| Saratoga AYSO |
THE KICKER |
| March 1999 |
| INSIDE THIS ISSUE
|
MEET THE 1999 BOARD I want to welcome everyone to the start of our 1999 season. As you receive this Kicker, we will just be starting play for our Spring Season and getting ready for our Fall Season. As everyone knows, we could not run this organization without the help of all our volunteers and the leadership from the Board Members. Therefore, to start off this season, I want to thank the three Board Members of AYSO who will be leaving, recognize those who will be returning, and introduce the new members. This will be my fourteenth year in Saratoga AYSO and twelfth year on the board. At some time, I look forward to moving on, however, for the time being, I am willing to stay as long as the rest of the Board feels that I can continue to help. First of all, special recognition goes to Larry Fine, who has served as Regional Commissioner for the past two years, even though his son did not play soccer. Without his dedication, knowledge, organization and personal sacrifice, our Region would not have been able to maintain the excellence that our "AYSO family" has come to expect. He has helped us deal with many new challenges-all with our kids in mind. Fortunately, Larry has offered to stay on as Assistant Regional Commissioner, to continue to provide valued guidance and time to the Board and Region. The following members are retiring from the board: - Ann Stein, who has done a great job for the past four years as Treasurer, bringing planning and financial responsibility, along with a strong focus on objectives and value to all members of our Region. - Blane Eisenberg, who, as Information Systems Commissioner, found ways to take late arriving data and produce timely information, without which we could not have run the region for the last 2 years. He also made significant improvements that will benefit our Region in the future. - Robert Schumacher, who, for the past two years, put in a tremendous amount of time managing the very difficult job of Head League Commissioner, providing the organization to structure all of our teams. I also appreciate those Board Members who will be returning, especially the eight members who were new to the Board last year. These include Shirley Dale, Safety and Fields Commissioner; Helen Tsai, Communications System Commissioner; Maya Baba, Purchasing Co-Commissioner (equipment/uniforms); Abe Kaabipour, Purchasing Co-Commissioner (pictures/awards); Dianne Depositar, Registrar; Mark Chapman, Regional Coach Administrator; Kent Bossange, Regional Referee Administrator, Tony Marsh, Special Programs Commissioner; and Peter Fletcher, Consultant. Also returning will be Anne Kolb for her fifth year on the Board and second as Board Secretary, as well as Barbara See-Wilde, who will be directing the Snack Shack for the fourth year. All of these jobs are very time-consuming, but key to a well-run organization. They have done a great job and deserve all of our support and thanks. Finally, I want to introduce the three new members of the Board: Neeru Mehra, Treasurer; Manny Cappello, Head League Commissioner; and Ram Viswanathan, Information Systems Commissioner. We really do appreciate having these members bring new ideas and points of view to our team. If anyone else is interested in increasing the level of their involvement in Saratoga AYSO, please give me a call (741-1725) to discuss opportunities. We are looking forward to a fun-filled season, but this will depend on everyone helping out. As you register your child for this fall season, please remember that our organization cannot run without your help. Please do your fair share, thank all the volunteers and remember, "It's for the kids!" Mark Linsky SARATOGA PARK DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE The City of Saratoga is continuing to gather feedback on proposals made to increase access and to improve fields for youth sports activities at four Saratoga sites: Blue Hills School/Azule Park, Congress Springs Park, Foothill Elementary School and Marshall Lane School. Members of the Saratoga AYSO Board have been participating on the Saratoga Park Development Task Force, which has worked hard over several months to define plans that can now be assessed by the community, the relevant School Committees, the Saratoga Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Saratoga City Council. This task force was formed by the City Council and Parks and Recreation Commission to formulate recommendations on utilizing Park Development Funds as a result of meetings in 1996 in which the entire Saratoga Community was invited to participate. At that time, the community set a very high priority for investments in play-field improvements to multi-purpose fields at existing school sites and investments in the development of new multi-use sports fields. There are some very important factors for the community to understand: - The city continues to see dramatic growth in its youth population, as well as the interest in youth sports, especially soccer. - The current fields are both inadequate for the number of children playing soccer and for cost-effective field maintenance, given field overuse. - The funds the city has are insufficient to buy new land and convert it to play-fields. - The availability of funds is limited; timely decisions need to be made to avoid losing funds. - Communities adjacent to Saratoga have demonstrated the success of partnering with schools to develop combined park/school play fields. - The proposed plans would provide additional, safer fields to the community at no additional cost because of the commitment of your sports organizations to fund the increased maintenance costs. - In the proposals, the objective is not a sport complex, but rather, safe, playable, accessible, grassy areas, that can be cost-effectively maintained. There has been opposition to these proposals by homeowners around the involved schools, however it is important for everyone in Saratoga to be represented as plans are finalized and decisions made. The funds belong to all of us, as do the proposed improvements. Please get involved and have your opinion heard. This will involve attending meetings of the Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council. Without your attendance, our elected and appointed representative will not know what you want. For additional details, the Saratoga News regularly publishes information on this topic and we will continue to post meeting notices on the Saratoga AYSO website (www.saratogasoccer.org). By Kent Bossange The AYSO Referee program for Saratoga has taken an interesting turn in the past year. We have gained critical mass. No longer do parents referee simply because it is a job That must be done. There are a growing number of parents that referee because they like to! Being an AYSO Referee brings parents (and youth >12 years) into direct participation with the players. As referees, we have the unique role of ensuring that games are safe, fair and fun. And we only have to do it on Saturdays! Last fall there were 68 referees. Of these, 18 were first timers, 24(35%) had 1-2 years experience and 26(38%) had more than three years of experience. In addition, 11 returning referees took advanced training courses to qualify for Area Level certification, making referees of Region 27 the best trained referees in years! This year there are opportunities to referee both in the spring and the fall. Last year's model of Ref Teams will be used: four whenever possible, and 2 for U8 (Div. 6). For next fall there will be a short refresher course for all returning referees, Sunday, August 1, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. The goal is to ensure consistency across referees from interpretation of rules, to flag and hand signals. This meeting is mandatory. New referees must take the -day regional ref course, which is offered twice on Saturday August 14 and 21. There will be advanced training opportunities this Spring and again in the Fall. Contact me directly or check out the Saratoga AYSO website for upcoming referee courses. The next Area course is April 18th and 25th, I encourage all Regional Referees to attend these courses. You only need to have been a referee for one season doing U 12 (Div 4) or U 10 (Div 5) games to qualify. The better you understand and perform the job, the more you will enjoy it, as will the players and coaches. Saratoga AYSO will again be working with Major League Soccer Camps to offer youth soccer camps in August. They are scheduled at Congress Springs Park for August 9 -13 and August 23 - 27 from 9 a.m. - noon. The fee is $100 per week for the first child, $95 for a second child and $90 for a third child. The fee also includes a ball, shirt, MLSC gift and a companion ticket to a Clash game. All of the licensed female and male coaches possess both expertise in soccer and the ability to communicate the educational philosophy of MLS Camps. Each coach must meet stringent licensing requirements and complete a rigorous training program. Registration forms will be available at all of the registration days, as well as on the Saratoga website. In addition, if you are interested in having a coach stay with your family during the week, this can be noted on the registration form. Please note the following key schedule events for our 1999 Fall season: CALENDAR OF EVENTS ADVANCED REGISTRATION
EARLY REGISTRATION
REGULAR REGISTRATION
OPENING GAMES
OPENING GAMES
MLS SOCCER CAMPS
REFEREE REFRESHER COURSE
NEW REFEREE TRAINING
ADVANCED REFEREE AREA TRAINING
By Manny Cappello Head League Commissioner As you know, the Saratoga AYSO is committed to providing a safe, fun and exciting atmosphere for children in our community. However, the success of the Saratoga AYSO depends upon volunteers like you. Therefore, we are looking for interested members of the Saratoga AYSO community to volunteer as Division Managers. Saratoga AYSO has, in past years, benefited from a dedicated and motivated group of parents who unselfishly volunteered their time helping set-up teams, form game schedules, and facilitate division play. Even though these parents volunteered a small portion of their time, they made a huge difference by successfully running a division for many children to enjoy. This year we are experiencing a shortage of Division Managers and I am asking you to step up. and contribute to the success of Saratoga AYSO. Remember that you can make a difference. This year, the division managers will be sharing their responsibility with a Boys and Girls Head Division Manager. Therefore, the work will be more rewarding and less time consuming. If you are interested in either of these important and rewarding positions please contact Manny Cappello, Head League Commissioner, or Mark Linsky, Regional Commissioner, for more information. The children and the AYSO board appreciate the effort you make. |
last updated: 3/16/99