Super Bowl Sunday is just days away! An iconic event and GREAT example of what it means to be a fan! Whether we are rooting for the Giants or the Patriots, our energy and enthusiasm impacts the game. Support from the sidelines can be a magical thing~
January 26th, 2012
RAIN DROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD…
One thing we know for sure is that a little rain doesn’t stop soccer players from playing! We have the same philosophy at SoccerKidsUSA. Some of our most fond memories are playing in the puddles with a bunch of smiling faces!
January 19th, 2012
Based on surveying and requests from 2011, we added new classes and expanded our age range. For years, our SoccerKid community was made up of 3 – 6 year old boys and girls. Now, it’s 2.5 – 10 year olds… oh my! We have ALL-Girl teams with awesome pink shirts I may add! We have a SUPER ALL-STAR team – their shirts are dark blue with number on the back! Our SKUSA League has a whole new variety of ages and skill levels and we have more girls than ever before…woo hoo! All I can say is we are so grateful and wow!
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN & GROW
Separation, strength and weaknesses, group dynamic, are just a few options where these new environments and experiences, provide us with the opportunity to LEARN & GROW.
January 12th, 2012
One of our rituals at the beginning of each year is to set an intention for our coaching team. Out of the problem and into the solution. Gratitude and appreciation. LOVE…LOVE…LOVE… are just a few examples. The truth is, each year seems to carry over to the next, we just keep on adding!
Each time we step onto our soccer fields, we ALL have the opportunity to broaden our perspective and experience something new. This year, our focus is Coach to learn.
Learning Life Lessons on the Soccer Field
November 9th, 2011There is no better place to explore life lessons than the soccer field. Justin and I believe this so strongly, that we’ve created the foundation of our program, SoccerKidsUSA, with this in mind.
From the first day of class when we get to meet our team, to the last day of class, which we call “Congratulations Day”, where we get to come together as a community to celebrate learning, commitment and fun, we are given the opportunity to teach. More importantly, to make a difference.
There are so many lessons to be learned…below are few goodies!
Ritual — this is one of my favorites. The power of coming together week after week, same time, same place, creates a grounding force. It creates history, keeps us present and allows for us to plan for the future. Having a ritual is a great way to keep connection to ourselves, to others and to what’s important in our lives.
Pace — If we have learned anything over the last 10 years of playing with our friends, we have learned that everyone has their own pace. In many ways, it’s the awareness of our differences that allows each of us to learn
and grow. What happens when we slow things down? Can we be inspired, try a little harder, when we’re exposed to someone’s pace that is faster than ours? We believe it’s the celebration of our differences that bring us together as a team!
Roles and Responsibilities create structure and direction. The soccer field is a great place to explore who we are and how our individuality impacts everyone and everything around us. Whether it’s offense or defense, forward or mid-field. Roles and Responsibilities give us an identity, a foundation to build upon.
Team — the understanding that we have the ability to contribute to others and that our choices not only affect us, they impact those around us. We learn that everyone plays a role and adds something special to the group! When on a team, we are given the opportunity to express our individuality, honor differences and learn about strengths and weaknesses. Team teaches us to give and receive. When we’re part of a team, we get to work together, play together, learn together, and laugh together…
And the list goes on and on…
One final note, and just as important… life lessons on the soccer field are not only for our children, they are for us too.
See ya on the field!
Coach Julie
Co-Founder, SoccerKidsUSA
Winners
August 22nd, 2010Winning versus the ‘not winning’ can be a complicated conversation. Most often, surprisingly, a simple statement of facts can brush aside any heightened expectations of what ‘winning’ actually means, and alleviate the notion that coming in ‘next’, or runner up, is anything less than… coming in ‘next’. There’s winning in trying, there’s winning in doing. There’s winning in appreciating another player’s efforts, and there’s winning in recognizing one’s own effort. Whatever the outcome, we want to acknowledge the kids for giving their best. Whether being first or next, we can appreciate our individual process and all be Winners.
Setting Goals
August 8th, 2010Goal: The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed.
In soccer, it’s amazing what setting a few goals can do, en route and in pursuit of “the goal.” It’s extra special when that goal is achieved, since so few are typically scored during the course of a game. When little successes lead up to that result, there’s nothing like it. Our GOAL at SoccerKidsUSA is: “To provide a safe, nurturing and fun environment, where kids (and their families) can be themselves, achieve successes, and look forward to coming back~”
Yay Team!
August 2nd, 2010As our players get older, they begin to take on more specific roles on (and off) the field. We grow to depend on each other in a more established way: “Who’s playing offense? Who’s playing defense? Anybody want to try being goalie?” There are few greater feelings in life than to know we’re supported by our friends and family. If we consider both groupings to be a “team,” it’s an amazing connection to be supported by our teammates. Soccer inherently teaches and encourages that relationship. When a player gets beat, who’s there to cover? Who’s our team’s target person up top? Who can I pass to that’s open, and how can I help a teammate that has the ball? The same seems to be true for life.
Once we discover our strengths and favor a particular role in the world, questions remain: How can we connect to those around us? Who can cover us (i.e. babysitting, dog sitting, watching over our coat, etc.) and who can we support (babysitting, dog sitting, watching their coat, etc.)?
Bottom line: it sure is great to be part of a community – one heck of a team! This week we’ll encourage the sense of team with the kids on the field, and start breaking down some of the roles and responsibilities, along with some choices we get to make, as part of the team.
Eat Healthy! Recipe 2
July 26th, 2010
Frozen Orange
Ingredients:
Oranges and orange juice
Final Product:
Frozen orange in orange!
Cut tops off of oranges and remove the insides. Place the insides with orange juice into a blender and pour the mixture into the empty orange shells.
Freeze and eat!
Kids love a refreshing snack in summer, and this one adds fluid to help meet hydration needs!
On The Early Show Monday, registered dietician Keri Glassman
SUPPORT, ENCOURAGE & ACKNOWLEDGE
July 26th, 2010Everyone comes to our soccer field with their own story… strengths and weakness…joys and fears. Our goal as coaches, teachers, mentors and friends is to support, encourage and acknowledge individuality and to remember that everyone learns differently.
“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” Albert Einstein~
Some of us learn through observation, watching Coach Lauren “blast off to the moon!” For others, listening and asking questions is the way to go! For many, experimenting… learning by doing works best.
Our fields support all learning styles! We start with clear, simple explanations, followed by fun, exciting examples. After that, we include everyone to join in the game!
Our Motto…”FUN, SUN & SOCCER!!!”
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