January 2017
2017 SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE
Please note that each age group will report on the same day and time as in 2016, but Eddie Bloise and Roland Sikinger will switch assignments in 2017--Roland will train Intermediates on Tuesdays at 6:30pm and Eddie will train Seniors on Thursdays at6:30pm. Jim Walker will continue training Junior Keepers on Mondays at 5:30pm.
January calendar for goalkeeper training at Dyess Park:
9—Junior Keepers, 5:30pm
10—Intermediate Keepers, 6:30pm
12—Senior Keepers, 6:30pm
16--Juniors, 5:30pm
17--Intermediates, 6:30pm
19--Seniors, 6:30pm
23--Juniors, 6:30pm
24--Intermediates, 6:30pm
26--Seniors, 6:30pm
30—Juniors, 5:30pm
31—Seniors, 6:30pm
About the Keeper Club
Junior Keepers—Beginners and 10-and-under boys and girls (Mondays, 5:30pm); Intermediates ages 10, 11 and 12 competitive boys and girls (Tuesdays, 6:30pm); Seniors--U14 and older boys and girls. Membership fee: $100 for the Spring training season, Jan. 9 through May 22; $200 if not playing for the Cy-Fair Youth Soccer Club or the Dynamos; $50 for Junior Keepers (age 8-10). To join, please send goalkeeper’s name, birthdate, email address and phone number, along with check payable "Keeper Club" to Dynamos Keeper Club, attn: DeNiece Herrod, 5827 Pinellas PK, Spring TX 77379. For more information, email jwalker332@aol.com(phone 281-217-1612) or dherrod@me.com.
HIDDEN IN THE REWARD
By Isobel Herrod
Life up until this point has been very hectic, to say the least. While the particulars do not really matter, the one constant being the most significant to me is soccer. I find that this intricate, and maddening, sport can seem, and is sometimes, a game of controlled chaos; only to be tamed with the players who have lived and breathed soccer for so long it’s like speaking another language fluently. After all my years of obsession with this sport, I have come across many wins, and unfortunately losses as well, and the pleasant result of both is the eye-opening way to fix my mistakes. I don’t think there is any better feeling in the world than a last-second save, or better yet, stopping a PK to win the game. It gives you such a high that masks any feeling other than that winning sensation. But ask any goal keeper put in those situations and you will quickly find that those wins were not out of luck. As for taking those steps along the path to winning, they are not easy. Goalkeepers, or better known as Crazy Keepers, are known for our actions, specifically our flying saves, or 1v1’s, but because of our training, and implemented instinct, these become natural actions. Speaking as a Goalkeeper, there have been too many nights to count where I will be walking away from an amazing practice, left with scrapes, cuts, bruises as well as a smile on my face. Every week practices come and go, usually at this point, after playing for 12 years they are just how I spend my week. It’s my life, but when talking through my technical problems and errors and applying fixes to a one-step error, or hesitation in a game, not only does winning come with confidence, it comes with a new-found joy for the game and another reason to keep on loving it.--Isobel Herrod, Dynamos goalkeeper for the Dynamos U16 girls and longtime Keeper Club member, is playing for both Varsity and Junior Varsity at Klein Oak High School. We are honored that Isobel, already a published novelist--author of 9/11 Reborn: Your Secrets Should Sink With You--shares her thoughts with us.
KEEPERS AT WORK AND PLAY
Ending their long year of intense training by attending the annual Keeper Christmas party on Dec. 15 at Dyess Park, sixteen goalkeepers reported to trainer Roland Sikinger for an hour of training, then to Jim Walker for an hour or so of eating, socializing and gift-exchanging. Assisting was Keeper Club and Dynamos alumnus Kacie Paine. Guests included Dynamos Director of Training Olivier Finidori and Keeper Club alum Marco Kimassi. Keepers attending were Andrew Nelson, Samantha Nichols, Samantha Yeager, Zac Cannon, Victoria Finidori, Steve Franke, Ashley Kimassi, Alli Thompson, Payton Salinas, Ethan Urrutia, Ethan Baylis, Isobel Herrod, Claire Juenke, Sophia Wilkinson, and Grace Ehrenfeld. Receiving 2016 attendance awards were Samantha Nichols, Claire Juenke, Grace Ehrenfeld, Andrew Nelson, and Zac Cannon. The annual Starter Kit (all items available at your neighborhood Dollar Tree) went to Payton Salinas, who also won the Candy Jar Shootout with an exact estimate of 43. MVP (Most Valuable Pizzadeliverer) honors went to Karen Nichols, mom of Samantha, who was on time with the goodies from Locatelli's. Each keeper bought into the popular pizza parlor’s slogan “Put a Telli in your belly,” and the lively and aggressive Krazy Keeper gift exchange that followed was enjoyed by all. Thanks to Kacie, and all the parents who pitched in, for their help during the evening. After the holiday break, these gals and guys will be ready to kick off 2017 goalkeeper training, which resumes Jan. 9
After Getting Scored On:
ROLL AROUND IN THE DIRT? NO!
Goalkeepers react in various ways after goals. Some whack the ball in anger. Some fall to their knees, head in hands. Some scream at teammates. And some hang forlornly on the net. Whether they realize it or not, these immediate emotional responses are more than personal reactions. They speak loudly to the keepers’ own teammates and to opponents. So what’s the best way to react? Keep your composure. Your teammates don’t want to see you falling apart. They certainly don’t want berated. If they were at fault, they likely already know it. If they weren’t, they resent being blamed. If something needs to be discussed, it should occur concisely and without drama. What should you do with the ball upon retrieving the ball from the net behind you? Don’t embark on a long sprint, carrying the ball to midfield to speed up the kickoff. That implies panic. Don’t boot the ball like a madman. If there’s no defender around to grab it out of the net, calmly retrieve it yourself and pass or toss it up field. Body language that conveys a negative frame of mind, such as slouching, or a sulky grimace, sends a depressing message to teammates and an inspiring one to opponents. And such gestures delay the keeper’s own recovery. Keepers can assume a poker face after conceding a goal, and put the setback out of their mind, whether or not the goal was scored because of their own error. However, the keeper who has given up a goal should not become shy and stop communicating with his teammates to help organize the defense. The team still needs the direction of the keeper. In addition, focusing on the upcoming play will help put the conceded goal out of mind. The time and place to examine and correct errors and to rebuild confidence is in training. Good training instills confidence.
LOOKING BACK
1999—Missing: two well-used goalkeeper medicine balls, two-pounders with faded green circles. If found, please call Jim Walker. Coaches, if you locate these medicine balls, please accept no bribes from Keeper Club members who would prefer these hefty sweat-provoking training tools remain lost.
Timeless
One of the perks I get writing the Keeper newsletter is the re-telling of old stories. Here's one from Kacie Paine's young life as a goalkeeper for the Dynamos. She was 15 going on 16 then; now is finishing her second year at Texas A&M University, but loyally returns when she can to Dyess Park to help out with summer camps, the Christmas party and other special clinics:
Driving Lesson
Why do I feel a burst of pride when a goalkeeper maneuvers the family automobile into a parking space at Dyess Park upon arrival for training? The other day it was Kacie Paine, the sure-handed netminder from the Dynamos, Langham Creek HS, and longtime Keeper! Club member, piloting her family’s SUV slowly between the lines, like a sleek boat pulling into dock. Kacie and her mom emerged from the vehicle smiling, Mom Patti admitting she was a bit white-knuckled. It brought back memories of years ago when goalkeeper Josh Myers made his first trip as a driver to Dyess. When he parked, his dad, Darrell, opened the passenger side door, put his feet solidly on the ground, and said to the sky, "Thank you!" From the driver's side came a confident "That's okay, Dad, any time." Darrell, still looking to the heavens, responded: "I wasn't speaking to you, Josh."--Jim Walker
KeeperTalk
At the Keeper Club Christmas party in mid-December, Roli the Goalie had the group of keepers spellbound with his true tale of facing the legendary Dutch player, Johan Cruyff, in the old North American Soccer League days. . .Former goalkeeper-turned-midfielder Carolyn Kenaley, a U. S. Navy lieutenant stationed at Whidbey Island off Washington state, visited Dyess Park during the Kick Cancer Camp, spending time with her former trainers, Olivier Finidori and Jim Walker. . .When they didn’t know I was looking, Steven Franke, Isobel Herrod, Payton Salinas, and Samantha Nichols solemnly gave tips to Junior Keepers and, later, when they knew I was looking, the same Junior Keepers performed perfectly the techniques the more experienced keepers shared. . .Stanford goalkeeper Andrew Epstein came up big in the penalty tiebreaker to lead his team to the NCAA Division I Men's College Cup at BBVA Stadium Dec. 11. Epstein made a pair of diving stops to give Stanford his second consecutive College Cup title in a 1-0 victory (5-4 in penalties). . .Samantha Nichols continued to scoop up Keeper Kwiz prizes, adding a new ball to her collection because she defined “lepidopterist”, a butterfly expert, as the answer to last month’s question. To enter the drawing for this month’s prize, a new soccer ball, please email jwalker332@aol.com with the date in 2017 that Keeper Club training resumes. . . .If you have news items, photos, anecdotes, or tips on goalkeeping, please send tojwalker@dynamossoccer.com
KEEPER LOG
Goalkeepers who attended Keeper Club training during December 2016:
1—Steven Franke, Ethan Urrutia, Payton Salinas, Audrey Faucher
5—Evie Raines, Muddy Fields
6—Ethel Waters, Muddy Fields
8—Ethan Urrutia, Payton Salinas, Steven Franke
12—Victoria Finidori, Ethan Baylis; Assisting: Samantha Nichols and Steven Franke
13—Noah Lights
15--Andrew Nelson, Samantha Nichols, Samantha Yeager, Zac Cannon, Victoria Finidori, Steven Franke, Ashley Kimassi, Alli Thompson, Andrew Nelson, Payton Salinas, Ethan Urrutia, Ethan Baylis, Isobel Herrod, Claire Juenke, Sophia Wilkinson, Grace Ehrenfeld. Assisting: Kacie Paine
QUOTABLE
“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.”—Dr. Harriet Braiker
Editor’s note: KEEPER! generally agrees with the above quote, but an exception is the series of ball-handling activities keeper performs at Keeper Club training. Seek perfection here, each one done with proper technique, and no drops. Don’t try to do more until you have “perfected” the technique. Practice the scissors, popups, whatever, then try to do a minimum number without mistakes, then next training session, try to increase the number—with perfection. Repetition will win out.
TIP OF THE MONTH
One of the prime aspects to your improvement as a goalkeeper is footwork. This is the key to reaching distant shots, to charge off your line on breakaways, to clear dangerous high balls, and to generate the momentum required for extension diving. Don’t neglect working on your own and do your best to focus when following a trainer’s request for repetitions for footwork improvement.
KEEPING SECRETS
When people think about courage and goalkeepers they frequently are thinking about the keeper diving at an attackers feet to save a breakaway or the high extension dive that might result in a hard landing. However, the part of goalkeeping that might take the most courage is the handling of crosses. Courage on crosses is affected in a couple of different ways. First the willingness to come off your line and NOT being sure you are going to make the save. The fear of the unknown causes many keepers to remain on their line. The thing they don't realize is while there is always the chance they will come for a cross and not get to it, it puts pressure on the opponent and decreases the likelihood of scoring. If you sit back because you are afraid, you will definitely not win the ball. The other area courage becomes a factor on crosses is when the ball is played into an area between the oncoming attackers (and defenders) and the keeper.