What a great time to
be involved in the Portage Soccer Club. As I write this newsletter, the US Women
Soccer team won the Gold in the Olympics. And of course our PSC Alumni, Lindsey
Tarplay, was an asset throughout the entire Olympics. She scored her first
Olympic goal in the final game. Lindsay is a great inspiration and role model
for our members.
The Portage Soccer
Club is ready to start another soccer season. I want to thank the coaches, Club
Registrar Evelyn Flynn, and the many volunteers who participated in the
try-outs. We were pleased to have so many participants at the tryouts. The
teams are formed, registration is completed and your uniforms will be available
by the end of August. All board members are to be commended for an efficient
and smooth running operation.
Perhaps the most
important upcoming agenda item for the club is the replacement of members on
the club’s leadership team. The following Board members have completed their
term on the Board:
Treasurer: Bob Lopez
VP Uniform: Greg
Murray
Registrar: Evelyn
Flynn
WMYSA Rep: Deb
Jackson
Secretary: Cathy
Hull
Parent Rep: Betty
Trebing
Parent Rep: Steve
Benoit
Parent Rep: Dave
Perry
Web coordinator: Dan
and Silvia Salemka
These individuals
deserve your thanks for committing their time so your son or daughter could
have a positive club soccer experience. Now it’s time for others in the club to
step-up and participate on the Board. Please call or email anyone on the Board
to express your interest in any of these positions. Some have already called me
and I hope others can fill these necessary positions. The Club’s Annual General
Membership meeting is scheduled for September 16, 2004 at the Portage North
Middle School Media Center at 7pm. The club will vote for your officers at this
meeting.
I hope everyone had
a great summer and we all look forward to a positive soccer season for our
athletes. See you on the fields.
Coaches
Corner Bruce Bejcek
With the start of
the fall season I would like to take the time to remind coaches, players,
parents and other spectators that everybody involved in the games deserves our
respect and consideration. This
obviously extends to the referees that will be working the games. The Referee Coordinator for WMYSA has a
difficult time recruiting and retaining referees. Why referees leave is a question with many
different answers, lets not make it because of the way that they are treated on
the field. I realize that not having
plays called or having plays called incorrectly can be a very frustrating
experience. However, it’s important to
remember that the individuals that work the games are trying their best to do
their best. They have attended courses
and, for the most part, have been involved in soccer for many years. Although it is easy to stand on the sides and
make “calls” it is another matter to be on the field knowing that your decision
has to be done now and it is under the scrutiny of everyone watching. If anyone
thinks that this is easy I highly recommend them to try it.
It is also a good
time for me to remind parents to please keep your comments positive, the
players are trying their best as well.
Coaching should be left to the coach and “coaching” by parents can
result in confusion on the field.
Fall also brings
opportunities to watch games at the high school, college, professional, and
Olympic levels. It is really surprising
to watch the different levels and styles of play even in the professional
leagues and especially from different countries. One way to have players view games is to
participate as ball boys or girls for the high school and Western Men’s
teams. To serve as a ball boy or girl
for the Western teams please contact Chris Karwoski
(christopher.karwoski@wmich.edu). To be
a ball boy or girl players should contact the different high school coaches or
their booster organizations.
High School and
College game schedules are available on-line-
Please be sure to
check out the yellow insert
with an important letter from the PSC Board and also an attractive offer from
SoccerZone
Portage Soccer
Classic Tournament
The 18th Annual
Portage Soccer Classic Tournament is now history and what a tournament it
was. We hosted 148 teams (40% more than
2003), over 2,500 soccer players and thousands of fans. The weather is always a concern when hosting
an event of this size and this year certainly tested us! Thunderstorms came through late Friday
evening and a torrential downpour left the Portage Soccer Complex “under water”
on Saturday morning. Special thanks to
our field marshals – Garry Gilchrist,
Our PSC Teams
performed at a high level and tested by quality competition defended our home
turf. Congratulations to the following
teams who won first and second place trophies.
Girls Boys
U-12 U-12
U-13B U-14
U-16 U-15
U-19
Thanks to the many
PSC families who volunteered to work at the tournament. Being a member of the club requires a
volunteer commitment of 8-10 hours per year from each family. The tournament is our biggest fundraising
event and requires hundreds of volunteers to make it successful. We couldn’t do it without you!
Finally, thanks to
our superb Tournament Committee - what a great group of volunteers. Your dedication, enthusiasm and willingness always
to give your best for the PSC is remarkable.
Planning for our
19th annual tournament the weekend of
Recognition
Alley
Girls
teams appear to have outdone the boys teams this year, and congratulations are
due the following five girls teams for finishing first or second in their
league last spring.
U11-Jarvis 1st in WMSYA A league
U12-Glass 1st in Elite league
U12-Zoeller 1st in WMYSA
U13-Salemka 1st in WMYSA
U14-Bejcek 2nd in Elite league
Many
boys teams finished in the upper division of the Elite league, competing
against some of the strongest teams in the Grand Rapids and Lansing area, and
congratulations are due all who put on the PSC jersey and compete successfully!
Many
boys and girls teams represented PSC very well at tournaments both in and out
of
Girls
U10-Buerkel 1st at
Boys
U11-Al-Khamis 2nd
Girls
U11-Jarvis 2nd
Boys
U12-Myers 1st
Boys
U12-Myers 2nd
Girls
U12-Glass 1st
Girls
U12-Glass 1st
Boys
U13-Martin 1st
Girls
U13-Knight 2nd
Boys
U14-Kroll 2nd
Boys
U15-Rice 1st
Girls
U15-Kucinski/Williams 1st
Mens
U19-Jackson 1st
If
we missed your team, please accept our apologies and our Congratulations. One interesting accomplishment is that a
substantial number of girls on Jon Kucinski & Scott Williams’ U15 team have
now won the Portage Tournament five years in a row going back to their U11
year. Congratulations!
If you visit
Construction will
include a new concession/restroom building adjacent to the soccer fields,
paving the existing 350-car gravel parking lot, building a second parking lot
and renovating several fields.
Construction should be complete by the end of this year.
The USF is a
non-profit organization whose membership includes A.Y.S.O. regions 74 and 212,
Parent
Representatives are elected each year and serve a one-year term. Parent Reps
attend Board meetings each month and serve as a liaison between the members of
Portage Soccer Club and the Board.
Each PSC team will
be assigned a Parent Rep following their election at the September 16th Annual
General Membership meeting. Concerns or
comments parents would like the Board to be aware of should be communicated
through your team's Parent Representative.
In addition, many issues can be addressed by checking the “PSC Policy”
page at the club’s web site (portagesoccer.com), or by talking with your team manager
and/or your team's coach. Please use
these options as appropriate.
Thank You to the
Parent Reps who have just completed their one-year terms: Steve Benoit, Dave Perry, and Betty
Trebing. You three have done a
commendable job of staying in touch with the pulse of a diverse
membership. The common goal we all share
is keeping the interests of the players foremost.
Tryouts went very
quickly and smoothly. THANK YOU to the following wonderful volunteers who made
it all possible: Terri Tieche, Sherry
Myers, Naomi (Grace) Knue, Marcia Grennan, Cathy Hull, Betty Trebing, Daphne
Walker, Sharon Strazdas, Vicky Arnold, Kim Seeley, Dave Perry, Sara Bejcek,
Jennifer Schatz, Carol Roose, Diedre Penland, Krystal Jansen, Jenny Peel, Judy
Hayes, Leslie Bierman, Deb Jackson, Shelby Pitchford, Ann Soper, Tammi
Campbell, Dawn Huczek, Kathy Brown, Beth Elliston, and Kathi Rice. I hope I didn't leave anyone out who
graciously helped. THANK YOU!!!
IT'S SO GREAT
working with terrific people who are willing to help where needed and when
asked.
Regarding teams for
this year, we have 47 fewer players for Fall 2004 compared to last year at this
time. At Boys U9/10 we have one more
team than last year, while boys U11 has only two teams instead of three last
year. Boys U13 is also down one team but
boys U14 is up a team. On the girls
side, U12 has only one team instead of two, and U15 will not field a team this
fall. For U13 girls there were a record 39
girls who tried out, and competition for spots on both the A and B teams was
keen. Looks like a great season ahead
with the coaches, asst. coaches and managers who have rostered their teams all
set for action.
Also, the registrar
position is open; please consider joining the fun. It's a way of helping out,
getting involved, and stepping up.... especially if you are not a coach! I would be happy to train you for a year.
|
Girls |
Coach |
Manager |
|
U9 |
Liz VanderSloot
327-2514 |
Liz Borre 372-6410 |
|
U10 |
Ann Woolley 324-1279 |
Darcie Robertson
353-6649 |
|
U11 |
Bob Buerkel 353-9046 |
Molly Buerkel 353-9046 |
|
U11 |
Steve Stanley 324-0366 |
|
|
U12 A |
Silvia Salemka
329-0444 |
Mary White 323-3405 |
|
U13 A |
Blake Glass
323-0474 |
Betty Trebing 329-7049 |
|
U13 B |
Doug Zoeller 324-7453 |
Terri Tieche 324-3859 |
|
U14 A |
Carl Grubb 327-2385 |
Judy Hayes 327-9072 |
|
U16 |
Scott Williams 598-6928
Jon Kucinski 352-2983 |
Jill Swoape 327-4156 |
|
U17-19 |
Nick
Stephenson 808-4919 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boys |
Coach |
Manager |
|
U9 |
Mike Garrett 372-5889 |
Anoush Seyedjafari
321-8520 |
|
U10 |
Bruce Bejcek 324-3723 |
Jenny Peel 324-0966 |
|
U10 |
Dan Zeitler 324-5755 |
Lorrie Abdo 544-2679 |
|
U11 |
Lloyd
McGruder 327-0491 |
Marcia
Grennan 353-3337 |
|
U11 |
Brian Mathews 353-2868 |
Naomi Knue 372-8172 |
|
U12A |
Steve Martin 381-4983 |
Sara Bejcek
324-3723 |
|
U13A |
Deryl Myers 649-3223 |
Beth Elliston
375-1817 Marian Hawkins 329-4690 |
|
U14A |
|
Paul Morgan 323-2675 |
|
U14B |
|
Paul Morgan 323-2675 |
PSC Certificate
Program Kathy Brown
The PSC Certificate
Program is an on-going fundraiser that DOES NOT REQUIRE THE SELLING OF ANY PRODUCTS!
PSC earns a percentage on all certificate purchases. This program provides a simple and convenient
way to raise funds for the complex.
Sign up on line at
meijer.com/rewards. Use Meijer Guest
Card or Meijer Credit Card every
time you shop. Have cashier scan card before transaction is
complete. Pay with cash, check or
charge. There is no cost to you. PSC earns monthly reward.
Redeemable at any
Harding’s or Harding’s Marketplace.
Redeemable at any
Kohl’s store, may be used over multiple visits and to make payments on your Kohl’s charge account.
NEW! PANERA BREAD - $10 Gift Cards
Redeemable at any
Panera Bread in the United States.
GODFATHER’S PIZZA - $10 Certificates
Redeemable at
Centre, Cork, West Main and Dunes Plaza in Michigan City, IN.
You may purchase
certificates at the Concession Stand during weekend games or from the Program
Coordinator nearest you.
Kathy Brown Colony Woods 372-2240
Beth Elliston Amberly/Colony Woods 375-1817
Judy Hayes West Middle School Area 327-9072
Jennifer Schatz Woodbridge Hills 321-8345
Sharon Wenglinski Austin Lake 323-2672
·
Certificates
make great gifts!
·
Purchase
HARDING’S, KOHL’S, PANERA BREAD or GODFATHER’S PIZZA certificates BEFORE you shop or dine.
·
It’s an
even exchange of money – dollar for dollar.
Write a check for $200 and you receive $200 worth of gift cards.
·
There is
inventory of all certificates.
·
If 200
families participate at an average of $400 per month at an average of a 5%
discount, we can earn $48,000 per year!
Please take a moment
to promote and share this information with your relatives, friends, neighbors
and co-workers. Every purchase will help
increase our profits! Thank you.
Meijer Community
Rewards Program Kathy
Brown
Portage Soccer Club
is enrolled in the Meijer Community Rewards Program. A Meijer Guest Card or Meijer Credit Card is
used instead of pre-purchased paper certificates to earn rewards. If you don’t need another credit card, just
sign up for the Guest Card.
Please join Meijer
Community Rewards today! It’s free and
can be done on-line at meijer.com/rewards.
Just complete the on-line form with PSC’s code number, 103058, and your card will be mailed to
you within a few weeks.
Once you receive
your Meijer Guest Card, please use it every
time you shop at Meijer.
Earnings are eligible on more than 150,000 items. Simply have the cashier scan your card before the transaction is
complete. You may pay for your purchase
any way you choose: cash, check or
charge. PSC will receive a check every
month based upon the percentage of your purchases. There is no cost to you. The more you shop, the more you earn for PSC.
A special “thank
you” to the families who are currently participating in the Meijer Community
Rewards Program. PSC earned a total
profit of $4,892 during FY 2004. The
average profit earned per month amounted to $445 with an average of 57 families
participating in the program. Since
Meijer made some changes to their Rewards Program in June, more participation
is needed to maintain and increase our profits.
If you have not signed up for the Meijer Community Rewards Program,
please do so today!
All proceeds will
benefit the Portage Soccer Community Complex.
Please share this information with your relatives, friends, neighbors
and co-workers. The more people who participate
in this program, the more we can earn!
Thank you for your support.
FY 2004 PSC CERTIFICATE SALES
August
1, 2003 – July 31, 2004
|
Retailer |
Percent Earned |
Total Sales |
Actual Profit |
|
Meijer
– Paper Certificates |
4% |
$ 15,225 |
$ 609 |
|
Meijer
Community Rewards |
- - - |
- - - |
4,892 |
|
Harding’s |
5% |
20,400 |
1,020 |
|
Kohl’s |
5% |
8,875
|
444 |
|
Applebee’s |
10% |
3,020 |
302 |
|
Godfather’s
Pizza |
20% |
690 |
138 |
|
Big
Apple Bagels |
10% |
1,621 |
162 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
|
$ 49,831 |
$ 7,567 |
FY
2003 Profit $ 6,608
FY
2002 Profit $ 7,828
Make a Lasting
Impression Kathy Brown
Portage Soccer Club
and AYSO Region 74 families are being offered an opportunity to make a “lasting
impression” at the Portage Community Soccer Complex with personalized
bricks. Just imagine your family name or
the name of your favorite soccer player(s) permanently displayed at the new
complex!
The engraved bricks
will be installed on a first-come-first-serve basis. Your message may contain three lines
(maximum) with up to 15 characters per line (including spaces). The price per brick is $50. All proceeds will benefit the new Portage
Community Soccer Complex.
A special thanks to
the families who participated in this program.
The second group of 50 engraved bricks is installed in the concession
area.
Please consider
making your “lasting impression” today.
Visit portagesoccer.com to obtain an order form or call Kathy Brown at
372-2240.
As
a service to the Portage Soccer Club families, we will continue to offer
quality club apparel and various items at reasonable prices. This fall, the Portage Soccer Club is
offering players and parents an opportunity to purchase the following items:
. White sleeveless women’s polo shirt: 100% combed cotton pique
Adult sizes small to extra large only –
Sorry, XXL not available
. White polo shirt: 100% cotton – Gildan
Adult sizes small to XXL
. Short sleeve t-shirt: 100% cotton – Hanes Heavy Weight Beefy
Adult sizes small to XXL
. Long sleeve t-shirt: 100% cotton – Hanes Heavy Weight Beefy
Adult sizes small to XXL
. Sweatshirt:
9 oz. 50/50 cotton/polyester blend – Jerzees
Adult sizes small to XXL
. Hooded sweatshirt: 9 oz. 50/50 cotton/polyester blend – Jerzees
Adult sizes small to XXL
. PSC car window decals
. PSC car flags
. SweetSpots:
Just pull SweetSpot over your soccer shoe. SweetSpot keeps laces tied and in place,
serves as a visual aid for shooting and passing and provides a better surface
for ball contact and control. One size
fits all. SweetSpot is available in
several colors.
These
items make great gifts and promote team spirit!
Team managers will distribute the order forms with prices. Order now and show your support for the
Portage Soccer Club.
Receive
a FREE soccer ball and enter to win
a soccer clinic sweepstakes in a fundraiser for Portage Soccer Club! Uniroyal Tire and Kzoo Tire Company have
joined forces to provide support to PSC again this fall by raising funds and
supplying equipment.
Each
player will receive a certificate for a FREE
soccer ball (good while supplies last) redeemable at Kzoo Tire Company September
15 through October 15. The
high-quality soccer ball features the signature of the U.S. Women’s National
Team Captain, Julie Foudy.
In
addition to the free soccer ball, Uniroyal and Kzoo Tire Company will make a donation
to Portage Soccer Club for every Uniroyal tire ($2.00 per tire) sold to the
general public between September 15 and October 15. Please spread the word to your family and
friends to make this fundraiser a success!
Another
exciting element of this year’s Uniroyal Soccer Program is the Julie Foudy
Clinic Sweepstakes to be conducted in the winner’s hometown. Adults (age 18 and older) may visit the
Uniroyal web site, uniroyal.com/sweeps,
now through October 31 to enter the sweepstakes on behalf of your child. Uniroyal and Julie Foudy will host a
three-hour soccer clinic for the winner’s child and his or her team, and up to
75 players from the child’s club. Julie
has served as spokesperson for the Uniroyal Soccer Program for the past five
years and has helped Uniroyal and its dealers donate more than $5 million in
funds and equipment to youth soccer programs across the nation.
Please
visit uniroyal.com for more
information on the Uniroyal Soccer Program.
To learn more about Kzoo Tire Company, you may contact Dave Foley at
327-2587.
(Kathy,
the following short notice can be boxed up anywhere there’s a little room, as
can the Soccer Complex rules)-
Meeting
Notice: PSC Annual General Membership meeting will be Thursday September 16 at 7:00 in the North
Middle School Library
No alcoholic beverages, smoking, or drug use.
Drive safely - 15 mph max.
No
pets allowed.
Pick up litter.
No glass containers.
Supervise your children.
Practice good sportsmanship
Thurs
Sept 16 Annual General Membership
meeting and elections
Sun Oct 3 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Nov 7 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Dec 5 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Jan 9 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Feb 6 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Mar 6 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Apr 17 PSC Board Meeting
Sun May 5 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Jun 5 PSC Board Meeting
Sun Jul 10 PSC Board Meeting
Fri-Sun Jun 10 –
12 Portage Soccer Classic Tournament
Mon-Thurs Jun 20 –
23 Try Out Dates
Sun Jul 10 PSC Board Meeting
Wednesday, Jul
20 PSC Club-Wide Meeting
Portage high schools
once again compiled impressive records during the spring 2004 season. Portage Central finished with an outstanding
22-1-2 record including the SMAC conference championship and district
championship in Division I. Portage
Northern finished with a fine 13-5-2 record also in Division I. Players from both schools were recognized by
the post-season honors listed below.
All State (Division
1)
2nd Team-
Megan Brown, Lindsey Wrege
3rd Team-
Emily Berner
Hon. Mention-
Ashleigh Carpentier, Sarah Meyer, Emily Peterson
Emily Berner, Megan
Brown, Ashleigh Carpentier, Sarah Meyer, Emily Peterson, Lindsey Wrege
Emily Berner, Anna
Bliss, Megan Brown, Ashleigh Carpentier, Sara Howland, Sarah Meyer, Emily
Peterson, Brooke Somers, Lindsey Wrege
1st Team-
Emily Berner, Anna Bliss, Megan Brown, Ashleigh Carpentier, Sara Howland,
Kristin McCall, Sarah Meyer, Emily Peterson, Lindsey Wrege
Hon. Mention-
Caitlin Buckstaff, Nikki Burnham, Kate Crawford, Christine Ketteman, Amy
Nuismer, Lindsay Peterson, Anne Rose, Brooke Somers