Yesterday I spent the day proudly working with my beloved Deerfoot Soccer Club at a registration event at Renfrew Community Hall. I like to refer to them as my Deerfoot family and more importantly, many of them now call Deerfoot a family. It was at this same hall 5 years before, a decision our board made lead to a big day today for our teams this weekend.
When I started as President at Deerfoot Soccer, we had one girls team and it was at the Under 14 age group. As I gained experience as a coach I spoke to many about why were losing girls from our club. I presented to our board what I thought may have been the reason. As an under 8 coach I noticed that the 7 year old girls were starting to stop enjoying playing with boys. At that time we offered Under 10 boys, Under 10 girls and Under 10 mixed rec. league options. We never had enough girls to field a girls team and there were many girls in the mixed rec. and after speaking to several parents, noted that girls would end their soccer experience the next year. Comments like "she's tired of soccer" or "she's not into it anymore" would come my way. So we decided that we would not offer Under 10 mixed, so that girls played with girls and boys played with boys at Under 10 and up. It was a risk but we felt it was the best if we were to have a chance of keeping our girls playing long term.
I remember a day 5 plus years ago that young Lindsay Davies and her mother Melissa walked in to the same Renfrew Community Hall to register for indoor soccer. I had remembered coaching a game against Mel in under 8 the season before and we said no more than a few words to each other. They both came over and spoke to me and asked to be on a certain boys team. I told Lindsay, sorry but we don't offer mixed soccer this season and that she had to play with girls only. Her face lit up with excitement and I knew at that moment we had made the right decision. Little did I know that Mel, an assistant coach the year before would become a friend, fellow coach and teammate. A few season's back, Mel and her assistant Jason Hansen were ready to throw in the towel on this team when we had VERY low registration numbers, I too was worried, but I pleaded patience with them on a daily basis to start the season with the low numbers and we could grow it. Weeks of going back and forth lead to a very lean season. Many losses and overworked girls due to lack of numbers. Jason and Mel worked VERY hard to build this team, one brick at a time and lost many games early on. You truly do learn more from losing, than winning.
It is said that the true mark of a coach is how many players continue to play the game. My first U6 indoor season had Ella Hansen and Claire Popadynetz. My assistant coach was Jason Hansen. That was over 8 years ago. Claire, Ella and Lindsay are the core of Melissa and Jason's U14 girls and Jason is now President of the club. I am so proud of all of them and who they have become and so happy for them today.
I met Kyle Martyn at a U6 parents meeting where we were trying to recruit coaches. Every season we have to work hard to convince coaches at this age group and that year was no exception. Kyle sat to my left and asked pointed, enthusiastic questions. It was clear to me, that this guy was a coach, he just didn't know it yet! We became fast friends. Since he coached under 8, we have had the same conversation, which I am always glad to have with him. He'd say something like "You know I won't be coaching these boys once they surpass my skill level as a coach" and I always say don't sell yourself short, you can grow as a coach just as the players can grow as players. Kyle has attended many coaching sessions and learned from other coaches around him. I have ZERO doubt that Kyle will coach as long as Seth and "his boys" as he loves to call his teams, play. I can see him on the sidelines when Seth is an adult. One U10 season, I joined forces with Kyle as an assistant coach and we had another assistant named John Shiells. John is now our Vice President and goalkeeping instructor. He assists with the U14 boys team of which there are a number of players I have coached. Kyle's assistant today, Steve Popadynetz, was a parent during my very first coaching experience at U6. We often look back to those days in amazement at how far these players have come.
So what happened this weekend that was so special? Well, in chronological order Kyle and Steve coached the U12 boys to victory to solidify a birth in the provincials. Mel and Jason led the U14 girls to victory to earn a birth in the Provincials and John and Mark Harries helped coach Ruben Franise win to earn a spot in the inner cities championships which will pit them against teams from Edmonton. All the players held their heads high, not because they had won, but because they had earned it. I am happy to have had a small part of these victories today and I stress small. The players earned it on the field, the coaches worked for years to get them there, I did the simple things. I encouraged them to develop to their highest potential and made a few decisions along the way. One might say I helped pave the road, they are the ones who had to drive it and make it the best for them.
So why would I ask if Vision is a skill you want in a trustee? What does soccer have to do with being a school trustee? Well in the same vein, the students learn and the teachers teach and deserve all the credit for any successes they achieve. When the Trustee's pave that road the students go down, they must do everything they can to keep that road smooth. I wonder how different a club Deerfoot would be if we still offered Under 10 mixed rec? If Kyle Martyn stopped coaching at U10? or what if we gave up on this team when we had low registrations ? I am sure glad I don't have to answer those questions. We all worked as a team moving in the same direction.
UPDATE: March 17th capped off Deerfoot Soccer's best season in it's history. U14 boys won Silver in Inner Cities championship. U14 girls took Bronze in Provincials in a hard fought shootout where the goalkeeper and top scorer both played through injury and the U12 boys won Gold in a game that was tied with less than a minute left. The little club that could with less than 300 total players have set the bar.
When I started as President at Deerfoot Soccer, we had one girls team and it was at the Under 14 age group. As I gained experience as a coach I spoke to many about why were losing girls from our club. I presented to our board what I thought may have been the reason. As an under 8 coach I noticed that the 7 year old girls were starting to stop enjoying playing with boys. At that time we offered Under 10 boys, Under 10 girls and Under 10 mixed rec. league options. We never had enough girls to field a girls team and there were many girls in the mixed rec. and after speaking to several parents, noted that girls would end their soccer experience the next year. Comments like "she's tired of soccer" or "she's not into it anymore" would come my way. So we decided that we would not offer Under 10 mixed, so that girls played with girls and boys played with boys at Under 10 and up. It was a risk but we felt it was the best if we were to have a chance of keeping our girls playing long term.
I remember a day 5 plus years ago that young Lindsay Davies and her mother Melissa walked in to the same Renfrew Community Hall to register for indoor soccer. I had remembered coaching a game against Mel in under 8 the season before and we said no more than a few words to each other. They both came over and spoke to me and asked to be on a certain boys team. I told Lindsay, sorry but we don't offer mixed soccer this season and that she had to play with girls only. Her face lit up with excitement and I knew at that moment we had made the right decision. Little did I know that Mel, an assistant coach the year before would become a friend, fellow coach and teammate. A few season's back, Mel and her assistant Jason Hansen were ready to throw in the towel on this team when we had VERY low registration numbers, I too was worried, but I pleaded patience with them on a daily basis to start the season with the low numbers and we could grow it. Weeks of going back and forth lead to a very lean season. Many losses and overworked girls due to lack of numbers. Jason and Mel worked VERY hard to build this team, one brick at a time and lost many games early on. You truly do learn more from losing, than winning.
It is said that the true mark of a coach is how many players continue to play the game. My first U6 indoor season had Ella Hansen and Claire Popadynetz. My assistant coach was Jason Hansen. That was over 8 years ago. Claire, Ella and Lindsay are the core of Melissa and Jason's U14 girls and Jason is now President of the club. I am so proud of all of them and who they have become and so happy for them today.
So what happened this weekend that was so special? Well, in chronological order Kyle and Steve coached the U12 boys to victory to solidify a birth in the provincials. Mel and Jason led the U14 girls to victory to earn a birth in the Provincials and John and Mark Harries helped coach Ruben Franise win to earn a spot in the inner cities championships which will pit them against teams from Edmonton. All the players held their heads high, not because they had won, but because they had earned it. I am happy to have had a small part of these victories today and I stress small. The players earned it on the field, the coaches worked for years to get them there, I did the simple things. I encouraged them to develop to their highest potential and made a few decisions along the way. One might say I helped pave the road, they are the ones who had to drive it and make it the best for them.
So why would I ask if Vision is a skill you want in a trustee? What does soccer have to do with being a school trustee? Well in the same vein, the students learn and the teachers teach and deserve all the credit for any successes they achieve. When the Trustee's pave that road the students go down, they must do everything they can to keep that road smooth. I wonder how different a club Deerfoot would be if we still offered Under 10 mixed rec? If Kyle Martyn stopped coaching at U10? or what if we gave up on this team when we had low registrations ? I am sure glad I don't have to answer those questions. We all worked as a team moving in the same direction.
UPDATE: March 17th capped off Deerfoot Soccer's best season in it's history. U14 boys won Silver in Inner Cities championship. U14 girls took Bronze in Provincials in a hard fought shootout where the goalkeeper and top scorer both played through injury and the U12 boys won Gold in a game that was tied with less than a minute left. The little club that could with less than 300 total players have set the bar.
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