling if the player plays the ball, but not handling if the ball plays the player. The referee should punish only deliberate handling of the ball, meaning only those actions when the player (and not the goalkeeper within the ‘keeper’s own penalty area) strikes or propels the ball with the hand or arm (shoulder to tip of fingers).

12.11 USE OF THE SHOULDER

For purposes of determining deliberate handling of the ball, the "hand" is considered to be any part of the arm-hand from fingertip to shoulder. Using the top of the shoulder is not considered as using the hand. (A diagram showing the area of “the hand” is shown below.)

 

Challenge Cup Results - A Message from Chance Fry

Congratulations to all our teams who were in the Challenge Cup Finals weekend. We went into the semi’s with 9 teams and 6 advanced to finals.  In those 6 finals today, we won 2 championships - Tom Turner’s GU12’s and Emily Cole’s GU13’s both won 1-0.

Great job to all the teams and coaches for a fantastic year.  There were a lot of very close games, some went to PK’s and the only difference sometimes is one kick of the ball.

The BU11 final, coached by An Nuon, was one of the most entertaining soccer games, at any age, I have ever seen. It was a back and forth affair with An’s boys losing in OT……7-5! A barnburner as they say.

It was great to see coaches, parents and players from many different teams supporting our EFC Challenge Cup teams….that is what a club is all about….having pride and interest in one another’s challenges.

Chance

SAVE THE DATE!

PARENT NIGHT at GARAGE BILLIARDS

Mark your calendars for the 1st ever EFC adult only night

WHEN: Sunday, June 27th 5:00-9:00PM

WHERE: Garage Billiards on Broadway

WHO: Parents in the club

WHAT: An evening of mingling, games and FUN

EFC at the Challenge Cup - 9 Teams in Semi-Finals!

Congratulations to the following teams in the Washington Challenge Cup Semi-Final Round!

Girls 98 Red, Coach Michelle French - U11 Gold, Starfire Field #9, 4:00 pm

Girls 97 White, Coach Tom Turner - U12 Gold, Starfire Field #1, 12:00 pm

Girls 96 White, Coach Emily Cole - U13 Gold, Starfire Field #1, 6:00 pm

Girls 95 White, Coach Ryan Dortch - U14 Gold, Starfire Field #3, 10:00 am

Boys 98 Red, Coach An Nuon - U11 Gold, Starfire Field #10, 9:00 am

Boys 98 White, Coach Danny Huet - U11 Silver, Starfire Field #4, 10:30 am

Boys 97 White, Coach Ryan Dortch - U12 Silver, Starfire Field #1, 8:00 am

Boys 96 White, Coach Danny Huet - U13 Gold, Starfire Field #11, 4:00 pm

Boys 95 White, Coach Fernando Barros - U14 Gold, Starfire Field #11, 10:00 am

Community Health Classes From Swedish Hospital

Our good friends at Swedish will be hosting community health classes this spring.  You can register at www.swedish.org/classes



A Guide to Swedish’s Eastside Community Education Programs

Swedish Community Health Education Programs are free unless otherwise indicated, but registration is required for all classes and screenings. Classes are held at the Swedish/Issaquah Campus in the Medical Imaging Waiting Area unless otherwise noted.

Swedish/Issaquah Campus:  2005 N.W. Sammamish Road

To register, visit www.swedish.org/classes or call 206-386-2502. Classes, locations and times are subject to change. Please call to confirm the information listed here.

Here are the classes....

Growing Up Female/Growing Up Male

This class provides a perfect opportunity to build a bridge between you and your 9 to 12-year-old to demystify puberty and the changes that occur during this somewhat-awkward time. The focus of this class is to enhance communication between parents and preteens, as well as facilitate learning about the physical and emotional changes of puberty. Fee: $25 per family (fee includes two adults and one child; there is a $5 fee for each additional child or adult in the same family).

Growing Up Female - Swedish/Issaquah - Medical Imaging Waiting Area - Thurs, April 8 - 6:30-9:00p
Growing Up Male - Swedish/Issaquah - Medical Imaging Waiting Area - Tues, June 15 - 6:30-9:00p

Safe Sitter®

Safe Sitter is a medically accurate program that teaches boys and girls how to be good babysitters. The class covers basic lifesaving techniques, safety precautions, how and when to summon help, tips on basic child care and child development, and responsibilities of safe babysitting. Also taught are age-appropriate entertainment ideas and the basics of starting a babysitting business. This class is recommended for ages 11-13. The Safe Sitter program is recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Visit http://www.safesitter.org/
for more information. Fee: $40 (scholarships are available on a limited basis).

Swedish/Issaquah - Medical Imaging Waiting Area - Saturday, May 15 - 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Talk with Your Doc — Issaquah

Talk with Your Doc is a new free education series with classes and events for parents and youth caregivers. We invite you to join us for one class or the whole series to learn about different health topics and have your questions answered by our clinicians.  Here's the current slate of offerings:

Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite: Sleep Problems in Infants, Children and Adolescents

Bring your questions to this presentation, conducted by Swedish pediatric sleep specialist Preetam Bandla, M.D. Here’s your chance to learn about snoring and sleep apnea, how to get your child screened for a sleep problem, sleep deprivation mimicking ADHD, the connection between childhood obesity and sleep, and when to seek behavioral therapy for sleep issues.

Swedish/Issaquah - Medical Imaging Waiting Area - Weds, May 19 - 6-8 p.m.
Pediatric Sports Injuries: What to Do?

Approximately 30 million school-age children participate in organized sports every year. It is important to know how to prevent and treat their injuries. Join Leslianne Yen, M.D., who specializes in pediatric sports medicine, for a discussion about how to prevent common pediatric sports injuries, when your child needs to see a doctor after an injury, and how children’s injuries can differ from those of adults.

Swedish/Issaquah - Medical Imaging Waiting Area - Weds, June 9 - 6-8 p.m.
Sneezes and Sniffles and Runny Eyes, Oh My!

Join allergist Marlene Peng, M.D., as she discusses tips to help your kids ward off the effects of seasonal allergies. Find out how to identify common indoor and outdoor allergens, how to determine if seasonal allergy medication is safe for your child, and how to know when to see an allergist.
Swedish/Issaquah - Medical Imaging Waiting Area - Weds, April 14 - 6-8 p.m.

What's "Advantage" Mean?

Ever hear a ref call "Play On!" or "Advantage!"  Here's what it means.....

Laws of the Game:  Law 5 - The Referee, articulates the authority, powers, duties, and decision-making scope of the referee.

Under the Powers and Duties section of Law 5, one clause states the following: 

"[The referee] allows play to continue when the team against which an offence has been committed will benefit from such an advantage and penalises the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue at that time."

This clause gives the ref discretion to allow play to continue even after a foul has been committed if stopping play would unfairly punish the fouled team.  The idea is that the team which committed the foul should not benefit from the foul.

An example of a situation in which the ref could call "Play On" or "Advantage" might be if the fouled team had a breakaway & might score even after having been fouled.  In this case the ref might call "Play On" to allow the breakaway to succeed.  If it does not, the ref has discretion to halt play and call the penalty on the original offense.

Pic of the Week

Sarah Dieker, GU11G (Coach Kevin VanGaver), takes a shot on goal in the Elimination Round of the Challenge Cup.  Julia Gottlieb is cheering her on.

Rob Savette Nominated for Golden Scarf

Rob Savette – an Eastside FC dad - has been nominated for a Sounders FC Golden Scarf.   Rob was nominated because of his passion for soccer, a passion that drove him to become a season ticket holder in the inaugural year of the MLS (1995) and travel 5000 miles round trip to see games.  Rob was a licensed coach for many years and both his sons have played and coached for Eastside FC.  His youngest son Kyle is 17 and plays for Mark Kovats U18 team and has been with the team since he was 9 years old. His oldest son Jake played for Eastside FC and is currently an assistant coach with Michael Smith. In addition Rob’s wife Gerry started playing the game after she turned 50 and started an all-rookie over-50 womans team! Click on VOTE HERE if you’d like to vote for Rob and see an Eastside FC family win a Golden Scarf.

G93R Team Makes Top Ten Nationally

Here's something to celebrate!  EFC's G93R team has climbed into the top 10 nationally after a great weekend in Vegas. This is a huge accomplishment for the team, Head Coach Dan Strom, and Asst. Coach Frank Gallo.


They attended the Las Vegas College Showcase where they played 4 games. First game was against the IL state champ where they won 3-2. Frank said “Going down a goal 5 min's into the Region 2 Champs from Chicago, & absolutely spanking them in the 2nd half to come from behind was a dramatic performance! One of the best games in my 30 yrs....”


Second game, was against the Region I Champion, and we played a tough game but lost 0-1 despite out-shooting our opponents!

Third game was aginst the 2nd ranked team in NJ where we won 1-0.

Last game was against the Georgia State Champ and we won 3-1.
It was a great weekend – here is part of an email from Coach Strom:

"Your daughters played so well and showcased their ability before over 100 college coaches throughout the weekend and did so with a limited roster due to injuries to three regular roster players and a last minute scratch of a guest player.  What's more, the third game was played in gusty wind conditions and the fourth game featured a strong steady wind that impacted the quality of play for both teams. That the team won the top showcase division with a 3-1 record was a solid accomplishment and not only built the team profile but will also draw attention from college coaches in the future."

Well done all!

Far West Regional League Comes to Preston This Weekend

The Far West Regional League of Region IV, US Youth Soccer comes to Preston this weekend in the opener of bracket play for GU14.  If you're interested in seeing very high quality girls soccer, come see some of these games.

Bracket Play - Saturday, March 20, 2010


09:00 AM Field 2 Eastside FC G95 Red vs. South Bay Force Black

09:00 AM Field 1 DMCV Sharks Girls - 95 White vs. San Diego Surf Girls 95-96 Blue

01:00 PM Field 1 South Bay Force Black vs. DMCV Sharks Girls - 95 White

01:00 PM Field 2 San Diego Surf Girls 95-96 Blue vs. Eastside FC G95 Red

Bracket Play - Sunday, March 21, 2010
09:00 AM Field 1 DMCV Sharks Girls - 95 White vs. Eastside FC G95 Red