wsu history and mission€¦ · westside united and monical’s pizza are proud to work together to...

Welcome to the May edition of the Westside United Newsletter! I hope you enjoy!

WSU History and Mission

Westside United Soccer Club, a division of Magic Soccer Club of Indiana Inc. (1988), is a Premier level soccer club

based out of Avon, IN. Westside United was originated in 2002 by Dustin Ottesen and John Case. Many of our

players come from the Central Indiana area, but also extend as far as Terre Haute, Columbus, Noblesville, and Ft.

Wayne. The club has grown from 4 travel teams to 28 travel teams since it started in 2002. Our Jr. Academy which

serves around 200+ kids has grown by over 150 kids the last 4 years. Westside United’s reputation continues to

grow within the state and region as one of the top level soccer clubs around.

In our few years of existence, Westside United has 15 State Championships, 23 state runner-ups, 1 regional finalist,

2 regional semi-finalists, and many Challenge Cup and President’s Cup Champions, Finalist, and Semi-Finalist. We

have produced over 200 college soccer players, and our numbers continue to grow every year. We have multiple

players involved with the ODP program on the state, regional, and national level. We have two players involved

with the Men’s and Women’s US U17 National Teams. We recently had one player drafted into the MLS by the

Chicago Fire.

What makes us different than most clubs is our coach. Our directors and coaching staff truly have the bigger picture

of soccer in mind and are here for the kids and the betterment of the game. We believe that individual development

will lead to team development. The Westside United board fully supports our directors and their decisions within the

club.

Westside United is dedicated to providing the best coaching for each and every one of our teams. We are committed

to providing developmentally appropriate environments for all levels of players. Our experienced and nationally

certified professional staff ensures that each club player receives appropriate instruction, quality leadership, and

exposure to valuable life lessons. Our goal is to promote and teach youth soccer in the state of Indiana and provide

Premier soccer to the central Indiana area.

MISSION: To teach and promote youth soccer in the central Indiana area and provide a unique, modern, and

premier soccer experience to the Westside of Indianapolis.

Westside United Tryout Information Announced!

Westside United FC Tryout Information

The Premier Travel Soccer Club in Indiana

WSU Player Excellence:

*15 State Championships *23 State Runner-ups *200+ College Soccer players at the Division I, II, III, and NAIA

Levels *1 Regional Finalist, 2 Regional Semi-Finalist *2 US U-17 National Team Player *3 ODP National Team

Players *5 ODP Regional Team Players *74 ODP State and Pool Players (current) *1 MLS Player * Ranked 23rd

club in the Nation in 2010 by National Soccer Rankings.com

WSU Coaching Excellence:

*Westside United’s coaching staff is made up of former pro players, college players, current/former college coaches,

high school coaches, and state cup winners. *Qualified licenses with USSF, NSCAA, or other International

Licenses. *Specialized Goal keeping coach with high level coaching and playing experience. *Established

relationships with college, ODP, and high school coaches. *Best coaching staff in Indiana.

Tryout Information:

*All tryouts will be at the Dan Jones Complex. *Each player is expected to bring cleats, a soccer ball, guards, and

water to tryouts. *Please pre-register online at www.wsusoccer.com . *Arrive 30 minutes prior to tryouts to check-

in. *It is Westside United’s goal to make sure that we have a team for each and every player. Players will be notified within 48 hours of the last tryout on which team they have made at Westside United.

Online registration will open on April 9th

. Rain out date will be on June 14th

. Same location and times.

Age Group/Gender Date Time Field # *U8s will be part of a U9 Pool of Players

U8, U9, U10 Boys June 5th and June 6th 6:00-7:30 p.m. 1

U11 Boys June 12th and June 13th 5:45-7:15 p.m. 1



U14 Boys June 12th

and June 13th

5:45-7:15 p.m. 3





U8, U9, U10 Girls June 5th and June 6th 7:30-9:00 p.m. 1

U11 Girls June 12th

and June 13th

7:30-9:00 p.m. 1

U12 Girls June 12th and June 13th 7:30-9:00 p.m. 2



U15 Girls June 12th and June 13th 4:00-5:30 p.m. 4,5

U16 Girls June 12th and June 13th 4:00-5:30 p.m. 4,5

U17 Girls June 12th

and June 13th

2:00-3:30 p.m. 4

U18 Girls June 12th

and June 13th

2:00-3:30 p.m. 4

*Please pre-register online at www.wsusoccer.com

WSU Technical Training: Girls

Westside United will be offering FREE spring technical training sessions during April. Please take advantage of

this opportunity to get more touches on the ball and become a more technical soccer player. Below are more details:

Instructor: Eric Nance, Avon High School Girl’s Head Coach

Date: Age Group: Time: Location:

Tuesday, May 15 U8-U10 Girls 6-7pm Dan Jones 5

http://www.wsusoccer.com/


Tuesday, May 15 U11 and U13 Girls 7-8pm Dan Jones 5

Please make sure that you have a soccer ball as the majority will be 1 ball, 1 player approach or 1 ball, 2 player

approach. They will also need to wear cleats and guards. Please bring plenty of water.

WSU Technical Training: Boys

Westside United will be offering FREE spring technical training sessions during April. Please take advantage of

this opportunity to get more touches on the ball and become a more technical soccer player. Below are more details:

Instructor: Todd Frost, Brownsburg High School Boy’s Head Coach

Date: Age Group: Time: Location:

Monday, May 14 U8-U10 5-6pm Crossroads 1

Monday, May 14 U11-U14 6-7pm Crossroads 1

Please make sure that you have a soccer ball as the majority will be 1 ball, 1 player approach or 1 ball, 2 player approach. They will also need to wear cleats and guards. Please bring plenty of water.

Monical’s Pizza Monthly Fundraiser

Westside United and Monical’s Pizza are proud to work together to help support soccer in the local community.

Please go to Monical’s Pizza on any fundraiser night listed below and 20% of your bill will go back to Westside

United FC. Please print off this page when you go in and mention that you are with Westside United FC so that the

fundraiser slips can be filled out. Thank you for supporting Monical’s Pizza and Westside United FC!

Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2012

PRINT OFF AND BRING TO FUNDRAISER NIGHT:

Monical’s Pizza is proud of our staff, food, and the service we provide to the community. We couldn’t do it without

your help, and now we would like to say thank you in another way.

This is how you do it: you, your family, your friends, and your neighbors come to the Avon, IN. Monical’s located

on 9271 E US Hwy 36 for a delicious meal on ( ) . In return, Monical’s pizza will donate 20% of

each check accompanied by this flyer to your organization.

It’s that simple!

Guest copy Organization: WSU Soccer

Special Day: ( )

Guest Check Total: $ ( )

(Before sales tax)

20% contribution: $ ( )

Spring College Clinics

All College Clinics are open to any and all participants who would like to attend as long as they are ages U7-U14.

You DO NOT have to be a member of Westside United to attend. Please email Josh George at [email protected]

if you have any questions.

Butler University Girl’s Clinic- Wednesday, May 9, 2012 from 6-7:30pm

WSU FREE Summer Technical Training

Westside United is offering free technical training throughout the summer to its members, ages U8-U14. Please take

advantage of these opportunities to become a more technical soccer player. This is a service not offered by many

clubs around the state. Sessions will be ran by Josh George and/or other coaches from the club.

Date: Age Group: Time: Location: June 18 U8-U10 Boys 5-6pm Dan Jones

June 18 U11-U14 Boys 6-7pm Dan Jones June 18 U8-U10 Girls 7-8pm Dan Jones

June 18 U11-U14 Girls 8-9pm Dan Jones

June 25 U8-U10 Boys 5-6pm Dan Jones

June 25 U11-U14 Boys 6-7pm Dan Jones



July 2 U8-U10 Boys 5-6pm Dan Jones

July 2 U11-U14 Boys 6-7pm Dan Jones

July 2 U8-U10 Girls 7-8pm Dan Jones


July 23 U8-U10 Boys 5-6pm Dan Jones July 23 U11-U14 Boys 6-7pm Dan Jones



Summer 3v3 Open Play

Westside United will be having 3v3 open play throughout the summer for Westside United members U8-U14.

Players need to simply show up with cleats, guards, and a ball and Westside United coaches will take over from

there. The players will be organized by the coaches once all players are present. This is a time for the players to

simply play some pickup games. No coaching will be done but coaches will be there to monitor and organize the

teams and fields. Parents are welcome to come and watch. 3v3 Open Play will be on Thursdays starting on June 21st

and running through July 26th. The Girls session will be from 5:30-7:00pm and the Boys session will be from 7:00-

8:30pm.

If you are interested in doing individual training or small group training, please contact Director of Coaching, Josh

George at [email protected] and he will get you in contact with a trainer.

Westside United Summer Training Camp

mailto:[email protected]


All Westside United teams (u8-u14) will participate in a training camp during the summer month of July. The camp will last three days and the cost for each Westside United player is $25 which will be figured into each player’s fall

fees. The camp will be directed by Josh George, director of coaching for Westside United FC. Coach George will

be utilizing other Westside United coaches as well as college coaches during the duration of the camp. The camp

will be geared towards the technical and tactical side of the game in a challenging environment. All players are

expected to bring a ball, wear soccer cleats, have shin guards on, and bring water to training.

Age Group Dates Times Location

U8-U9-U10 Boys July 9-11 5:30-7:00 Dan Jones Complex

U11-U14 Boys July 12-13, 16 5:30-7:00 Dan Jones Complex

U8-U9-U10 Girls July9-11 7:15-8:45 Dan Jones Complex

U11-U14 Girls July 12-13, 16 7:15-8:45 Dan Jones Complex

Congratulations to the following Westside United players who recently made college commitments:

Josiah Philips- Cedarville University (WSU 94) David Stroup- Oakland City University (WSU 94)

Austin Davis- Franklin College (WSU 94)

Zack Hopper- Trine University (WSU 94)

Adam Christenson- Lee University (WSU 94)

Jack Griffith- Indiana University (WSU 96)

Mikayla Lasky- Purdue University (WSU 93-94)

Danielle Rader- Asbury University (WSU 94)

Tawney Trickey- Marian College (WSU 94)

Alex Pohl- Rose Hulman (WSU 94)

Barak Brown – Anderson (WSU 94)

Chris Schoenfeld- Depauw (WSU 94)

Ryan Saunders - Indiana Wesleyan (WSU 94) Rocky Byrd- Taylor (WSU 94)

Congratulations to the following Westside United players who were invited to train in front of US Soccer Scouts at Market Training the first week in May! Kyle Holmer- 98

Zach Leech- 98

Dillon Stemler- 99

Rico Hollenkamp-99

Prince Gaye- 99

Alan Aguilar- 97

Matthew Boberg- 2000

Jr. Academy News

The Jr. Academy season is set to begin next week. Our Jr. Academy (U4-U8) continues to grow each season. Please

make sure you refer kids and parents that you know to Westside United to enjoy learning soccer in a fun

environment. Players can sign up at anytime, even late. More information for our Jr. Academy and registration can

be found online at www.wsusoccer.com.

Having a good vertical jump is pretty important in most sports (Captain Obvious, I know). As

such, it’s a pretty important goal for most of the athletes I work with. Most equipment

manufacturers know this and try to sell various products like jump shoes and various band

contraptions to improve this. In this post, I’m going to outline five strategies for improving

vertical jump that don’t need any of these.

1. Move Better

Movement quality is the first thing we look at when an athlete walks in the door. Can the

athlete squat without their knees falling into valgus collapse? Do their heels lift? Do they have

poor shoulder/t-spine mobility? If the athlete has tight hip flexors, they aren’t going to be able to

access their posterior chain as well. If the athletes knees are falling in, their heals lift, and they

have poor mobility, they aren’t going to have the best jumping ability. Vertical jump – and

jumping in general – is all about force production relative to your bodyweight. If the athlete has

the poor movement skills mentioned above, they won’t be able to apply as much force to the

ground. This means a lower vertical jump.

Valgus knees = bad movement quality and poor vertical jumping ability.

2. Snatch

Snatch and other olympic lift variations are the most explosive lifts you can do in the weight

room. We primarily use the clean grip and dumbbell snatch variations with our athletes. I like


the snatch the most because it’s the fastest for athletes to learn, and we don’t have to deal with

ankle and wrist limitations like we would in a clean.

3. Box Jumps

Box jumps have gotten a bad wrap lately. Mainly because most of the ones you see people doing

on the internet are the ego driven, let’s get my knees to my chest and flex my lumbar spine so I

can jump 60 inches type box jumps. This is not what I’m talking about.

This is NOT what we do.

Instead, we focus on jumping as high as possible with minimal knee tuck. Most athletes would

struggle to get on a 45″ box without looking like a folded up accordion. The reason I like box

jumps is that we can challenge the athlete to jump without the added impact of hitting the

ground. This makes for easier recovery from the workouts.

4. Learn to hip hinge well

A hip hinge is exactly what it sounds like. You’re keeping the knees soft while flexing at the

hip. This is the ideal position for engaging the hamstrings and glutes. A common mistake that

people make when jumping is to squat during their counter movement. This doesn’t use the

body’s natural lever system as well as a hinge will.

Hinge, don't squat.

5. Don’t be overweight

That’s right. The leaner you are, the better you will be at pretty much anything that involves

moving your body. The vertical jump is basically a test of how strong you are in relation to your

bodyweight. Ideal body fat percentage for athlete is 5 – 15% for men and 10% – 23% for

females. Anything over this is just nonfunctional weight.

Like many other things in the sports performance world, getting better at the vertical jump

doesn’t require a bunch of fancy equipment. Just get good at these basic things, and you’ll be

happy with the results.

Westside United Team Accomplishments in April Congratulations to the following teams who either won tournaments or finished as a finalist in March!

WSU 96 Boys Green- Carmel Crossroads College Showcase Champions

WSU 99 Boys Green- Ohio Nike Challenge Cup Semi-Finalist

WSU 2001 Boys Green- Ohio Nike Challenge Cup Finalist

WSU 95 Boys Green- Ohio Nike Challenge Cup Finalist

WSU 99 Girls Green- Kapsalis Cup Finalist

Westside United Juggling Club

As you walk around the fields right now, you see a growing number of juggling club bag tags which is great to see.

Please keep going out and getting touches on the ball and strive to reach your next benchmark. More information on

the juggling club can be found online at www.wsusoccer.com .

We will be hosting our second annual, award winning Westside United Invitational on August 10-12, 2012 at

the Al and Jan Barker Sports Complex in Plainfield.

All WSU teams U9-U14 (boys and girls) will again be required to participate this year.

Coaches – please be sure to contact other teams and clubs that you would like to see attend and compete against.

We are accepting sponsors and if anyone you know may be interested, please have them contact Brian Holmer at

this email [email protected]

We will be requiring each team to provide a list of volunteers to assist with the tournament. More info will be

provided at a later date

Clubs already committed include Westside United, Carmel, Fever, Noblesville, and Spartan FC (IL).

Westside United Goalkeeping Training

Westside United Goalkeepers



Starting Tuesday April 3rd we will start offering our Club goalkeeping sessions. They are free to all goalkeepers within the club and will be led by Brandon Cook, who is in his third year of goalkeeping training with Westside

United FC. In a previous role, Brandon was the goalkeeper coach at Plainfield HS and currently serves as the

goalkeeper at Franklin College as well as a trainer for the Indiana Goalkeepers academy. For those of you that have

participated in training sessions in the past, the format of the sessions will be similar however the grouping will be

slightly different from years past. In order to create a more competitive practice environment, there will be 3 groups

this year instead of the 2 from previous year. The schedule will be as follows

Tuesdays (starting April 3) U11 and younger 5-6 pm Crossroads Complex

Wednesdays (starting April 4) U12-U14 5-6pm Dan Jones Complex

Thursdays (starting April 5) U15-U18 5-6pm Dan Jones Complex

I will also be moving some goalkeepers to different groups based on ability. This will allow all goalkeepers to

maximize their potential at each training session. If you cannot make it on a certain night and want to attend on a

certain night please email me and we can work out an agreement.

I encourage all teams to send me their goalkeepers on a weekly basis because each session will build from the

previous session. To date I have worked with the majority of the goalkeepers either in individual sessions or in a

group setting and look forward to training again with you all this spring. If you are interested in private lessons,

please contact me and I can give you more details at that time. Thanks.

Brandon Cook- [email protected]

WSU Player at a Glance: Jayden Gibson

Name: Jayden Gibson Team: WSU 02 Green Number: 18 Favorite Pro team: U.S. Women's Team Favorite Player: Alex Morgan Favorite College: Indiana University Most memorable soccer moment: My most memorable soccer moment was when I got my first goal with

Westside, it was an assist from Alex David. Individual goals: I want to get better with my left foot, dribble and shoot, and to do a Maradona in a game. Team goal:Build our team strength and work together to win games. What you like most about WSU: My coach! Coach Kristin is awesome!

DOCs comments about Jayden: Jayden has a passion for the game of soccer that you would like any kid her age to

have. She always wants to get better and takes in what the coaches tell her to do and applies it to her game. I am

excited to see what the future holds in store for Jayden at Westside United!

WSU Player at a Glance: Mason Stemler


Name: Mason Stemler Team: WSU 2001 White Boys Number: 28 Favorite Pro team: Real Madrid Favorite Player: Landon Donovan Favorite College: Indiana University Most memorable soccer moment: When we went to the Championship at Pike Fest! Individual goals: Get better at juggling. Team goal: Win a championship! What you like most about WSU: The coaches and how we practice. I love coach Lorenzo’s accent and when

Coach Wey says, “Right on, right on. “ DOCs comments about Mason: Mason has come a long way since he first started playing travel this year. He is a

pretty good athlete who is still learning the game but has a bright future if he continues to work hard. Would love to

see what type of player he would be if he had started travel at a younger age. Keep working hard !

Trip to Berlin, Germany

I was recently able to go to Berlin, Germany with the Indiana ODP state team to play in a tournament and go

sightseeing. We arrived on April 11, and even though we were exhausted after traveling all night, we trained soon

after we got to our hotel in Berlin. The next morning we had our first game against the Berlin club team, and we

won 2-1. The rest of the day we went on a tour through Berlin. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust

Memorial, the Berlin Wall, and several different government buildings. We got to meet the United States

Ambassador to Germany, who is a big soccer fan!

The next day we played the Mecklenburg-Vorpommen club team. They were a very tough team, and they came

away with a 2-0 victory. In the afternoon we went to the top of a watch tower that was used to watch over East Berlin during the Cold War. Today it houses a rotating restaurant that looks out over the whole city. The view was

incredible. We had a chance to do a little shopping before heading back for a barbecue for all four teams

participating in the tournament. It was a great chance to get to know the German players better, and we had fun

learning about each others’ cultures and teaching each other words and phrases.

Our final game was against Thüringen, who sneaked by us 1-0. We spent the afternoon touring Olympic Stadium.

It was amazing to walk where so many famous athletes from history competed. We spent our last day at Tropical

Island, which is a huge indoor water park that would cover eight football fields. We returned to our hotel to pack

and prepare for an early morning departure.

My trip to Germany was a once in a lifetime experience. I got to play some great soccer, see some amazing historic

sites, and meet some wonderful people. It was a prodigious trip!

By. Stephanie Burdsall- WSU 97 Girls Green

Westside Alumni: Report from College Corbin Bealle: Marian University (NAIA)

Hello Westside Family! For the ones that do not know me, my name is Corbin Beall. I am currently

attending Marian University majoring in chemistry and minoring in mathematics. I have the privilege to be a part of

the Marian Knights Men’s soccer team also. As I just completed my freshman year last week, I could not have asked

for a better experience.

Soccer has been my life ever since I can remember. I played through some different Avon rec and travel

teams until I landed at Westside around U-9 or U-10. This is where my love for soccer really came about. I was

playing with my best friends and competing at a level I had never played before. The years went by and we had a fantastic time but by U-15 Westside became a huge part of my life. Everything instantly became more competitive,

physical, and demanding. This is when I realized soccer could really help me get into college. Our coach, Josh

George, had just as big dreams for us as we had for ourselves. He required lists of colleges we were interested in and

was always trying to help in any way possible. He not only pushed us on the field but also pushed for good grades

because that is just as vital. We went on to win four consecutive state championships with hard work and dedication.

This concept of working hard for something has taught me a lot about life, not just soccer. Westside and Josh have

taught me not just to be a competitive soccer player, but a well-rounded person prepared for life’s challenges.

Meet the Coach, Brian Holmer Hello, I’m Brian Holmer and I’ve been coaching at Westside United FC for about 7+ years now. I have been

coaching soccer in general for approximately 15+ years. I am currently the head coach of the ’97 and ’99 Green

girls teams. In addition to coaching, I am currently the tournament director for our club tournament the Westside

United Invitational.

My previous coaching experiences have included many different levels of both genders including ten years of high

school at Ben Davis and Avon. I have been fortunate enough to coach many players who have gone on to play at the collegiate, national and professional levels. I currently hold a USSF D license.

I have been blessed with three beautiful children and a lovely wife of almost 15 years who are all actively involved

with Westside United FC. I have enjoyed my coaching experience at WSU as I have seen it grow and look forward

to the continuing progression in becoming the top soccer club in Indiana.

Meet the Coach, Brian Irk

Hey Westsiders, my name is Brian Irk. I'm 27 years old. I'm 6'3" with light brown hair. I enjoy romance novels and

watching the sunset. Wait, wrong bio...

I'm originally from LaPorte, IN and was a 4 year Varsity starter for the LP High School Slicers. I still hold the

record for most goals in a game, season and career for the Slicers. On the club level I played two seasons for Junior

Irish in South Bend. After high school I went to University of Indianapolis, where I played with WSU Coaches Josh

George, Jimmy Rust, and Eric Nance. I've been with WSU since before I graduated in 2007. I currently coach the

the U14 '98 boys Green team proudly in our first MRL season.

I studied Broadcast Communication at UIndy where I was the Sports Director for WICR-FM for two years. I did

play-by-play for every Men's and Women's basketball and football teams as well as an occasional soccer and

baseball game for 2 1/2 years. After winning Indiana Collegiate Sports Broadcaster of the year from the Indiana

Broadcasters Association in 2007, I graduated with a Bachelor's degree. But as the story goes, it took me 4 years of school, a degree, 2 internships, 2 job interviews and 2 job offers for me to realize that I didn't want to do Radio/TV

broadcasting. So now, I love my career as the local business owner of Brian Irk Fitness.

I met my wife Katie in 2005 at UIndy and we were married in July 2010. We live in Westfield with our two dogs

Hank and Gus.

The main reason I love coaching is because I want to invest in young people. Many people invested in me as a kid

and now I want to show them my gratitude by doing my best to set an example for WSU's young people. As many

poor role models as there are in the world, I believe that we as coaches have the responsibility to not only teach, but

exemplify winning attributes like teamwork, integrity, self-discipline and how to win and lose well.

I love Westside because that's how Westside coaches teach. That at the end of the day life is about relationships, the

rest is just details.

Thanks to all you parents, managers, coaches and directors for all you do to help Westside operate. You make

soccer possible and enjoyable for these kids. Thank you for all you do.

God Bless,

Brian Irk

Make sure you visit our website for more information on Westside United FC at

www.wsusoccer.com. Follow us on twitter, WestsideFC2012. Follow us on Facebook.

Please contact the Director of Coaching, Josh George, at [email protected] if you have any

questions.



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