This Month in Marin FC – August 2018
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
Here are a few highlights and news tidbits from the past month:
Summer wanes and fall’s horizon inches ever closer.
Surf’s Up!
From young to old, new to returning, and for both boys and girls, Marin FC squads are off to exceptional starts as 2018-19 gets rolling. Tournament wins have been posted by several teams (follow our Facebook feed for the latest news). Summer Surf Cup remains the unrivaled pinnacle of competition and achievement on the west coast, so with great enthusiasm I must first congratulate the Girls 2004 Blue squad and coach Chris King on their triumph in Oceanside on July 31st. The girls’ top bracket featured six ECNL clubs, and the semifinal round consisted of three ECNL teams and FC’s young ladies. Taking the title was no small feat, and the victory will surely jump the team, now ranked #7 nationally, to the very top in advance of their fall NPL season.
Spanish Camp
A big thanks to the teams, coaches, parents and especially coach Michael Sharp for everyone’s contribution to July’s training sessions with visiting Atletico Madrid coaches. In addition to rigorous sessions on the pitch, Marin FC leadership had a terrific working dinner with the visitors discussing current strategies, advances, and other coaching topics. A fair amount of the confab revolved around bringing the Spanish pros back and both broadening their contribution at Marin FC as well as tailoring it to our teams and players. As a pilot effort, the potential collaboration promises to be robust and a two-way street in which our players may benefit from exclusive opportunities in Madrid sometime soon.
July Juniors Camp
Further thanks to the coaches and players that gathered for our Juniors Camp last month. The offering, conceived as a ‘bridge’ between team formation and the start of August trainings for our junior-aged squads, was a huge success. More than double the number of players than expected attended, making these camp sessions fun and challenging. Those who got to participate will enter the fall season with added momentum.
Back to Business
The Board of Directors will return to business in August after skipping July’s regular meeting. On the agenda will be advance-planning for this fall’s field day and a volunteer’s appreciation event. If you’d like to volunteer for either as plans begin to take shape, drop me an email and I’ll put you on the list.
On the Horizon
The final touches are being added to the Strength & Conditioning and Injury Reduction (SCIR) program as we expand it this fall from last season’s feedback. Dedicated 45-minute sessions are being scheduled from August 15 through November 15, with additional spring season sessions offered between March 11 and May 3 leading up to tryouts. As we coordinate locations and timing we’ll be able to publish the sessions to each team’s TeamSnap schedule. Drop-ins are welcome, though we’ll be running dedicated sessions with teams to give them an opportunity to work together.
Lastly, Smile!
As many of you know, Amazon’s smile program is a great way to generate revenue for designated nonprofits like ours. Accordingly, before you go online to buy back-to-school or holiday items later this year, please consider registering with Amazon Smile and making “Marin FC Alliance” your nonprofit of choice. Most anything you buy will generate a donation from Amazon to the club, and there’s great strength in numbers. There’s no cost to you and once set-up, the process is painless and invisible. Please visit smile.amazon.com to register.
Evan Cross, President
From the Director of Coaching
Here are a few highlights and news tidbits from the past month:
Nationals!
The 01 Blue and 02 Blue girls both went to National Premier Finals in Aurora, Colorado. Both teams did well. The 02 girls made it to the semi’s, losing narrowly 1-2. A huge accomplishment just to qualify for Nationals, which they earned by winning the NorCal NPL Champions League.
Surf n’ Turf
We had several teams play at Surf Cup, the annual pilgrimage for blue teams that aren’t playing in the Development Academy. Most notably, our 04G Blue won the top flight. Many of our teams showed well, as reported by the coaches and DOC’s, and the event was a great college showcase, with many college coaches in attendance.
Europe’s Finest
July was also notable as we had coaches from Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid come to Marin to run a week’s worth of trainings for ten of our teams. It proved to be a fantastic experience for both the players and coaches alike. A huge thank you to Pierre Zamorano and Michael Sharp for making this possible.
– Josh Kalkstein, DOC
In the Spotlight
This month’s spotlight features an interview with incoming UC Davis freshman, Max Glasser. Here’s what he had to say:
Tell our readers a little about yourself.
My name is Max Glasser, I was born in San Jose, California, and I’ve been playing soccer since I was four years old. My family includes mom, Rebecca, dad, Michael, sister Mia, 15, and dog, Buddy. I attended Marin Catholic where I played two seasons of varsity soccer. I also ran track and field for four years and enjoy fishing, hiking, and reading. I will begin my college career at UC Davis in a few short weeks where I plan to play soccer and run track.
Recollect your Marin FC experience if you will.
I started training with Marin FC my U13 year and then played with the academy team starting U14. I had Rick Fullerton and Josh Kalkstein for U14, Mike Carbone for U15, and Phil Billecci Gard through graduation. Marin FC was a great experience throughout and has truly allowed me to develop as a player. I was lucky to be a part of a great team who frequently made it to Surf Cup finals and Nationals, and “grew up” in a highly competitive training environment as a result. Marin FC was also great about getting exposure to college coaches at all levels.
What other schools did you look at and why did you ultimately pick UC Davis?
For soccer I looked at UC Davis, Cornell, LMU, and Claremont McKenna. I ultimately picked UC Davis because I had a great connection with the coaches, and they were supportive of me running track in the spring. They are a great D1 school both athletically and academically, which made it an easy choice.
What were some of the adjustments you had to make to successfully transition from club to collegiate ball?
I have only been at Captains’ practices for two weeks and official camp hasn’t started yet, but the speed of play is faster and it’s a much more physical game. You have a lot less time on the ball, so your decision making must be crisper. I’m not that far into it yet, but everyone is technical and fast so there is a much smaller gap between players on a team.
What are you learning as a collegiate athlete that you’ll take into post collegiate life?
I’m studying biological sciences with the goal of pursuing a career in sports medicine. If that doesn’t work out, I want to pursue grad school, with a focus on health sciences.
Any interests outside of soccer?
I love to fish on the Bay, read, and be outdoors in general. Track is another passion, and I’m the current California 400-meter state champion.
The Marin FC alumni community is alive and well. Do you keep in touch with many of your former teammates?
We just graduated from Marin FC, so I’ve kept in touch with, and trained with, most of my teammates over the summer in preparation for college. It’s been great to grow up with many of the same players through high school, and the group has always been super supportive of one another and has each other’s back.
Anyone you want to thank or recognize at Marin FC?
I would like to send a special thanks to coach Phil. He was extremely supportive my last few years with FC, emphasizing how the learning lessons in soccer can be applied in everyday life. He would also send page-long laminated player evaluations with things to work on outside of everyday practice. He helped me grow immeasurably as a player, and I will be forever thankful for what he did for me as a coach.
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.
Three books include 11/22/63, the Energy Bus, and Never Let Me Go. Three artists include Outkast, Flume, and Kanye West. And my most prized gadgets are my computer, iPhone, and headphones.
How can our readers follow you if they’d like to track your athletic activities?
The can follow me/us on Instagram at max_glasser, Ucdavismenssoccer, and Ucdavisxctf, or on the web at http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/index.aspx?path=msoc
From the Director of Development
Got Team News?
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– Ian Tonks, Director of Development