Some News

I have not been looking forward to this post.

You may have seen this article or this one or this announcement or read this post over the past few days. My resignation as head men's and women's soccer coach has been public for some time, but the official announcement was made this week.

When I finished my last season of eligibility as a player at Maranatha in the fall of 1996, I never thought that I would be involved in coaching to any great extent. Little did I know how difficult the following fall would be for me without team involvement. Little did I know that when Coach Morris offered to let me help with the new women's club team in the fall of 1997, that I would find what has been my life's calling for the past 11 years.

I don't know exactly what our future plans hold (do we ever?), but I am confident that God will continue to direct our path. There is potential that God may lead us away from Maranatha, He may even lead us away from Watertown, on the other hand, we might just remain right here for the rest of our lives. I am confident that the college will find a great replacement for me and I look forward to helping them to understand the tradition that is Maranatha soccer.

I want to thank all of the players who have contributed positively to this program and to my experience as a coach. I have enjoyed cultivating relationships with all of you and many of you have earned my respect as godly young people. We have always tried to cultivate an atmosphere of gratitude for the opportunity to play college soccer, an atmosphere oriented toward solutions to challenges and an ethos that encouraged leaders to stand up and act in a positive manner. I been witness to a hundred acts of humility, sacrifice, courage, and thoughtfulness. Another goal was balance. Soccer was not the most important thing in any of our lives, but when you stepped between the lines, the game was on! Today, Maranatha soccer alums are successful in all walks of life, I hope that some of you learned something from your soccer experience that you can apply to real life in ministry, family and vocation.

I possess a thousand memories from the last decade, some of them occupy pictures on my wall, some exist in little notes, some are just memories that resurrect when I hear from former players. Over the next few days, please humor me and allow me to list a few memories off the top of my head. I think that I could fill an entire year's worth of posts if I tried.

If I miss your favorite memory - feel free to add it to the comments on this page.

Out of Town

Several people have recently asked me for the latest picture of our kids. Here it is. I know that most of you are sorely disappointed that I'm not in it.

We are on our way to Idaho to visit Sarah's family.

Flying.

With three kids four and under -

although Big E will be turning 5 very soon!

Why Did They Give?

I am in the process of writing thank you notes to the many folks who have donated to the Women's Soccer trip to NCCAA Nationals and it struck me that many of the individuals are people whose gift was their first to the college. Many of them have had a relationship with the college for a long time, so the question is - What changed? What motivated them to give this time and not all of the other times that we have expressed a need for money?

I don't know the exact answer to that question, but at the risk of being presumptuous, let me float two theories:

Theory #1 - There has always been a perception, real or imagined, that athletics do not get the support from the college administration that many of us on the athletic side would hope for. The perception may not always be true, but it has been a fairly constant comment or viewpoint for the 15 years that I have been a part of Maranatha athletics as a player and coach. What is different about this trip is that there is no doubt that the administration is behind us and has given us our best shot at a quality performance by stepping out and giving us the opportunity to fly. Flying reduces travel stress, reduces missed class time, and allows our nursing students avoid missing clinicals in order to participate. If we had missed more class time, there is a high likelihood that two starters may not have been able to make the trip. Many donors gave because they saw initiative on the part of the college to support this endeavor.

Theory #2 - The second theory is that many who gave a gift have a strong connection to Maranatha soccer and they saw an opportunity to help something that they believe in.

Maybe they just gave because they needed a tax break this year. . . Anyway, I want to thank all of our donors and we are excited about this opportunity. The ladies are working hard to make sure that their studies and jobs are prepared for their absence.

Please pray that we are a good representation of our team, our school and our Lord. -C

Alumni in Chicago

After the women's game on Saturday in River Forest, IL, our ladies team was invited to the home of Laura and Tony Shaver who live about five minutes (depending on traffic) from CUC. They have a cozy apartment into which we squeezed (not a fat joke) 23 players, 2 coaches, 4 soccer alums, and 3 soccer alumni husbands - two of them are actually football alums. They dont' really know what is going on, but we like them at games because they make a lot of noise. They served pizza, veggies and lots of desert. It was a great time for me to catch up with some former players and a chance for our current players to meet them.

We had five members of the starting line-up from our 2003 squad that won 13 games in attendance: Jen Adam, Hayley McGrail, Laura (Frazee) Shaver, Kim (Gavitt) Terpstra and Angie (Fenstermacher) Aulph. It is really difficult to keep up with the name changes sometimes, but I am doing better - we did decide that Angie will always be "Fenster". We also argued about who was a better player: Melissa or Laura. We had a great time of fellowship - we just wished we could have added a victory to the evening. . .

The last few days have brought a lot of contact with alumni. Some of whom have donated for the Women's soccer nationals trip. I don't want to embarrass any of them, but here are some email excerpts:

Wow, I cannot believe how many life-lessons, exciting memories, solid, godly friendships and an assemblance of decent health I can attribute to Maranatha
Soccer!

I am so excited for you guys getting to go to the tournament! That is absolutely awesome...wish I was going =) I can't afford much, but I want to do what I can to help the team since the time I was on the team made a huge impact on my life.

We wish the rest of you could come as well. We consider all of the soccer alumni out there to still be a part of our program. I hope to blog often while we are in Kissimmee - don't forget that the men also have a chance to earn a trip to nationals this week- we play NAC opponent Marian today. We earned the #2 seed in the Midwest Region and so we will play Moody at 3 pm on Friday, if we defeat Moody, we will advance to the region final on Saturday.

Soccer Preseason IV

Here is the final adjustment to preseason. This just came in an email:

NEW SCHEDULE:

NO TEAM MEETINGS OR ACTIVITIES ON SATURDAY. We can make the weight room, and fitness balcony available, but it MUST be totally voluntary, NO CAPTAINS PRACTICE, NO COACHES, NO PLANNED ACTIVITY, NO TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES (Soccer, Volleyball, XCountry)

Friday, 7:00 – Any preseason athlete that has already made flight/train reservations may come in at that time, and we will accommodate them with housing and meals for Saturday/Sunday. Please do not encourage those who are driving to come at that time, only those who have already confirmed transportation issues.

Saturday, 7:00: All freshman and transfer students should arrive (returning players can return on Sunday)

Sunday afternoon (TBA): Freshman/transfer student testing.

Sunday, 8:00 pm: NCAA Administrative Meeting for all Fall Athletes, including returning players

Monday: Resume schedule as before

I will be making up new preseason schedules within the hour. Email me if you would like a revised version. -C

Preseason Date Change III

The latest preseason start date is the following:

Arrive Saturday afternoon.
Freshmen testing on Sunday afternoon.
NCAA III and eligibility meeting on Sunday night.
First practice first thing Monday morning.
Registration at 10 am on Monday morning.

You may also want to consult this post and this post.

Stay tuned. . .-C

Check Out Some Pictures from Rochelle

Here is an online gallery from the Rochelle High School Boy's Soccer Camp from two weeks ago. Feel free to order any pictures of me that you find attractive. #23 is particularly inspiring. . .to me. . . to. . . go. . . on a diet. Just wish I had been wearing a Maranatha Soccer shirt on the day they were taking pictures.

Remember this post? At church yesterday, a lady came up to me and said they were watching a soccer game on Sunday afternoon and that the coach of Toronto FC looked like me. -C

Soccer Camp Starts on Monday!

Okay, this post is really messed up and I don't have time to fix it. Hopefully you get the idea. If there is anyone who can edit HTML code. . .I could use your help. . .

Campers may begin to register by 4 pm on Sunday afternoon in the foyer area of the Denney Gymnasium. Staff can begin to arrive around that time as well - although it would be nice to have a few here early. Here are the staff assignments for registration:

Payment/registration: Coach Adam, Coach C

Room Assignments/ Camp Schedule: Swift, Muse

Information Card: Kutz, Campbell

Soccer Gear Sales: Martinez, Dow

Field supervision: Ashton, Hollenbeck

We are expecting our largest group of campers in the history of Maranatha Soccer Camp, but there is still some room available. Campers can register on Sunday, but it would be nice to know if you are coming. Email me or fill out a website feedback form at mbbc.edu.

Can't wait to see everyone next week! - C

I need a geek . . .

Register for Soccer Camp!

I drove up to Green Bay yesterday to conduct a one-day clinic for Bay City Baptist. I always enjoy going up there. We had a little bit of bad weather, but everything worked out just fine. I was almost late because I41 is down to one lane near Fond du Lac - a warning to those of you who might be travelling up that way.

My real reason for this post: Maranatha Soccer Camp starts a week from Sunday! Make sure you are registered and ready to go. We already have players signed up from Arizona, Oregon, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana and a better than average contingent from good 'ole Wisconsin. Not too many from Michigan this year. If anyone is coming from that direction, Swifty wouldn't mind a little company.

Mr. Thompson, Larry Carlson and myself lined our fields this morning. They are in good shape, but the upper field is a little dry. We hope for a few showers this weekend. Next week, I will be driving to Rochelle, IL every day for a boys camp at the public high school. Go Hubs! -C

Itinerary and Schedules

Next week, I will be conducting a soccer camp at Rochelle High School in Illinois. If you are in the area, you are welcome to contact the high school there and sign up for the camp. The Rochelle camp is for boys.

The following week is our own Maranatha Soccer Camp here at the college. We have ordered the new t-shirts for the year and we will once again be selling Maranatha Soccer sack packs. If there is anyone out there who is interested. Email me and you can purchase a sack pack for $5 or a t-shirt for $8. Purchase both for $12. There may also be a charge for shipping. You can pay by check, credit card over the phone, or paypal. My email address is jcaucutt at mbbc dot edu. Email me and we can work out the best way to do payment. The t's are ice gray with a dark blue logo. The sack packs are navy with a white logo.

For college athletes who are planning to attend preseason in August, I have the following documents available through email:

Preseason Training Schedule, Regular season game and training schedule, and Summer Workout. -C

NCCAA II Nationals

Maranatha has been a part of the NCAA III for over ten years. Prior to 1997, we were only members of the National Christian College Athletic Association II. We are now dually affiliated, although when dates conflict, we are committed to D3. I will soon do a post on why Maranatha has chosen to be a part of the NCAA III. The answer has nothing to do with athletics.

Because of the date conflicts, the men's soccer team has been unble to participate in the NCCAA II national play-off since my junior season in 1995 when we lost in a regional semifinal to Moody Bible Institute (in a shoot-out after Jason Boe put on one of the greatest performances between the pipes that I have ever seen. We lost in the 7th round of PK's when one of our players shot over the crossbar. I won't tell you who it was... No, Sandy, it wasn't me...) There were several years when we could have done well at that level, especially 2000 when the men's team defeated the eventual national champions during the regular season 3-1 and 2001 when most of that squad returned. Last year the men's team was a late entry into the regional playoff when one of our conference matches was cancelled. It was our first appearance at the Midwest Regional since I have been the coach of the men's team. The Midwest region includes Northland Baptist, Moody Bible, Lincoln Christian, Grace Bible, Great Lakes Christian and Maranatha.

The women's side of the NCCAA II has only had a national tournament since 2003 and a national championship since 2005. Since 2003, our women's team has won the Midwest region, but has been unable to advance to the national championship because of date conflicts with the old Lake Michigan Conference and now the Northern Athletics Conference. I believe that our 2003 and 2006 teams would have had a good shot at winning that tournament. Our region orginally included Northland, Maranatha and Lincoln Christian and the region representative was determined through a regular season round robin schedule. Unfortunately, LCC dropped their women's program this year, hopefully, Grace and Moody can get their club teams off the ground.

That is the history. Here is the point: After a great deal of work and lobbying, the NCCAA II has moved their playoff dates in order to allow Maranatha and other D3 schools to participate in both the regional playoffs and the national tournament! The men can advance by playing Northland, Moody, Lincoln, and Great Lakes during the regular season and then winning the Midwest Regional being held at Northland this year. The women's road is both easier and harder... they must simply defeat Northland at Northland... on September 8th.

Here is the best part: the dates allow us to advance in the NAC playoffs and the NCCAA II playoffs! I can't wait. - C

UW Soccer Camp Wrap-up

I want to thank those of you who faifully check out this blog. I appreciate the interaction and I am always amazed by the geographical range of those who frequent here.

I greatly enjoyed my time at the University of Wisconsin Soccer Camp and look forward to using some of their ideas. I think the most interesting thing that I learned was that they do not offer significantly more in their camp than we do, even though their price is $450 for four days and three nights and our price is $220 for 5 days and 5 nights. . . Their campers also have to walk 15 to 20 minutes one way between the soccer fields and the dorm. Our camp does not feature instruction from NCAA I coaches and we are not sponsored by Adidas. . . but we do have Swifty, Jen Adam and Tim Ashton. . . The Madison camp consisted primarily of players from the Madison area (I think attendance was 130). The Maranatha Soccer camp consists of a lower number of campers, but from MI, WI, IL, AZ, VA, OR, MN, MO, and IA.

Our own Jennifer Adam will be instructing at the Girl's Elite Camp at the UW during July. I was asked to return for their Boy's Elite Camp in July, but the dates conflict with our camp here at MBBC. I want to thank Coach Rohrman, Coach Szczepanski, and Coach Pasquarello for allowing me to be a part of their camp and I hope I didn't bug them with too many questions.

Probably the highlight of the camp for me was playing a short sided pick-up game under the lights at the McClimon complex with a group that included a number of current and former UW players as well as, U17 USMNT goalkeeper, Josh Lambo.

They even let me touch the ball a couple of times. -C

Busy Summer

I just finished up the Watertown Technical Skills camp yesterday and will be heading for the UW Madison soccer camp next week. In the meantime, I will be participating in my sister Jill's wedding in Madison. We might see a couple of players from the Technical camp attend our own Maranatha Soccer Camp in July. We have been steadily growing our contingent of local players from Watertown High, Johnson Creek, Maranatha Academy and other schools. At the same time we have players from all over the midwest, Arizona and Virginia who will be travelling to Watertown. If we get five more registrations, we will have our highest camp attendance ever. If you are interested in Maranatha soccer camp, click here. - C

Soccer Camp for 3, 4, and 5 year olds...

Check out my wife's post. . .

I tried to teach the fundamentals - that is a ball under my shirt - not my stomach.My favorite player from PeeWee Soccer Camp. - C

Summer Soccer Camps

I have been asked to be a part of the University of Wisconsin's Boy's Soccer Academy in a couple of weeks. It will be exciting to coach soccer in support of such a big program. I am also looking forward to getting more ideas for our own soccer camp here at Maranatha. It seems that I am the director or head instructor for every camp I attend and so it will be nice to play more of a supporting role during camp instruction in Madison.

I will also be instructing at the Watertown Soccer Technical Skills Camp next week. This camp is for grades 3rd through 8th - both boys and girls. If you are in the area and would like to sign up, it is not too late! - C

Preseason Camp

Tonight is the first night of the pre-season girls soccer camp at Watertown High School. There will be ladies from several schools and right now it looks like we may have over 30 players. The camp is capped at 40, so if you are in the area and are interested in attending, you might still be able to get a spot. The schedule is Tuesday through Friday, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. WHS has a huge gym and provides a great spot to start preparing for the girls spring soccer season.

Another player from DIII has gotten chance to play professionally. North Park is located in Chicago and we have played them with both the men and the women over the last six years.-C