| Saratoga AYSO |
THE KICKER |
| January 1999 |
NOTES FROM THE COMMISSIONERTable of Contents CHANGING OF THE GUARD |
I am resigning as the Saratoga AYSO Regional Commissioner. This announcement comes with both regret and a lot of relief. I have enjoyed being the Regional Commissioner and I wish to thank all of you who provided so much help during the time I have had this responsibility. Mark Linsky is again assuming the responsibilities of Regional Commissioner. Please continue to support him as you have me. Mark is currently working on placements for the 1998-1999 AYSO Board. If you want to help our children and are willing to put in the time, please call Mark. I have agreed to stay on the Board as the Assistant Regional Commissioner. Mark Linsky, Shirley Dale and I are members of the City of Saratoga Park Development Task Force. The purpose of this task force is to create and submit to the City Council a recommendation on Saratoga park improvements. The process is continuing with Task Force and neighborhood meetings. It appears that after the first of the year we will be meeting to negotiate AYSO's new fees for the use of the fields. One of the current problems we have involves "NIMBY's" (not in my back yard). There are citizens of Saratoga, who regardless of the benefits to all the children in Saratoga, often including their own, do not want soccer activities in their neighborhood. The attitude seems to be, "Let someone else have the activity in their back yard, and we will go there." There are only so many areas in our community that can be used for youth soccer. We have had to turn children away because we lack the space to continue growing. I have thought that if we are unable to use a field because of opposition from neighbors, including some parents of soccer players, perhaps we will not allow children from that area to play soccer or any youth sports. Of course, we would not do that because the children are the ones who would suffer. It makes me wonder if we care more about these children than their parents and neighbors. We are going through the process of obtaining approval to improve fields and we still have the task of negotiating AYSO's new fees for the fields. These matters will have to go before the City Council. Please check the AYSO web page for dates, times and locations. We need all AYSO and Little League parents to attend these meetings. Please note that you do not have to talk at these meetings, just come and show your support for youth activities in our community. Saratoga AYSO wants, and our children deserve, good, safe fields to play soccer on. This is our goal and to obtain this, we are willing to pay a reasonable flat fee. I am opposed to a per child fee. Thanks to all the dedicated volunteers. Without the help of all the volunteers, Saratoga AYSO could not exist. Saratoga AYSO's soccer seasons are a success because of the many dedicated volunteers who donate their time and energy to the program. I regret to state that there were a few who failed to perform their promised obligations. The failure of these few resulted in others having to step in and fulfill these obligations in addition to their own! I am requesting all managers to provide me with the names of any volunteer who did not perform their assignments. They will have their job classification changed to "sponsor" and they will be asked to fulfill the obligations of a sponsor. Spring Soccer Sign-ups 1999 SARATOGA AYSO SPRING SOCCER For those of you who just can't get enough soccer, Saratoga AYSO will offer a Spring Soccer program for Divisions 5 (U-10) and older. This program is aimed at the "better-than-average" player and is intended to be more competitive than the Fall program. Teams will typically be larger, game schedules will require travel outside the Saratoga region, and minimum playing time for each player will be reduced to one-half the game. Practices will start In March, and the season begins in April and runs through the first or second week of June. Games will be primarily on Saturdays although some Sunday games may be necessary. Games will be scheduled primarily within Area J, which includes Saratoga, Cupertino, West San Jose, Watsonville, and Pajaro. Games may also be scheduled with other neighboring leagues such as Los Altos and Mountain View Although most of these regions are within 30 minutes from Saratoga, Watsonville and Pajaro require a 75 minute drive. Teams may expect to play up to 2-3 games during the season in these locations. Requirements for players to participate in Spring Soccer are a desire to play soccer at a more competitive level, commitment to attend practices and games on a regular basis, and willingness to travel to other regions as necessary. Registration Is open to all players who are registered in the Fall 1998 Saratoga AYSO program. Other players will be accepted on a space-available basis. Registration is on a "first-come, first-served" basis. Saratoga AYSO will attempt to accommodate all interested and committed players, but registration must be limited based on available coaches, referees and fields. All families that register players will be expected to support the program by filling volunteer jobs necessary to the league. To register, please complete the form located on the www.saratogasoccer.org web site and bring the completed form to registration on Saturday, January 9, 9:00-11:30 a.m. at the Argonaut School Library. For more information on registration, team formation. etc., see the Saratoga AYSO web page site at www.saratogasoccer.org Do you have soccer cleats, goalie gloves and uniforms that no longer fit and can be recycled? Please bring these items to Congress Springs Park on Sunday, January 17 between 1:30 and 3:30. These items will be donated to the needy! LOST AND FOUND Many items (clothing & balls) left by AYSO families are available at Lost and Found. Please come and retrieve your items on Sunday, January 17 at Congress Springs Park from 1:30-3:30. Any items left after that day will be donated to the needy. BEST WISHES Larry Fine will be having back surgery soon. Restarts, like goal kicks and corner kicks, are often a coach's best opportunity to teach elements of strategy to the younger kids. At these times the free flow of the game is interrupted and kids can learn to move to correct defensive and offensive positions prior to the restart. In younger divisions, goal kicks are often the most dangerous defensive plays and the most productive offensive opportunities. Fullbacks must learn to stay in the penalty area until the ball has been safely cleared back into midfield. Pity the poor young goalie who is all alone in the goal area staring out at 10 hungry attackers all waiting for her goal kick! Remember that any player on the team can take a goal kick, not just the goalie, and it's often a good practice in very young divisions to have your strongest kicker take goal kicks, even if she then follows the ball back to her normal position as a halfback or forward. In Divisions 5 and 4, you can have your strongest fullback take goal kicks. NOTES FROM THE SAFETY COMMISSIONER
Shirley Dale NEARLY 1200 REGISTER FOR AYSO! Even though the registration process changed a little this year, we had another banner year for enrollment. We asked for coaches and referees to register early so we could plan our teams and assure each player of a dedicated coaching team. What a success! Towards the end of the summer we had waiting lists in every division (except 7) - a first for our league, but each child who registered had a team assignment with a coach willing and ready to be trained and certified. Plan now for early job selection and advanced registration next spring. YOU'LL FIND MORE INFORMATION IN THE WINTER KICKER! A referee who also team reps? A coach whose husband does nets? A buyer who started a
new program? Besides the members of the board, many families do much more than their share
to make Saratoga AYSO a wonderful program. We'd like to mention some of them in our
upcoming newsletters. If you've got a nomination, please send it, along with a brief
description of the person or family's contribution to the Kicker editor, Jan McCready at: HOT SOCCERTIP! IF |
last updated: 1/20/99