May 2017
MAY TRAINING SCHEDULE
Through May 25, there will be three Keeper Club training sessions weekly (except for May 15, 16 and 18 due to tryouts)--Junior Keepers (beginners and 10-and-under boys and girls) with Jim Walker on Mondays at 5:30pm; Intermediates (ages 10, 11, and 13 boys and girls) with Roland Sikinger on Tuesdays at 6:30pm, and Seniors (14 and older boys and girls) with Eddie Bloise on Thursdays at 6:30pm.
Here’s the May calendar at Dyess Park:
1--Juniors, 5:30pm
2--Intermediates, 6:30pm
4--Seniors, 6:30pm
8--Juniors, 5:30pm
9--Intermediates, 6:30pm
11--Seniors, 6:30pm
15—No training, tryouts
16—No training, tryouts
18—No training, tryouts
22—Juniors, 5:30pm
23—Intermediates, 6:30pm
25—Seniors, 6:30pm
Select Tryouts
DYNAMOS PICK TEAMS
Tryouts are free, and fun! Goalkeepers: Please arrive early and designate at registration that you are a keeper, and receive a number. Here are dates for the Dyess Park tryouts, when Dynamos Select teams are chosen for the 2017-2018 seasons:
May
U-11 boys and girls: May 15 and May 17, 5:30-7pm
U-12 boys and girls: May 15 and May 17 7-8:30pm
U-13 boys and girls: May 16 and May 18, 5:30-7pm
June
U-14 boys and girls: June 5 and June 7, 5:30-7pm
U-15 boys and girls: June 5 and June 7, 7-8:30pm
U-16 boys and girls: June 6 and June 8, 5:30-7pm
U-17, U18, U19 boys and girls: June 6 and June 8, 7-8:30pm
Summer Training
CONDITIONING PROGRAM
The annual Summer Conditioning and Technical Program for goalkeepers (and a limited number of field players) will begin June 13 and continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays for eight weeks at Dyess Park. This program again will be directed by the Keeper Club’s Jim Walker and offers an opportunity for boys and girls 14 years and older to prepare for high school, college or club soccer with specially-paced conditioning and lots of touches on the ball. The fee is $150, with discounts for Dynamos players and paid-up Keeper Club members. Registration will be available soon on this website.
KEEPERS MEET AUG. 16-18
Mark your calendars, goalkeepers, the Keeper Club’s three-day summer camp will be held Aug. 16-18 at Dyess Park. The camp features quality instruction, plus an official camp t-shirt, daily prizes, an end-of-camp pizza and Powerade party, and lots of fun. The fee is $150, with a $25 discount for paid-up Keeper Club members. The goalkeeper camp will not be part of the Select Camp this year, but will meet Wednesday through Friday (not Saturday this year). Camp hours are 5pm until 8pm each day. You can register on this website.
Dynamos Summer Camps 2017
Select Camp, Aug.7-11
Future Stars Camp, Aug 14-16
Goalkeeper Camp, Aug. 16-18
KEEPER PUNTS FOR GOAL
In Keeper Club we talk about D 'n A (distance and accuracy) as we learn to refine punting and kicking skills. Alertness and accuracy paid off in late April for Bolivar goalkeeper Matias Dituro to score a long-distance goal against Club San Jose. Moving out to grab a high ball in stoppage time, the Argentine Dituro spotted the opposing keeper pushing into the attack, so he quick-punted the ball down the middle of the field and in four bounces it crossed the goal line to cap a 3-1 Bolivar win.
LOOKING BACK
2010--College keepers Kelley Sikinger (Sam Houston State) and Troi Jorgensen (St. Edward's) made guest appearances at the Keeper Club's two-day Spring Break goalkeeper mini-camp at Dyess Park. Featured was special instruction for beginners 8-12 years old and advanced keepers 13-18 years old. In addition to fun games, curriculum included: for the younger group--catching, diving without fear, positioning, and high ones; for the advanced catching and holding, flying without fear, managing the goal box, and discarding the uncatchable. Co-directors were Roland Sikinger and Jim Walker, with assistance from Keeper Club alumnus John Kowalczyk.
2015--Roli the Goalie reported that his Thursday group of Steven Franke, Ethan Urrutia, Sam Dominguez, Kaylee Barrett and Payton Salinas "worked on diving headers for when they have to make a play outside the box." Then he added: "Next week will be scorpion kicks." Recalling the image of Columbian goalkeeper Rene Hiquita's incredibly-acrobatic clearance of a high shot, along with an image of Coach Roli executing said skill, Coach Jim responded: "Let me know, please, what time you will be demonstrating." Roli's retort: "That's classified!"
KeeperTalk
We urge all keepers to attend upcoming Dynamos tryouts for their respective appropriate age groups (see schedule above). It’s an opportunity to see where your level of skill falls in relation to others your age and there’s no downside (other than maybe not being selected). It’s free and lots of fun, mostly small-sided games from which Dynamos trainers select players for the 2017-2918 rosters. . .Good news that Dynamos U18 keeper Maddie Saucedo has recovered speedily from a violent collision in a mid-April match when she suffered a slight concussion and stitches to the face. . .Former Keeper Club members Kennedy McGill (Cy-Fair HS) and Kelsi Gibson (Tomball Memorial HS) earned All-District Goalkeeper of the Year honors this past season. . .Kiran Desai underwent the Cement Diving Test on April 17 when heavy rain and lightning drove Junior Keeper training indoors. With encouragement and tips from experienced cement diver Sam Nichols, Kiran gets down a lot softer now. . .Intermediates were canceled by storms twice during May, but during their two other sessions, 13 turned out for instructor Stacey McDaniel and a dozen reported to Roland Sikinger. . .Since only one keeper, Samantha Nichols, responded to the April newsletter, this month’s drawing question is the same: Former Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall retired from professional soccer to become what? Answer is in last month’s Keeper! so you need to do a little research if you don’t remember. Simply email your answer to jwalker332@aol.com to go in the drawing for a new soccer ball. . .If you have news items, photos, anecdotes, or tips on goalkeeping, please send to jwalker@dynamossoccer.com
KEEPER LOG
Goalkeepers who attended Keeper Club training during April 2017:
3—Kiran Desai, Sophia Wilkinson, Daniel Lara, Victoria Finidori, Anderson Fisher, Ally Livingston
4—Amber Zlatich, Alli Thompson, Zac Cannon, Grace Ehrenfeld, Noah Bar, Kate Nguyen, Alex Kissamis, John Steadman, Robbie Steadman, Andrew Nelson, Claire Juenke, Samantha Nichols, Matthew Klages. Guest instructor: Stacey McDaniel
6—Steven Franke
10— Sophia Wilkinson, Kiran Desai, Victoria Finidori (injured), Samantha Nichols, Claire Juenke
11—Johnny Lightning, Lotta Raines, Ray Nunn Katzen-Dawgs
13—Kaeden Johnson, Steven Franke, Audrey Faucher, Bryant Brooks
17—Kiran Desai, Assisting: Samantha Nichols
18—Stormy Daze, Muddy Waters
20—Isobel Herrod, Peyton Salinas, Audrey Faucher, Bryant Brooks
24—Anderson Fisher, Kiran Desai, Samantha Nichols, Claire Juenke
25—Amber Zlatich, Kate Nguyen, Grace Ehrenfeld, John Steadman, Robbie Steadman, Andy Garcia, Alex Kissamis, Alli Thompson, Zac Cannon, Claire Juenke, Noah Bar, Andrew Nelson
QUOTABLE
“Better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.”—Ben Franklin
TIP OF THE MONTH
Keeper Club trainees are encouraged to become “perfect within their range,“ to reach the point through repetitions of techniques where they are making the simple save, to make decisions that enable them to collect the ball in the most efficient manner possible, and to put forth the effort to execute all basic saves with proper technique. Become perfect?, the young keeper asks. Yes, “perfect” is the reply. Don’t drop the easy ones--handle the simple balls with confidence and poise. Through hard work at training and daily practice, slowly but steadily extend your range and take on more advanced techniques, learning to make split-second decisions on the difficult shots.
KEEPING SECRETS
Fatigue leads to mistakes caused by lack of concentration and poor technique. A tired keeper finds it difficult to focus. So don’t “cheat” when undergoing conditioning and pressure training exercises, but put forth maximum effort and it will pay off sometime in a key situation of an important match.