Meeting Minutes – 11/12/08
Meeting Held at Avon Lake Public Library
Purposes for forming a soccer boosters club:
Provide a foundation and support system to enable the program to move into an elite level in the Cleveland area.
- Ensure continuity in the program so that future generations do not have to “reinvent the wheel” but rather will be able to take the program and continue to step up to higher levels.
- Create an environment where our players can expand and develop their skills.
- Create an environment where the valuable lessons of teamwork and goal achievement can be realized through a positive 4 year experience in the program.
Topics covered:
1) Coaches Update – No new updated info. to be reported.
2) Concessions:
A big Thank You to both Cindy & Will Herzberger and Ingrid Mills for their work with the concession stand this year. Since the Herzberger’s daughter is a senior, we will need new volunteers to run our concession stand next year. Let me know if you are interested.
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horepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
1) Setup – this would involve getting the stand ready to go by the 5:00 p.m. start of the JV games. We will need a new volunteer or team of volunteers for next year.
2) Staff – this is usually not a problem as people sign up and work their shifts. Ideally, people only need to work one game per season. JV parents work Varsity games and Varsity parents work JV games.
3) Close –up – we need someone to close down the stand, pack up the food, secure the money, etc. Once again, we will need a new set of volunteers for next year.
4) Inventory – we need a volunteer to keep the food and equipment between games and over the offseason. Need new volunteers here also.
5) Purchaser – we need a volunteer to purchase the food supplies we need to stock the stand. We are looking to fill this position also.
6) Financial – volunteer to manage the booster club account, deposit receipts, and dole out money for apparel & other items. This will fall to John Kenny initially.
7) Looking for incoming freshmen or sophomore parents to complete our staff. We would like to have parents from each grade level familiar with the operations of the concession stand to ensure a stable transition from year to year.
4) Fundraising:
A new idea that we have been approached with is something called “aisle19.com”. This is an invitation only shopping website which features over 700 merchants such as Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. As Shorepal families shop online through aisle19.com, we earn some money back on those purchases. Patty Schenkelberg is our connection with this opportunity. We will be looking at this more closely after the new year.
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
5) Team Related Activities:
These are activities that we do during the year for and with the girls. We need to find volunteers as coordinators for next year for the activities listed. A brief summary of what we have done over the past year is listed below:
1) Father’s Day Tournament – We work at two field locations during the two days of this tournament. We need someone to coordinate the logistics of the two locations including the purchasing of items, getting volunteers to work at the two locations, and setup/closeup. We have general instructions on how to run the stands as well as data on what needs to be bought and how much. We will need a volunteer for next year.
2) Relay for Life – Our main community service project as a team. We raise money by walking, having car washes, and running games at the Relay itself. Our “score a goal and get a stuffed animal” is always a hit. Yes, we do stay the entire night. Need an overall coordinator and two parents per shift to oversee the girls. Need new volunteers for next year.
3) Alumni Game & Picnic – We are going to try and move this game into July to enable more participation and we have some ideas to recruit more girls to come back for the game. Another area where we will need someone to coordinate the event.
4) Lorain County Showcase – As of right now, I don’t think this is going to be an issue as we will probably not be participating in this event next year.
5) Annual weekend outing – This is a team building event to get the girls comfortable with each other and revved up for the season. Usually held during July at a location outside of Avon Lake. This is an important event on a number of levels. We will need coordinators if we plan to go ahead with this next summer. Update – Frank Szocs is going to look into something that Chagrin Falls does with their team – they attend soccer camp at the University of West Virginia and then end the week by going on a whitewater raft trip. We will also be looking at overnight camps at various colleges for our teambuilding event.
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
6) Team Dinners – We discussed the pros and cons of the team dinners held in the format that we used this year. There seems to be a strong sentiment to going back to the full team format which has been done in the past for at least a few times next year. The Srails, the Glassers, and the Kowalskis have all volunteered to host one of these full team dinners for next year.
7) Senior Night – Next year’s senior parents will need to coordinate. After 4 years in the program, we need to ensure that the girls are properly recognized in a dignified manner.
8) End of season gifts – Need coordinator; also parents of seniors plan on helping.
9) Findlay game – We need to determine if we are going to sign another contract with them. Anyway, it would be our turn to travel to Findlay. But, perhaps Kiko will be scheduling another long distance team to come in. We will wait and see how the schedule shakes out.
10) End of season party – I think the parents enjoy the socializing more than the girls, but it is a positive way to end the season no matter what our results. We will need someone who would like to host this event.
11) Post season games – We need to make a habit of attending District championship games, Regional games, and State Tournament games. Hopefully, we will soon be playing in these games. For that matter, we need to have our JV girls attend our own playoff games. At any rate, the girls need to experience the atmosphere at these games so that when they do play in them, they know what to expect. The crowds and atmosphere at Regional and State games are very different than your normal regular season game. Those who prepare for success will experience that success. Once again, I will need a volunteer to coordinate this activity.
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
6) Program Related Activities:
These are specific tasks that can be done by parents to support and enhance the overall soccer program:
1) Program – I hope you all enjoyed this year’s edition of the Shoregal Yearbook. Once again, our thanks to Bush Printing for doing the work on the layout and printing of our program. So, please consider Bush Printing for any printing needs, promotional items, or printed apparel needs. Owners Pat & Kathy Bush are parents of a former Shoregal soccer player. Next year, we would like to consider selling some advertising space and gradually assume the full cost of the program.
2) Website – please continue to visit our website – www.alshoregalsoccer.org . We continue to add more links and more information. This is the place to find out about all things Shoregal soccer. A main intent of this website is for it to be a resource for both the girls and their parents. Thanks to Pat Tarter who is our resident webmaster.
3) Film games – We are looking for new volunteers for next year. We would like to film Varsity games, JV games, and focus on filming the girls who intend to play in college so that game films can be made for each girl to send to various colleges. We need both parents and JV’s to help with this task and there will be some compensation involved. Update – I saw that the Hockey team asked the High School Booster club for money to buy a video cam. I think that we should approach the Booster club with the same request and this will take care of the problem of not having a video cam available.
4) Game Banners – We are trying to create an atmosphere and make girls soccer games an event. Banners and signs add to the ambiance. We want to expand our sign making for next season.
5) Stat Keeper – right now the coaches handle this duty, but it would be helpful if a parent was willing to keep stats while watching the game. We will instruct you on what to do, you just need to be very observant. We definitely need a volunteer for this job next year.
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
6) Scouting – once again the coaches handle when they can, but it would be helpful to have others involved to lessen the burden. We would like to scout ahead on challenging opponents and you would be instructed on what to look for.
7) Soccer ball sign keeper – We need someone to coordinate the soccer ball signs for the varsity and store over the winter/summer and do a little maintenance when needed. Mary O’Malley has volunteered to babysit our signs again over the offseason. Please get your signs over to her.
8) Picture taking – Vic Strimbu has volunteered to help us here and he will be doing a season highlight disk as well. Update – I believe the reviews were very positive on the highlight DVD and everyone was pleased with the outcome. Once again, thanks to Dr. Strimbu for all the effort that went into making this a reality.
7) Offseason Program:
Information will be sent out under separate e-mails regarding indoor soccer and other offseason programs. It is very important that the girls continue to work on their conditioning and soccer skills during the offseason. This is the period of time when they can make the largest improvements in their performance, not the regular season. That is the time to work on strategy and tactical issues.
8) Shoregal Soccer History:
I have the all time stats put together with the info. that has been made available to me, but I am still missing data for a number of years. Info. that I need to make the records complete include:
1) I need to borrow a 1999 ALHS yearbook from whoever may have one.
2) I need help with data from 1999, 2000, 01, 02, & 03. I have minimal or no data at all from those years. Coincidentally, they happen to be the highest goal scoring years in the history of the program. Anyone that knows of any players or parents from that era, please let me know. I would like to get in contact with them to see what data that they may have.
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
This time I would like to recap all the post season awards earned by the girls this year:
Ø 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas Team Academic All-American Award
Ø Trisha Wladecki was named as a 2008 NSCAA/Adidas Academic All-American as an individual. She is the first recipient of this award in the 16 year history of the girls soccer program. This is a very prestigious award as only 35 girls nationwide were honored.
Ø Trisha Wladecki was named All-Ohio 2nd team.
Ø Trisha Wladecki was named MVP of the Southwestern Conference.
Ø All-SWC as follows:
1st team – Trisha Wladecki
2nd team – Tani Lopez
Honorable Mention - Taylor Miller, Laura Rickey
Ø All-Greater Cleveland as follows:
1st team - Trisha Wladecki
2nd team - Tani Lopez
Honorable Mention - Annalise Dzwonczyk, Sarah Hudson, Taylor Miller, Emily Tarter
Ø All Lorain County as follows:
Player of the Year - Trisha Wladecki
Goalie of the Year - Bridget Lyons
1st team - Trisha Wladecki, Tani Lopez
2nd team - Kaylee Donegan, Emily Kuntz, Taylor Miller
Honorable Mention - Hannah Frie, Ali Kenny
WOW!!! These were the most individual honors earned in a single season in the history of girls soccer in Avon Lake. Combine that with a 12-3-3 record and stellar performance in the classroom and that is an impressive group effort by this team. Congratulations to all the girls!!
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
9) College Corner – This is a feature where I will present options that are available for the girls to play soccer in college. Many parents are bewildered by where to start to find a place for their daughter to play in college. One of the functions of our booster club should be to help parents through this process and we have compiled a number of resources to help. I have on hand the The Sport Source’s Women’s Soccer Guide which lists 1,300 women’s college soccer programs throughout the U.S. The book is available to be circulated among all the parents in our program. Let me know if you want to take a look. Also, we have a number of links on our website to assist with college recruiting. In addition, I have the following three books on college recruiting on hand:
1) The Student-Athlete & College Recruiting by Rick Wire
2) Athletic Scholarships for Dummies
3) Make the Team The Art of Self-Recruiting by Avi Stopper
These are all available to be circulated throughout the group.
The coaching staff has expressed a sincere interest in helping the girls to play soccer in college. They have numerous contacts with college coaches, they are going to attempt to have coaches attend our more significant games, and are going to circulate info.on the girls on a wider basis.
In this set of minutes, I would like present some historical information on a couple of Shoregal alumni. The Avon Lake girls program has a rich tradition of both excellent players and teams which have gone largely unnoticed because we don’t beat our chests as much as those in our neighboring communities. So, I try to bring some notable individuals back to the surface every so often. Today we will shine the spotlight on Hilary George and Jeannie Stuckey.
Hilary George was a goalie for the Shoregals from 1996 – 1999. She is our all time leader in shutouts with 30 career shutouts. After high school, she attended Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina on a soccer scholarship. Her distinguished career spanned the years from 2000-2003 and she is one of the best goalies in the history of the school. She is ranked first in single season shutouts with 7.5 and 4th in single season saves with 106. She is ranked second in career shutouts with 14.5. Also, she was named to the Sun Conference All Academic team twice in both 2002 & 2003.
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
Jeannie Stuckey attended Avon Lake high school for only 2 years – 1999 & 2000, her junior and senior seasons after moving from Florida. In that short time she made quite an impact – she was All-Ohio in 2000 and SWC MVP also in 2000. She is ranked second in career goals with 41 and holds the record for most goals in a season with 26. Her name is sprinkled throughout the AL record book and scored over 100 goals in her combined Florida & Ohio high school career. She continued her high scoring ways on scholarship at the University of Akron where she played from 2001 –2003. She is the most prolific scorer in Akron history as she ranks 1st in career goals scored with 19, 1st in career assists with 11, 1st in career points with 49, 1st in shots with 110, and 1st in game winning goals with 6. In addition, she is either at the top or near the top in every single season scoring category also.
Avon Lake has produced many players who have been successful at the collegiate level and the current girls will continue that tradition in the future. Our players definitely have the potential to play at the next level and need to understand that they are part of a strong tradition and have the responsibility to pass that tradition to the successive generations of Shoregals that are growing up through the ALSO travel program today. Take pride in being a Shoregal soccer player!!
The topic for the next minutes will feature College Soccer Clubs and what they are all about.
Remember that we continue to maintain our college database list. We currently have 14 colleges represented and would like to expand our list even further. This contact info. is strictly voluntary on your part.
10) Open Discussion:
1) We are looking into coming out with a line of Shoregal soccer wear which could be worn by both the players and parents and provide a consistent look. We may also offer the line to the ALSO travel program as well so everyone can look like a Shoregal!!
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Shorepals Soccer Club Meeting – 11/12/08
2) We are also exploring the idea of more high school involvement with Travel soccer. Strongsville uses this approach with obvious results. Our coaching staff is already working with Travel soccer and IDP in Avon Lake. Next, we would like to assign one or two of our Varsity players to work with each girls travel team to help with practice and to assist in the instruction of fundamental soccer skills. This would probably be a thrill for the younger girls and would provide service hours for the high school girls along with the “giving back” that Gino Strippoli envisioned and is one of the elements involved in Gino Strippoli scholarship.
Our next meeting of the SHOREPALS will be on Tuesday Jan. 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the Mc Mahan room at the Avon Lake Public Library.
Respectfully submitted by
John Kenny
