This Month in Marin – April 2017

This Month in Marin FC summarizes the month’s news and notes in a series of ‘high-level’ briefs from various club constituents.

In This Edition

• From the President
• From the DOC
• In the Spotlight
• From the Director of Development
• From the Referee Coordinator

From the President

Tryouts to Teams!
Our ’06 through ’03 tryouts wrapped up just as the rains reminded us that we were still in the grips of winter. All sessions saw great attendance and the coaches managed the difficult task of making their selections and signing their rosters. The new system of website notifications and simultaneous emails also launched successfully, albeit about 45 minutes behind schedule that Sunday evening. The result was 214 players and 12 new teams.  Managers and Treasurers have stepped up quickly and with registration online and financial aid completed, players are lacing their cleats and taking to the fields with their new coaches and teammates.

Tryouts for the older ages, ’02 through ’99, are still about a month away, and as with many things at FC, changes are afoot. The board, in close consultation with our DOCs and several coaches, approved using weekday training sessions as pool tryout sessions during the first two weeks of May. An exact schedule will follow soon and if you haven’t registered yet on the website, please do so. When tryouts do arrive, the concept will be to use the first one or two sessions each week as age group pool trainings/tryouts, overseen by the newly assigned coaches for the 2017-18 squads plus the DOCs and additional evaluators. The later sessions in the week will be reserved as team trainings so each existing squad can work privately and together in preparation for the coming weekend’s matches. A major component of the board’s decision and planning was to use weekday sessions to keep up a training schedule, get tryouts in, and keep free preferred weekend field space for games.

Hitting the Jetways!
Three girls’ teams took to the skies in March.

The ’02 Reds jetted off to a Nomads tournament in San Diego as a part bonding exercise, part team challenge event, and a well-deserved getaway. They faced some quality Southern California competition and proved their mettle, setting the stage for their season’s conclusion back here on home turf.

The ’01 Blues took the red-eye to spend an extended weekend in Virginia at the Jefferson Cup. In addition to playing in front of well over 50 college coaches (at some point you stop counting), they went undefeated in their group with a 2-0-1 performance. They also took in an exhibition match in Richmond between Duke and UVA, and even rallied to hit the UVA campus together. Not even a flight delay, holding them in Boston for some extra homework time on the way back, couldn’t dampen their spirits.

Alongside the ’01 team, the ’00 Blues also attacked the Jefferson Cup in Californian style. Several of the team had been to Jefferson the year prior, so there were some “veteran attitudes” on display. Placed in the very top group, the Californian styling and veteran glares matched with teammates who were new to east coast play to truly stun some of the best competition seen all year. They eventually finished 11th out of 102 teams with multiple goals against teams otherwise blanking their opponents.

The boys are up next at Jefferson, so check the website or Facebook to see how they fair.

Rain, Rain go away!
Double! 2x! 200%! How do you say it? D2X%! …enough! Precipitation in Northern California for this winter is way over twice as much as the average for the past 1/2 decade. At 15 inches and counting, this makes the winter of 16-17 one of the five wettest seasons in the last 100 years. Some “El Nino” years have been left in the dust.

Needless to say, this has presented field scheduling challenges.  Not only are trainings rained out, but waterlogged fields are taking longer to dry and are opening later than scheduled. Not to press a metaphor too far, but it’s “all hands-on deck” as club coaches, volunteers and staff are scrambling to get everyone out there as best we can.  In addition to day-to-day maneuvering, we’re also using critical planning meetings with field authorities to suggest and enact longer-term solutions. On the brighter side, the clouds do appear to be parting, and we appear to have successfully weathered the storms.

Evan Cross, President

From the Director of Coaching

Here are a few highlights and news tidbits from the past month:

Underway
Our newly formed 17/18 season teams started training during a difficult weather month. With later evenings and sun returning to the forecast, April promises to be a more hospitable month with improved access to facilities.

Back to Business
It was a busy month for several of our teams coming out of high school play. All non-Development Academy teams had State Cup games and returned to league play. Additionally —

On the girls’ side, our 00 and 01 Blue Girls teams travelled to Virginia last weekend to participate in the Jefferson Cup. Over three days of play, more than 50 college program representatives came out to see the girls play, which speaks to the interest North East schools have in our kids as a “pipeline” from the western region. Meanwhile, our 02 Red Girls team traveled to San Diego last weekend to participate in Nomads Spring Showcase in La Jolla, CA. The team, and Coach Michael Sharp, have since returned from the trip refreshed, re-energized and ready to knock down the remainder of their 2016-17 season calendar.

On the boys’ side, two weekends ago our 00 and 01 Blue Boys teams participated in the Vegas Showcase, which annually boasts a strong college coaching presence. Tomorrow, our 99 Blue Boys team travels to Virginia to participate in the boys’ version of the Jefferson Cup.

Well done to all for seamlessly transitioning back into competitive team play.

Alliance Training Update
We held our first post-tryout Alliance club training this past March 19^th. The event proved to be a great opportunity for interested alliance partner players to come out and participate, and numbers were significantly better than expected.

– Josh Kalkstein, DOC

In the Spotlight

This month’s spotlight article features an interview with Claremont McKenna College freshman, Adam Singer. Here’s what he had to say:

Tell our readers a little about yourself.

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and am happy to call it home. Both my parents, Mike and Karen, are native San Franciscans. I also have a younger brother, Jack, who plays for Marin FC. As a kid, I grew up playing a variety of different sports, but baseball and soccer ultimately were my two passions. I attended the Branson School, where I enjoyed studying foreign languages and science. I played four years of soccer under Tom Ryan, and participated in varsity lacrosse my senior year. I graduated in 2016 and I currently attend Claremont McKenna College in Southern California.

Recollect your Marin FC experience if you will.
Before joining Marin FC, I played recreational league soccer up to and including my U13 year with Jason Clarke and the Mill Valley Fusion. I had such a blast playing competitive soccer that I decided to try out for Marin FC, where I was fortunate to make Rick Fullerton’s U-14 Blue Team. My Marin FC experience was a little different than the typical players because of the challenges our team experienced in finding a permanent coach. That said, from U16 to U19, Kelly Coffey, Josh Kalkstein, and Phil Billeci-Gard were at the heart of our team’s success and my personal development. I had a blast competing in tournaments like Surf Cup and the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup.

What other schools did you look at and why did you ultimately pick Claremont McKenna College?
During my college search, I looked at a variety of Division I and III schools, all on the West coast, including Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, Occidental College, and Chapman University, to name a few. I ultimately picked Claremont McKenna College because of the academic opportunities it provides its students. The college has highly credentialed professors and a top-notch career services program. Students are also able to take classes at any of the other schools in the consortium. When picking schools, it’s incredibly important to choose one you’ll enjoy attending even if you don’t play collegiate soccer, regardless of whether you’re planning to attend a Division I, II, or III school, as most of your time will be spent in the classroom. More often than not, you are a student first and an athlete second.

What were some of the adjustments you had to make to successfully transition from club to collegiate ball?

You’ve probably heard this before, but the biggest transition is definitely the physicality and speed of the game. Going into your first college season as an eighteen-year-old, you quickly realize that you are playing with fully grown adults. There are obviously some very talented players, but the reality is that sometimes physicality will win games, whether it be dominating a header or fighting for a loose ball in the box. In order to transition effectively, I religiously stuck to the summer cardio and lifting program that my coach prescribed, and I think I owe a lot of my success to that.   Despite common belief, the style of play in college, particularly in California, is pretty similar to what you see in club soccer.

Summarize your collegiate soccer career to date. What have been some of the highlights?
So far, I couldn’t be happier with my college experience. I played very well in pre-season and was given the starting position at right back in the opening game. I continued to play well throughout the season and started every game, playing the full ninety minutes in each. Having the chance to play so many minutes is definitely my biggest highlight, but beating our cross-street rival, Pomona-Pitzer, and claiming the rivalry trophy, was perhaps the “biggest deal.” My team also made the post-season tournament for the first time in three years.

What are you learning as a collegiate athlete that you’ll take into post-collegiate life?
On the field, our coach always preaches the importance of communication, a skill I’ll definitely look to carry into post-collegiate life. But, it’s not so much the verbal aspect that I will use, but rather the often-overlooked listening component – the other side of what constitutes good communication. Listening is really important as I mature because it gives me the opportunity to learn from those who are more experienced. It also builds trust in your peers as you surrender your own judgment in favor of theirs, which is sometimes better.

From athletics to academics. What are you studying?
I am currently undecided in my major, but I have taken some really interesting economics and psychology courses. I’m also studying Mandarin, French, and Spanish, so I may lean towards International Relations.

Any interests outside of soccer?
I’ve really been taking advantage of the Southern California sunshine to go to the beach and hike through the mountains. I’m also a big fan of music so my roommate and I are considering trying to teach ourselves guitar.

Any thoughts about life after college?
Not yet. That still seems quite some ways off.

The Marin FC alumni community is alive and well. Do you keep in touch with many of your former teammates?
I’m still pretty close with a few of my teammates. We hit the beach a couple times during the summer and we do keep in touch through text messages. I’ve also run into some other Marin FC alums while playing against them in college.

Anyone you want to thank or recognize at Marin FC?
I have a whole bunch of people to thank, but I’d like to extend a huge debt of gratitude to my four main coaches, Rick, Kelly, Josh and Phil, all of whom were instrumental in my growth as a player and person. I’d also like to thank my teammates for challenging me to become a better player and athlete.

Before I let you go, give us a little insight into your interests and passions. Name three books on your book shelf, three gadgets you couldn’t live without, and three artists/bands in your iPod.

Books: Unbroken, Harry Potter and Lone Survivor. Gadgets: iPhone and laptop are probably the only two – I don’t own or use many gadgets. Artists/Bands: Coldplay, Chainsmokers and Fleetwood Mac.

How can our readers follow you if they’d like to track your athletic activities?
They can follow our team at http://cmsathletics.org/sports/msoc/index.

From the Director of Development

Two Rivers Soccer Camp
Two Rivers Soccer Camp has graciously donated a full camp scholarship in support of our 2017/18 fundraising efforts. To attend a Two Rivers camp this summer, please call 415-928-6902 or visit their website at http://www.tworiverssoccer.com.

Eloi Run & Walk Registration Incentive
Our 2nd Annual Eloi Vasquez Memorial Event is taking place on Saturday June 10, 2017 in the Marin Headlands. Eloi loved games so we thought it’d be fun to incorporate a raffle as part of our registration effort.  Accordingly, we’re offering the following early bird registration incentives to those that qualify:

• Anyone who is registered by April 1, 2017 will automatically be entered into a raffle for 4 tickets to any 2017 SJ Earthquake Soccer home game.
• Anyone who is registered by April 16, 2017 will automatically be entered into a raffle for 2017 CAL season tickets.

Event particulars follow:

Date: Saturday June 10, 2017
Time: 8:00am
Location: Golden Gate National Recreational Area, Marin Headlands
Participants: 400 competitive and non-competitive runners and walkers
Cost: $75 for adults and $50 for children (a portion of the fee is tax deductible)

This is an important community building event and we look forward to everyone’s participation in support of Eloi and our scholarship endowment.

REGISTER >

Got Team News?
To share a game summary or tournament recap:

• Go to MarinFC.com
• Locate the About Marin FC/Media & Info navigation menu link
• Click Submit an Article
• Enter your contact information and the article summary and submit

Edited posts will be added to our website homepage “latest news” section and posted on our Facebook page within 48 hours. We encourage you to use this tool to keep all in the club informed re: individual and team accomplishments. A big thanks to those of you that use it already.

– Ian Tonks, Director of Development

From the Referee Coordinator

Obligation Not Met?
Players who have not yet completed their referee obligation are encouraged to do so this spring.  We will try to give you priority in the game assignment process but you need to reach out and sign-up immediately.

Reporting Outstanding Games
If you have outstanding games to report please send an email to RefereeProgram@marinfc.com with your name and team name, stating the following for each game you refereed:

• Date
• Assignor organization
• Location
• competitive or non-competitive level

The online reporting link is currently down during our website transition but we will have a new reporting form up soon.

Refunds
Families of players who completed the referee obligation on schedule should have received a refund check of $30 in the last 30 days. If you believe you’re still owed a refund, please send a note to RefereeProgram@marinfc.com.