DYNAMOS HONOR FIVE
Because the entrants were so worthy and their essays so appealing, the Dynamos Select Committee this year awarded seven scholarships, as follows:
Two awards of $1,000--Maddie Saucedo and Colette LaCour
Two awards of $500--Brooke VandeMotter and Ernesto Sandoval
Three awards of $250--Alyssa Cisneros, Bailey Peschel, and Oli Delaune.
Congratulations to all for outstanding careers in our program. We wish you all the best in the future and know you will always be part of the Dynamos family.
The Coaches Memo is publishing a selection of essays; this week’s by Colette LaCour.
By Colette LaCour
I have been playing soccer for as long as I can remember. I started my journey on a “lollipop” team, but quickly knew I wanted to play the sport I loved on a more challenging team. That’s when I not only found the Dynamos, but a “soccer family” that I would be a part of for the next nine years of my club experience. More importantly, I found out more about myself, and the Dynamo Difference, that I will carry forward for the rest of my life. My first significant soccer memory occurred with the switch from small fields to big ones. I knew I wanted to keep playing soccer because I loved it, but I was also aware that I was nowhere close to being one of the best players. So, at tryouts that year, I was tentative and pretty insecure about my performance. That’s when Oli entered the picture and flipped a switch in my head. He pulled me aside and said, “You have so much potential and you have no idea how good you are going to be.” Wow! No coach had ever taken the time during tryouts to tell one player something they needed to hear. He saw a better version of myself that day. From then on, I never doubted the things I can do on or off the soccer field. While it seemed like only a small moment in time, those words have stuck with me and provided me with new expectations for what soccer, and the Dynamos, mean to me. For the past nine years all I can remember are Dynamos games every single weekend. This not only built consistency in my life, but increased my self-esteem, helping to turn me into the player and person I am today. While in the moment it seemed almost cruel, I remember at twelve years old being scheduled for games against teams that were a year older and ranked five spots higher than us. We would get slaughtered, go home, and repeat it the next weekend. In hindsight, these early brutal games led to team building for everyone on our team. We continued to grow together. For the past three years, we’ve been qualifying and competing at nationals because of all the experience we gained as a close team. It was really hard losing all those games when we were younger and not understanding Oli’s strategy behind it, but the reward has been so much greater. This is the Dynamos philosophy; wins don’t matter but you being a great player does. My team for the past nine years is one that will never be forgotten. Because of our accomplishments earned together, from titles won and endless tournaments traveled to, I have never been closer with these girls who strive to achieve the same goals as me. We play and work for each other. It’s like a family; we sometimes yell, cry, laugh, also guide and support each other, because we are a team. We have the same goal and it takes every one of us to achieve it. I cannot imagine ever being on a team different than this one. Most of the girls have been playing together since we were about nine years old, when we were part of the original “Prew Crew” (trained by Lauren Prewitt). These girls are a big reason why I am the player I am today. If it wasn’t for the Dynamos club keeping us together and making us work together, we would have never become the kind of players we are today. While I grew up playing many other sports, soccer was my true passion. Getting injured in middle school was a big awakening for me. I was falling behind and felt like there was no chance I could come back to the form I was playing before but my club always had my back. Oli always showed dedication and compassion to his teams and players. My sneaky little injury turned out to be more aggressive than we expected. However, the only thing I was worried about was coming back and playing on my team. I had just started really becoming the player Oli saw in me years before and was finally playing to my potential. I was worried about losing my starting spot and maybe getting moved down to the Silver team, not about getting better because I was so terrified of not being good again. I could not have been more wrong. Oli checked up on me, emailed me after every doctor appointment, and made me feel like a truly valuable player. That’s why, when I finally came back I was ready to prove and show him I was back and ready to play. All the time and dedication Oli put in me because I was out of shape and lost my touch, will never be paid back to him, in my opinion. He gave me everything I needed to come back and be the best player I could be. All I did was show up with a ball in my hand. But he talked and trained with me like he was the lucky one. I will always be in debt to the Dynamos club for the amazing girls and coaches I was associated with through the years and the amazing experience that will last me a lifetime. I couldn’t have been luckier to have met all these people who shaped me not only into the player I am but the person I am today. That’s what I honestly believe the Dynamos Difference means. This is not like any other club because I feel like I’m not only leaving a soccer team, but my family too. So, thank you Dynamos for showing me that I can be better than I ever could imagine. You saw the potential in me and made me the player I am today. Thank you for giving me one of the best experiences of my life. I may be leaving but you will always be a part of me.
Happy Campers--all smiles from 08 Dynamos (left to right) as they attended Aggie Soccer Camp at Texas A&M last week: Whitney Foster, Ava King, Kate Davies, Hailey Hill, Laney Boverman, Edie Dispensa, Ella Fritz, and Ciera Rochette.#dynamosdifference
THE BUZZ
Congrats to former Dynamos player Olivia Urrutia, after two years as a star defender at Angelina Junior College, has been accepted to the University of St. Thomas School of Nursing, where she also will play soccer. . .During a recent Dyess Park Fitness Camp session, 37 players attended and visiting trainer Johnny Klander directed a 30-minute “killer session” (according to Director Mark Hunter), that had everyone aching. Johnny has been a valuable guest trainer at the camp the past two seasons. . .Dynamos alum Victoria Favela, who will be a senior midfielder at Schreiner University this fall, visited as a guest staffer last week for the Summer Conditioning and Technical Program. The former Cy-WoodHS star played in all 18 of the Mountaineers’ games last season. . .American soccer legend Landon Donovan is taking his talents to the front office, becoming executive vice-president of soccer operations for the newly-launched San Diego USL Championship team. The new club has entered into an agreement to play at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium, likely in 2021, but maybe as soon as 2020. . .Thanks for the birthday wishes, responded Coach Walker on the eve of his 84th. Asked how he feels, he replied: "Dunno, I've never been this old before.". . .Show your appreciation for the television play-by-play delivery of Women’s World Cup games by sending Glenn Davis an email at gdavis98@swbell.net, also tune in his “Soccer Matters” radio show on ESPN97.1FM, or even make a call to the program at 713-780-3776. Guarantee he’ll love hearing from you!. . .If you have items or photos for the Coaches Memo, please email to jwalker332@aol.com. Deadline for each issue is midnight Wednesday.
QUOTABLE
"Colette LaCour has been in our program since U10 (Academy), becoming a tremendously talented player for our 00G Dynamos. She has this nonchalant personality that reminds me of a certain Chad McCoy (another former Dynamos player), but she's an absolute beast once games start, our rock at center back, but over the years also scoring many clutch, big-game winning goals. Coco is outgoing, personable, soooo funny, and despite her goofy attitude extremely intelligent (top of her class at Cy-Woods High). Unfortunately, she will not play soccer in college, wishing instead to focus on studies, and social life. It's a loss for soccer. She has played pretty much this whole year through pain with lingering injuries, but hasn't missed a beat. Like most players on this talented team (National Cup champions two years in a row) she could have gone to a bigger club as many of her high school teammates pressured her to do, but she wouldn't have any of it."--Oliver Finidori
THOUGHT ON COACHING
“Look--it doesn’t change history and retroactively mean the United States qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but it must have felt sweet for the USMNT to get another game against Trinidad and Tobago and win, 6-0. More importantly? The attack had real verve and bite after a few unconvincing displays in recent weeks. Aaron Long opened the scoring in the 41st minute, following great work from Christian Pulisic, then the floodgates well and truly opened in the second half. Pulisic continued his fine play, ending with a goal and two assists. Gyasi Zardes scored a brace. Jordan Morris had two assists from the bench. Long even scored another goal. It was a great day for the USMNT.”—Tom Bogert, The Daily Kickoff at mlssoccer.com
ANOTHER THOUGHT
"Cry in the beginning so you can smile in the end"—Brazilian star Marta’s message to the next generation.
IT’S ONLY FAIR
In a melancholy mood, Coach Cy Fair murmured: I’m looking forward to looking back on all this, There are two rules for success, Coach Flo counsels coaching mates, the first: don't tell all you know.