Soocer "Hoosiers"

Well, we made it! To playoffs that is. For the first time in nine years, our program will make an appearance in the state playoffs. We just finished a brutal five game week (due in large part to the consistently inclement weather we've had in Houston). Four of those five games were against the best teams in the district. We played the second place team twice and the first and third place teams once. Even though we lost the first four of the five games last week, I am proud to say the most goals any team scored on us was three. I think it did wonders for the boys' confidence to see that they could play not only with the best teams in the district, but the best teams in the state. Those top three teams also advanced all the way to the state final four last season.

I remember a similar situation when I was last a high school varsity coach. When I took over the job as head of the Logan Lady Chiefs' cross-country team, they were the only team on campus that had not won a league title. Obviously that was the big goal for the first season. Sure enough, and, yes, there were bumps along the way, we won league that first year. However, especially after winning the district the following week, I started to get a bit selfish and began considering the possibilities of advancing the team to the state meet. We didn't make it out of the regionals, and it took me a while to realize what a great success the season had been. Last week, to keep the boys' spirits up, I showed them the movie Hoosiers. I'm sure for many of them it was the first time they had seen the flick. The more I think about it, the more similarities I see between this year's soccer team and that historic team from Hickory (at least the Hollywood-ized version). Our school is much, much smaller than other schools in our district and state classification. We don't have a full soccer field for practice. When we do practice, we have to share the field with the girls' team. It's just one of the concessions you have to make at a small school. On a related note, I'm utterly amazed at the success our track team has had since they have no track on which to practice!! Anyway, we face a team in the first round that's one of those big school powerhouses. We'll be playing on their field which is part of an immaculate state of the art athletic complex similar to what is seen in most public school districts in Texas. One of their boys has already signed to play soccer at Indiana (a perennial soccer power) next year. Yes, you could say we have the odds against us. However, as I mentioned before, we just finished a week against three of last year's final four teams, and the worst we were beat was 3-0. Those teams usually take care of us with five or six or seven goals in a match. I'm actually quite optimistic about our chances. I know some of the boys on our team have done some research on the team we're playing, and they may be a bit intimidated by our opponent. Honestly, I see some great similarities between this match and the 12 spies from Israel who searched out Canaan. All but Joshua and Caleb came back with negative, intimidating reports. Those two guys saw what could be done rather than what couldn't be done. I know it's a bit selfish, since the goal all along this season has been to make the playoffs, but I want the boys to realize that they've already played some of the soccer powers in the state. I want them to realize and have confidence in what they're capable of. I guess it's the competitor in me not wanting to concede.

We leave Friday morning from school at 8:30. Several of the parents on the team are going up with us on a charter bus the athletic director has arranged for us. It'll definitely be a memorable experience. All I want is for the boys to believe in themselves, each other, their coaches, and just leave it all on the field.

I'll keep you posted.......

Roommate Ministry

I've found myself in a bit of a bind financially these past two years. Begrudgingly, I rented a room out in the winter of '08. Keep in mind I have two spare bedrooms, but it was quite a step out for me to rent even just one out since I have lived by myself for the past 12 years. I tried out ol' Craigslist and found a nice guy named Glenn who helped ease me back into roommate mode. Glenn was a self-employed handyman with a girlfriend living about 15 minutes away here in Katy. Glenn took jobs all over Houston, spent quite a bit of time with his lady friend (she also helped him find jobs) so, consequently, our paths did not cross a whole awful lot. It wouldn't be uncommon for me to go several days without seeing my new roomie. Unfortunately, I was still feeling the pinch financially, so in June, I posted an ad for another roommate and met Don.

Don's been living in Katy for a couple of years now. He moved down from Dallas and was taking classes at Prairie View with hopes of becoming a secondary math teacher. Soon after Don moved in, I remember asking him about his religious affiliation. When he answered "agnostic," I thought, "Oh, boy, this could be difficult trying to reach him spiritually." Don stocks groceries third shift, so, like Glenn, our interaction has been rather limited. However, several weeks ago, Don surprised me one Saturday by out of the blue asking me if I would be going to church the next morning. When I answered yes, he asked if he could come. Of course, I said yes. Within the first couple of Sundays, Don met the minister at my church and was able to set up a weekly Bible study. From what I can tell, it's really challenged Don to open the Word and find out for himself what God's plan is for him rather than just to rely on conjecture and speculation.

Soccer Hopes

The soccer season is about halfway over. We had a German student play with us during the first semester who was living with aunt here in the Houston area. He was really a blessing to the team. The other guys on the team accepted him as one of their own, and he was very fluent in the language. Of course, the fact that he's a pretty good soccer player came in handy as well. We lost 12 players from last year's team, and Robin filled in a sorely needed position. We've made enough of a dent in the district schedule so far that we most likely will make the state playoffs. I think it's been eight or nine years since the boys soccer team here at school made the playoffs. Both the girls and boys basketball teams have been very successful year in and year out. I've told the boys that people won't take notice of them and give them the respect they want until they produce something impressive on the field. I've always believed in my ability to encourage and motivate others. I don't think the playoffs is something they can wrap their minds around since they've never been there. It's foreign to them. I need to start instilling in them a sense of purpose. Last year's team came within one game of making the playoffs. My task is helping the boys understand that this goal can be reached.

The Soloist

Two nights ago, I finally got around to watching The Soloist. I've become a bit of a Redbox fanatic, as it's helped me catch up on recent movies I've missed without, well, breaking my bank. Some movies are barely worth the $1 rental, but The Soloist impressed me greatly. It was based on a true story which made the flick even more enjoyable and interesting.

The movie centered around a relationship between a newspaper columnist, John Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., who befriends a homeless man, played by Jamie Foxx, who turns out to be an absolute virtuoso at the cello. The reporter does a little snooping into the man's past and finds out that he had actually studied for a while at the Julliard but mysteriously dropped out. Upon further research he finds out that the man has suffered from mental illness, most likely schizophrenia, since his time in music school. The reporter goes to extravagant means to help the man, Nathaniel Ayers, regain a respectable way of life enlisting the help of Ayers's family members and professional musicians in Los Angeles. At the end, however, Lopez realizes that Nathaniel is comfortable where he is and doesn't want any assistance from counselors, doctors, or psychologists.

I think I identified with Downey's character so much because I find myself in similar situations frequently as a teacher. I've taught in small towns and affluent suburbs, public schools and private, and I've always taken a personal interest in each of the hundreds of students I've had over the years. Sometimes I'm able to connect with and make a difference in the lives of my pupils, but the hard part is when I do all that I can and the student shows no desire to improve or change. I've always maintained that I take a much too intensive personal interest in the lives of my students. Maybe that's what's expected? Maybe it's not? I know I've always been my worst critic, and I always struggle emotionally with apathetic students who don't want to work to their potential.

Thank you for letting me vent!

Guy the Dog

About five years ago, my parents made an addition to our family. I don't know if it was empty nest syndrome that prompted it or what, but for the first time in probably ten years, they bought a dog. We had been a cat family for as long as I could remember. I remember Ebony, my sister's black cat we had in Alabama. She ran away when we moved from Alabama to Ohio, but legend has it, she found her way back to the house. In fact, through most of my childhood, we had two, if not four, cats in the house. Dogs, on the other hand, were a different subject altogether. I hadn't really had good experiences with canines. My dog Zack was shot and killed when we lived in Alabama by a man who found him sleeping under his pick up truck. Soon after, we acquired an Irish setter named Reagan (I'm not sure or not if the dog was named after the Great Communicator; after all, it was the early '80's.) Being the small lad that I was, I was always a bit spooked when Reagan would come up to me and put her paws right up on my shoulders. It seemed like some bizarre domestic reenactment of Animal Farm was in the works. From then on, I was a bit reticent around dogs. We had some come and go, a beagle, a Westhighland white terrier, and a Papillon, among others, but I never really developed a close bond with any of them. Alas, until I met Guy.

My parents bought him from a breeder in Las Vegas when they were living in Arizona. When I first saw him, I immediately had flashbacks of Reagan and the almost daily ambushes I would receive. However, Guy was a bit (but not much) more gentle than Reagan. He's a standard poodle and serves equally well as a family dog and a guard dog. I guess I should explain that since my mother did some research and discovered that poodles originated either in France or Germany, she and my dad decided to give the dog an appropriate ethnic name. So, Guy is short for "Guillaume" which is the French translation of my dad's (and my) first name. Don't ask; each of the family pets have had unique names. Not that the two cats I have now are any different. I named them "Jerry" and "Kosmo" after characters in my favorite TV show, Seinfeld.

OK, back to Guy. From the first time we met, I knew my little (OK, not so little; my dad kids that he could be mistaken for a miniature horse) buddy was special. He loved, loved, loved taking walks, even in the brutal Arizona summer heat and would follow me all over my parents' house. I even enjoyed playing fetch/catch with him in the backyard of their house. That's gotta be love if I'm willing to toss and wrestle for a slimy tennis ball or raquetball. One habit that I've tried to shake him of is the ol' humping the leg routine. I mean, I understand a guy (no pun intended) has urges, but after awhile, it got pretty old and increasingly awkward. Guy even received special permission to sleep in "my room" during my visits. Usually he would sleep in his cage, or if he was really good, my parents would let him sleep in their room.

When my parents moved to Georgia about three years ago, Guy's affection grew even stronger. Whenever I would be in "my room", he would sit in the hall right outside the room. He still enjoyed his walks and even went into a bit of a manic mode whenever the word "walk" was mentioned, and he also provided an impartial sounding board for whatever was on my mind during our excursions. Last year I was brave enough to bring my two cats to visit my parents. Jerry and Kosmo survived the 12 hour car ride just fine, but I don't think they were ready for such an excitable new playmate. Guy kept an almost constant vigil outside my bedroom door for the boys. Of course, they wouldn't come out, and Guy obediently obeyed his instructions not to enter the room. At night, when Guy would go to sleep in my parents' room, they would roam around a bit, but it was back to the bedroom once Guy was free.

This past week was another trip over to Georgia to see my folks and Guy. As always, he was all kinds of excited to see me, and, trust me, I did have to physically prepare myself for the ambush from a big ol' standard poodle after a 12 hour car ride when I entered my parents' house. My relationship with Guy has restored my belief in the brutally unconditional companionship a good dog can bring. He's one of the added perks I get from visiting my parents, and he definitely makes their house, whether it's in Arizona or Georgia, feel more like a home.

May the Season Begin

Well, the new high school soccer season officially began last Monday with tryouts. This was the first time I was faced with cutting anybody from my own team in a couple of years. Since we lost about 12 people from last year's team, there were plenty of spaces to fill, but I knew I needed some kind of objective drills/tests to defend my actions to any concerned parents. Unfortunately, I had a hard time thinking of good objective measurements that would be a strong reflection of a player's ability during game time. So, we ended up doing a lot of scrimmaging. Always during tryouts, it seems to be a task to get communication and aggressive play out of the players who are "on the bubble." A few times I isolated the ones I needed to see more closely, and, of course, still little communication. But I guess another way to look at it would be that during games, these guys will be facing the best players of the opposing schools, so they need to experience working against the best our school has to offer. After four days of tryouts, I think I've got a pretty good roster of players. Lack of aggression and hustle can be strong detriments in the tryout process. I'd rather have people out there who not only have a knowledge of the game but are also motivated to succeed and improve.

Another interesting aspect that I will need to research is the idea of being in charge of an entire program again. This really hasn't been the case since I was in Logan coaching girls' cross-country. I don't know how long God wants to keep me in this position, but my words and actions as well as the words and actions of my players will be a reflection on the school, but more humbly, on me as well. I hope that I can encourage and motivate these players in ways that will make God proud and end the season with a sense of accomplishment and success for all involved.

The Torch Has Been Passed

Earlier this week, our AD at school notified me that I would be serving this year as the head boys' soccer coach for the high school. I still have mixed feelings about the position. Now, in my youth, I was all about "the beautiful game," both as a player and as a fan. However, as time passed, my athletic interests became more varied, and soccer took a backseat to cross-country and basketball especially as those were the first two sports I coached after graduating from college. I jumped back into soccer coaching two years ago as the girls' varsity assistant and JV coach at Dulles High School. Last year, when I moved over to Westbury Christian, I assisted with the boys' varsity. Now, the program has been handed over to me. My work is definitely cut out for me as we lost six valuable seniors last year and four others who would have been key members of the squad this year. In the past, I've prided myself on having teams that were well-conditioned and disciplined. Those are two attributes I think will be very important this season. We definitely won't be deep numbers wise, but if I can get some good leadership from the boys who are returning and keep them all encouraged, the outlook should be pretty good. Oh, yeah, it would probably be a good idea to ask for assistance, wisdom, and patience from the King of Kings and Coach of Coaches.