Day#8 - Going Crazy at Busch Gardens

I am writing this at the airport waiting for flights back home, so I will write some notes and clean it up later and add all the photos we took at Busch Gardens.  The girls final day was spent at Busch Gardens for a day of fun.  What does Busch Gardens have?  What doesn't it have ... rides; zoo/animals; shows (musical & animal shows); well deserved greasy food and pop; shops; games; and people watching.

Some quick points/notes of things I noticed/enjoyed...

- groups of girls bonding and having fun

- Kristen L ... so pumped/excited to be there

- GiGi & Brittany ... newbies on roller coasters --> they are now converted
- Bub & Erin on the Shekrai ride closing their eyes at the top

- Erin has gotten over her fear of coasters ---> gone from crying on the first ride (wooden roller coaster called Gwazi) to riding the scary SheiKra (vertical "death drop") over and over again.  Erin always used to stay behind and watch our bags and take photos ... now what do we do?  She is always such good fun to make fun of and listen to her scream (and scream, and scream, and ...)

- Speaking of screaming ... Ms Hackett has a nice set of lungs

- Garnet appears the most unafraid of the "big" rides (as opposed to Moira) ... see pictures below

- the effects on the Kumba ride slowed down many of our intrepid travellers

- the smells of number of smoke houses in the park (mmmmm)
- a couple of us got stuck on the sky gondola ride for 10 minutes due to a malfunction
- the day ended on a bit of a downer when the skys opened up and rain /thunder/lightening closed the rides ... no need to go on the Congo River Ride to get wet
- the Gorilla and chimp enclosures are awesome
- many of us saw the cute baby white rhino
- we also saw our U15 and U16 "at the park

Given everyones energy level we headed back to the hotel for some order-in pizzas. We have to keep a bit of energy for our trip back to the "wet" coast for tomorrow ... this will be tough.

Day#7 - Burned Out In More Ways Than One

The fact that the day very hot and humid (95% humidity) did not help with the fact that our Capitals were very tired and beat up.  The girls were very tired and some of the players were nursing injuries today (toes, calves, quads, stomachs, backs and heads).  I think everything has caught up with them (i.e. travel, time zones, food, previous match play and the excitment of the whole trip).  That said, we were not going to sit down and play without a fight. 
- Northern Viginia club is a good club (ranked 3rd) with a number of teams in the tournament
- they have a very fast and skilled team ... which we would soon learn
- play from the beginning was somewhat equal with the Majestics using their fast skillful midfielder to control the game and try to get balls to a couple of very fast players (a striker and outside right mid)
- we decided to play a high pressure game and go after them with a 3-4-3 (or more like a 3-4-1-2)
- the Majestics caught us twice not playing our usual solid positional soccer and placed a couple of long balls between & behind our defenders for their fast strikers and mids to run onto
- we did have chances by applying pressure to their defence who coughed up balls to us but for the most part we were not effective at capitalizing on the mistakes and getting a qualit shot on goal
- going into the halftime the score was 2-0 --> again the score was not fully indictive of the play ... they just capitalized on their chances better
- the second half was a little better for us, but again we could not finish

So our soccer is over for the trip and we have a day and a half to recover and do somehting fun with the girls.  Group decisions are getting harder as the girls get tired so we will probably make their minds up for them :-)

The weather has turned a bit sour (overcast, rain) so our trip to the beach was cancelled and it might be a free night to do what they want ... mall, hotel/swimming, movie, etc.

See pictures here ...

Meet Our Opponents - Game#4 - N.Virginia Majestics

Northern Virginia Majestics
“This is a team of players who have competitive spirit, dedication and team unity,” said Northern Virginia Majestics Coach Marie Schweitzer.
“While I am pleased with the 45 goals we scored during the regular season, I am more impressed we only allowed seven goals against in ten games played. This season, our goal was to qualify for the SYL North American Finals. Now that we have reached our goal, we are looking forward to playing competitive teams from the United States and Canada.”

Day#6 - Washington Freedom Show The Caps How Soccer is Played

We came up gainst the Washington Freedom today ... the most difficult team in our division.  They have a very well structured accademy-type program with a draw area from the Washington DC area and also Virginia, Delaware & Maryland (big).   So we knew it would be tough. 

- it was quite hot/humid today but a very strong wind/breeze helped cool things off at times.
- the girls are starting to feel the affects of the trip (excitement, food, etc) and are a bit "battle weary"
- the first half we had the wind and sun against us and we had trouble getting the ball dee into the Freedoms half of the field
- the Freedom scored a very nice goal from outside the 18 yard box when we allowed their player to get within striking range and shoot (a lovely hard shot in the upper corner that V could not reach)
- the highlight of the second half was a great diving save that V pulled out of the air.  She put on a good show in front of Freedom's Nikki Wright (Canada's ex-keeper and Freedon keeper coach)
- we bascially played a defensive game in the first half
- in the second half with the wind aiding us, our deep attacks were more prevalent
- however the Freedom are an excellent counter-attacking team and many of our deep attacks were turned around into deep thrusts by the Freedom
- we gave them one too many corners and they scored on a lovely corner kick / header combination
- the Freedom are a very skilled (1st touch on the ball was great); very fast passing; long passing team - this combined with a lot of movement off of the ball created a very tough team to play
In the end, the girls worked very hard (especially the centre backs) and although never satisfied with a loss, we were somewhat content with the game as we respected the Freedom's skill, speed, pattern of play, etc.

The weather turned a bit sour at the end of the game so we packed up and went back to the hotel to clean up and the girls went and relaxzed at a movie (Twilight - New Moon).

More pictures available here ...
Video available here ...

Meet Our Opponents - Game#3 - Washington Freedom

Washington Freedom
The Washington Freedom championed the 12-team Mid Atlantic Division with a record of 9-2-0. This team tied Qucikstrike SC for the most goals scored during their 11-game season with 34, an average of 3.09 per match. The Freedom’s defense was their façade, they allowed just five goals all season. Coached by Jamil Fayadi and Ellis Pierre, the team’s top-scorer was Marlo Sweatman, who netted eight goals and added an assist.

Day#5 - A Great Game To Watch & Be Part Of

Today's game vs the Chicago Magic was played under hot humid conditions - definitely the hottest day of the trip thus far.  Here are my thoughts/comments ...
- the Chicago Magic are a good team (see previous write up)
- first half the girls seemed a bit tired and not their aggressive selves
- the Magic were winning most 50/50 balls and getting to the ball first ... especially getting through our midfield
- it was not all bad ... just not their usual self
- unfortnately we played against a 12th player today (i.e. the Canadian ref we had) and he made some very "unusual" calls
* awarded a PK against us for a great diving save that "V" came out for.  I think he said that V lifted her legs too high / aggressively vs the attacking player
* the Magic coach also shook his head on that call (and many others).  I think he went so far as to say that he hoped his girls miss the PK.
* fortunately "V" made a very good save and our definders helped out by attacking the rebound and pressuring their kicker to make the 2nd shot wide --> KARMA :-)
- the second half saw Nigel switch things around a bit positioninally to utilize more of the midfield
- this resulted in the first 10 minutes of play the ball did not enter our half of the field
- we started getting more chances and deeper penetrations into the magic end
- we unfortunately didn't capitalize on a couple of good chances and the game ended in a 0-0 tie

The linesman came up to me in the final minute of play and said "Your girls played a hellofa game".

After the game we ran off to the local Publix market to get a late lunch and then go back to the field for the players evening of festivities
- free time in the player village / hospitality tent to collect some free swag
- watching some 5 v 5 soccer matches
- wating the GU15 girls play vs Richmond Kickers in one of the highlight matches of the evening (our Caps they lost 2-1)
- get in on a USL-supplied dinner

After that, more relaxation and pool time for the girls before hitting the sack to recharge their batteries for another game tomorrow.  Tomorrow will be a tough game and will test the girls.

Pictures from the day can be found at ... FloridaDay5Nov2109Game2VsChicagoMagic#
Video of the day can be found at ... http://gallery.me.com/torosashimi#100043

Meet Our Opponents - Game#2 - Chicago Magic

Chicago Magic
Coached by Karl Smith, Angel Garcia and Steve Sobey this team completed a 5-2-0 season in the Midwest Division of the Super Y-League. The side was very balanced, averaging 1.85 goals per game while allowing only 0.85. The team’s top scorers were Meghan Mannix, who had three goals and an assist, and Taylor Markanich, who also scored three goals on the year.

Day#4 - Nerve-cited ... Then ... Frustrated

Today the girls showed all that they deserve to be at this tournament.  As they had most of the game in my opinion and due to a coupl eof losses of our concentration we ended up dropping the game to MPS.

I liked Nigel's summary to the girls "Minor let downs in a major effort".

A summary of the game and day ...
- before the game Nigel asked the girls what they were feeling in one word.  For the most part the girls were nervous and excited - or nerv-cited (coined by Soraya)
- we created more chances than the Renegades
- We went into half 0-0
- Renegades scored 2 quick goals ... perhaps a loss of focus or pressure by the girls caused these lapses
- the Caps pushed hard for goals and they were rewards fairly quickly
- we also had numerous other opportunites and chances to ties it up
- in the end we were ahead on everything except the goals :-(
- Brad overheard the other coach say to his team "You girls were lucky today"

In the end we left the field sad, dejected, mad, frustrated and grrrrrr (one word phrases the girls used to summarize the day later).  There are always those games we wish we could take back because we know the outcome should have been different.

So what does this mean for the standings and chances??  It means our chances our somewhat out of our hands - we are not fully in control of our own destiny.  We will probably have to win both remaining games to go clear through ... or at least get 4 points to have a shot at a wildcard position.

See standings at ... USL Y-League GU14 Standings
See the days pictures at ... Florida Day#4 Pictures
See video at ... http://gallery.me.com/torosashimi#100000

Meet Our Opponents - Game#1 - MPS Renegades

MPS Renegades
Renegades had a strong season in 2009. Anchored by a strong defense and excellent goalkeeping, the team allowed the fewest goals (0.50 GAA) in the New England division and finished in second place with only one loss. Powered by an excellent work ethic, team mentality and camaraderie – the players handled several serious injuries throughout the season. Equipped with a technical offense and hardworking midfield, the girls believe they can compete with any team. They completed the season by defeating the U14 Arsenal Ladies Centre of Excellence squad in the Arsenal Cup in London, England in August. They are sure to be a handful for their competition in the SYL North American Finals.

Day#3 - Pretty Much the Same Thing ... With A Twist

Pretty much the same routine today except at a higher level of expectation and intensity.  The girls are still a wee bit sluggish and getting used to the time zone change and heat ... but it is coming along nicely.  Nigel & I saw the Coastal WFC team coming in last night at the airport at midnight and saw them on the field today practising from 11-noon (we practised noon - 1pm) ... I wonder how their performance will be in a couple of days!?

See some video from the day at ... http://gallery.me.com/torosashimi#100015
Also, the girls had a nice block of homework time today and some good team time in the pool today - a time to bond, climatize more and relax.

In the evening the girls got to take in an NCAA men's soccer playoff game between local Florida State University (FSU) and in-state rivalry Stetson.  It was a good experience to take in a college NCAA game with approx 5400 fans in the stands and a good soccer game.  Hopefully this was something the girls can take and put in their memory bank.

See game information at ...
FSU (Bulls) Website
Stetson (Hatters) Website

PS Soraya & Elise rock!
(they told me to put this on the website)

We're Famous!

In the news back at home...
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/saanichnews/sports/70297092.html
- Nice job on the sponsorship T-shirt Richard :-)
- Looks good Maureen

The A Channel News story...
http://picasaweb.google.com/WestCoastCapitals/MediaAChannelNews#

In the news from a galaxy far far away ...
http://gallery.me.com/torosashimi#100016
- thanks again to Lee

Day #2 - Soccer Training Starts

Dear Diary,
We are getting into this Florida lifestyle but the 7 am wakeup and walk is not for me ....

Just kidding.  Here is a synospsis of today's events...
- Up at 7am and out for a 7:30am walk
- Beakfast at 8am.  The girl's ate healthy - however, Brad, that's another story (mmmm ... biscuits and gravy and bacon)
- After breakfast was homework and personal time to 11am
- We headed to Ed Radice sports fields for some soccer training at noon.  We arrived at the fields with no one else there (Nigel is a keener).  We did out typical warmup and some individual ball skills and worked into passing/possession and then a scrimmage.  It was warm and humid BUT the girls did well.
- After training we had a picnic at the fields (Subway, milk, veggies, and fruit)
- Back at the hotel by 3pm for some free time, swimming and more homework for those that required the time.
- The girls were given some additional time at the mall tonight for dinner & shopping --> this is not helping us having all of the restaurants at the mall complex!! :-)  Note to Bud ... send Kristen more money!
- In the evening we fit in some visits from some parents and calls to parents were done (sorry if we have to limit some of the girls time on the phone right too many girls and not enough time)
- Coach Kristen has landed and will be present at tomorrow's training ... the girls are in trouble now!

Note to diary ...
Those 12 passenger vans are long!!  That Lexus in the hotel parking lot did not know what hit it.
Note to self ...
Investiagte ICBC Insurance for USA travel, and accidents with rental van.  Sigh :-(

Video diary of team meeting poolside by Lee ... http://gallery.me.com/torosashimi#100018

Day #1 Climatization and Regulation

The first day in Florida ended with a day at the beach.  After arriving at the hotels the girls has some free time to organize themselves and we had a "lightly" organized day to recover from the flight - this included...
- relax & recover time
- homework time
- time at the mall for lunch and a little bit of shopping
- beach time at Cleawater Beach (see the pictures)
- dinner at local famous restaurant Frenchies Rock Away Grill(see pictures).  By dinner time there were a number of players gazing into their food with glazed eyes due to tiredness.
- a sightseeing trip on the way back to the hotel (OK it was a little bit of a detour back to the hotel after a missed exit on the highway :-))

What is important ... Is that I think the girls had a great day and they were all very happy (except they wanted more time at the mall of course :-) )

See some photos for the day at ...
http://picasaweb.google.ca/WestCoastCapitals/FloridaDay2Nov172009ClimatizationFun#

See Lee's video for some beach time here ... http://gallery.me.com/torosashimi#100016

Victoria to Tampa - A Long Road (But Worth It)

As I said in our previous post ... it was a good day to be leaving  Victoria!  I understand that it is still raining and the weather today in Florida is enought to make those at home jeleous. 

We are safely in Tampa albeit a bit weary/tired, but the girls are "pumped" (that's probably too light of a word for it).  Our job will be to try to bring them back to earth and get them focussing on the soccer (for a while) - over the next few days. 

Some observations & fun things, that happened along the way ...
- Brittany carrying her weight in food
- the girls were very well behaved on the trip & flights - witness the stewardess noting over the loudspeaker while doing the inboard announcementsthat "teenage girls can be quite"
- Moira is a seasoned traveller now  :-)
- The Marejka's suitacase contents were deposited all over the carosel in Atlanta ... everyone knows now what Bary's underwear and socks look like :-)
- some of the girls can stay up all night and others cannot
- Andrew & I had a good good chuckle listening to the girls as we decended to Tampa's airport - hearing nothing but "Oh my God look at the beaches",  "Oh my God look at the birds"; "Oh my God ... this"; "Oh my God ... that"

A note to the parents ... Your daughters are being looked after by a super caring and thoughtful person in Robyn.  She is what keeps the team going and Nigel and I could not get along without her.

We will try to get the girls to give all the parent a short call every night or second night on our Skype setup (i.e. Voice Over IP calls ... free of charge).

See photos at http://picasaweb.google.ca/WestCoastCapitals/FloridaDay1Nov1617TravellingVictoriaToTampa

A Tale of Two Cities

Guess which weather forecast is Victoria vs Tampa?  :-)
It is an UGLY day out there today.  Makes only one thing come to mind ... "It's a good day to be leaving for Tampa!!"
See you at the airport!

Final Warmup Match Provides Goals, Goals, Goals

The Capitals hosted Lakehill's Girls U17 team at Royal Athletic Park on Saturday morning.  Reports from players and fans were as follws..
- it was cold both on the field and in the stands
- the girls came out slow but went into the lockers at half time with a 2-0 goal lead
- a half-time "pep talk" from Nigel reminded the girls to focus, play up to their potential and not take the opposition too lightly
- the girls took heed to this and came out in the second half and increased their work rate and pressure on the Lakehill team.  This resulted in a number of goals in the second half.
- the Caps then used this lead to then work on their possessional soccer

Thanks to Lakehill for hekping the GU14's get warmed up and ready for their march to gold down in Florida.

Capitals Honeing Their Team Play

Friday night saw the Capitals take on a very fast & skilled Lakehill Boys U14 Gold Team with other guest players.  The Capitals knew this would be a very fast game as the Lakehill team (who are 2nd in the League standings) very skillfully moves the ball around.  The Cap's met them early in their season last May and had a tight game against them (2-2 tie).  As predicted the game flowed very fast and was fairly equal.  The Lakehill team attacked hard but could not penetrate the Cap's defense very well - they did put two goals in the back of our net on Capital misqueues.  The Capitals could not capitalize on many of their chances - especially those within the 18 yard box ... I think the grass surface beat us many times.  Kudo's to Lakehill keeper was very solid.  mmmm ... one of our keepers is from Lakehill - I think I see a pattern!?

So in the end, we came out behind on goals but ahead on our team shape; playing together again; experience of the grass surface and playign against a very fast/skilled team.

A HUGE thanks to Gorge Soccer Association fro providing us the grass field; lights and meeting space for this tuneup match.

A West Coast Storm is Brewing

The West Coast Capitals Girls U14 Team gathered last night to play their first game together in quite a while.  The girls definitely did not forget each other (if we could only harness that energy, we would be rich!) ... nor did they forget how to play soccer together either.

Although missing one of their key midfielders, the girls came out firing on all pistons and took it to the older Gorge team immediately.  The Cap's quickly got their passing game going and were soon striking ball at the Gorge goal.  Over the first 5-10 minutes it was apparant and inevitable that some of those shots would get by the Gorge keeper. 

What was important tonight was getting together, remembering and working on our system of play and rekindling our playing relationships.  Good job ladies.

As parent put it ... "their spirit was huge tonight"!

I have no pictures ... I forgot to pull my camera out.  So I pulled a few old ones from our archives :-)  Enjoy!

A Year in Review (Thus Far) - Final Post

This post is our final post reviewing all of the players that make up the West Coast Capitals Girls U14 Team.  Posts from this point on will on training / exhibitions leading up to the Florida Championships and posts "live" from Florida for those following.

Sydney is our "energizer bunny" ... she keep going & going.  She is a fast/explosive player in  a small package and, like Brittany, don't let her size fool you ... she is tall in our eyes!

Natalie is the Cap's second keeper.  Tall, strong, solid and not afraid to get physical.  She is tough in the air and tough on PK's.  She has the ability to also play out when called upon.

One word describes Hannah ... "focussed".  She is focussed on soccer at practise and focussed during games.  She is also strong on the ball and difficult to strip her of it.

Harmony is another of our big, strong and fast strikers.  She has an ability to retain the ball and distribute it when desired - she can also go to goal and blast shots with her left or right foot.

A Year In Review (Thus Far) - Part 6

Continuined review of the players of  your West Coast Capitals GU14 team ...

Bub (aka Amelia) is one of outside midfielders who works extremely hard every minute on the field.  Strong skills, strong first touch, strong in the air and not afraid to be agressive when required make her an assett for the team.

Garnet is another of our strong defensive players hailing from Sooke (is there any other kind of player from Sooke?).  She is a solid defender (centre or outside) with great clearing and heading skills.  Garnet also helps out up front when required.

A Year in Review (So Far) - Part 5

Let's look at a couple of the Cap's that are at the end of the height spectrum for the team ...

Brittany (BK or "sticks") is another of the Cap's  midfield wizards.  But, don't let her small size fool you ... she is one of the toughest on the team (both giving and receiving).

Veronica ("V" or "v-dawg") is the Caps tallest player and their keeper ... go figure!?  Her cat-like moves in the net are characteristic of someone much smaller.  She is a team assett and one reason for it's success this season.

A Year in Review (Thus Far) - Part4

Today's installement / review looks at two returning faces in new positions for our Caps; and a new face from up-Island comes down to help out up at the front ...

Erin returned to the Cap's team this season in a new position on the back line ... not a bad position for her with her speed and those large clearing kicks and passes of hers.

Vanessa also returned this season to join Erin the outside back line.  Her solid defending, ability to steal the ball from attacking players  and her blazing speed made this position "hers" for the season.

Moira travelled south for the season to help the Caps up front.  She is solid on the ball, skilled, fast - theses characteristics and her work rate made her an excellent partner for Kristen.

A Year in Review (Thus Far) - Part 3

The regular season saw some old faces and new faces for the West Coast Capitals.  This installment sees two new faces along with two returning players.

Katie is the Cap's "Rock of Gibraltar" in the centre on the backline (with her partner GiGi).  She is solid, aggressive on the ground and in the air and ready to help up front when required.

Kate's another backline "soldier" with extra speed to help recover after her breaking runs up the flank.

Julia is another one of the Cap's outisde back who fearlessly clears balls out of the back.  She is especially good in the air with her head balls.

Elise is one of the Cap's midfield "wizards" who uses skills to distribute the ball (passing & possession is her game).  She also helps fill in when needed on outside back and mid-field positions.

A Year in Review (Thus Far) - Part 2

Continuing our review of the regular season ...

The Cap's captain Georgia (GiGi) ... determination, agressiveness and "never say die attitude".  One of our stalwart centre backs.

 

Kristen ... the "work horse" up front.  She always gives us a 110%.  With skill and determination and her work ethic ... the West Coast Capital's have a great assett.

Soraya is a force to be reckoned with ... aggressive, solid and a desire to win the ball. 

Bub in a lighter moment  and leading the team in a "cheer" (Jai Ho) ... the Capitals know how to have fun too!  Bub also helps lead the Capitals on the field with her great play and desire.

A Year in Review (Thus Far) - Part 1

A quick review of some of the memororable pictures, moments and players that happened along the way to the West Coast Capitals march to Florida ...

The speed, quick foot work and dexterity of Kathy always kept the defenders on their toes.

Nikki's leadership on/off the field and command at midfield helped control the flow of the game (not to mention her dangerous shots from outside the 18)

GU14 WC Capitals in the News

Julia made the local news at ... http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/cowichannewsleader/sports/67077507.html

The Team was profiled on the USL website at (Note: Some of the information is incorrect) ...
http://supery.uslsoccer.com/home/370047.html


BC Soccer's Report ...
http://www.bcsoccer.net/bcsa/RotateNewsArticleView/tabid/243/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1015/16-BC-Teams-off-to-Super-Y-Finals.aspx