Dynamos Soccer - KEEPER! Vol. 21, No. 2

Saturday, 01 February, 2014 (1846 reads)

Written and edited by Jim Walker

February 2014

A publication of the Keeper! Club

Written and edited by Jim Walker

TRAINING IN FEBRUARY

The aim of the Keeper! Club is to provide a support system to challenge goalkeepers to technical and tactical improvement and offer a training environment that will assist goalkeepers in reaching their highest potential. Boys and girls are taught the basics of catching, diving, cutting the angle, starting the attack, and gaining confidence at the position.

Membership fees

Senior keepers (boys and girls 10 years and older)--$50 for eight weeks; $75 for entire spring season, through May 23; $100 for non-Cy-Fair and/or Dynamos players

Junior keepers (beginners 10 years and younger,--$25 for the spring season, through May 23

To join, send a check payable to “Keeper Club” to Dynamos’ Keeper Club, Attn: Loree, 10924 Grant Road #224, HoustonTX77070.

The Schedule

Mondays: Senior Keepers at 5:30pm; Junior Keepers at 6:45pm

Thursdays: Senior Keepers at 8pm

Training at DyessPark in February:

3--Senior keepers, 5:30pm; Junior keepers, 6:45pm

6—Seniors, 8pm

10—Seniors 5:30pm; Juniors, 6:45pm

13—Seniors 8pm

17--Seniors, 5:30pm; Juniors 6:45pm

20—Seniors, 8pm

24—Seniors, 5:30pm; Juniors, 6:45pm

27—Seniors, 8pm

If you have questions, email jwalker332@aol.com or call 281-217-1612

BYOK SCHEDULED FEB. 23

WORKSHOP GOES INDOORS

(This workshop is also open to Keeper Club members)

Coaches and parents, here’s a workshop (it’s free!) to help you help the goalkeeper on your team or in your family! It’s called “Bring Your Own Keeper” (BYOK) and will be held Sun., Feb. 23, 3:30-5pm at the COTO Sports facility located on Highway 249 near Louetta. Yes, we’re going indoors for another in a series of BYOK workshops, the first time it will not be held at DyessPark. The COTO Sports facility has plenty of room and a grass-like carpet and we won’t need to worry about the weather, thanks to COTO Sports owner Marc Castillo. The workshop includes tips on how coaches and parents can be servers to prepare keepers for games and ways for boys and girls of all ages to practice fundamentals of this special position. Coaches and parents are invited to bring one or more goalkeepers to join in the activities, which will include a drawing for prizes. Please register for this free workshop by emailing JWalker332@aol.com with names and ages of keepers who will attend. There is no fee. . .keepers are requested to bring only water, a ball, and gloves if they have them.

SCOLDED FOR BRAVE ACT

If you saw a cat stuck in a tree, would you rescue it? Surely you would try. Victor Francoz did, but paid dearly for it. The French goalkeeper for English semi-pro club OxfordCity fell out of the tree and injured himself while trying to save a cuddly feline. Francoz had to miss two weeks of action thanks to a deep gash in his calf. To make matters worse, his coach Mike Ford had “no sympathy” for the fallen hero. Ford told The Oxford Mail: "It’s ridiculous. I’ve got no sympathy for him because he’s done it to himself. He fell out of a tree when he was trying to get a cat. He’s got a deep cut and unfortunately now we don’t have Victor because he’s gone back to France for a couple of weeks to have treatment. You just don’t get professional players climbing trees.” The 23-year-old signed for the club this past summer with hopes of a playing career in England, but will now be unable to take part in Oxford’s next few games. Worst-case scenario? The fireman stunt may cost him his place as first-choice goalkeeper. The advice he received? Dude, next time, try 911. But he knows he tried to do the right thing!

KEEPERTALK

Here’s a tip of the cap to keepers with Keeper Club connections who are playing on high school varsity or junior varsity teams: Aaron Austin, Kennedy McGill, and Braden Mann at Cy-Fair, Kaylee Barrett and Chance Bullard at Cy-Woods, Kacie Paine at Langham Creek; Izel Hernandez at Cy-Ranch, and Kodi Garcia at Tomball Memorial. Proud of you all!. . .Kennedy, netminder for the U16 Dynamos, jumped off to a fast start with Cy-Fair winning five out of six pre-season matches with the Bobcats, the loss ending in a shootout during which Kennedy stopped three of five shots. . .Longtime Keeper Club member, Candy Jar chairman, BYOK cover girl and Cy-Woods junior Kaylee Barrett was inducted into the National Honor Society on Jan. 14. . .Steven Franke, who tied with Payton Salinas for the award given for best attendance at Keeper Club training in 2013, appeared for training on Jan. 27 with his right arm in a sling, the result of a fall away from the soccer field. He will be missed at training because he has displayed leadership qualities for the group with his positive attitude and work ethic. . . Keeper Club members are looking forward to the annual Dynamos Puma Cup on Feb. 8-9, which will be played at Dyess, Zube, and Burroughs parks. Great opportunity to see Dynamos keepers in one competition. . .Add two-sport athletes: third-grader Grace Seloover, who has played soccer for three seasons with the Cy-Fair Golden Birds, has also played softball since she was two years old, winning two championships and finishing second last season. . .Dynamos under-13 keeper Aly Crouch is the winner of the drawing for this month’s $25 gift card to Soccer-4-All after replying “Gilmar dos Sandos Neves” to the question “who is the only goalkeeper to win two World Cup championships?” To enter your name in the February drawing for a gift card, email the answer to this question: “Who did Coach Walker say attended keeper training on Jan. 9 when DyessPark was closed?” to jwalker332@aol.com. Answer elsewhere in this newsletter. . .Goalkeepers, coaches, and parents are urged to share photos and items of interest for use in Keeper! and KeeperTalk--Simply email to jwalker332@aol.com.

TRAINING LOG

Goalkeepers who attended Keeper Club training sessions in January:

6—Aly Crouch, Ansley Blake, Raul Rosas, Steven Franke, Kacie Paine, Izel Hernandez, Sam Dominguez; Junior Keepers: Carl Hallgren, Claire Juenke; guest, Hugo (Carl’s friend)

9—Evie Raines, Muddy Fields

13—Aly Crouch, Ansley Blake, Raul Rosas, Steven Franke, Izel Hernandez, Sam Dominguez, Chance Bullard, Isobel Herrod, David Graham, Ian Herrod, Maddie Saucedo, Junior Keepers: Carl Hallgren, Claire Juenke, Megan McAfee, Elizabeth Corken, Kate Silveira, Izzy Tullier, Grace Seloover, Jadyn Helm, Georgia Williams, Cassidy Graham, Maison Bell

16—Bryce Hinze, Steven Franke, Sam Dominguez, Ashlyn Brewer

20—Aly Crouch, Ansley Blake, Raul Rosas, Steven Franke, Ashlyn Brewer, Marissa Mills; Junior Keepers: Carl Hallgren, David Graham, Cassidy Graham, Georgia Williams, Megan McAfee, Elizabeth Corken, Izzy Tullier, Grace Seloover, Kate Silveira, Jadyn Helm, Claire Juenke, Maison Bell, Abbie Bridges.

23—Deep Freeze

27—Aaron Austin, Aly Crouch, Ashlyn Brewer, Mia Posey, Raul Rosas, David Graham, Steven Franke (injured); Junior Keepers: Maison Bell, Claire Juenke, Megan McAfee, Elizabeth Corken, Izzy Tullier, Carl Hallgren

30—Payton Salinas, Raul Rosas, Ethan Urrutia

SOLE SOLUTION

French novelist, essayist, and playwright Albert Camus, who received the 1957 Nobel Prize for literature, was an avid soccer player in his youth. Being poor, he said he chose the position of goalkeeper to save on shoe leather, because his mother would spank him if he came home with holes in his shoes.

WRITING TIME

Winner of this month's Q&A gift card for writing goes to Isobel Herro! Here's another opportunity for goalkeeper readers of Keeper! to win a $25 gift card of your choice, just for replying to the following question: What do you do when a goal is scored against you? Your statement, in 25 words or less, should be emailed to JWalker332@aol.com before January 31. With your entry, you give permission for the statements to be published in upcoming issues of Keeper! and your name will be placed in a drawing for the gift card, which will be presented in February. Here's Isobel's entry:

Q&A

Question: "What do you do when a goal is scored on you?"

Answer: “I look at my team and tell them it was no one’s fault, then simply smile because I can't help but laugh that I missed the goal!”—Keeper Club’s Isobel Herrod

QUOTABLE

“Eavesdropping on a coach addressing his nine-year-old troops at halftime, I heard him commanding that, ‘We need to neutralize No. 10!’ The No. 10 managed to stay happily un-neutralized in the second half. One of my all-time favorites: A U10 coach screamed, ‘Over here! Over here!’ at the top of his lungs while a little goalkeeper had the ball in his hands. The coach apparently wanted the keeper to send the ball to the right wing. So the keeper punted the ball--more precisely than I imagined he had the skill for--and it rolled out of bounds, right to the coach's feet. Well done!”—Mike Woitalla, Soccer America

TIP OF THE MONTH

There are goalkeepers who never speak above a whisper the whole game, a waste of their unique vantage point. No need for a running commentary and they certainly shouldn’t be crying wolf or blaming others for opponents’ shots or goals., but the right word at the right time, a warning message, can really blunt an attack. It also allows the keeper to join in the overall defense. Keepers, you are the eyes many times for defenders, so shout your instructions so they can hear you, it is especially important that you speak loudly and clearly during free kicks and corners! KEEPING SECRETSIt is practice that doesn't take no for an answer; practice that perseveres; practice where the individual keeps raising the bar of what he or she considers success.—David Schenk