Dynamos Soccer - KEEPER! - Vol. 19, No. 1

Monday, 02 January, 2012 (1714 reads)

Written and edited by Jim Walker

January, 2012

A publication of the Keeper Club

Written and edited by Jim Walker

JANUARY TRAINING

Calendar for keeper training at Dyess Park in January:

5--Resume regular keeper training at 5:30pm; Junior Keepers at 6:45pm

9--Regular keeper training, 6:45pm

12--Regular keeper training, 5:30pm; Junior Keepers, 6:45pm

16--Regular keeper training, 6:45pm

19--Regular keeper training, 5:30pm; Junior Keepers, 6:45pm

23--Regular keeper training, 6:45pm

26--Regular keeper training, 5:30pm; Junior Keepers, 6:45pm

30--Regular keeper training, 6:45pm

Regular keeper training is open to boys and girls 10 years and older; Junior Keeper is open to beginning keepers 10 years and younger. Roland Sikinger conducts training on Mondays; Jim Walker on Thursdays. Fee for regular training is $50 per ten-week package ($100 if not playing for the Cy-Fair Youth Soccer Club or the Dynamos). Fee for Junior Keepers is $25 per ten-week package. Spring packages are: Jan. 5 through March 15, and March 19 through May 24. Please make check payable to “Keeper Club” and mail to: Dynamos, attn: Loree, 10924 Grant Rd., #224, Houston 77070.

PEACE REIGNS AT PARTY

For the first time in many years--17 to be exact, that's forever--no challenges were made during the Krazy Keeper gift exchange at the annual Keeper! Club Christmas party, held Dec. 15 in the Far Pavilion at Dyess Park. Despite cajoling from the grandstand, keepers one and all passively marched to the pile of gifts and selected a new one. Not one devilish lifting of another's treasure or trash. Maybe, one observer suggested, it was Coach Walker’s dire warning at the outset that at this year's party there would be no crying, and no fist fighting. ‘Course, the coach was only being dramatic as he sometimes is at training, so it is significant that the keepers paid attention. They obviously just wanted a fresh gift and not somebody else’s unwrappings. Sixteen keepers attended as Noah Schroer, Kaylee Barrett, and Mia Posey were honored for top attendance during the year, and Allyson Crouch came stunningly close to guessing the exact amount of candies in the jar contest annually provided by Kayee Barrett. Guests Janet and Bob Howard received the warmest ovation and were proclaimed MVP’s--Most Valuable Pizzabearers--for providing hot and ready Papa John’s and plenty of it, on time. Powerade and Ozarka were beverages of the evening and those precious parents again volunteered as designated drivers when the partying was over. The keepers, ranging in age from eight to 20, engaged in a brisk pre-party training session, including a spirited handball game which gave no indication they would turn suddenly unassertive in gift selection. Thanks to Joe B. Napier for his contributions of valuable prizes; Kristen Weindel, who provided paper goods; and Julie Brasher, Lisa Franke, and Zoey and Todd Stonebraker for their assistance. Attending; Kelsey Cottrell, Kaylee Barrett, Allyson Crouch, Mia Posey, Isabelle Tullier, Mallory Majewski, Steven Franke, Wyatt Fredrickson, Bryce Fredrickson, Nate Dunkley, Brady Stonebraker, Dylan Stonebraker, Ethan Brasher, Rodrigo Silos, and Noah Schroer. Special guests: alumnus Jonathan Kauffman, friends Janet and Bob Howard.

STARTER KIT

After two prizes worth more than $100 each were awarded at the Keeper Club Christmas party, the Keeper Club Starter Kit, valued at $5, was introduced. The contents*:

1. Gloves (colorful oven mitts, size large)

2. Super Glue (apply to the gloves)

3. Spiderman hand soap (for clean catches, extra stretch)

4. Panic Alarm (to call for help)

5. Magic ball (smaller than a ping pong ball, easy to hold)

*Items available at your nearest Dollar Store.

KEEPER KWIZ

Rodrigo Silos was winner of last month’s puzzler (prize: a $25 gift card to Soccer-4-All) in which he correctly completed the sentence: “Do not become a cheerleader or a _________ with the word “blabbermouth.” The drawing was conducted at the annual Christmas party Dec. 15. This time around there’s a $25 gift card (for something or other) for answering this question: the legendary painter, Pablo Picasso, a keeper, said “I am always doing that which I cannot do.“ and explained why. Why? All you need to do to be eligible for the drawing is email Pablo's reason (which is located elsewhere in this newsletter) to jwalker332@aol.com. Anyone reading this is eligible for the drawing.

KEEPERTALK

Congratulations to Kacie Paine for her role in helping the U16 Dynamos march to a second straight South Texas Super Two crown in San Marcos, and Kelsey Cottrell for hers as the U17 Dynamos captured the Premier League West championship, with a tie in Edmond, Oklahoma. Both came up huge in their respective team successes. . .Kennedy McGill is a teenager! The ever-steady keeper celebrated her 13^th birthday Dec. 15. . .Keeper Club members attending and having loads of fun at the Kick Kids Cancer Camp Dec. 16-18 were Isabelle Tullier, Wyatt and Bryce Fredrickson, and Brady and Dylan Stonebraker, all of whom played a lot of soccer and rubbed elbows with pro players Mike Chabala, Brian Ching, Josh Gardner, and Sandy Gbandi. . .Rolie the Goalie rode to the rescue Dec. 6 after his regular Monday training session was canceled by bad weather, providing a makeup session the next night. But alas, bundled up Rolie was left alone in the cold. . .Keepers are busy people out of the goal and some sent Christmas party laudable regrets: Aaron Austin (choir concert); Kenzie Peterson (her school basketball season opened that night); Kennedy McGill (celebrating her thirteenth birthday) and Rolie the Goalie (attending daughter Kelly’s graduation at Sam Houston State University). . .Thanks to alumnus Jonathan Kauffman for his assistance at training during his holiday vacation from Central Baptist College in Arkansas. . .Sabrina Pasier, a sophomore at St. Edward's University, spent part of the holidays visiting family in Peru. . .Posey family Christmas card featured a group photo of Will, 14, and twins Mia and Ben, 10, along with individual shots of each doing their favorite things--Will at his guitar and the twins in soccer game action, Ben wearing his Dynamos blue and white and Mia in goal, in Dynamos' garb, preparing to launch an awesome punt. . .Please send items of interest for Keeper! or for KeeperTalk, to jwalker332@aol.com.

Kacie Paine, U16 Dynamos Kelsey Cottrell, U17 Dynamos

TRAINING LOG

Names of keepers who attended training during December:

1-Aaron Austin, Noah Schroer, Kennedy McGill, Mia Posey, Allyson Crouch, Rodrigo Silos, Kodi Garcia, Ethan Brasher. Junior Keepers: Isabelle Tullier, Bryce Fredrickson, Wyatt Fredrickson. Assisting: Steven Franke

5--Muddy Waters, Marsha Fields

8--Kennedy McGill, Noah Schroer, Rodrigo Silos, Ethan Brasher, Steven Franke. Assisting--Jonathan Kauffman, Jeremiah Sutton. Junior Keeper--Isabelle Tullier. Assisting--Jonathan Kauffman.

12--Ethan Brasher, Brady Stonebraker, Dylan Stonebraker, Mallory Majewski, Kacie Paine, Kennedy McGill, Noah Schroer.

15--Kelsey Cottrell, Kaylee Barrett, Allyson Crouch, Mia Posey, Isabelle Tullier, Mallory Majewski, Steven Franke, Wyatt Fredrickson, Bryce Fredrickson, Nate Dunkley, Brady Stonebraker, Dylan Stonebraker, Ethan Brasher, Rodrigo Silos, and Noah Schroer, Jonathan Kauffman.

BIG LITTLE MAN

Who says you have to be tall to succeed as a top-level college goalkeeper? Not Creighton University's Brian Holt--all 5-foot-8 of him--who set a National Collegiate Athletic Association record for lowest goals-against average, leading the Bluejays to the Division I semifinals, and was selected as the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner for Division I men’s soccer. Holt posted a 0.206 gaa to top the mark held by Northern Illinois' Joe Zimka (0.207). The Lowe’s award is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I men’s soccer. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have notable achievements in four areas of excellence–community, classroom, character and competition. The Omaha native has a 3.73 GPA in finance and entrepreneurship, and has volunteered at a camp for children with cancer, helped with collections for relief efforts in Haiti and assisted the homeless at Helping the Homeless and the Siena Francis House homeless shelter.--From Soccer America

QUOTABLE

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. -- Pablo Picasso

TIP OF THE MONTH

Learn to Count to Four

From Keeper Club friend, well-traveled veteran professional goalkeeper David Benner, who once played for the Houston Hurricane and Houston Dynamos and appears frequently as an instructor for Keeper! Club camps:

I always get a chuckle and solid information from Keeper! the newsletter. My tip this month, to start off the new year, follows up last month’s reminder about practicing good technique. My suggestion: Learn to count to 4! Here’s what I mean:

1 - Always get your body behind the ball.

2 - Use both hands to catch the ball.

3 - Cage the ball securely to your chest.

4 - Distribute the ball cleanly to your teammate.

Do those things each and every time, and during the season your teammates will never accuse you of being the one responsible for abusive wear and tear on the goal nets!

KEEPING SECRETS

“Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to "jump at the Sun." We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.” --American writer Zora Neale Hurston (1903-1960)

From an early age, the Keeper Club exhorts boys and girls in training to jump at the crossbar. They might not reach it for years, but at least they get off the ground, each time a little higher.