This Month in Marin – June 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
Here are a few highlights and news tidbits from the past month:
It’s just “that” time of year …
Congratulations to the 02 Girls Blue
In a surprisingly challenging age group, the 02 Girls Blue team fought their way to Consumnes River College and the State Cup Final match against Elk Grove Platinum. Despite oppressive heat, undaunted our Marin FC ladies battled away and proved to be a terrific test for Elk Grove’s goalie as they fired away shot after shot. In the end, the fact that their “number 1” is also the national team keeper proved the difference-maker and the girls ended as runners up. We’re all very proud of their efforts this year and their immediate resolve to return and capture next season’s cup. Hats off to them, their supportive families and coach Chris King.
Congratulations to the 00 Boys Blue
Roughly 24 hours later and on the same field as the 02 Girls, our 00 Boys Blue laced up their cleats for the final game of State Cup play. The heat had not let up and the boys sizzled on the field, creating chances and absorbing pressure from their Santa Clara Sporting opponent. Previously, our Marin FC Boys had marched their way to the finals past perennial rivals De Anza Force, Star Academy, and Impact Soccer. Left for dust back in the field were other powerhouses like Placer, SRU, Ballistic, MVLA, and Cal Odyssey. After regular time, overtime and PK’s, Marin FC ultimately took the grand prize. The team was quick to turn the corner and head off the next weekend to Silver Lakes, where they made it to the finals round again. Well done boys, families and coach Zach Kingsley.
Congratulations to Michael Sharp
Some may have noticed that Michael, or “Sharpie” to many of us, has been busy lately. Back and forth to his classes, he has been rigorously pursuing his “A” level licensure and has just completed his coursework. Sharpie now enters a phase in which his course evaluators visit Marin FC and observe training sessions. This marks one of the last steps in the process and it’s not enough to wish him luck … let’s all be at our best in every session we attend. Marin FC has maintained one of the very highest levels of coach licensure with four “A” licensed coaches currently on staff. Good luck Sharpie … here’s to you becoming number five!
Congratulations to all our Graduates and Graduations
Marin FC has enjoyed the privilege of playing a major role in our players most formative years. It is with sincere appreciation for this, that we wish our graduates the very best at this time of vast change. Enjoy your friends and teammates as you matriculate … and please, please come back. Take a little FC with you and we’ll be here whenever you’re in town again and itching to lace up those cleats.
And speaking of heading out into the larger world …
Summer’s upon us, which means a bit of a break for travel. Whether you’re on your own, with family or about to learn the fish delights of Denmark and Sweden’s culinary scene, enjoy every minute and be safe and careful. Lots of exceptional soccer awaits your return.
Evan Cross, President
From the Director of Coaching
On the Field
There were several memorable on-field moments from the past month, including the following:
- Two of our teams, our 02GB and 00BB made it all the way to State Cup final play. The 02GB’s capped an amazing year taking second, a great testimony to a truly great bunch of girls, and coach Chris. Our 00BB, under the direction of coach Zach Kingsley, beat one of their great rivals, Sporting, in “high fashion” on PK’s. A spirited mass dog pile ensued which I’m sure all will remember for many years to come! Click here for details: http://norcalpremier.com/u17-boys-state-cup-finals-recap/.
- Several of our teams participated in Memorial Day tournament events, including Evolution Cup here in San Francisco.
- Several of our teams did incredibly well in NorCal Premier League play, which is fantastic!
- Our 00BB team just took second place in the Cerritos Cup in SoCal, losing a spirited final to old nemesis Sporting, the very same team they beat in State Cup play weeks earlier. In the teams’ defense, they ended the tournament with 10 healthy players, physically “wrecked” after what has been a tough and arduous end to the season.
- NPL and NorCal leagues have concluded. Some of our teams are prepping for US Club Regionals in mid-June, while others prepare to take a well-earned early summer break.
In the Meeting Room
Two DOC/coaches related meetings to report this past month:
- The NPL D.O.C. meeting took place on May 11, a pivotal meeting in which NPL club D.O.C.’s gather to discuss timelines, tryout windows, recruiting rules and league restructuring initiatives. Nothing “ground-breaking” to report, other than to simply state that the NPL is on solid ground and projects well for the future of greater bay area soccer.
- We held our Marin FC coaches meeting on May 25, focused on informational updates and coaches’ education. A spirited evening ensued with fabulous info-sharing, maximizing the intellectual property that exists with such a strong stable of coaches. A big thanks to all for their preparation, facilitation and participation.
In Other News
I am pleased and privileged to be MC’ing the Eloi Run & Walk again this Saturday June 10. I urge all to come out and run, walk or watch, to honor Eloi, show your support for the Vasquez-Margolin family, and contribute to a very worthy cause.
– Josh Kalkstein, DOC
In the Spotlight
This month’s spotlight article features an interview with soon-to-be MIT sophomore, Isaac Perper. Here’s what he had to say:
Tell our readers a little about yourself.
I grew up in assorted locales in Tiburon, CA, settling in Corte Madera, my freshman year of high school, to be closer to Redwood High School. I have a twin sister, Renee, who was always equally involved in soccer and Marin FC, until she had one too many concussions. My dad, Alan, took it upon himself to manage every one of my soccer teams, and my mom, Janet, would also be at all my games. My older sister Raichel also went to Redwood High School and now attends Duke University. Ironically, we all ended up on the east coast, with Renee at Colgate in New York and me at MIT in Cambridge, MA. At Redwood, besides JV and Varsity soccer, I led the Environmental Action Club and Rocket Club for two years, which are both interests I still have today. In school, I’ve always been interested in the STEM fields, which is why I quickly set my goals on MIT.
Recollect your Marin FC experience if you will.
Before joining Marin FC, I played for Tiburon and Mill Valley teams starting at the age of seven, if memory serves. By the time I got to my U14 year, it was a no-brainer to keep playing competitively, and I played for Rick Fullerton that first year. We had a successful season winning the Las Vegas tournament, and I was excited to come back the following year, mostly because I knew I was getting better and logically would get more playing time. It was a bit of a challenge the next few years going through numerous coaches and losing some key players, but I enjoyed nearly every game because I had such great teammates. I don’t think I would be still playing at this level without the great group of fellow players I had, especially going with them to tournaments such as Surf and Vegas. Second to that, I think the whole Marin FC organization does a great job keeping everyone motivated to play, even as we get older and priorities change.
What other schools did you look at and why did you ultimately pick MIT?
Picking a school was a little challenging for me because I wanted exceptional academics as well as a good soccer experience. I knew division three was where I’d end up, mostly because division one is too big of a commitment given other interests, and I had a much better chance of getting recruited skill-wise there. I was stuck between Harvey Mudd, part of the Claremont McKenna schools, and MIT, eventually opting for MIT because it had more to offer regarding academics and other extracurricular activities. The only downside was it wasn’t in the beautiful state of California.
What were some of the adjustments you had to make to successfully transition from club to collegiate ball?
Though most everyone says this, it’s entirely true. The biggest difference between club and collegiate soccer is the physicality, which lends itself to style of play as well. A lot of teams don’t necessarily need to play tiki-taka if the forwards can outrun everyone on the field. Thankfully, my coach at MIT appreciates the more technical style of play, especially compared to other teams in the conference, but as a team we’re still hitting the weights all off-season and do quite a bit of fitness before and during the season. I’ve always been a fit player, so the transition wasn’t that difficult for me, but my main advice to current FC players reading this would be to come ready for pre-season if you want to make a good first impression with your coach.
Summarize your collegiate soccer career to date. What have been some of the highlights?
My first season was disappointing due to an injury that kept me out for most of the year, and it hindered my performance in the early days’ post my return. Still, I made several starts at the 10 spot, and recorded a goal and assist in a game. Not many highlights to report due to injury, but it was a great experience to be part of the team and I have a lot to look forward to next year when I’m healthy.
What are you learning as a collegiate athlete that you’ll take into post-collegiate life?
So far, I’ve learned a lot about hard work and motivation. At the end of the day, our success on the field boils down to the effort we put in to get better and improve our game on the practice field. Especially in division three, what separates the best teams is the preparedness and mentality teams come into games with. You must have drive to win, and the ability and desire to work to get there.
From athletics to academics. What are you studying?
I’m studying mechanical engineering with a concentration in robotics and controls. I have a lot of interests, so it has been challenging to direct all of it into one major, but I think this combination fits most of my interests well. I may also minor in economics and nuclear engineering.
Any interests outside of soccer?
I’m currently part of the Rocket Team, and I am heading to a competition in New Mexico this month to launch the rocket we built throughout the year. Besides that, I’ve been doing research in the Nuclear Department, and have continued to work on side projects. I’ve always liked building and making new things, and the project I’m working on this summer is a quadcopter with obstacle avoidance and tracking.
Any thoughts about life after college?
My ideal path would be to start a company with some sort of technology I invent during school, but I’m open to a lot of other possibilities. There are numerous innovative companies such a SpaceX, Lockheed, Intel, etc. that are all working on great products that are changing the world. Soon we’ll be seeing autonomous cars on the roads, which is something I really want to work on too. It might seem like I don’t know what I’m doing after school, but truthfully there are so many things I would love to do that whatever springs up at the time will likely become my passion and future.
The Marin FC alumni community is alive and well. Do you keep in touch with many of your former teammates?
I’ve kept in touch with a few former teammates, and I think this summer I’ll meet up with a lot of them at either FC practices or socially.
Anyone you want to thank or recognize at Marin FC?
I would like to thank both Kelly Coffey and Josh Kalkstein for their tremendous support, for me individually as well as the team throughout the years. Kelly really stepped up for Marin FC by leading our team for so many years, and his coaching ability and personality helped make me into the player and person I am today. As with Josh, I don’t think Marin FC would be the same organization it is without his leadership and passion for the game.
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: When the Music Stops, Mountains Beyond Mountains, and Introduction to Trading; Gadgets: Google Pixel, Laptop, and Arduino. Music: Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, and The Beatles
How can our readers follow you if they’d like to track your athletic activities?
They can follow our team at http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/index.
From the Director of Development
Eloi Run & Walk Registration Incentive
Our 2nd Annual Eloi Vasquez Memorial Event in the Marin Headlands is a little more than a week away. Here are the details:
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)
Participation is limited to 400 entries and we expect a sold-out event, so sign-up now to reserve your spot. To help us order an accurate count of race t-shirts in appropriate sizes, please register by end of day Saturday, June 3.
All proceeds from this important community event support the Eloi Vasquez “Living for the Game” Scholarship Fund, a grant annually awarded to a Marin FC male and female youth soccer player or players that embody Eloi’s dedication to family strength of character, dedication to personal growth and academics, and passion for the game. The first scholarship award recipient will be announced on June 10th.
This is an important community building event and we look forward to everyone’s participation in support of Eloi and our scholarship endowment.
Special Note to Financial Aid Recipient Families: All FA recipients who submit a completed application for the “Living for the Game” scholarship will get one free race entry. Registration is required at least 48 hours before the event. One verified parent will get a discounted rate of $40. A coupon code will be circulated to relevant families the week before the race. Participants must pre-register to qualify. Click the following links if you haven’t yet applied for Living for the Game scholarship support:
English: www.eloirun.org/files/LivingForTheGame-Application2017en.pdf
Spanish: www.eloirun.org/files/LivingForTheGame-Application2017sp.pdf
Got Team News?
To share a game summary or tournament recap:
- Go to MarinFC.com
- Locate ‘Media & Info’ under ‘About Marin FC’ at the top of the page
- Click ‘Submit an Article’
Edited posts will be added to our website homepage “latest club 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
Pending Referee Course Announcements
The referee program web page will be updated with all relevant referee program information by June 4. We are tentatively hoping to schedule referee courses on June 21-23 and July 12-14. We are also working on one additional course towards the end of June. When finalized, courses will be posted to https://cnra.gameofficials.net/public/class/classSearch.cfm?classTypeID=917 and on the Marin FC web site.
Bo Stehlin, Board Member