osa smoke signals aug2014

SMOKE SIGNALS 1

TULSAOKLAHOMA CITY

AU G U S T 2 0 1 4THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE OKLAHOMA SOCCER ASSOCIATION

SMOKE SIGNALSSTATE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSTULSA TO HOSTUS YOUTH NATIONALSCOACHING COURSES& LICENSESNEW REF INSTRUCTORS

OKLAHOMA SOCCER ASSOCIATION2

OSA Smoke Signals welcomes story submissions from teams, clubs, leagues and associations via e-mail or FAX. If you have a story or a story idea, please e-mail or FAX us at the following addresses: [email protected] -or- FAX: 1-918-627-2693 to the attention: Dale Watts.

The Smoke Signals is the official publication of the Oklahoma Soccer Association and is published bi-monthly. Editorial offices are at the OSA office, 9410-B East 51st Street, Tulsa, OK 74145-8168. Telephone is 918-627-2663 and FAX is 918-627-2693. E-mail at [email protected]. The Smoke Signals is mailed to all registered coaches, referees, association officers, subscribers, and players six times a year. Advertisers assume all liability for content of advertisements printed and therefore assume all claims against the Smoke Signals. The Smoke Signals does not publish articles or letters from anonymous contributors. Contributors must provide a daytime phone number to confirm authorship of submitted articles or letters. Opinions expressed in this publication are exclusively those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication. Errors, corrections and changes are inevitable. Please accept our apologies for any inconveniences.

OSA Smoke Signals Story Submissions

Oklahoma Soccer Association

IN THIS ISSUE Sport Networking SpainReturns to Oklahoma . . . 4

Tulsa Selected Site US Youth Championships . . . . . . 5

Nate Hopkins SYRA . . . . . 6

State Cup & President’s CupDates . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Coaching Courses and Licenses . . . . . . . 8

State Cup Champions . .9-18

Award Nominations . . . . 19

Goalkeeper Bootcamp . . .20

Referee News . . . . . 22-24

Tournaments . . . . . . . . 25

P.O. Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153-0174, 800-347-3590 • WWW.OKSOCCER.COMTulsa Office: 9820 E. 41st Street,, Suite 115, Tulsa 74146, 918-627-2663

Oklahoma City Office: 4520 Old Farm Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73162, 405-286-0488

Executive CommitteeChairman

William AvenVice President – Youth Council

Tom WeddingVice President – Adult Council

Tek TsegaySecretary/TreasurerSean McKelvey

SecretarySid Goodrich

Vice President - Games,Discipline, & Appeals

Max TilfordVice President – Risk Management

Michael NaumannState Referee Administrator

Paul Scott

Youth CouncilVice President Tom Wedding

Vice-President – Youth RecreationalKeith Ash

Vice-President – Youth Competitive- - -

District 1 Vice PresidentDavid Perry

District 2 Vice PresidentJim Weir

District 3 Vice PresidentKathy Mead

District 4 Vice PresidentJanet Cooper

East Vice President CompetitiveShawn Slater

West Vice President CompetitiveMickey Weatherly

SYRANate Hopkins

Adult CouncilVice PresidentTek Tsegay

Vice President – Adult Competitive& Tournament

Sonny Dalesandro Secretary/Registrar

Paul Scott

EditorDale Watts

Layout & Design- Sandy Bent

SMOKE SIGNALS 3

CalendarFor upcoming Tournaments, Coaching classes, or Referee courses, visit the OSA website link for events – click here

CLUB MEETING DATES

AUGUST 2 – Referee fitness & Recert @ Stillwater 4 – Metro Tulsa, Norman, Washington County 5 – Davis 6 - Altus, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Collinsville, NOKC 7 – Midwest City, Northwest Oklahoma 11 – Owasso 12 – Claremore, Elk City, Logan County, Muskogee, Mustang, Ponca City, South Lakes13 – Durant, Mayes County14 – Beaver River18 – All County, Choctaw/Nicoma Park, El Reno, Shawnee, Stillwater, Westside19 – Chickasha, Edmond, Harrah, Sapulpa21 – Bixby 25 – Glenpool, Yukon26 – Tri-Lake27 – Bristow

SEPTEMBER 1 – Labor Day – (meetings may be moved) Metro Tulsa, Norman, Washington County 2 – Davis, Sand Springs 3 – Altus, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Collinsville, NOKC 4 – Coweta, Cleveland 8 – Owasso 9 – Claremore, Elk City, Logan County, Muskogee, Mustang, Ponca City, South Lakes 10 – Durant, Mayes County 11 – Beaver River 15 – Atoka, Choctaw/Nicoma Park, El Reno, Shawnee, Stillwater, Westside 16 – Chickasha, Edmond, Harrah 22 – Glenpool, Yukon 23 – Tri-Lake

OCTOBER 1– Altus, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Collinsville, NOKC 2 – Midwest City, Northwest Oklahoma 6 – Metro Tulsa, Norman, Washington County 7 – Davis, Stilwell 8 – Durant, Mayes County 9 – Beaver River 13 – Owasso 14 – Claremore, Elk City, Logan County, Mustang, Ponca City, South Lakes 20 – Atoka, Choctaw/Nicoma Park, El Reno, Shawnee, Stillwater, Westside 21 – Chickasha, Edmond, Harrah 22 – Tri-Lake 27 – Glenpool, Yukon 31 – Halloween

Monthly Meetings Clinton COASL – Feb & AugCordellGreat PlainsHintonLawton UnitedNEOASA – Jan, June, Aug, & DecRed CarpetTri-CityVerdigrisAll other clubs meet “as called.”

Oklahoma’s state recre-ational championship tour-nament, the Mazzio’s Gov-ernor’s Cup, and the Kohl’s American Cup will return to a fall venue this year. Citing re-quests from many sources to move the two tournaments from a spring offering to one in the fall, the Youth Division of OSA has determined to place the two tournaments on the first weekend of No-vember.

Two reasons for the change: 1) more opportuni-ties for the older teams to par-ticipate; and 2) the reduction of multiple weekends of state tournaments that have been running from April through May. Due to high school league play in the spring, many clubs do not register U16 through U19 teams for spring play. When the Gover-nor’s Cup was played in the fall, many older squads par-ticipated in the tournament.

Governor’s Cup and Kohl’s American Cup

Move to November 1-2 Over the past several

years, the spring state tour-nament season ran as long as six weekends in a row. With the American and Governor’s Cup moving to the fall and the Adult state tournament in Feb-ruary, the remaining two state tournaments (President’s Cup and State Cup) will occupy four weekends of play. This reduction in weekends of play allows for referees and OSA more time to prepare for the state’s largest tournaments.

“We have seen a consid-erable number of our referees endure stress from not only physical demands but domes-tic stress when they are away from home six weekends or more,” says State Youth Ref-eree Administrator Nate Hop-kins. Allowing time between the major tournaments is beneficial to OSA volunteers and staff as well. “The biggest demand on OSA is during the months of April and May,” says Dale Watts, Director of Publi-cations for OSA. “To have ex-tra time to prepare will allow us to better serve the tourna-ments and the teams, players, and coaches.”

Applications to host avail-able online at http://www.oksoccer.com/tournaments/hosting_state_tournament.aspx


YOUR GAME, YOUR FIELDSTULSA

5817 S. 118th East Ave.Tulsa, OK 74146

918.249.0044SOCCERCITYTULSA.COM

OKLAHOMA CITY4520 Old Farm RoadOklahoma City, OK

405.748.3888SOCCERCITYOKCITY.COM

Sport Networking Spain Returns To Oklahoma

Albert Rude, Eric Lira, Jaime Fortuno Vidal

As many of you may know, re-cently OSA brought in our friends from Sport Networking Spain to our OSA workshop to share the Coach and Player Development Methodology they use in Bar-celona. The coaches and play-ers who were able to attend the workshop events enjoyed the ex-perience and wanted more.

OSA is pleased to announce that we have arranged with them to take time out of an America/Canada Tour to share more of their expertise with our Oklaho-ma Members!

OKLAHOMA WORKSHOPSPostponed to December in conjuction with ODP Training

Watch the OSA website for registration costs and more de-tails.

Organization: (both cities will have the same schedules)

• 8:30am–11:30am:Working

with young players from ages 8 to 10 and from ages 10 - 12.

• 2pm – 5pm: Coaches Meth-

odology. This methodology will

be addressing the modern trend toward what is called Functional Training and how to bring that to your teams/players for ages 13 and up.

• 6pm – 8pm: Elite players training. We will be working with players from ages 13 - 15 and ages 15 – 17. (Same time, just two groups.)

SPORT NETWORKING STAFF:

You can click on the names below for information on the coach.

Albert Rude Eric Lira Jaime Fortuño Vidal

SMOKE SIGNALS 5

US Youth Soccer is proud to an-nounce the dates and locations for the Regional and National Champi-onships of the 2015 US Youth Soc-cer National Championship Series, the country’s oldest and most pres-tigious national youth soccer tour-nament. After another banner year in 2014, the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships will be held at the Mohawk Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Okla.

“We are excited to host the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Champi-onships in Tulsa, Okla., and look for-ward to working with the Oklahoma Soccer Association and the complex staff,” said John Sutter, President of US Youth Soccer. “Each year, more than 10,000 teams play in our Na-tional Championship Series as teams test their development and skill;

earning their way from state to re-gional events, with the ultimate goal of earning a ticket to the US Youth Soccer National Championships. The event continues to get better each year, and we expect Tulsa to help make the 2015 National Champion-ships a great experience for the play-ers.”

The US Youth Soccer National Championships will consist of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the Under-13 through Under-19 Boys and Girls age groups as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the Under-14 through Under-18 Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 96 teams.

Each year brings about new chal-lenges and highlights the motivation and commitment of these youth as they continue pursuing their dreams

of being one of the best youth soc-cer teams in the United States. The National Championships are the final stage of the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series and open to any US Youth Soccer mem-ber. The U.S. Soccer Federation initi-ated the open youth championships with the James P. McGuire Cup, the oldest trophy in youth sport, (Un-der-19 Boys) in 1935 and the tradi-tion continues in 2015 with the Mc-Guire Cup’s 80th anniversary.

Annually, the US Youth Soc-cer National Championship Series provides the nation's top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. In 2014, more than 700 coaches attended the US Youth Soccer Regional and National Championships.

Tulsa Selected As Host Of 2015 US Youth National Championships

2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships

Mohawk Soccer Complex - Tulsa, Oklahoma Player Luncheon: July 20, 2015 Round Robin: July 21-23, 2015 Semi Finals: July 25 (U14-U18)

Finals: July 25 (U13 & U19); July 26 (U14-U18)

Norman: 405.360.6764Oklahoma City: 405.552.5764

Moore: 405.793.2900Edmond: 405.478.7111

Oklahoma Sports and Orthopedics Instituteis Oklahoma’s source for Orthopedic

and Sports Medicine treatment.

2015 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships

Little Rock, AR - Burns Park Soccer ComplexOpening Ceremony: June 18

Round Robin: June 19- 21Quarters: June 22 (U14, U15, U16)

Semis/Quarters: June 23 (Semifinals U13 & U19/ andQuarters U17 & U18)

Finals/Semis: June 24 (Finals U13 & U19/ Semis U14-U18)Finals: June 25 (Finals U14-U18)


The OSA Youth Vice President Tom Wedding has announced the appointment of Nate Hopkins to the position of State Youth Referee Ad-ministrator. Nate will fill the office that has been vacant for more than a year and has already attended the 2014 Regionals with the referees and assessors.

Nate entered the referee corps as an 09 referee in

1994 and gained his 08 badge the next year. In 2004 he became an 07 grade referee and two years later achieved the State 06 badge which he held for seven years before be-coming a State Emeritus.

Nate also assesses matches for USSF and OSA and became a State Assessor in 2013. With his many skills as referee, assessor, assignor, and instructor, Nate

certainly qualifies for the task of leading the Oklahoma referees as their Youth Administrator. Nate’s

Nate Hopkins Named SYRA

primary duties include administer-ing referees at all youth leagues and tournaments. He will be the person in charge at the OSA state recreation-al and competitive tournaments as well as main contact for US Youth Soccer when the National Champi-onships are held in Tulsa in 2015.

Congratulations to Nate on his appointment and the referee corps wishes him the best as he assumes the leadership role as SYRA in Okla-homa.

Two Oklahoma referees were in Maryland at the US Youth National Championships in June. Tamara Cherry and Nima Saghafi worked the national championships. Tamara drew the U18 girls semi-final and Nima officiated the U18 boys semi-final. Neither were able to work the finals due to the teams in both were from Region III.

Great job Tamara and Nima and thanks for representing Oklahoma and Oklahoma Refer-ees.

To right: Referees at the US Youth National Championships group photo. Tamara and Nima are the last two refs on the right side of row two.

Tamara Cherry and Nima Saghafi Officiate US Youth National Tournament

VisitOklahoma Soccer

Associationwebsitefor more

information, forms

and updates.

www.oksoccer.com

SMOKE SIGNALS 7

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April 18-19 Preliminaries Presidents Cup U17-U18 Preliminaries State Cup U17-18 May 1-3 Preliminaries Presidents Cup U11-16 State Cup U17-18 (1 Game/day)

State Cup and President’s CupDates Announced

Youth Division President, Tom Wedding, announced the dates for the upcoming spring state tourna-ments. With the change of dates to November for the recreational state championships, the competi-tive tournament schedule was given some leeway in its assignment of dates.

According to the Youth Coun-cil, a concern of the past state cup schedule was the conflict players had with high school playoffs and

senior events. By moving the pre-liminary games for both the Presi-dent’s Cup and State Cup to April, the majority of the older teams will have fewer conflicts with those all-important senior events. The week-end of May 15-17 will be left open for high school playoffs. It will also provide a weekend off for coaches, players, referees, and tournament administrators.

Clubs are now being sought to host the tournaments. “OSA is con-

sidering ways to continue to improve both State Cup and Presidents Cup. We are looking at 2016 to change the format and weekends for 2016,” says Wedding.

“OSA is accepting bids for these weekends,” says Wedding. “Also the application will be online soon for those wanting to register and save money by registering early. Loca-tions have not been set. OSA hopes to have most of this in place by Fall.”

2015 State Cup and President’s Cup Tournaments Dates May 8-9 Finals Presidents Cup all ages. (Play entire weekend) U11-16 State Cup Prelims May 15-17 NO PLAY, HIGH SCHOOL PLAY OFFS May 22-25 Finals State Cup U11-16, Also Under 19’s entire

weekend depending on teams.

Each fall OSA offers numerous coaching courses for its members. Thanks to Energy FC, Youth Modules I & II as well as the USSF E course is paid for and free to OSA members. For those non-members, the fees are listed on the OSA website for each course.

The courses are listed on the OSA website link for you: http://www.oksoccer.com/coaching /coaching_classes.aspx

Check the site for new postings as clubs will select dates during the fall and spring seasons for Youth Modules and E courses.

The USSF National D course and USSF National C course are offered

Coaching Courses & Licenseswhen possible. OSA will host the USSF National C in 2015.

The USSF/USYS National Youth License is an annual event held over two weekends. The 2014 event wrapped up its final weekend Au-gust 1-3.

Clubs, if you wish to host a coaching course in your commu-nity, use the OSA website for the form to request a Youth Module, E course, Goalkeeper course, or D course. The link is titled Appli-cation to host a coaching course: htt p : / / w w w. o ks o c c e r. co m /UserFiles/file/Coaching/Applica-tion%20to%20host%20coach%20course%20web%202012.pdf

Visit the OSA website today for more coaching information: www.oksoccer.com then go to the Coach-es drop down tab.

SMOKE SIGNALS 9

MAZZIO’S GOVERNOR’S CUPMAZZIO’S GOVERNOR’S CUP

U10 Girls - BASC STORMCoach Kyle Houston

U10 Boys - NWO DA HEATCoach Paul Lopez

U10 Boys Rec SelectBASC MANCHESTER UNITED

Coach Ruben Torres

Each year, hundreds of OSA’s US Youth Soccer teams compete for the championship of their age and gen-der bracket. OSA offers a state cham-pionship for recreational teams and competitive teams through the Mazzio’s Governor’s Cup for recre-ational. Mazzio’s President’s Cup

Champions of OSA’s State Tournamentsand the State Cup offer champion-ship venues for competitive teams and the opportunity to advance to regional competitions.

Spring 2014 held the typi-cal drama for all the teams as they played for the elusive title of “cham-pion” for the year. Congratulations

to all the teams who participated in the state tournaments and OSA ap-preciates the many who supported those teams and prepared them for the tournaments.

Included in this issue are the photos of the championship teams from the three state tournaments: Governor’s, President’s, and State.

Photos of Governor’s Cup and President’s Cup provided by Captured Moments and Alicia Heineman

U12 Girls - LAWTON MacARTHUR LADY SCOTSCoach David Dalton



U14 Girls - CLINTON FUSIONCoach Chris Weil

U12 Boys Rec Select COLLINSVILLE ELITE STRIKERS

Coach Chris Henry

U12 Boys - TULSA UNIFIED TERMINATORSCoach Danny Halpain

U14 Boys Rec Select Unity SC Deportivo Alemania

Coach: Jesus Lozano

U14 Girls Rec Select BROKEN ARROW RAGE

Coach: Rick Heineman

U12 Girls Rec Select - UNITY ‘02Coach Hector Guzman

SMOKE SIGNALS 11

U16 Girls - BROKEN ARROW REBELSCoach Dawn Dout

U19 Boys - BASC ARSENAL ‘96Coach Steve Mosinski


U16 Boys Rec SelectTRI-CITY NEWCASTLE EXTREME

Coach Jim McIntire

U19 Girls - BROKEN ARROW FURYCoach Michael Wood

U14 Boys - BASC HAVOC EXPRESSCoach Keith Ash

Visit Oklahoma Soccer Associationwebsite for more information,

forms and updates.

www.oksoccer.com


MAZZIO’S PRESIDENT’S CUPMAZZIO’S PRESIDENT’S CUP

U11 Boys - BLITZ UNITED ‘03 BLACKCoach Jason Taylor

U12 Boys - OFC ‘02 WHITECoach Dean Matacchiera

U13 Boys - TSC HURRICANE ‘01Coach Douglas Melton

U11 Girls - OFC ’03 BLACKCoach Chris Spendlove

U12 Girls - TSC HURRICANE ‘02Coach Cory Butler

U13 Girls - OFC ’01 WHITECoach Tommy Hubbard

SMOKE SIGNALS 13


U14 Boys - TULSA NATIONALS ‘00 REDCoach Nick Minden

U14 Girls - OFC ‘00 WHITECoach Tommy Hubbard

U15 Boys - OFC ‘99 WHITECoach Tony Orsi

U15 Girls - BASC ‘99 POISONCoach John Harding

U16 Boys - WSA ‘98 REDCoach Valentin Flores

U16 Girls - NYSA FURY ‘98Coach Ryan Trudgian



U17 Boys - NWO ‘97 WHITECoach Neil Stockwell

U17 Girls - SLSC ‘97 BLUE COSMOSCoach Russell Randolph

U18 Girls - WSA ‘96Coach Kevin King

This fall will see the OPL Gold Division fall in line with the US Youth National Championship rules of competition regarding substitutions in the U15 through U19 brackets. With boys and girls U15 through U19 teams in the OPL Gold Division, a maximum of 7 substitutions shall be al-lowed in each half of play and during overtime play. After leaving the game during a half of play, the substituted play may not re-enter the game during that same half of play. After leaving the game during overtime play, the substituted player may not re-enter the game. Substitu-tions may be made with the consent of the referee at the following times:1.Prior to a throw-in in your favor; 2. Prior to a goal kick by either team; 3. After a goal by either team; 4. After an injury by either team when the referee stops play; 5. At half time; 6. When the referee stops play to caution a play-er, only the cautioned player may be substituted prior to the restart of the game.

This change in the substitution of the rules of com-petition for the OPL Gold Division does NOT APPLY to any other leagues in either OPL, OCL, or recre-ational.

Substitutions in the OPL Silver and OCL leagues U12 through U14 remain as the same as in prior years (see the 6 substitution possibilities above).

U11 OPL and OCL boys and girls teams will con-tinue to have unlimited substitutions at any stop-page.

Recreational substitution in the U13 through U19 brackets allows for substitution by either team at a throw-in. This policy was adopted in the spring of 2014. U6 through U12 recreational teams may substitute at any stoppage.

Substitution Changesfor OPL GoldDivision and

Recreational Leagues

SMOKE SIGNALS 15

U11 Girls 8v8 - CVF ‘03 Coach Zenati Al Zenati

U11 Boys 8v8 - UNITY ‘03Coach Youssef Elghezlane

U11 Girls 11v11 - TSC ‘03 Coach Chris Amos

U11 Boys 11v11 - BLITZ ‘03Coach Robert Mitchell

U12 Girls - TSCH ‘02Coach Matthew Griffin

U12 Boys - OFC ‘02Coach James Soesbee

Oklahoma State Cup Champions 2014Oklahoma State Cup Champions 2014 Oklahoma State Cup Champions 2014Oklahoma State Cup Champions 2014



OKLAHOMA STATE CUP 2014OKLAHOMA STATE CUP 2014



U13 Girls - OFC ‘01Coach Stephen Phillips

U13 Boys - WSA ‘01 SHARKSCoach Ryan Bush

U14 Girls - OFC ‘00Coach Jimmy Hampton

U14 Boys - TSCH ‘00Coach Ryan Pore

U15 Girls - OFC ‘99Coach Jimmy Hampton

U15 Boys - OFC ‘99Coach Stephen Phillips




SMOKE SIGNALS 17

U16 Girls - OFC ‘98Coach Alex Vizarelis

U16 Boys - OFC ‘98Coach Brian Harvey

U17 Girls - OFC ‘97Coach Alex Vizarelis

U17 Boys - OFC ‘97Coach Jesse Faily

U18 Girls - OFC ‘96Coach Stephen Phillips

U18 Boys - TSC ‘96Coach Mike Nsien






U19 Girls - TSC ‘96Coach Jerry Lundy

U19 Boys - OFC ‘95Coach Jacob Kurey


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Photos for State Cup provided by Richard Clifton and Dale Watts

SMOKE SIGNALS 19

If your club or team wishes to honor a coach, volunteer, referee, TOPSoccer volunteer, administra-tor, family, a save of the year, or a goal of the year, you MUST go to the link below and complete these award applications. Don't hesitate!

The time to submit the appli-cations is already passed, but if you hurry and get these nominations to OSA as quickly as possible, you can still recognized the various people who make soccer function at your club level.

Coach of the Year - 2014Each year, OSA recognizes two

outstanding coaches from across the state. In addition to receiving recognition at the state level, Okla-homa’s Coaches of the Year are automatically placed in nomina-tion for the national Coach of the Year Award announced at the US Youth Soccer workshop. Any certi-fied coach working with OSA teams in Oklahoma is eligible. The nomi-nation form asks several questions about the nominee and does re-quire documentation. Applications may be submitted prior to due date. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153. Application

Referee of the Year - 2014Oklahoma recognizes two lev-

els of outstanding referees: youth and adult. The youth Referee of the Year must be a grade 08 or higher and not older than 19. The adult referee must be at least an 07 grade referee or higher and at least 20 years of age. Youth Referee of the Year will attend the South-ern Regionals to officiate matches.

AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE SEPT. 1The adult Referee of the Year may attend the US Adult regionals. Ap-plications may be submitted prior to due date. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153.

Youth applicationAdult application

Hall of Fame Nominee 2014 Deadline not

changed on this application! The purpose of the Oklahoma Soccer Association Hall of Fame is to rec-

ognize the achievements of out-standing Oklahoma soccer par-ticipants whose accomplishments and effects upon the sport merit the highest acclaim. A participant may be a Player, Coach, Referee, Administrator, Volunteer, or Sup-porter.The award will be a plaque displayed in the Tulsa office of OSA. A duplicate plaque will be given to the recipient. Applications may be submitted prior to due date. Due date is still Sept. 15th of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153. Application Check here for policies and require-ments for nomination.

Volunteer of the Year-2014Oklahoma is proud of its many

volunteers and the endless hours they spend promoting the sport of soccer. To recognize such vol-unteers, the Volunteer of the Year award was created. The award is given for dedication to soccer in areas other than coaching and

refereeing, although those activi-ties may be mentioned in show-ing the amount of time devoted to the sport. For details on the ap-plication, use the link below. The winner of this award will be for-warded to US Youth Soccer for re-gional competition. Applications may be submitted prior to due date. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153. Application

Family of the Year - 2014Oklahoma Soccer is proud of

the many voluntees and the end-less hours they spend promoting the sport of soccer. It has become evident in recent years that vol-unteers are not only individuals working together but entire fami-lies volunteering to help grow the game of soccer. To recognize such families and their efforts, OSA cre-ated the Family of the Year award. The award is given for dedica-tion to soccer in areas other than coaching and refereeing, although those activities may be mentioned in showing the amount of time de-voted to the sport. For details on the application, use the link below. Applications may be submitted prior to due date. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153. Application

Administrator of theYear - 2014

Oklahoma is proud of its many administrators who work diligently behind the scenes to prepare for the

More Award Nominations, on page 20


fall and spring seasons of Oklahoma soccer. To recognize such administra-tors, the Administrator of the Year award was created. The award is giv-en for dedication to soccer in areas other than coaching, refereeing, or volunteering although those activi-ties may be mentioned in showing the amount of time devoted to the sport. For details on the application, use the link below. The winner of this award will be forwarded to US Youth Soccer for regional competition. Ap-plications may be submitted prior to due date. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153. Application

Goal of the Year - 2014A video clip of no more than 60

seconds in length must accompany the nomination form and be submi-

ited as a clip, not electronically sub-mitted. The goal must have occurred during the season year immediately prior to the season year for which the clip is being submitted and for US Youth Soccer U6-U18 age groups only. Applications may be submitted prior to due date. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153. Application

Save of the Year - 2014 A video clip of no more that 60 sec-onds in length must accompany the nomination form and be submitted as a clip, not electronically submit-ted. The save must have occurred during the season year immediately prior to the season year for which the clip is being submitted and for US Youth Soccer U6-U18 age groups only. Applications may be submitted

Award Nominations, continued from page 14prior to due date. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153.

Application

TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year - 2014

An individual may be nominated and selected as the TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year for extraordinary accom-plishments if the individual, in car-rying out the US Youth Soccer TOP-Soccer program and its events and activities has demonstrated qualities of patience and understanding as well as fulfilling roles such as coach or role model. Due date is Sept. 1st of each year mailed to OSA, PO Box 35174, Tulsa, OK 74153.

Application

OSA completed its 3rd annual Goalkeeper Boot Camps under the direction of OSA’s Director of Coach-ing, Kurt Luitwieler and his staff. Edmond Soccer Club hosted the first weekend at their complex and the second weekend was hosted by Tulsa United Soccer Club. Both events drew young goalkeepers from around the state who wished to learn more about their unique position as a goalkeeper.

As Luitwieler says, “A goal-keeper is 5 parts crazy nut-job who likes to throw his/her face at other players’ feet as they try to kick the ball. Not every player can be a good goalkeeper. It takes a lot of training, hard work and a certain mentality. A

Goalkeeper Boot Campsgood goalkeeper LOVES being a goal-keeper. They love getting dirty, wet, muddy and all bruised and scraped up. Those things are badges of hon-or for a true goalkeeper.”

For the keepers who range in age from 9 to 19, the camp not only provides training and skills but also an opportunity to meet and become friends with keepers from around Oklahoma. Many of the skills are taught by experienced young keep-ers who have been selected to train the young campers.

While the 2014 GK Boot Camp has ended, watch for this exciting and fun-filled camp next year and don’t be late in signing up.

ODP UPDATESODP Girls – 97’s selected to Region-

al Pool: Jaci Jones, Jocelyn Nelson

ODP Girls – 00’s Honorable Men-tion: Brianna Amos, Bronwyn Luitwieler

ODP Girls – 00’s selected to Region-al Pool: Hensley Hancuff, Juliet Moncho

ODP Boys Selected to Regional Pool: 97’s: Garrett Mclaughlin, Austen Parker; 98’s: Kacey Owensby, Austin Wormell; 99’s: Victor Bernal, Dante Brigida, Matthew Cuellar, Whitney Gonsalves, Joseph Ruiz, Cole Sandberg, Martel Smith; 00’s: Ben Ayers; 01’s: Ri-ley Dunham, Nathan Hayes, Matthew McLaws.

SMOKE SIGNALS 21

Watts’ WhatBy Dale Watts, Editor

So what’s the deal with the weather? I mean, when was the last time you had to wear a jacket at State Cup? As if that weren’t weird enough, then we had blazing heat followed by minor flooding. Are these signs? We’re now in the first weeks of August and the highs around parts of the state are in the 80s. The 80s? Good grief you would think it was October.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not really complaining about the awe-some summer of 2014 but as with most Okies, what’s really bothering me is “What is coming next?”

If the summer was so amaz-ing will our fall soccer season be extreme in heat or cold? The first weekend of August has been set aside for years to hold the annual fitness and recertification for our upper level referees. A follow up fit-ness was held the first weekend of December. The joke amongst refer-ees for years was “run in the heat” in August or “freeze your tail off” in

December. Last year the tempera-ture at the beginning of the August fitness was 85 and climbed to 101 before noon. This weekend the high is to be 85! Two Decembers ago, the temperature at the beginning of the fitness was 17 degrees! Last year it was 68!

Edmond has hosted a tourna-ment called Beat the Heat for years. With the weather this year they may need to call it Beat the Mildness. And who knows what the Lawton “Freeze ya Fanny” tournament may hold as far as temperature? Will it be called “Toast your Toes?” Or what of the Tulsa United “Chill fest” tournament? Will we have to call it “Sun Fest?”

I’m not going to include climate change in this message. That’s a whole different discussion, but if you can’t depend on the weather in Oklahoma to follow its normal pat-tern we Okies are going to be more confused than we normally are. Will Rogers has been attributed to say-ing: “If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, just wait a minute or two and it will change.” I can handle that short term change of weather but when it runs across two soccer seasons I’m getting concerned.

Pity the poor parents who are trying to prepare for an upcoming tournament. Do we take jackets or sun screen? For snacks at half do we prepare hot chocolate or Gatorade? Do we take a lawn chair or a thermal blanket? And are those questions for the first game or the season?

And to think I haven’t even mentioned rain. When I first joined OSA and traveled to the tourna-ments, the spring state tournaments were always wet. You could count the number of days without rain on one hand. For the past few years it’s been hot and dry with an occasional rainy tournament, but nothing like those old days when some of the tournament officials and referees began to worry about their append-ages becoming webbed.

And now a July in Oklahoma with thunderstorms, rain, and flooding. Oh, my!

So, as we head toward the sea-son opening in September, I suggest you have your smart phone nearby before heading to the fields. Those weather guys and gals are going to have a field day this fall and I doubt their predictions are more reliable than my Farmer’s Almanac.

OKC FC Teams Wrap Up 2014 Season

With the NPSL season completed, the Oklahoma City FC squads (men and women) end the year on winning records. The men tallied a 7-3-1 record for the season and the women compiled a 9-1-2 season.

Professional Teams InformationTulsa Spirit FC Closes Out Frustrating Year

Spirit FC, Tulsa’s Women’s Premier Soccer League squad, wrapped their season without winning a match. They recorded a 0-7-2 season and scored six goals. Coach Ali Adibi, who has coached the team for four years, continues to provide Tulsans with a squad of young players from in and around the Tulsa area.


United States Soccer Federa-tion has released its new policies re-garding the requirements for refer-ees as to grade levels and upgrading to advanced levels. The new poli-cies are designed to standardize the movement of referees from entry level at the grade 09 Recreational to the State Referee Grade 06 level.

09 AND 08 GRADESNo changes in entry courses or

recertification. New 09 classes will require online viewing of material prior to attendance at the course which consists of two sessions of three hours of classes. New 08 class-es also require online viewing of material prior to attendance at the course which consists of three ses-sions of three hours. Recertification for 09 and 08 referees is held dur-ing a three hour course and the two grades of referees take the same re-certification course and exam of 50 questions.

07 GRADEFor the 2015 registration year,

Oklahoma will offer two levels of the 07 grade. Grade 07 basic re-quires attendance at the upgrade clinic held annually in January, a game log count of 100 games (75 as a center referee), and successful passing of the 07 exam. Referees at this grade will be eligible to referee adult matches and youth matches.

Grade 07 advanced requires attendance at the upgrade clinic held annually in January, a game log count of 100 games (75 as a cen-ter referee), and successful passing

New Referee Standards For 2015of the 07 exam. In addition, these referees must also pass a fitness exam and pass a field assessment. Referees at this grade are eligible to advance to the State Grade 06. Referees at this grade will be eligi-ble to officiate youth matches, OPL matches, adult matches, and state tournament matches on a priority basis.

06 GRADEThe only change in acquiring

the State 06 badge concerns the fit-ness exam which will be based on the FIFA Sprint and Interval tests. The requirement for 06 candidates to obtain an assessment as an AR has been eliminated. All other re-quirements of attending the up-grade clinic, and recertification are unchanged.

BADGESFor the 09, 08, and 07 referees,

the badges for 2015 will be of the same color.

NEW REFEREE CLASSES & RECERTIFICATIONEvery club should attempt to

hold an entry level course for new referees by communicating with your club’s coaches and parents to find candidates to attend. Once you have at least 6 willing to attend, use the OSA web site to complete a Course Contract with OSA. There is no charge to host the course, but a minimum of 6 is required to con-duct the courses. Candidates regis-ter to attend the course online and no money is collected at the course.

Recertification courses are re-quested in the same manner as a new course. The contract must be completed with date and time and location. Again, no charge to host as the referees all pay online prior to attending.

BACKGROUND CHECKSEvery referee 18 and older

must complete a background check before he/she can be registered. Clubs should remind any referee candidate of this prior to their at-tendance at a new clinic or recertifi-cation clinic.

REGISTRATION FEES: For new 09 and 08 referees, the registration is $60.

Fees for Referees Re-Registering for 2015Referee: 09 - $75 ; 08 - $75 ; 07 - $80 ; State - $110 ; Emeritus - $110

Instructors : Instructor - $80; State - $110

Assessors: Associate - $75; Referee - $75; State - $110

Assignors: $45

Late fee of $10 applied after January 1, 2015.

SMOKE SIGNALS 23

OSA annually hosts the US Youth National Youth License Coach-ing Course in various locations. This year’s course was held in Tulsa at Holland Hall School and was quickly filled with coach applications from across the state.

The National Youth License is designed to provide coaches with the knowledge to successfully structure soccer environments for children ages 4-12. The role of the coach in the NYL is that of a facilita-tor who can deal with the physical, mental, and emotional needs and capabilities of players 4-12 years of age. Lessons are created by the par-ticipants exploring developmental psychology and the art of teaching.

National Youth License Completed

Candidates are videotaped for anal-ysis during the live training sessions.

In Oklahoma, the NYL is strong-ly recommended for all coach in the U6-U10 age groups. It is a re-

quirement of Academy coaches and highly recommended for U11 and up recreational coaches.

OSA held a training session for new Referee Instructors on July 12 at the Tulsa office. The new instructors were given training for two days that will allow them to teach the 09 class and recertification courses. Even-tually, they will be teaching the 08 courses as well.

“I am very pleased with our new instructors,” says Dale Watts, State Director of Instruction. “Nearly all of them have education backgrounds or have experience with educational concepts. The State Referee Commit-tee is happy to now have Instructors in several clubs that were without them and this will aid the growth of the referee corps in those areas.”

Of the ten Instructors, only one is from Oklahoma City. All the others are from suburban cities or commu-nities which will allow for easier ac-cess to instruction for those commu-nities.

Ten New Referee Instructors Trained

LtoR: Jorge Robledo-Olvera, Nicki Collins, Marcus Edison, Timothy Rehmel, and Kenneth Shade. 2nd row: Alan Sutherland, Val Raymond, Stephen Rose, Joseph Forler, and Brandon Neris.

Congratulations to the new Instructors!Nicki Collins – GuthrieMarcus Edison – Broken ArrowJoseph Forler –Claremore Brandon Neris – LawtonJorge Robledo-Olvera – Oklahoma City

Stephen Rose – Broken ArrowKenneth Shade – Lone GroveAlan Sutherland – NormanVal Raymond – LawtonTimothy Rehmel – Enid


To become a referee in Okla-homa, you must first attend an 09 Recreational Referee course. The classes are listed on the OSA web page under the link Scheduled Ref-eree Classes. To view that link use this link: http://www.oksoccer.com/referees/scheduled_classes.aspx Requirement: there is no age re-quirement to attend the 09 course, but it is recommended that the candidate be at least eleven years of age. All candidates 18 and older must submit an annual background check.

The 09 class is six (6) hours in length and candidates must view videos of the Laws of the Game before attending. These in-structions are given on the registra-tion site embedded in the links. A 50 question multiple choice, true/false test will be given at the com-pletion of the course. The candidate must score a 37 or better to pass. 09 referees may officiate matches from

Referee ClinicsU6 to U14 recreational. They cannot referee competitive matches of any age.

Cost = $60.00 payable online. Classes are offered from August through March.

Once a referee has attended an 09 Recreational Referee class, he/she may attend an 08 class.

Requirement: there is no age requirement to attend the 08 course, but it is recommended that the candidate be at least fourteen years of age. All candidates 18 and older must submit an annual back-ground check.

The 08 class is nine (9) hours in length and candidates must view videos of the Laws of the Game before attending. A 50 question multiple choice, true/false test will be given at the completion of the course. The candidate must score a 37 or better to pass. 08 referees may officate all youth and adult matches in the state.

Cost = $60.00 payable online. See the Scheduled Referee classes link at the left for classes near you. Classes are offered from August through March.

RecertificationAll referees must attend a re-

certification class every fall to allow them to register for the following year. Referee registration is from January 1 to December 31. Registra-tion closes June 1 of each year.

Recertification for the next year’s registration begins in August of each year and runs through April.

Upgrade Clinic08 grade referees who are 17

may upgrade to grade 07 at the an-nual upgrade clinic held in January. For more information on how to up-grade, use the following link:

http://www.oksoccer.com/UserFiles/file/Referee/How%20to%20Upgrade.pdf.

After a fantastic 2014 season, the Tulsa Athletics were eliminated from playoffs Saturday night in the South Region finals by hosts Chatta-nooga FC, 0-2.

The home side opened up the scoring in the 5th minute when midfielder Luis Trude led a 3-on-1 counterattack off a Tulsa corner kick. Trude curled a shot in from top of the box into the bottom right corner to give Chattanooga a 1-0 lead.

Throughout the match, Tulsa dominated possession but their play would be fruitless as the back of the net was elusive. The A's out-

Tulsa Athletics Fall to Chattanoogashot their opponents 10-5, and had 10 corners to Chattanooga's 2. FC keeper Greg Hartely would come up with multiple game-saving stops to keep the clean sheet.

Chattanoo-ga would score off a counter-attack again in the 79th minute when Luke Win-ter got in one-on-one with Ben LaCourse and slotted the ball home, their third and final

shot on goal for the match.Chattanooga advanced to the

NPSL Championship match August 2.

SMOKE SIGNALS 25

- Oklahoma Soccer Association -

SANCTIONED TOURNAMENTS 2014Not a final listing – some applications are still pending

August 15-17, 2014Beat the HeatHost: Edmond Soccer ClubAll US Soccer affiliated teamsEdmond, OKFields: Edmond Soccer ComplexWebsite: http://edmondsoccer .com/Contact: James L . SoesbeePhone: 405-409-2324Email: soccer999999@sbcglobal .netU11-U19 Boys & Girls Competitive Referee Assignor: Brandon StoryEmail: bstory4@gmail .com August 29-31, 2014 10th Annual Indian Springs Labor Day Tournament Host: TSC Hurricane and Broken Arrow SC All US Soccer affiliated teams Broken Arrow, OK Fields: Indian Springs Sports Complex Web site: www .bascok .com/ Contact: Randy Atherton Phone: 918-258-5770 Email: basc@hamiltoncorner .netU8-U10 Academy Boys & Girls U6-U19 Recreational Boys & Girls U11-U19 Competitive Boys & Girls U11-11v11 Competitive Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: Mike Naumann Email: bassignor@hotmail .com

September 19-21, 2014Cosmos CupHost: South Lakes SCAll US Soccer affiliated teams Oklahoma City, OKFields: South Lakes Soccer ComplexWebsite: www .southlakessoccer .comContact: Brent GatewoodPhone: 405-919-5263Email: bslsccosmos@yahoo .comU11-U18 Competitive Boys & GirlsU8-U10 Academy Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: Bill PevarnikEmail: wpevarnik@att .net September 26-28, 2014Sheffield United CupHost: Bixby Soccer & Sheffield UnitedAll US Soccer affiliated teamsBixby, OKFields: Bixby Soccer ComplexWebsite: www .sheffieldunitedsc .comContact: Michael HornPhone: 918-798-1791Email: michaelhorn918@att .netU8-U10 Academy Boys & GirlsU11 – U19 Competitive Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: Reza NamavarEmail: rezanamavar@aol .com

October 3-4, 2014Festival de FutballHost: NOKC Soccer ClubAll US Soccer affiliated teams Oklahoma City, OK Fields: NOKC fields Contact: Gary Boreham Phone: 405-701-5353 Email: borehamsoccer@cox .net U6 - U19 Recreational Boys & Girls U8-U10 Academy Boys & Girls Referee Assignor: Brett Dobie Email: referee@NOKCSoccer .com October 11-12, 2014Chillfest 2014Host: Tulsa United Soccer ClubAll US Soccer affiliated teamsTulsa, OKFields: TUSC complexesWebsite: www .tulsaunitedsoccerclub .comContact: Tim FauxPhone: 918-665-2870Email: tusc@tulsaunitedsoccerclub .comU7-U16 Recreational Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: John EvansEmail: acessoccer@cox .net

October 18-19, 2014SoktoberfestHost: NEOASAAll national Adult State AssociationsFields: Metro Tulsa Soccer ComplexContact: Shae RoggendorffPhone: 918-622-8948Email: info@neoasa .orgWebsite: www .neoas .orgU19 Boys & GirlsAdult Men’s and Women’s Competitive and RecreationalReferee Assignor: Larry Morgan Email: bokconstr@aol .com October 17-18, 2014 DATE CHANGE!!Frost Ya FannyHost: Lawton Soccer ClubUS Youth Soccer teams onlyLawton, OKFields: Big Green Soccer ComplexWebsite: www .lawtonsoccerclub .orgContact: Gene MiniettaPhone: 580-429-0896Email: miniettag@aol .comU6 – U14 Recreational Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: Brandon NerisEmail: brandon@lawtonsoccerclub .org

October 24-26, 2014Blitz United Fall InvitationalHost: Blitz United Soccer ClubAll US Soccer affiliated teamsTulsa, OKFields: Indian Springs Soccer Complex – Broken ArrowWebsite: www .blitzunited .org Contact: Robbie MitchellPhone: 918-691-7404Email: adoc@blitzunited .orgU11 – U19 Competitive Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: John EvansEmail: acessoccer@cox .net

November 7-9, 2014Turkey ShootoutHost: Edmond Soccer ClubAll US Soccer affiliated teamsEdmond, OKFields: Edmond Soccer complexWebsite: www .edmondsoccer .com/tourn_ts .phpContact: James L . SoesbeePhone: 405-409-2324Email: soccer999999@sbcglobal .netU7-U10 Academy Boys & GirlsU6-U19 Recreational Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: Brandon StoryEmail: bstory4@gmail .com November 14-16, 2014BASC 33rd Annual Recreational TournamentAll US Soccer affiliated teamsBroken Arrow, OKFields: Indian Springs Sports ComplexWebsite: www .bascok .com Contact: Scott HamiltonPhone: 918-258-5770Email: bascsw@cox .netU6-U19 Recreational Boys & GirlsU8-U10 Academy Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: Mike NaumannEmail: bassignor@hotmail .com November 14-16, 2014 Norman Classic Cup Host: Norman Youth Soccer Association All US Soccer affiliated teams Norman, OK Fields: Norman Soccer Complex Website:www .normansoccer .org/Contact: Dustin Hooker Phone: 405-573-0070 Email: nysatournaments@yahoo .comU8-U10 Academy Boys & Girls U11 – U17 Competitive Boys & Girls Referee Assignor: Bill Pevarnik Email: wpevarnik@att .net

see more Tournaments, page 26


November 21-23Tulsa Friendship CupHost: TSC Hurricane Soccer ClubAll US Soccer affiliated teamsBroken Arrow, OKFields: Indian Springs Soccer ComplexWebsite: www .tulsafriendshipcup .comContact: Michael NsienPhone: 918-625-2150U7 – U10 Academy Boys & GirlsU11 – U14 Competitive Boys & Girls

November 22-23, 2014 –Updated!adidas Sam Shannon ShowcaseHost: TSC Hurricane Soccer ClubAll US Soccer affiliated teamsJenks, OKFields: Metro Tulsa & Indian Springs Soccer ComplexWebsite: www .tschurricane .comContact: Jim Tindell918-688-9071Email: jimtindell@me .comU15 – U19 Competitive Boys & GirlsReferee Assignor: Michael NaumannEmail: bassignor@hotmail .com

Applications to host available online at www.oksoccer.com/tournaments/hosting_state_tournament.aspx

SANCTIONED TOURNAMENTScontinued from page 25

Not a final listing – some applications are still pending

Interview by Mike Woitalla from Soccer America’s Youth Soccer Insider

Shannon MacMillan, 1996 Olympic gold med-alist and 1999 World Cup champion, is the Director of Club Operations of San Diego's Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks, which she joined in 2009 after assis-tant coaching stints at her alma mater, the University of Portland, and UCLA. MacMillan, who scored 60 goals in 176 appearances for the USA, spoke with us about the joys and chal-lenges of youth soccer in America.

What was your aim when you left college coaching to be-come a youth club director? SHANNON MACMILLAN: Youth soccer in San Diego is crazy. It’s such a business now. Kids being recruited, treating kids like little professionals. When I got the call, I said, “If I’m going to do this, it will about the kids and not the results. It has to be about the kids’ development.” They believed in my vision.

How much is recruit-ing a part of youth soccer? SHANNON MACMILLAN: Some clubs in this area recruit players at U-9 and U-10. They promise them the world. “We’re going to get you in college … We’re going to get you on the national team.” You don’t even know if they’re going to like soccer in five years.

What drives coaches to re-cruit players at so young an age? SHANNON MACMILLAN: They put too much emphasis on results. They say we

Shannon MacMillanA World Champ’s View

on Coaching Kids

win all these championship, we get so many kids into college -- some parents get caught up in it and say I want that for my kid. But no college coach asks, “Did you win a State Cup at U-9?”

What should be the em-phasis at those young ages? SHANNON MACMILLAN: Let’s teach these kids how to be good sports, how to be confident, how to believe in themselves, how to work with teammates, and teach them some life lessons, while teaching the basic foundations of soccer, so they fall in love with the game and will want to play through the difficult times down the road.

What’s your advice to coaches at the younger ages? SHANNON MACMILLAN: It’s really im-portant at the younger ages not to play kickball, not to just look for the big-gest, strongest kids who can kick it the farthest. Let’s lose some games while we’re trying to keep possession and play out of the back. Let’s lose some games while creating center backs who have the confidence to turn and play it to the keeper to release pressure.

see MacMillan, page 27

SMOKE SIGNALS 27

Maybe we’re going to make a mis-take and get scored on, they’re learning the right way to play and will be ready when we go to 11-a-side.

If they learn the game the right way the chances are higher that they’ll find success later. When they start get-ting to U-15, and they’re still playing and they’re highly competitive, they have the potential to play in college.

What do you en-joy most about coaching? SHANNON MACMILLAN: When you’re teaching the players something and you see the light go on. Whether it’s in training or the game, and they’re try-ing something they haven’t quite got-ten, and it clicks for them, and it hap-pens, and they look over at you with a big smile that says, “I got it now!” That’s awesome to see.

I put a big emphasis on my girls just enjoying the game. It makes me happy when they have a smile on their face and they’re not afraid to make a mistake.

What’s the most dif-ficult part of coaching? SHANNON MACMILLAN: Reining in the expectations of the parents. Do we need private lessons? How do we do this? How do we do that?

Your kid’s 9. Let them just play. Let them just relax and enjoy the game. When the kid gets in the car, just say, “I enjoyed watching you today!”

Don’t critique them. Don’t wear them out. Don’t have them do three or four private lessons on top of training. Let them be kids.

What do you expect from your club’s coaches in dealing with parents? SHANNON MACMILLAN: I stress to my coaches to over-communicate with par-ents, because the more you communi-cate, the less you’re going to hear from them.

If you’re going into a tournament, send a quick e-mail: We’re focusing on finishing, so my focus this weekend will

be on how can we create more opportu-nities and how can we finish them.

Or explain, we worked on defend-ing and not diving in all week. And then send an e-mail at the end of the week-end, “I thought we did X, Y and Z well, but this was a weakness so we’re going to work on that.”

Include parents in your thought process and they’ll understand what’s happening while they’re on the sideline and be more likely to sit back and enjoy it.

I also make sure they make time for evaluations and sit down with the fami-lies.

Any “rules” for parents? SHANNON MACMILLAN: We have a 24-hour rule. Don’t approach a coach right after the game in the heat of the mo-ment.

Do girls and boys require different coaching methods? SHANNON MACMILLAN: Yes and no. As long as you have an understanding for the game and you find a unique trait that you can draw out of each kid indi-vidually, what works best for them, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl.

If you’re a yeller and screamer, you’re probably not going to be a good fit for most teams, but especially not for a girls team.

To be a good coach, whether it’s boys or girls, you must know how to teach each kid. This kid needs to be pushed a bit. This kid needs to become more confident. Figuring out how to reach each kid individually because they are different.

Do you think youth soc-cer needs more female coaches? SHANNON MACMILLAN: Players need coaches who know the game, can teach the game, and also know how to be a people person.

I’m always eager to hire female coaches but there are just not that many out there.

I think of all the great female play-ers who have come through the system in the U.S., the opportunities that soc-cer has afforded them, to not give back to the sport or not have the desire to, I think it’s a shame.

I wish there were more out there because I think women can be great coaches, whether it’s a boys or girls team, or youth team, college or profes-sional team.

Do you think that it’s harder for women to get opportunities? SHANNON MACMILLAN: I know that when I got into coaching I was some-times told I didn’t have experience, even though I played 176 times for the U.S. national team.

I firmly believe if you are a male and you have an accent, and you say you played for an English Premier League team -- even just for a youth team that’s tied to big club -- the doors are going to open more easily.

Are there things some of your coaches did, when you were a player, that you avoid as a coach? SHANNON MACMILLAN: Plenty. I learned a lot of what I wouldn’t do. I’m not a yeller or a screamer. The ma-jority of the game you’ll find me in a chair. It’s not that I’m not coaching, but I don’t want robots out there. I don’t want one of my players to receive the ball and say, “Pass to so-and-so.” I want my kids to think for themselves, and I’ve had coaches trying to have little pup-pets out there and dictate every move. Do you have an example of how one of your former coaches influenced your own coaching philosophy? SHANNON MACMILLAN: My coach at the University of Portland was Clive Charles. From the day I stepped on to that campus he cared about me as a person first and foremost -- and it made me want to run through a brick wall for that man.

Shannon MacMillan, continued from page 26


Panic surged through Horacio Elizondo late in the 2006 World Cup final as players from both teams encircled him and awaited his deci-sion.

An Italian defender lay on the ground writhing in pain, clutching his chest and pointing at French star Zinedine Zidane, but Elizondo had been watching the ball and had no idea what happened.

The Argentinian referee asked his assistant closest to the play if he'd seen the incident. No luck. Elizondo asked his assistant on the far side of the pitch. Again nothing. Then, just as Elizondo feared he was about to make a mess of the most high-profile match of his career as a referee, the voice of a fourth official typically in charge of administrative duties crackled in his headset.

"It was the voice of an angel," Elizondo said. "Yes, the fourth offi-cial, Luis Medina Cantalejo, uttered in his very Sevillian, very Andalusian accent, 'I have seen it, Horacio. A re-ally terrible headbutt by Zidane on [Marco] Materazzi. Again, a terrible headbutt.' And I said, 'Hey, hey, hey, stop. Calm down, Luis. Tell me a lit-tle bit about what happened. Who provoked whom?' Well, by the time I got to the spot, I knew Zidane was going to leave the pitch."

Elizondo's near-blunder on the most iconic call of his ca-reer illustrates how difficult officiating the highest levels of soccer can be even for the sport's best referees. Officials in every major sport must keep pace with world-class athletes half their age, make split-second judgment calls and brush off insults from

Toughest Job in the World – World Cup Referee?

hostile fans, but none have a more pressure-packed or physically demanding job than a referee in the World Cup.

To stay within 20 yards of the ball at all times, World Cup refer-ees must run about 8-10 miles per match — even more ground than most of the players cover. As a result, FIFA requires candidates for the job to pass a fitness test in which they must run six 40-meter sprints in six seconds or less apiece and finish 10 laps around a 400-meter track with an average running pace of 5:20 per mile.

Adding to the challenge for soc-cer referees is that they're more on an island than peers in other sports. For example, the NBA asks three referees to cover a court 94 feet long and 50 feet wide. In soccer, one referee is essentially responsible for calling any foul that occurs on a play-ing surface 16 times as big as a bas-ketball court, though he does have the aid of two assistants who judge when the ball has left the field of play and when offside has occurred.

The low-scoring nature of soc-cer also magnifies the importance of any call that either creates or denies a goal-scoring opportunity. Whereas a bad call early in a bas-ketball or football game is usually forgotten since the victimized team still has many chances to overcome it, that's not always the case in a sport like soccer that averages few-er than three goals per World Cup match.

"Of all the sports, soccer is probably the most difficult to offi-ciate," said U.S. referee Brian Hall, who officiated a pair of matches at

the 2002 World Cup. "A decision by a soccer official can have so much impact on a game. Penalty kick or no penalty kick? Red card or yel-low card? Offside or no offside? And let's face it, because soccer is so low-scoring, those kinds of de-cisions that can lead to goals carry much more weight than decisions in other sports. Over a season, you hope the calls balance out, but at a tournament like the World Cup, sometimes you don't have time for that to happen."

Though being vilified after bad calls and ignored after good ones is the norm for referees in every sport, the pressure on officials at a World Cup is immeasurable as a result of the consequences of a missed call. The stakes are arguably higher than any other sporting event since it's held every four years, the pride of entire nations is on the line and more people watch it than even the Super Bowl.

In this summer's World Cup, a referee from New Zealand was the subject of death threats and a peti-tion calling for his resignation after hewrongly disallowed a critical Bos-nian goal and was photographed hugging a Nigerian playerafter the final whistle. Twelve years earlier, Italian fans sent Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno a barrage of death threats and the country's cabinet minister labeled the official a "dis-grace" after he disallowed a goal and handed out an unjust red card in the Azzurri's shocking round of 16 loss to host South Korea.

Fan furor in soccer is hardly limited to the World Cup though.

see World Cup Ref, page 29

SMOKE SIGNALS 29

Stories of fans charging the field to attack a referee or pelting the offi-ciating crew with coins or eggs are common at both soccer's club and amateur levels.

In the most egregious exam-ple, a mob of Brazilian fans grue-somely quartered and beheaded a referee and displayed his head on a wooden stake last July after he stabbed a player who assaulted him during an amateur match. Even in the U.S., referees in Utah and Michigan have died the last two years as a result of injuries stemming from vicious attacks by amateur players irate over calls that went against them.

It's easy for Hall to empathize with referees who have been tar-geted by players or fans because he has been in their position. Though the Major League Soccer matches he worked seldom inspired that level of furor, Hall recalls a handful of scary incidents from his days as an amateur referee in the San Fran-cisco area.

"I had to learn survival skills," Hall said. "I've been assaulted. I've been attacked. I've been chased to my car. I've been chased across a four-lane highway as I was running to hide in a supermarket. All those things have happened to me. That's part of what happens as you grow and learn the trade, but at the high-est levels, I have been fortunate thus far."

How can men like Elizondo and Hall justify pursuing a career as a soccer referee despite the constant threat of violence or verbal abuse? Both say their passion for the job outweighs any potential downside.

Elizondo first dabbled in refer-eeing during a handball game while studying to become a PE teacher more than three decades ago. His professor was so impressed by his performance that he encouraged Elizondo to pursue a career as a ref-eree.

"I didn’t really think of it as a possibility until one day, many years after the fact," Elizondo said. "I was walking down the street and passed by the AFA (Association of the Ar-gentine Footall), where there was a poster that read, 'Refereeing Cours-es Registration.' I kept walking, but when I got to the corner, there was a red light, so I couldn’t cross the street. It was then that I remem-bered my professor and turned around."

Refereeing quickly became Elizondo's calling soon after he enrolled at the AFA. A passionate soccer fan who had dreamed of being Argentina's Attorney Gen-eral before becoming a PE teacher, Elizondo liked that refereeing com-bined his love of sports and sense of justice into one job.

From the moment he decided to pursue refereeing full time, Eli-zondo made it his goal to reach Ar-gentina's first division, to become an international referee and to work a World Cup. Twenty-three years af-ter launching his refereeing career, he marked the final box on that checklist when FIFA selected him to officiate the 2006 World Cup in Ger-many.

From a controversial red card for England'sWayne Rooney, to a penalty kick awarded toFrance, to a disputed Switzerland goal

World Cup Referee, continued from page 28

see World Cup Ref, page 30

against South Korea, Elizondo had an eventful World Cup even before Zidane's infamous headbutt. Still, red carding one of the sport's best players with 10 minutes left in the World Cup final will forever be what Elizondo is known for most.

Strangers still recognize Eli-zondo all the time because of that call and approach him to discuss the details. He and Zidane even had breakfast together in 2007 when they discovered they were staying at the same hotel in Spain. And he and Materazzi also crossed paths two years later in Panama when Eli-zondo was refereeing an exhibition match featuring Lionel Messi and other top South American stars.

"I was getting ready in the lock-er room when someone knocked the door, and it was Materazzi," Elizondo said. "He approached me with a smile, said hello, and asked if he could take a photograph with me. So he went to look for the cam-era and when he came back he had his whole family with him — his wife and his children. So I took pictures with him and all his family."

The Zidane call might not have been a moment worth memorializ-ing with photos for Elizondo were it not for the input of the fourth offi-cial on his staff. More than 300 mil-lion people worldwide watched that 2006 Final and many of them would not have been charitable to Elizon-do had Zidane gotten away with the vicious headbutt.

Fear of making a high-profile mistake like that often hounded both Elizondo and Hall in the hours leading up to the start of World Cup


matches they worked. Both men knew the many challenges of their job and the consequences of an ill-timed blunder.

"Before any match, you always have these feelings of nervousness and anxiety," Elizondo said. "Fear of making a mistake, fear of being misunderstood, and fear of failure. In my personal experience, I always faced a fear of making a mistake and had to work hard to cope with it."

Carolina Casares, Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo! Hispanic Ameri-cas, contributed to this report.

Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!

World Cup Referee, continued from page 29

A concussion is a type of trau-matic brain injury. Concussions are caused by a bump or blow to the head. Even a “ding,” “getting your bell rung,” or what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious.

You can’t see a concussion. Signs and symptoms of concussion can show up right after the injury or may not appear or be noticed until days or weeks after the injury. If your child reports any symptoms of concussion, or if you notice the symptoms yourself, seek medical at-tention right away.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A CONCUSSION?

Signs Observed by Parents or Guardians

If your child has experienced a bump or blow to the head during a game or practice, look for any of the following signs and symptoms of a concussion: • Appears dazed or stunned • Is confused about assignment or position • Forgets an instruction • Is unsure of game, score, or opponent • Moves clumsily • Answers questions slowly • Loses consciousness (even briefly) • Shows mood, behavior, or personality changes

Symptoms Reported by Athlete

• Headache or “pressure” in head • Nausea or vomiting • Balance problems or dizziness • Double or blurry vision • Sensitivity to light • Sensitivity to noise

WHAT IS A CONCUSSION? • Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy • Concentration or memory problems • Confusion • Just “not feeling right” or “feeling down”

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD PREVENT A CONCUSSION OR OTHER SERIOUS BRAIN INJURY?

• Ensure that they follow their coach’s rules for safety and the rules of the sport.

• Encourage them to practice good sportsmanship at all times.

• Make sure they wear the right protective equipment for their activity. Protective equipment should fit properly and be well maintained.

• Wearing a helmet is a must to reduce the risk of a serious brain injury or skull fracture.

– However, helmets are not designed to prevent concussions. There is no “concussion-proof” hel-met. So, even with a helmet, it is im-portant for kids and teens to avoid hits to the head.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU THINK YOUR CHILD HAS A CONCUSSION?

1. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY.A health care professional will

be able to decide how serious the concussion is and when it is safe for your child to return to regular activi-ties, including sports.

2. KEEP YOUR CHILD OUT OF PLAY.Concussions take time to heal.

Don’t let your child return to play the day of the injury and until a health care professional says it’s OK. Children who return to play too soon—while the brain is still heal-ing—risk a greater chance of having a repeat concussion. Repeat or later concussions can be very serious. They can cause permanent brain damage, affecting your child for a lifetime.

3. TELL YOUR CHILD’S COACH ABOUT ANY PREVIOUS CONCUS-SION. Coaches should know if your child had a previous concussion. Your child’s coach may not know about a concussion your child re-ceived in another sport or activity unless you tell the coach.

SMOKE SIGNALS 31

Tongue Twisters

Back to School Puzzle

Knock Knock Jokes

KIDS’ PAGEKIDS’ PAGEKnock KnockWho’s there!Sabina!Sabina who?Sabina a long time since I’ve seen you!

Knock KnockWho’s there!Sauce!Sauce who?Sauce together, now she’ll tell everyone!

Knock KnockWho’s there!Savannah!Savannah who?Savannah you going to open this door!

Shave a single shingle thin.

Stick strictly six sticks stumps.

Cinnamon aluminum linoleum.

Flora’s freshly fried fish.

Cooks cook cupcakes quickly.

Questions to ask your CoachIf lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn’t it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

What hair color do they put on the driver’s licenses of bald men?

N E T R A G R E D N I K S C V C F L T K Z C D W F F O F J Q Z F T E O C L U N C H T X I S H M U M M S O P H O M O R E J F N M K O E F W O P C E V U S E D M F O N N I H D H E N R E B I Z Z R I A T F C N I S S G T I X J S O T M A T O G P I D S P A D S R K E H R H H R R R P U I Q A H T F H S Y T I L L E X I Y L I T I I J E H P M W S U K W C G G R X H T R U O F X F L O O H C S E R P K F S L V A O C V K L T K C F N W U F O C P S R J D D N N Q A S B B

CLASSROOM EIGHTH ELEMENTARYFIFTH FIRST FOURTHFRESHMAN JUNIOR JUNIORHIGHLUNCH TRAY KINDERGARTENPRESCHOOL SECOND SENIORSENIORHIGH SEVENTH SIXTHSOPHOMORE TEACHER THIRD

Because we haven’t had anyone submit answers to our word search puzzles, we will no longer offer the contest. Just enjoy the puzzle and have a wonderful school year!

osa smoke signals aug2014

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