Is Soccer the Greatest Sport Ever?

I enjoy almost every sport out there. I happen to coach soccer and I love the game. However, when I was younger, I was a baseball fanatic. I am certain that I would have played football if I had gone to a high school that offered it. I played a great deal of basketball as well as coached it for several years. Interestingly enough, probably the sport in which I had the most natural ability was hockey. I am certainly not one of those who make the claim that soccer is the greatest game ever invented and if you don't like it, there is something wrong with you.

As far as Maranatha goes, I try to encourage our players to root for every team on this campus. I have even spent time recruiting for some of the other teams from time to time. We have had several successful multi-sport athletes over the years here at MBBC. Once in a while, an athlete will chose to focus on one sport over the other. This can be a tough situation for the sport that is left out, but it is a test of a coach's ability to respond to exhibit a godly response to a disappointment - and a chance to disciple the athletes who have lost a teammate.

I firmly believe that athletics can help to mold positive habits and characteristics in athletes. I may share some specific examples in some future posts. Can any readers relate a situation in athletics that taught you a life lesson that benefits you today? We would love to hear it - feel free to do so anonymously if you would like. - C

Everyone Else is Doing It

There are several purposes for this blog:

1. To give info about Maranatha Soccer.
   
2. To make others aware of my coaching schedule.


3. To eventually become a source of soccer coaching tips and drills (when I find software that will allow this).


4. To relay my philosophy of athletics.


5. To give recognition to current players.


6. To help start relationships with future soccer players and MBBC students.


7. To connect with alumni.
   

So far, I have made progress toward a few of those goals. I am still working on the others. One result of this blog is that Sarah and I have been able connected with friends with whom we went to school. It has been really fun to renew acquaintances and find out what everyone else is doing - especially since Sarah and I have never really left Maranatha (not Sarah's fault, by the way). It is such a blessing to hear how others are doing, especially those who have remained faithful to Christ.

Okay, I promised myself that I wouldn't do this, but I have decided to do a role call like several other bloggers that I read. I know that Discipleship through Athletics gets hits from over 10 countries, 45 states, and 75 cities for an average of 250 hits a week. They can't all be my mom. I would like to find out who is out there. So, if you lurk here once in a while, please leave a comment. If you don't want to comment publicly, email me directly here. That way, if I don't get any comments, I can just say that everyone emailed me directly. :) - C

Favorite Pictures

Sometimes I don't have anything to post about, but conventional wisdom says that bloggers must post every 36 hours or people stop looking at their blog. Typically everyone likes to look at pictures, so I have decided to post some of my favorites from the last few years. My only regret is that I only have digital pictures from the last three years from which to chooose. I have plenty of old "film" pictures going back to the first team in 1997 - thanks mostly to Carrie Patrick. I enjoy looking at those old pictures once in a while, but they are difficult to share on the web.

This picture was taken by Sean O'Morrow during the announcing of starting line-ups before a game at North Central College in Naperville, IL. Sean is a good photographer, but we had to give him a pep talk in order to get him to walk out in front of everyone and take the picture.

This was the ladies' third game in as many days, including a double OT win against MSOE on Thursday, a match against Concordia-Chicago on Friday, a sleep over at Haley's that night and a match v NCC on Saturday. I like the colors in this picture and I always wonder what comment that Kimmy G. just made. I also think that it is interesting that you can tell a little something about each of the player's personalities by how they are standing or holding their hands or where they are looking.-C

More from Germany!

Many of you know that this blog started during the men's and women's teams mission trip to Germany this past summer. You can check out stories and pictures from our trip starting here. Today, I had an email from Jeff Brown, one of the missionaries who was a huge part of our trip. The ladies were based in his town. The church that he planted is now pastored by a German national in Erlangen. The following excerpt is an example of how doors were opened during the trip. It has been translated from German (not by me):

Hey Soccer Women (plus Dave Adam),

First, I am sorry we did not get to Maranatha to see you. In December we never got farther north than Chicago. The first half of January we spent in Michigan and Florida. So... maybe in the spring.Nevertheless, I thought you would want to read this latest story that I sent to my Children, about a man who has gotten into discussions with us at the booktable for years. He was a very successful engineer, who took early retirement from Siemens. You had a part in his opening up to the Gospel. In fact, after he stopped by your game he began to talk seriously with us instead of being in a "Me vs. You" mode. Could someone please further it on to Sommer and Carrie?

Thanks! Jeff Brown

It is 18.00 and almost dark. How dreadful. The day has seemed quite short. Perhaps we feel that way because we slept today until 9.30 and I took a nap this afternoon as well. Probably we are getting slept out. I still had time to go to Büchertisch ca. 12.00. Jason and Julianne, you perhaps would remember the World Revolutionary who used to get into discussions with us (particualrly w. Martin L). He has gotten milder in the last few years. When the Maranatha girls soccer team was here, he was riding by their game out in Forchheim and decided to stop by. He was quite surprised to see his old acquaintances from the Büchertisch there. WR:"You people do this too?" Martin, "Only when Amerikans come to town." WR:"Girls playing soccer. I haven't seen that very often." Martin, "That's revolutionary, don't you think?" He also came to the Northland/BSC game. I began talking to him when he visited the first game. He became interested in discussions with me when he found out that I was reading all of Ratzinger's books (Pope Benetikt). Today Oliver and I talked with him at the Book Table. I thought, in all our discussions over the years, we have never gotten to go through the Gospel with him. So, I began with the "Sharing Jesus" questions. I had been wanting to try them on a German. I began with question 2, since we had already talked at length about spiritual beliefs on other occasions. "What do you think of Jesus Christ?" He gave a five minute answer that dealt with everything from the Roman empire to Evolution to Dr. Ratzinger. Then we went on. When we got to question five, he let me share the Bridge Tract with him. He was in tears before we started. We had quite a discussion, as you might guess. When we got to point five in the Bridge Tract, I had him read Romans 5:8. "Did he die for your sins?" I asked. "Well, no, I don't believe that." We talked for a good while and Oliver helped a lot at this point. I re-read the verse, repeated the question and we went back into discussion. I re-read the verse, repeated the question and he responded, "You are trying to persuade me." Oliver and I answered together, "Could there be anything better to persuade you about?" "Alright," he answered, "but one really has to accept this." Oliver answered, "that is exactly the point." He was not ready to accept but gladly took the bridge tract with him, saying, "This is explained so very well." I do expect the people at the Gemeinde will see him soon in a service.

This is also an example of what it is like to minister in Germany and much of Europe. Patience and faithfulness are critical attributes for a missionary to possess. It is my prayer that the Maranatha men's and women's soccer programs are a place where such characteristics can be exercised and nurtured. - C

Some Reading

I recently came across three articles in which some of you may be interested, especially those of you who either will be choosing a college in the near future or are in a position to influence those who are choosing a college. For most of my life, I thought that the decision about what college to attend was not really that big of a deal. My parents probably would have allowed me to attend a secular school, had I wanted to - especially since I was paying most of my own way. I have always thought that I would be pretty much the same person no matter what school I had attended.

Lately, I am not as thoroughly convinced of this. The choice of a college might have more to do with who we are than I originally thought. I speak with many young people who are going through this decision - and no, I don't always tell them that MBBC is the right place for them. In fact, there are many good schools out there. I do seek to work through the decision based facts and goals.
Many students tell me that they choose a school based on a "feeling of peace" or "it's just God's will". Sometimes these can be spooky ways to make a decision. It is better to ask: What kind of person do I want to be? A school will seek to conform its graduates to the mission of the college. Look hard at that mission and the school's alumni. I think this is one of the best factors to consider when choosing a college.

I think I just set the record for number of links in a blog post. - C

Top 11 Men Overall?

It was fun to put together the last two top 11 lists. Maybe I will attempt the top 11 men of all time for the college's 40th anniversary. . . or maybe not. I don't know how many "seasoned citizens" read this blog, but I would enjoy hearing about players who you think should be in that list. Dwayne Morris, Bill Moulder, Ross Boucher, Brian Phillips, are probably some who should be considered. I never saw any of them play, but I have talked to enough alumni who mention their names. Goalkeeper would be the most difficult position to narrow down. Maranatha men's soccer has been blessed with some incredible goalkeepers over the years.
As with any list like this, the level of play in different time periods also makes it difficult. I believe that the level of play has risen almost 100% since I was a player. I am certain that the difference between college soccer in 2006 and 1976 is extremely large. For instance, there were several players who never played soccer in high school and yet had nice college careers for Maranatha in the 70's, 80's and even the 90's. I am pretty sure that we will never again see a player like that on the men's side. Furthermore, we play a very difficult schedule that includes teams that are always in contention for the national tournament. It would also be interesting to see how the list would change if we only considered four year players.
At the moment, our team is made up of top Christian school players with some very good public high school players. NCAA III is a major step up for all of them. -C

Offseason for C

I am one of the instructors for the first ever Watertown Soccer Club Winter Footskills Academy. Over 75 kids, from 3rd - 12th grade signed up for this six-week clinic. Last Saturday was our first session. I had HS Boys, HS Girls, and 3/4th grade sessions. Our topic was "The Bottom of the Foot". Forty-five minutes of technical training using only the bottom of the foot was an interesting session for which to prepare. We spent the balance of each hour playing 3v3 or 4v4 futsal.

I also taught the first two hours of Techniques of Coaching Soccer class at the college this week. Every class period, we spend time watching soccer - since I have about 25 DVD's from last year's World Cup. It is interesting to see how many people who are on their way to other classes hang out just outside the classroom door until class starts. Hope we don't make anyone late. . Right now we are studying the history of soccer. Here is one interesting fact - an early soccer match was played with the severed head of a Danish prince. There are several sources that support this story.

My four-old asked to watch "soccer on tv, daddy" last night. Don't know what that means. . . either she really likes it or she is just "kissing up". - C

Top 11 Women

The top 11 Women is both easier and harder to put together. I have a better understanding of this list than the men's list. I have been present at almost every practice and every game since 1997 (except one - and I watched that on tape). So, in some ways, this list might be a little more accurate than the previous post since I had the privilege of coaching every one of these ladies. This list is based on playing ability alone - it is not based on whether or not I personally liked a player or not. Everyone knows that Lindsey "Lenny" Dykstra would be at the top of that list. :) I have also changed the formation from our typical 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3 because we have had so many outstanding forwards over the years. Furthermore, I have tried to stay away from current players whenever possible - even though there are several who have a chance to make the list as soon as they graduate. It is interesting that the top three forwards all have names that begin with "S".

Forwards

Sommer Rodolph - Sommer and Jen were the backbone of this program for years. Sommer was the first player who could really score, but her character and attitude were almost more valuable than the 42 goals she scored in her career
Stephanie Ujvary - the best outside shot while in the run of play. She would screen the ball, and as she turned her hair would whip out - before she even struck the ball, you knew it was going in the net. Just wish she had played more than 2 years. . . :)
Sarah Beardslee - always scores when the game is on the line. She has a weak shot, little speed, no size, but a great sense of timing and is one of the most competitive athletes I have coached. She is on this list because she claims that she won't be around next year, but she officially has one more year of eligibility. . . and only 7 more goals will put her in a tie for the all-time lead with Sommer.

Midfielders

Laura (Frazee) Shaver - A dominant midfielder. I always teased her about her lack of speed, but she still managed to dominate both ends of the field. She had a great percentage on free kicks, great heading ability and I have seen her toast over a half-dozen opposing players on the dribble with one possession.
Kim Gavitt - Kim never played high school soccer, yet she became one of the best midfield defenders we have ever had. She also became an outstanding passer by the end of her time here. She always had fun on the field and never missed a start in three seasons.
Cheri (Knepp) Wredberg- struggled with injury through two seasons, but was a great contributor. Too bad her career could not have been longer. When she was 100%, she could control the game.

Christine (Yogerst) Ulrich - Christine did not possess the greatest ball skill, but she improved every season. Her hustle and athleticism were off the charts. She never missed a start in four years of college soccer.

Defenders

Jennifer Adam - the only player on this list who might have had more athleticism than Christine. Jen spent most of her career in the defense, but still managed to be our all-time leader in assists with 23. Jen came in as a dominant athlete and finisher her career as a dominant soccer player.
Angela Fenstermacher - probably a better pure defender than even Jen, her strength was reading the play. Ang taught all of the other players on this team to play tough physical soccer and love it. Ang never backed down from anyone. She will leave a huge whole for us to fill in 2007 and no, that is not a fat joke. Angela's greatest accomplishment was in never missing even a half of play in four years!
Kimberly (Kowalcyk) McCuiston - the energizer bunny. Kimberly had speed and heart and faithfulness. Unfortunately, our team did not start to win very much until after KJ graduated, but that was no reflection on her. She was a big part of our playoff win against CUW in 2002. Somehow, I haven't been tp'ed, forked, chalked or come home to garbage bags full of leaves all over my yard since then either. . .

Goalkeeper

Monica Swaagman - there may be a GK or two who was a better athlete, but no one else stayed for four years and won more games. Monica worked hard to make herself into a quality netminder.

Honorable Mention

Colleen (Schultz) Keppley, Katrina (Alcorn) Blevins, Allison (Skrade) Yorgey, Naomi Cogswell, Jacqui Smith, Angela Seeley, Jamie (Crandell) Jaques, Susie Ferris, Kylie McMillen

Becks in the US?

This could be big. I'm not going to buy any $450 shoes, but I will go see him play. - C

Top 11 Men

I thought an interesting post for many readers might be a list of the top 11 players from the years that I have been at Maranatha. Understand - this is not a top 11 of all time, but the top 11 that I have personally seen play. There are certainly other players during the 36 years of men's soccer at Maranatha who may be more deserving of mention, but I will leave that list to someone else. Furthermore, in some seasons, I may not have seen very many men's matches, so that might also affect a choice. Several of these players did not play for four years, but they made a significant impact in the time that they were here. I also think that we have one or two players on our current squad who will make this list in a couple of years. It is also interesting that three of the four midfielders are from Muncie, IN. If you disagree with any choices, leave a comment and I will respond.

Forwards

Stephen Roby - probably the best pure soccer player that I have seen at Maranatha. There are other players who possessed equal ability in some parts of his game, but very few had the whole package. His free kicks were freakish.
Greg Wright - possibly the fastest player we have had since 1993. A pure goal scorer, although you wouldn't be able to tell from this year's alumni match.

Midfielders

Scott Ice - a running machine with great heart. Nothing Scott did was pretty, but what he accomplished through pure hustle was amazing.
Brad Stille - Brad was a pressure player. He came up with big plays in crunch time. Scott and Brad played together and controlled the middle better than any tandem that I have observed since. Furthermore, both of them were godly leaders and both are in ministry today. I believe that both players epitomize the Maranatha soccer player.
Clayton Callan - everyone knew that Clayton would be a special player from the first day that he attended soccer camp. He weakness was speed, but when you saw what he could do with the ball, you didn't care. His mind was always ahead of the play- a prototypical centermidfielder.
Timothy Ashton - a physically small player, but his speed and ball control were top notch; once he put on some muscle, he was a dominant outside midfielder

Defenders

Dan Holcomb - his career was somewhat limited by injury and he struggled some academically, but Dan was one of the best defenders at taking the ball away and then immediately starting a counterattack. He was deceptively fast and his touch was better than most defenders.
Jeremy Leffring - spent most of his career at forward and midfield, but when he moved to the back, there was no one better. He had the best individual ball skill of anyone on this list and had a deep understanding of the game.
James Solarek - Played on some bad teams, but singlehandedly kept games close. A good leader and a pressure player. I still remember his goal against NBBC during his freshman year. .
John Sorensen - This one was close, there are a couple players below who might have been better a various times in their career, but Jon was one of the most consistent players in the back. He had the ability to physically dominate the defensive third.

Goalkeeper

Jason Boe - the perfect combination of athleticism and technique. Jason was a great athlete who also worked on his footwork and handshape until they were perfect. Maranatha has had some outstanding goalkeepers who had great instincts, but no one possessed the technique of JBoe.

Honorable Mention

Scott Hawes, Dan Zempel, Paul Ice, Troy Campbell, Derek Schultz, Jamy Antoine, Tavis Fivek, Jim Wahlberg, Pete White, Dave Stein, Adam Steen, Ruben Valenzuela

Swifty

Please pray for Andrew Swift's swift recovery from surgery. Last Friday, he had surgery to repair a foot problem that he has had for most of his life. He had identical surgery almost a year ago, but the foot never healed. Last week they tried a different technique. He is in quite a bit of pain and will be completely bedridden for the next week or so. Swifty was our starting GK during 2004 and most of 2005. This last season, he served as goalkeeper coach for both the men and the women and did a great job. - C

What's Going on this Spring?

I am alway's thinking about the soccer teams at Maranatha. Recruiting, fundraising, studying, and watching video are all activities that occupy the offseason for me. Not everyone is as obsessed as I am, but here are some ways to stay connected to the program in the off-season:
1) Work out with Toby our athletic trainer - even one day a week will help your game.
2) Support your teammates who are playing another sport:
Wrestling
Joel Smith
Men's Basketball
Mike Knepp
George Tagli
Brett Hollenbeck
Women's Basketball
Melissa Nichols
Julie Muse
Emily Kutz
Baseball
Eric Oliver
Bryan Oliver
Tim Reinert
Joel Smith
Erik Eloe
Softball
Angela Fenstermacher
Autumn Byers
Laura Kennedy
3) Look for times to play futsal in the Fitness Center Gym
4) Play indoor in Sun Prairie
5) Sign up for Techniques of Coaching Soccer with your's truly
6) Check this blog
7) Invite someone to soccer camp
8) Stop by my office

I also spend a great deal of time with the Watertown Soccer Club. We will be running a Footskills Academy in the winter, then I train various teams in the spring. For some of you, the best way to prepare for the 2007 season is to make sure that your grades are good and that you are working hard and practicing good stewardship so that your finances will not affect your education or ability to play soccer. - C