Dynamos Soccer - Keeper! Vol. 21, No. 7

Monday, 30 June, 2014 (1867 reads)

Written and edited by Jim Walker

July 2014

A publication of Keeper! Club

Written and edited by Jim Walker

GO TO WWW.DYNAMOSSOCCER.COM FOR MORE ON THE KEEPER! CLUB

TRAINING IN JULY

**There is NO regular keeper training in June or July.

**Fitness and Technical Program for keepers meets every Tuesday and Thursday at Dyess Park at 6pm (through Aug. 7).

**Junior Keepers invited to join Summer Fitness sessions July 15 and 17 at 6pm

**Goalkeeper Camp is August 14-16 (Thursday and Friday, 5-8pm; Saturday 9am until noon).

**The Keeper Club training schedule for fall will be announced later this summer.

For more information, email JWalker332@aol.com or phone 281-217-1612.

HAVING A BALL

“There are no strangers here. Only friends you haven’t yet met.”—William Butler Yeats, obviously commenting on the mix of participants at Summer Fitness and Technical training at Dyess Park.

A mixed band of warriors survived the first two weeks of the Summer Fitness and Technical Program and eagerly accepted use of the ball, many of them, in saving and shooting exercises that taxed their muscles and minds after thirty minutes of running in the heat. Due to camps, vacations, and other commitments, many of the 24 who signed up have missed or will miss sessions, but others are returning so the working group has been seven to 12 players, giving everybody lots of touches on the ball. In addition to camp assistant Kacie Paine, who is headed to Texas A&M in the fall, those who have attended thus far include the Brewer twins, keeper Ashlyn and field player Lauryn; Alexis Johnson (visiting from California); “Old Reliable” Steven Frank; Ian Lancaster, Grant Steppe, Colton Marks, Isobel and Ian Herrod; Drew Thetford; Maddie, Hannah, and Samuel Saucedo; Omar Hernandez, Michael Garrido, Spencer Malone, Juiber Rivas, Ethan Urrutia, Michelle Easley, and Bryce Hinze. As for there being no strangers here. . .despite coming from many different directions, they are fast getting acquainted. One of their mental exercises calls for each player giving the first name of every other player at training. A few can already do that!

SUMMER CAMP DATES

Don’t forget to register for the Keeper Club’s Goalkeeper Camp August 14-16. It’s lots of fun and a wonderful way to prepare for the fall/spring seasons! If you’re already planning to attend the Dynamos Select Camp August 11-15, you can do the three-day Goalkeeper Camp August 14-16 for free, missing only two sessions of Select Camp! The Dynamos camp program, featuring Dynamos staff and guest coaches, welcomes all ages to DyessPark for training and fun. Registration is available online. For further information about the Goalkeeper Camp , email jwalker@dynamossoccer.com or call 281-217-1612; for all camps contact dynamo14@sbcglobal.net or call 713-304-5060. Here’s the summer camp schedule:

FUNdamental Camp--Aug. 4-8, 5-8pm, registration deadline Aug. 1

SELECT Camp--Aug. 11-15, 10am-noon; 5-8pm deadline Aug. 8

Goalkeeper Camp--Aug. 14-16, Thurs-Fri 5-8pm; Sat. 9am-noon deadline Aug. 8

**(For goalkeepers who attend Select Camp, there is no charge for the nine-hour GK Camp)

WORLD CUP KEEPER WATCH

The World Cup has given us the opportunity to watch on a daily basis both the heroics and foibles of the best goalkeepers in the world. We have seen special exploits from virtual unknowns and glaring errors from veteran top-of-the-line netminders. But we’ve seen some extraordinary keeping feats, too, so keep watching as the World Cup excitement grows to its climax in the knockout rounds!

KEEPER ODDITIES

You must hark all the way back to 1924 to find the only man to play for the English national team while wearing spectacles. It was ManchesterCity goalkeeper Jim Mitchell, who earned his cap against Ireland. He also played in the 1922 FA Cup final for West Bromwich Albion wearing his specs.

After losing an eye in a car accident, the legendary English keeper Gordon Banks retired from the professional leagues, but came back later to play in charity and exhibition matches, and even spent one competitive season with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League.

Former Millwall and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Ted Hinton was accustomed to keeping his false teeth at the back of his net.

Former Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar, his team up by six goals, accepted an umbrella from a bystander when it began to rain and reportedly sat down by the post, out of the rain, for the rest of the match.

KEEPERTALK

There WILL be a session on July 3 of the Summer Fitness and Technical Program—no fireworks, but lots of shooting and saving!. . .Junior Keepers (and other Keeper Club members) are invited to join the Summer Fitness group on July 15 and July 17. Junior Keepers who intend to participate are requested to email jwalker332@aol.com. . .Following a trip to Europe (France, England, and Ireland), longtime Keeper Club member and graduating Langham Creek HS keeper Kacie Paine is serving as an assistant to Coach Walker for summer fitness sessions. Kacie will attend Texas A&M in the fall. . .Another longtime Keeper Club member, Braden (Striker) Mann, is passing up soccer in his junior year at Cy-Fair HS and the Dynamos to concentrate on football kicking duties. Braden, a placekicker and punter, is considered a prime grid prospect and recently showed well in the 2014 Southern Showcase in Atlanta. . .Karinna Lara missed the early weeks of Summer Fitness due to having hardware removed from a broken foot suffered early in this past high school season. The Cy-Falls keeper was injured in the second game of the season and hopes to regain her starting position as a junior. . .Coach Walker is passing two milestones: in late June, he celebrated birthday No. 79 and sometime in early July he will, along with Dynamos Director ot Training Olivier Finidori, publish the 1,000th Coaches Memo, which he started in 1992. . .Bryce Hinze, a keeper/field player for the U12 Dynamos and participant in Summer Fitness training, is winner of a $25.00 gift card (his choice) in the June drawing by completing the sentence: “Don’t trust a striker’s eyes.” To enter your name in the June drawing for a $25 gift card, answer this one: What did keeper Ted Hinton place in the back of his net during games? (answer is found elsewhere in this newsletter). Email your answer to jwalker@dynamossoccer.com. The prize will be awarded at the end of July. . .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.

Jadyn Helm (left) goalkeeper for the U12 Dynamos Gold visits with U. S. women's national team player Ali Kreiger at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Junior Keeper Zac Cannon works on his foot skills on a beach in Costa Rica

TRAINING LOG

Goalkeepers and field players attending Keeper Club’s Fitness and Technical Program in June:

10—Keepers: Ashlyn Brewer, Isobel Herrod, Ian Lancaster, Steven Franke, Spencer Malone, Maddie Saucedo, Ethan Urrutia, Ian Herrod; Field players: Alexis Johnson, Colton Marks, Grant Steppe, Lauryn Brewer, Hannah Saucedo, Samuel Saucedo

12—Keepers: Isobel Herrod, Ian Lancaster, Steven Franke, Spencer Malone, Maddie Saucedo, Ian Herrod, Juiber Rivas; Field players: Alexis Johnson, Grant Steppe, Hannah Saucedo, Samuel Saucedo, Drew Thetford Visitors: Kaylee Barrett (injured), Keeper Club alumnus Sabrina Pasier.

16—Keepers: Ethan Urrutia, Spencer Malone, Michael Garrido; Field players: Grant Steppe, Colton Marks, Omar Hernandez, Drew Thetford

19—Keepers: Ashlyn Brewer, Michael Garrido, Spencer Malone; Field players: Colton Marks, Drew Thetford, Lauryn Brewer, Alexis Johnson, Grant Steppe, Drew Thetford, Michelle Easley. Guests: Sabrina Pasier. Assisting: Kacie Paine

24—Keepers: Michael Garrido, Maddie Saucedo, Ian Lancaster, Ethan Urrutia, Samuel Saucedo; Field players: Grant Steppe, Omar Hernandez, Alexis Johnson, Hannah Saucedo, Michelle Easley, Bryce Hinze. Assisting: Kacie Paine

26—Keepers: Ian Lancaster, Ethan Urrutia, Ashlyn Brewer, Michael Garrido; Field players: Colton Marks, Grant Steppe, Lauryn Brewer. Assisting: Kacie Paine

QUOTABLE

“When you train, work hard on everything you do. Don’t let yourself get lackadaisical.”—Brandon Renken, Keeper Club alumnus and camp instructor.

TIP OF THE MONTH

Solutions to Keeper Problems:

Jersey flopping out? Wear sliding pants and tuck your jersey into them

Socks dropping? Hold them up with elastic (not a rubber band)

Shinguards sliding down? Athletic tape or tie shoe laces around ankle

Too hot? Take water bottle to goal with you

Gloves too dry? Dampen gloves with water; keep damp towel in goal; chew gum and use saliva to make gloves extra sticky

Hands too cold? Wear thin gloves with no fingers under keeper gloves

Sun in your eyes? Wear soft brimmed cap or eye black

Shoe laces undone? Tie in a double knot and tuck surplus into shoes

Jersey sliding up arms? Tuck cuffs into gloves or use sweat bands

Gloves coming undone? Use tape or sweat bands

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.