A Perfect 10 !

Well boys, what can I say?  A 10-0 win over Club Roma in our home opener...  I am most proud of the fact that we had 8 different goal scorers tonight...  and hats off to Colton for his first career shut-out! 

Guys, you played as a team and showed that you are really learning and becoming better players... all the hard work pays off.

Remember it's NOT about wins and losses... the questions we ask are these: Are you developing? Are you learning? Are you having fun and loving this great sport? Yes, Yes and Yes!!!

Well done, see you Sunday AM for practice - details to follow...

“Hajrá Wizards!”

Coach Jim

Practice Tonight - Home Opener Thurs v Club Roma !

• Practice Tonight at WSC 6:00 - 7:30pm (Field 6, beside Field 7)
• Game Wednesday Night at WSC Field 7 v Club Roma – players must be on field for warm-ups at  5:45 pm

Hi everyone, I sure you noticed Liam's Red Hairdo at Port Colborne - well thanks to Jane we will be colouring the boys hair prior to the game.... So I need players at WSC by 5:45pm on game day so that we can colour hair and still start warm-ups by 6:00.

How does "Coach Jim's Red Army" sound?!

Weather:

·     For the game the Weather Network says it will be cloudy with a temp of 22 degrees, but with the humidity near 60%, it will still be draining for the players.  As always it’s very important to pre-hydrate.

Pre-Game Meal and Hydration:

·     make sure to pre-hydrate: drink one 500ml bottle of water between 3:00-3:30pm, then another glass of water between 5:00-5:30pm.

·     eat early and light e.g. small serving of pasta and lean meat (remember our meals at Sherkston), dried fruit, or my favorite choice - a banana

·     absolutely no fast-food before the game… you cannot perform on the field with McDonalds, Harvey’s, Wendy’s or Burger King in your belly!

·     Have a full supper after the game.

·     I recommend a large cold glass of chocolate milk after the game.

As always, remember to bring lots of your own LABELLED water for sipping and splashing on your head during the game!

Clayton may stop by to watch the game and Danilo told me he would wear his Roma shirt – Traditore! Proditorio!!

Geneva had a great idea for parents, family and friends watching our games – please wear RED – everyone in RED! …and bring any noise makers (horns and vuvuzelas) you have!  Of course, let’s remember that all the cheering is in fun, encouraging and supporting our boys, and always respectful.

I can hardly wait for our Home Opener!  …“Hajrá Wizards!”

Coach Jim

Practice Sunday AM - WSC Field 7 (8:30-10:00am)

Hi everyone, confirming what I told the players yesterday... practice at 8:30 tomorrow AM, WSC Field 7 - our home field.  Clayton will be training the boys - this is a huge opportunity for our players... please be early!

Something happened to our facebook page - I`m trying to figure it out!

See you in the AM

Coach Jim

7-4 Road Win In Port Colborne To Start The Season!

Well done boys!

A 7-4 win and it wasn't that close at all...  You played through a lot of adversity and displayed the class we are known for... Your parents and I are so very proud of you... Clayton was very impressed!

Congrats to Matty for the hat trick, and David Hall, Liam, Dino and David Bandura for their goals... 5 different goal scorers, I love it! ... Tons of assists by numerous players... and how about Colton, with 2 penalty saves?!!!!

See you Sunday AM for our special training with Clayton... will send reminders ;-)

You guys are awesome!

Coach Jim

Instructions for Season Opener in Port Colborne Tomorrow Night!

Hi everyone, on Friday night players must be at the Elizabeth Street Field in Port Colborne no later than 6:00 pm for warm-ups (same place as last year – behind the Tim Horton’s, corner of Hwy 140 and Hwy 3).  We are wearing our "Reds".

Weather:

·        Weather Network says chance of rain and thundershowers, with a temp of 26 degrees, which will feel like well over 30 degrees with humidity… very important to pre-hydrate.

Pre-Game Meal and Hydration:

·        Make sure to pre-hydrate: drink one 500ml bottle of water between 3:00-3:30pm, then another glass of water between 5:00-5:30pm....

·        eat early and light e.g. small serving of pasta and lean meat (remember our meals at Sherkston), dried fruit, or my favorite choice - a banana

·        absolutely no fast-food before the game… you cannot perform on the field with McDonalds, Harvey’s, Wendy’s or Burger King in your belly!

·        Have a full supper after the game.

·        I recommend a large cold glass of chocolate milk after the game.

As always, remember to bring lots of your own LABELLED water for sipping and splashing on your head during the game!

We will have two special guests watching us tomorrow night.  Gary Talosi, from Dundee Wealth Management (who generously donated the TFC tickets we are raffling for our fundraising) and Clayton Rosario will be there cheering us on!

See you in Port Colborne at 6:00pm - I can hardly wait!  …“Hajrá Wizards!”

Coach Jim

It's Not Too Early...

Parents and players: it's not too early to think about highschool and college scholarships! At our Sherkston Training Camp we talked with the boys about what they can achieve if they work hard - in the classroom and on the field.

Please make sure the boys see this article from today's Welland Tribune re a very motivated and talented Vanier student.

Coach Jim

Can I Go Forward? (with Coach Frank DeChellis)

Hi everyone, we had a very strong practice last night with Coach Frank DeChellis.  We owe him alot as he took time out of his personal calender to work with us.  He also took the time to post a summary of our practice in his coaching journal... click here to read Coach Frank's summary.

Thank you Coach Frank -  see you soon!

Coach Jim

Practice Tomorrow at WSC 6:00-7:30pm

Guys, come prepared to focus and work hard... this is our final tune-up for our season opener in Port Colborne on Friday night!

Coach Jim

Practice Sunday AM

See you tomorrow AM @ WSC from 8:30-10:00 for practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coach Jim

Notes From Practice Tonight

Everyone: Great practice tonight - It's so great to be outside at the soccer club!

Two notes from today's practice:

1. Please join me in welcoming David Bandura to our team. He was at the try-outs in October and it worked out for him to join the team today.
2. We worked on some basic technique today for shooting and passing. I gave the boys a hand-out today and am posting it here below. Boys please make sure the know this basic technique in-and-out... we had too many passes intercepted and too many shots off-target last weekend...

 

Coaching points for passing and shooting:

 

• Kicking knee bent and over the ball

• Toe down, strike with laces

• ANKLE LOCKED!

• Strike through middle of the ball

• See the ball on contact

• Foot speed on strike

• Follow through – think of your leg as a pendulum - SWING!

 

 

See you on Saturday for our Champions League Pizza Party... please email me as I need to know how many are coming...

 

Thanks

Coach Jim

2nd Annual Wizards Champions League Pizza Party

Hi everyone, we will have our 2^nd Annual Champions League Final Pizza Party this Saturday from 2:15-4:15-ish at Boston Pizza in Welland (934 Niagara Street, Welland - corner of Niagara Street and Quaker Road).

It is all-you-can eat Pizza and Pop. Special price from Boston Pizza for our team is $9.99 per player and $10.99 per parent.  All parents/family are welcome to come and watch Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final with our team.

This is a another great opportunity for  the boys to hang-out together and bond!

Please send me a quick reply to confirm as I need to know how many are coming.

Thanks

Coach Jim

Practice Tomorrow at WSC 6:00-7:30pm

Hi everyone, we have permission to practice tomorrow night at WSC Field 6, 6:00-7:30pm.. the field beside our home game field.

Coach Jim

Letter To Parents - Coach's Thoughts

Hello everyone:

I want to take a few moments to share with you my thoughts on where our team stands today and to also share with you the messages the coaches have and will be relaying to the boys at practice and during games.  Thanks for your time in reading this and helping with our message.

The players continue to grow and bond as a team and are truly a delight with their personalities.  The past two weekends were the foundation of our program and will pay-off for us in a big way. This is such a great age to coach – I really do enjoy it very much.

Looking back at the Vision Statements I shared with you at the parent’s meeting (from the Team Package) - I see us moving toward that vision with our on-field product.  Also the messages of “Pass & Move” and “Outwork Your Talent”, my cornerstone themes for the season, are also working well with the players.

Training

• Shin pads are required at training. If you don’t have shin pads, you risk injury.  If you worry about getting hurt and you have no shin pads, you will not tackle hard and challenge at training, meaning you are also cheating your opponent of his game-like situation. 
• We will be doing more positional work this year and slowly giving the kids more tactical information, in various forms. I have handed out information on Defensive Principles and will continue to give them more as we develop.  I also share information and training videos on our team facebook page and team blog.  Some players will read it, others will not.  Some parents may never show it to them.  I can’t control that, I can only prepare and deliver.
• As coach, it is easy to identify the boys who not only pay attention but who put in extra work outside of practice and show the commitment level and motivation required to make themselves better soccer players.

Tackles

• We tell the players that when you step in for a tackle: full tackle, body strong, with force.  Not to hurt the other player, but to prevent injury to you.  Failing to tackle hard not only causes you to look silly and is poor defending, it’s very dangerous.  Tackle correctly or don’t tackle.  A U12 soccer player must be able to tackle and play to win the ball.
• First to the ball -  go in to win the ball.  Strong.  Going in weak is not only poor soccer, it’s dangerous.  If you’ve played any sport you see people getting hurt by going in “second” and trying to recover. Going in strong forces you to be ready for impact (which doesn’t hurt) and requires balance, minimizing injuries.  Poor-balance Injuries can occur on impact or when moving your body into the next movement.
• I do not teach slide tackles and do not want my players experimenting.  I believe slide tackling should be taught to players at an older age, not U12. Honestly, I do not see any of my players possessing this specialized skill as of yet. If not performed properly, slide tackling has the potential to seriously hurt themselves and other players.  Slide tackling must be ball only and not late or from behind, going through a player. If not performed properly it will be considered careless, reckless and dangerous. If in the referee’s opinion it is careless, reckless or dangerous play, it will lead to a foul, free kick, card, or penalty kick.  Too many times I have seen players (not mine!) try to slide tackle because they have been beaten by the attacker or because they are out of position.  Also, once a player leaves his feet and slides, he takes himself completely out of the play. So, instead I teach my players to get themselves into proper defensive position first and foremost. 

Heading the Ball

• The boys are at an age now where they are a little more fearless when heading the ball.  My message to the players is this:  If you head the ball, you must attack the ball, not let the ball hit your head.  Eyes open, body strong, through the ball.  Failing to apply the proper technique is not only poor soccer, it’s dangerous and can cause shoulder, neck and head injuries.  
•  Bending down and heading a ball with the top of your head is a sure-fire trip to the chiropractor or dentist if you get a cleat in the mouth.    The problem is this - either head the ball correctly, or don’t head it. 
• If you want to play U12 soccer and beyond, you need to head the ball, so we will work to do it correctly.  We are sincerely afraid every time a player doesn’t go into a head ball with full intentions.  

Proper Technique – Kicking the ball

Our message:

• Kick the ball or don’t kick the ball, but don’t just swing your foot in it’s general vicinity.  Striking a ball with intention and purpose forces balance and strength and prepares you for your next movement. 
•  A lot of injuries at impact are technique related and we don’t want any of our boys getting hurt.  That’s why hockey coaches work so hard in teaching how to deliver and take a body check.  From my personal experience, as youth football player, I blew out both my knees before I was taught proper technique and form... proper technique is crucial for player safety.

Conditioning

Our message:

• There is no being “tired” - even if you are tired ;-)
• You feel some fatigue, try to work through it and find your second wind.  You play or don’t play.  If you are on the field, you want to play and you don’t want to come off.   
•  Inspire each other with your own hard work.  If you work hard, your teammate will work hard.  If you don’t, neither will your teammate.
• Of course, safety is always first and we will follow OSA Heat Alert Guidelines.

Technical Skills

• Our practices will always contain a technical skills portion. We will always practice the basics of passing and receiving a ball, first touch, turns, moves such as stepovers, rollovers, fakes and feints, Cryuff etc.
• We will also always emphasize juggling the ball or kick-ups.  I want the boys to work towards achieving 100 juggles.  Some have done so already, so I take it a step further with them in terms of patterns such as “inside-laces-outside-laces” “laces-thigh-laces-head-laces”
• Juggling or as Pele calls it “ball control”,  helps with all aspects of soccer development because it improves coordination, balance, touch and conditioning.

Summary

The points above are not a knock on any player.  These are things for me as coach to fix. We will continue to find ways for players to experience game-like situations at training so they are more prepared, and less fearful for the confrontations in a game.  If a boy is scared of a certain situation, it’s our job to find ways to expose him to it and allay those anxieties.  The nice thing is if you work past any reservations you have with all situations, you are not only safer, you also become one hell of a soccer player.

The game is not dangerous, but I know it’s scary living this physical reality for the first time. This is an interesting time in the boys development physically.  Some boys have started growth spurts, others have not yet.  I’m sure you all saw at the tournament last weekend that some teams have more than just a few bigger boys.  Coaches Rowan and Beri and I were watching a U13 team warm-up and we thought they were U15!  The boys will grow and change very much over the few years.  As coaches we need to understand that and coach the boys with that in mind.

In U12/U13 competitive sports, players who were successful before are being pressured for jobs by boys who are blooming later.  Don’t assume your spot is your spot.  There is more turnover on teams and what starts to separate players are their level of commitment, hard work/grit, their durability and their competitiveness in all situations.  This applies to all sports.  Coaches also like to see who the players are that push others to compete – leadership qualities.  We want to prepare the boys for this and make sure they are mentally and physically ready to challenge at the next soccer, basketball, hockey or lacrosse tryouts.

Parents please make sure the players have access to our facebook page or the team blog.  This is important because they can feel “connected” to the team whenever they want.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Coach Jim

*a special thank-you to Coach Frank D for his ideas helping me with this letter.

Tuesday Practice Moved to Thursday

Everyone, let's give the boys a break tomorrow and move practice to Thursday night (6:00-7:30) ... I will send details as to where on Wednesday night

Coach Jim

Our Regular Season Schedule

Hi everyone, our regular season schedule was released this weekend. It and the standings (once we get started) can be found at: http://www.niagarayouthsoccerleague.com/Games.aspx I am happy we only have 4 Friday games and no real conflicts with our remaining tournaments (such as playing a league game on Friday and then a tournament on Saturday and Sunday). ... TiAmo Festival Cup is July 27-28 50th A.C. Douglas (where we are defending champs!) is August 3-5 We will keep our regular Sunday AM and Tuesday PM practice schedule. I will send out details about tomorrow night’s practice later tonight. Our first game (@ Port Colborne) is only 11 days away! Coach Jim

#	Div	Day	Date	KO	Field	Home Team	Away Team
20	12	Fri	May 25	18:30	TA Lannan 5	Port Colborne	Welland
34	12	Wed	May 30	18:30	Welland SC 7	Welland	Club Roma
57	12	Thu	Jun 7	18:30	Memorial Park A - NOTL	NOTL	Welland
90	12	Fri	Jun 15	18:30	Harold Black Park	Pelham	Welland
101	12	Wed	Jun 20	18:30	Welland SC 7	Welland	Fort Erie
135	12	Fri	Jun 29	18:30	Smith Park 3	Grimsby	Welland
144	12	Wed	Jul 4	18:30	Welland SC 7	Welland	Niagara Falls
170	12	Wed	Jul 11	18:30	Welland SC 7	Welland	Port Colborne
194	12	Wed	Jul 18	18:30	Club Roma Main	Club Roma	Welland
215	12	Wed	Jul 25	18:30	Welland SC 7	Welland	NOTL
237	12	Wed	Aug 1	18:30	Welland SC 7	Welland	Pelham
267	12	Fri	Aug 10	18:30	Optimist Park 1 - Fort Erie	Fort Erie	Welland
278	12	Wed	Aug 15	18:30	Welland SC 7	Welland	Grimsby
295	12	Wed	Aug 22	19:00	Club Italia	Niagara Falls	Welland

A Quarter Final Thriller For Our Moms

We gave FC London Academy Elite a Quarter Final Battle they won't soon forget.  Losing 0:1 to the eventual tournament winner is nothing to hang our heads about... our boys noticed that the London coaches were losing their cool as we took the game to them - and they loved it! 

This was a great weekend for our team. I loved watching the team grow. They played through adversity and with pride and class.  A few things to remember:

• we played in a group with Toronto based teams
• we played three games with no subs and one game with one sub
• we played in three ganmes decided by only one goal
• we won a heart-stopping penalty kick shoot-out
• we were knocked out at the Quarter Finals stage by the eventual tournament winners in a super-close and very entertaining 0:1 game 
• we hit a total of 10 goal posts and cross bars in our four games
• when we had the wind at our backs we only surrendered 2 goals in the entire tournament

Besides the very emotional PK win yesterday that propelled us into the play-off, the lasting memory for me was after getting knocked out of the tournament - the players did not want to go home. 

After my post game talk, I asked the boys to gather up their things before we head home and the boys said ``no lets stay``... we talked for a few more minutes and I looked over and saw the parents waiting on the other side of the field and again asked the boys if they wanted to pack up. One player responded ``we don`t want to leave yet``... another said ``yeah,  lets stay here a bit longer``... the boys just wanted to hang-out and chill together for a few more minutes... 20 minutes later we had to tell the boys it was time to go home.  I told them we had practice on Tuesday and I heard a few ``Yeah`s`... This was so very rewarding for me as their coach.  We have a true team...

The boys have formed a bond and that was one of my biggest goals heading into the season.  IMO, this aspect of coaching, team building, is very often over-looked.  The boys feel accountable to each-other.  They will work hard for each-other and they will fight for each-other.  We had one boy who had strep during the week, and another who was in bed with a fever on Friday.... but they came to play all weekend long. I saw players working together, encouraging and cheering their team-mates on.  

This is what the last two weekends were about.  I am pleased.  This has been a great kick-off to our 2012 season.

UP NEXT: We will have practice on Tuesday, I will send out the details tomorrow evening.  Next weekend is the Champions League Final and like last year I will arrange a Champions League Pizza Party for the team.

Coach Jim 

Wow - What A Day!

This is how TEAMS are made!

Everyone, our boys deserve huge praise for amazing accomplishments today... playing three games with no subs available and digging deep to win the third game in a thrilling penalty kick shoot-out to qualify for the quarter-finals... heart-stopping moments and great memories...

So, we have now earned the right to play in the quarter-finals tomorrow at 9:00am vs FC London Academy Elite.  The game will be played at Beamsville High School located at 4317 Central Ave., Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0

Players must be at the field by 8:15am.... 

Thank you boys - the journey continues!

Coach Jim

West Niagara Invitational Tournament Details

Hi everyone, our pre-season tournament is upon us!

Saturday  Schedule

We play two, possibly three games on Saturday as follows:

10:50am vs Cherry Beach Dragons

3:30pm vs Richmond Hill

7:00pm v TBD

If we finish 1^st in our group after the first two games, we will not play a 7:00pm game – we would automatically advance to the Quarterfinals on Sunday morning at 9:00am.  If we finish in 2^nd or 3^rd in our group we play at 7:00 vs a TBD team.

All Saturday Games will all be at Smith Public School, 18 Oakes Rd North, Grimsby L3M 4B1

Players need to be at the Grimsby field by 9:30am latest on Saturday as I will be handing out the uniforms and getting the boys organized.  I’m picking up the uniforms tonight.

Sunday Schedule

Quarter-finals 9:00am

Semi-finals 1:30pm

Finals 4:30pm

Quarterfinals could be at the Grimsby School or Beamsville High School depending on the standings.

Semis and Finals will be played at the Grimsby School location.

The following link is where you can find all of the rules, game sheets, etc., under the Downloads tab. Using your smartphone you can follow live scoring throughout the tournament weekend. The tournament organizers will not be posting scores anywhere except for online so please save this link:

https://www.gosportnet.com/search/tournament/tournament-info.php?tournament_id=2205

The weather looks to be very comfortable for the boys, 18-20 degrees and cloudy.  It could be windy though so please bring some clothes to bundle up in just in case.

That’s it for now – see you in the morning in Grimsby at 9:30!

Coach Jim

Practice Tonight at Glendale School (6:00-7:30pm)

Hi everyone, see you tonight at Glendale School (same place as where we had Tuukka nights)… go to the field behind the school

Thanks

Coach Jim

2012 Sherkston Training Camp Wrap

Hi everyone,

*This is a longer post than usual so first let me say that there will be no practice tomorrow (Tuesday), we will move it to Thursday, I will send the details of when and where shortly.

We completed our camp and everyone is in one piece - although very tired!  We were  blessed with great weather and I know the boys enjoyed themselves, learned a lot and will have many great lasting memories.

Let me take this opportunity to say thank you to all the parents for your commitment to our program and the camp – it wouldn’t be possible without you.  Thank you to Rowan, Dennis and Neil for staying over and helping me and the boys throughout the camp - I owe you guys huge.  Also thanks to Clayton, Pam and Calvin from Elite Soccer Development for helping us with the weekend program.

The biggest thank-you though goes out to my players!  They worked their hearts out all weekend long! 

Let’s remember what they did on Saturday:  

They woke up at 6:00am and completed a 2 mile run on the beach… followed that with a 2 hour technical training session with Clayton… and then played the friendly match v Roma U14s - against players that are 2 and in some cases 3 years older.  If that wasn’t enough for one day we also had a 60 minute boardroom tactical session and team meeting in the evening.

On Sunday morning they were back on the beach at 7:00am for a 90 minute agility training session, followed by another 2 hour technical session, and then the game with our Welland U13 friends.

I cannot be more proud on my players.  The FIFA tournaments, COD, campfires with mega-marshmallows, and Arcade fun was all very well-deserved given the tremendous effort they put in this weekend!  Thank you boys, I had a great camp with you!

As a coach, I am always evaluating and assessing what works, what doesn’t work and looking for areas to improve all aspects of our soccer program.  Looking back, there are a few things I may do differently next year such playing the exhibition games in the morning and having the technical training sessions in the afternoon. This would ensure the players are not running on empty for the games after training all day long, and we could work on lessons from the morning games in the afternoon technical training. 

Also, I am thinking about the work load - perhaps I asked them to do too much work physical work on Saturday, although in all honestly I cannot stress conditioning enough.

I will research and talk more with other coaches about the merits of playing exhibition games with older teams.  I believe in the end it will be beneficial as they have now experienced a game situation that is physical and with some pressure.

Working more on the meal plan paid off.  The food was healthy and fresh – no fried foods, lots of veggies. They even had steaks and garlic mashed for supper!

The boys also learned more about proper warm-ups and stretching.  I am a little concerned about the amount of muscle pulls/strains…  this should not be happening at their age.  Parents, please make sure the boys do some of the stretching exercises everyday - when they do their individual at home work with the ball – remember “Touch the ball (and stretch) every-day!”.

One reminder for parents: please come-out and cheer our boys on at every game, but remember no direct instructions to the players. This includes comments such as: “cover this guy” or “move over here” or “let someone else take the throw-in”.  This point was  covered on page three in the Team Package handed out in the Parents Meeting under “Required From Parents”. 

During the first water break yesterday the players came to me frustrated - by the direct instructions from some parents on the sideline.  One player said:  “we are trying to do what Clayton taught us but the parents are confusing us with go here, go there, cover this guy, cover that guy”.    Please remember, no direct instructions to the players during the game.

I have one very big surprise for our team. Clayton is working towards his National C Licence and asked if he could use our team as a project for the practical portion of his studies. This means that from time-to-time he would join our Sunday morning practices and that some of those practices will be videotaped for training purposes.  This is a fantastic opportunity for myself and our boys to develop and reach to the highest possible levels we can possibly achieve.

That’s it for now… the boys have a day off tomorrow, I will send the details for practice Thursday shortly.

Thanks

Coach Jim

2nd Annual Welland 2000 Wizards Training Camp - Instructions for Parents and Coaches

Hi everyone, I am so excited that our 2^nd Annual 2000 Wizards Training Camp is only two days away! 

  

I want to take this opportunity to answer some common questions that have been coming my way:

• We are meeting at the Sherkston Shores Resort on Friday night at 6:00pm
• http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=sherkston+shores+map&meta=&aq=3&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=sherkston+shores
• Directions from Welland:
  • hwy 406 to East Main (the end), turn left and go under tunnel
  • turn right onto hwy 140 to Port Colborne and follow all the way to Hwy 3
  • left onto Hwy 3 towards Fort Erie
  • turn right onto Empire Street (approx 15 mins from corner of  140 and hwy 3)
  • Resort is found at the end of the road (approx 2K)
• When you arrive -  do not go through the “toll gates”… veer to the right and park at the Visitor/Welcome Centre
• Clayton and Pam Rosario will be waiting for us to give us a quick tour
• We will then have our pizza and drinks, go over the rules of the camp, and get settled in our Cottages.
• Players can bring their own snacks but they need to be labelled and please remember – no peanuts
• Weather permitting we will have campfires in the evenings.
• Nothing planned for Friday night other than a lot of getting settled in and hanging out together.
• Parents are always welcome to visit us during the weekend.
• So far we have one xBOX confirmed coming (thanks Kalen!)…. There are three cottages, please bring your PS3s or xBOXs or Wii’s
• Weather should be much better than last year, but still looks like we will get some rain. Please bring lots of changes of clothes, hats, umbrellas etc…
• Last year, big black garbage bags for wet clothes worked well… every boy will bring home a big bag of wet and dirty clothes for mom!

The priorities for the weekend are Fun, Team Building and Learning… the exhibition game/scrimmages are very much “exhibition”… please do not read anything into what position your son is playing, who starts a game etc… I will only be looking to work on shape, basic tactics and game/situational awareness, using a number of different player combinations, rotations etc.  Please come and cheer our boys on!  Special thanks to Coach Danilo for bringing out his Roma U14s on Saturday and to Coach John Csuka for bringing his Welland U13s on Sunday. 

*A huge thank you to you (our parents), for your amazing cooperation and enthusiasm which allows this weekend to happen.

PS: since we are having the Sherkston weekend, I’m not asking the boys to go to ND this Thursday for WSC Fitness Night…..

See you Friday night at Sherkston!

Coach Jim