Get Ready for our Team Camp next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No, this week!!  The first day of training was rough on the girls.  But I really liked how much our trainer got out of the players.  First conditioning with two touch passing.  An added technique was first touching the ball away from a defender to improve ball possesion and a successful pass to a teammate.  The girls fought with panicking on the ball.  I think this is a must for all to overcome.  They are developing keys to teamwork.  Next, defenders learned to close on the ball.  Pursue an attacker let them know they are never safe.  With two defenders, the girls learned to block passing lanes, and the offense learned to create open passing angles.  Sounds basic.  It is, but we have time to think about it and see what smart play is.  Our trainer does not overcoach.  He puts the players in situations, gets them to practice and figure out the solution to the problem themselves.  With some competition and score keeping the excitement level rose, the players saw what goals they were after.  The final scrimmage got the girls to use what they practiced.  Passing back to create space requires good communication, imagination, concentration.  Combined with quick runs and successful forward passes, cheers from our trainer and pride from the girls settled in.  Much thanks to Olivia and Emily joining our group.  These girls are cool athletes that our players can learn a lot from.  What a great day.  Cool and overcast with a light wind.  Then the afternoon sun came out and most broke a sweat.  Tomorrow, no one will have a sweatshirt on after the first half hour.  Coach Tony

  Aug 9, 2008---Hi team.  Lots of people on vacation, great work from Robyn and Patti to get our volunteer list filled and submitted.  Also thanks to Kathy Dees for submitting our application for our Sept tournament.  The Merrit field was all dried and brown last week.  The week of camp, although not great, the field was semi-respectable.  It's all dry now because the consturction they did a week ago caused a break in the water pipe.  Did they fix it?  NO!!!!!!!!  Your tax dollars at work.    Some of you know that Kayla is not playing until her knee heals.  We all need to get treatment for any injuries as soon as possible.  This one could have been taken care of earlier.  Without Kayla, as with any player, our team will be at a disadvantage.  It will require our team to really step up the effort.  That's our opportunity.  That's our challenge.  We hope she can practice and play by the end of September.  Thanks to all who fulfilled their volunteer requirements.  I've heard in little league, this is how it is done also.  Everyone has to volunteer for something, the volunteer list submitted, then the team gets a practice schedule and playing schedule.  So that is what our club adopted.  This Monday, Aug 11 at  7:30, (see the website calendar) is our regular monthly board meeting.  On the agenda is for a rep from Oakland Parks and Rec to talk about planned improvements to the Shepherd Canyon  parking areas, among other items.  Everyone is welcome to attend. Our Club has tentatively passed a resolution to make a financial contribution to help with the improvements.  You do not have to stay for the entire meeting.  It will be at Bishop O'Dowd high school.   I'd like to see more players at our Thursday practice.  We only had 6 the other day.  We scrimmaged with the U16s.  We begin our second practices the week of Aug 18.  Right now I'm shooting for a Tuesday.  But if that is not available, we'll take Monday.  We won't know until the end of the week.  See you soon,  Coach Tony