NASL  NEWSLETTER

October 4, 2002
       This is the 43rd issue distributed to the new NASL list. The previous newsletters are now on-line at http://www.nasl.com/current_news.htm 
Articles in this week's newsletter:
  1. Upcoming Soccer Calendar
  2. So you want to continue playing soccer in college? Here’s How:
  3. How College Scholarships Really Work.
  4. NASL Teams do well at TNFC Fall Classic by Diadora  Tournament in Franklin, TN
  5. Using Athlete Evaluations to Improve Performance
  6. Coaching Strategies used to Motivate Athletes
  7. Lost and Found
  8. Does Training Affect Growth? Answers to Common Questions:
  9. Oops - my goof!
Soccer Calendar - Dates to Remember
   More information on all events below is available at the NASL website.
  • Rocket City Invitational Tournament - October 5-6, 2002 in Huntsville, Alabama
  • October 9th, 2002
    • Roster freeze date for Chevy® Governor’s Cup teams.
    • Roster freeze date for Snickers® State Cup teams.
    • Entry deadline for all Division I and II teams wishing to play in the Snickers State Cup
    • Entry deadline for Division II U14-U18 teams and Division III and Division IV U10-U18 teams wishing to play in the Chevy Governor’s Cup.
      •
  • Kicks Invitational Soccer Tournament - October 25-27, 2002 in Huntsville, Alabama
  • "Fall" Tide American Festival - October 26, 2002 - "Location TBD"
  • "Fall" State League ends (D-I & D-II) - October 31, 2002 -
  • November 1, 2002
    • §1 Final fall registration is due in the AYSA office postmarked by this date and must include:
    • §2 A correctly prepared and readable diskette, roster or copy of the registration form containing required information for any player or coach registered after the submittal of registration information in October.
    • §3 Submission of Registration form and fees for additional players and coaches
  • Final date for Statewide Division III and Division IV League play - November 2, 2002
  • Snicker’s State Cup preliminary matches - November 1- 3, 2002
  • November 6, 2002
    • Entry deadline for Kellogg’s Cup for Division II U11-U13 teams.
    • Roster- freeze date for Kellogg’s Cup teams.
  • Governors Cup will be November 8th - 10th, 2002. Chevy Governor’s Cup for Division II U14-U18 and Division III & Division IV U10-U18.
  • Kellogg’s Cup for Division II U11-U13 - December 6-8, 2002
  • Snickers Cup will be December 6/7/8th, 2002 - semi-finals and finals.
  • Registration Deadline for Division I/II Spring League - December 13, 2002
  • Registration for Division III and Division IV members may begin - January 1, 2003
  • ODP Festival Boys - Huntsville - January 3rd - 5th, 2003
  • ODP Festival Girls - Huntsville - January 31, 2003 - February 2nd, 2003
  • Division III and Division IV players may be officially rostered to Spring teams as of this date - February 1, 2003
  • Submission of Registration forms and fees due in AYSA office. These must be true, accurate number of new member registrations and fees. Member cards will be issued to clubs for Division III and Division IV members once forms and fees are submitted. - February 15, 2003
  • Statewide Division III and Division IV League play may begin - March 1, 2003
  • Final date for Statewide Division III and Division IV League play - May 10, 2003
  • "Spring" Tide American Festival - May 17, 2003
So you want to continue playing soccer in college? Here’s How:
      You don’t have to make the Olympic Development Program or be an all-star selection to play on a college team ... if you are realistic about yourself and the colleges you want to attend. There are hundreds of college soccer teams and lots of kids playing college soccer who were simply solid high school players - not stars.
Your first priority must be finding colleges which will provide you with the education you want and need. But unless your educational requirements limit your choices to just a few schools, if you were good enough to play soccer on a premier level club team and start on your high school varsity as a sophomore or junior, you can probably find a college soccer program where you can play.
      One word of caution here - stay away from the "pay-me-first" recruiters that are out there making promises to kids that they have no intention or possibility of fulfilling. Their sales pitches may sound good on the surface but doubtless will only leave you hurting and poor.
      There are a few things you should consider before deciding to play college soccer:
      The life of a college player is very regimented. That is you get up early, go to work out, go to class, go to practice, go to study hall, go to bed, and then start over. There is time for "college life" but not nearly so much as a normal student.
      You must be prepared to sit the bench. This is probably the most difficult transition that a star high school player can make. Unless you are lucky enough to go to a team that has no one else to play your position, you are going to have to bump someone out of their position in order to play your freshman year and that is very hard to do. The older players are going to get first shot at their positions and if they are good you may not get a shot until they graduate. That is why it is really important to look for a team that NEEDS someone at your position.
      College ball will be a big transition. Many kids are not able to handle it. And it is not for everybody.
      Now, if you're still interested here's a roadmap to help you find your way to that college team of your dreams:
      The rest of the article which includes a list of items you should accomplish in each year of high school is on-line at
 http://www.decatursports.com/articles/soc/college_soccer.htm
How College Scholarships Really Work
There's a fascinatingly informative article published yesterday (Dec 1st) in the San Jose Mercury News about the uncomfortably mercenary pressures on players caused by college soccer being classified by the NCAA as an "equivalency" scholarship sport, in contrast to being classified as a "head
count" scholarship sport like basketball.  Briefly, in a "head count" sport, even $1 of aid counts as using a full scholarship out of the maximum allowable in that sport, e.g. 12 (so there is powerful incentive to offer players a full, not just partial, athletic scholarship).  By contrast, in an "equivalency" scholarship sport,
the program is free to divide the value of the 12 full scholarships into as many fractional scholarship pieces as they wish, so e.g. only 6 players on the team may be on "full" athletic scholarship, and 12 more may be on partial scholarships whose aggregate value is equivalent to 6 full scholarships (with the parts not necessarily equally divided among players).
        While the article explores the typical dilemma the equivalency scholarship system creates when a high school player is being recruited by less prominent school A, which considers offering a full scholarship, versus much more prominent school B, which is considering offering only a partial (and just how partial?) scholarship to them, the really fascinating part is about the pressures which operate within programs to increase or decrease the original fractional share for particular athletes, based on the player's performance and the program's recruiting prospects for next year's crop of high school seniors.  Just like a professional sports franchise, pressure may be applied to existing players to accept lesser fractional scholarship shares next year in order to be able to recruit an outstanding prospect for next year.  The program may also want to increase the scholarship share for some players whose performance last season proved their increased value to the team...but this has to come from somewhere, and they still have to recruit incoming freshmen.
        The implications of what's discussed in this article must be considered by any youth soccer player with ambitions to win a soccer scholarship to a college (and anyone advising them).
           The rest of the article is on-line at  http://www.decatursports.com/articles/how_college_scholarships_really_.htm
NASL Teams do well at TNFC Fall Classic Tournament in Franklin, TN
      Three NASL teams won the Premier (highest level of play) Divisions of their age groups at the  TNFC Fall Classic September 21st and 22nd in Franklin, Tennessee. The HSC Strikers Blue '87 won the U16 Boys division.  The HSC Strikers Blue '88 won the U15 Boys division.  The Kicks '92 won the U11 Premier group.  In addition the Decatur United U17 team finished second in the U18 Boys group.  The HSC '92 Blue finished second in the U11 Premier group.  On the girls side the '89 Shockers Girls finished second in the U14 Girls group and the HSC '91 Lady Strikers finished second in the U12 Girls Classic Division.
Using Athlete Evaluations to Improve Performance

David Barton, California State University - Fresno

     The issue of how coaches communicate with their athletes to improve individual performance and team play is complex. Furthermore, the communication challenges facing coaches at all levels and in all sports are numerous. For example, in their attempts to motivate and communicate with a team or individual, a coach has to communicate to a wide variety of personality types, understand the contextual setting of the coach-athlete relationship, and be conscious of the circumstances surrounding the life of each athlete (Yukelson, 2001).

      The first issue that makes coach-athlete communication difficult is that there are numerous personality types that respond to different styles of communication and motivational techniques. Research demonstrates a relationship between athletic performance and the athlete's personality, and there exists an association between personality and player position in some sports (Cox, 2002). Also, there is strong evidence to support the idea that coaches working in team sports will be working with specific personality types, while coaches working in individual sports will be coaching a different set of personality types (Cox, 2002).

      Click here to read the entire article
      http://www.pelinks4u.org/articles/gilbert/090102article1.htm
Coaching Strategies used to Motivate Athletes
Brent Hansen, California State University - Fresno


     As a past basketball coach at the Division I level, I have often wondered what it is that makes athletes tick. What is the driving force behind their motivation? If harnessed, this priceless bit of knowledge could be used in all arenas of athletics.

     Obviously a motivated athlete is going to perform better than a non-motivated one, and only very few coaches have unlocked the mystery of how to motivate their players during competition. What do they do and say to have this success?

     This article will attempt to explain the meaning of motivation, as well as use personal experiences coupled with research, to give coaches effective motivational strategies useful in competition.

Click here to read complete article

http://www.pelinks4u.org/articles/gilbert/090102article2.htm

Lost and Found
     Around September 14th a blue Decatur Revolution jersey #15 was left on the Rec Field after the game.    Also a blue Diadora soccer bag was left at Rec field after a game on September 28th. If anyone has found this jersey or bag please contact Manager Glenn Hurt at 353-1346.
Does Training Affect Growth?
Answers to Common Questions
http://www.physsportsmed.com/cover.htm
    At the Physician and Sports Medicine website this month is an article about the effect of training on growth.
    In Brief: Adolescent athletes may be at risk of restricted growth and delayed maturation when intense training is combined with insufficient energy intake. Because catch-up growth commonly occurs when training is reduced or ceases, final adult stature is unlikely to be compromised. However, in athletes who have long-term, clinically delayed maturation, catch-up growth may be incomplete. By charting individual growth patterns, physicians, coaches, and athletic trainers can detect vulnerable periods when the training intensity should be reduced and energy intake may need to be increased. Click here to read the rest of the article:  http://www.physsportsmed.com/cover.htm
Oops - My Goof
     Recently the Blue-Gray Tournament was looking for some girls' teams at the last minute to help fill out the brackets and they were offering a discount to those teams.  They asked us to notify the NASL teams of the offer so I sent out an e-mail that read "Blue-Gray Tournament needs Girls teams to fill out brackets".  However, the lengthy title of the e-mail was shortened by most of the popular e-mail reading software to: "Blue-Gray Tournament needs Girls teams to fill out bra"
     Kirk Holdsambeck e-mailed me to let me know that some people were probably deleting the e-mail automatically based on the title. 

NASL NEWSLETTER:

       You may sign up for the NASL e-mail list and also provide changes (including removing your name from the list) to your current e-mail address and phone numbers by using this form at  http://www.nasl.com/Email.htm This is our means of keeping the local soccer community up-to-date on events and items of interest.  If you have something to contribute please e-mail me at dsports@hiwaay.net
All of the above information and more is on-line at http://www.nasl.com

Thanks for being involved in soccer in Alabama. 

Ken Gamble - NASL Secretary
"Next Goal Wins!"