Thanks Thunder-dults!

Thunderbolts!

Thanks to all the Thunder-adults who came out for last night's parent-daughter game. Apologies to those who couldn't make it. I didn't give a lot of notice.

Also, with weather concerns, limited daylight, and expiring field permits I felt it was best to stop practices for the rest of the season. I will miss our warm-ups and scrimmages but we've got two more games left to savor.

—Coach David

Parent-Daughter Game This Tuesday!

Thunderbolts!

Hope you had a beautiful weekend. We had a tough game on Saturday. Some great work offensively led to an awesome goal by Kelsey but the Oz held us to just one goal. I'm proud of the way you all played your hearts out, including a lot of extra playing time.

Tomorrow we will have the annual parent-daughter soccer game. We'll start at 6PM and go until we can't see the ball anymore. Hope to see you there!

—Coach David

No Practice Thursday, Game at 10:30AM Saturday

Thunderbolts!

Because of conferences at Whitford and a trip to San Francisco for me, we won't have practice this Thursday. I'll see you all Saturday! Be at the pitch at 9:45AM for warm-ups.

—Coach David

Leaving it All on the Field

Hey Thunderbolts!

We left it all on the field this Saturday in what was an exciting yet tough game. We took a lot of shots, played some great defense and gave it 100%.

In the end, I think everyone had fun. That is all I ask for.

—Coach David

Another Exciting Game

Hey Thunderbolts!

Great game on Saturday. We seemed a little sluggish in the first half but came alive in the second half. The Gators were a tough team and a couple goals early on set us back on our heels. I am proud of the fact that we didn't give up. You all kept fighting until the last whistle blew.

In the end, that is all I ask for. 100% for 70 minutes. See you at practice tomorrow night.

Thanks,

Coach David

Game Tomorrow! Ridgewood Elementary

See you all at the game tomorrow at Noon. We will be playing at Ridgewood Elementary. Please be at the field at 11:15AM for warmups.

—Coach David

Practices and Rain

Thunderbolts!

Great practice on Thursday! Thanks for braving the weather and coming out. When I got to the field I was regretting not canceling practice. But as we took the field the clouds parted and the rain stopped. We got a little wet but overall it was a great night to be out on the field. Thanks to Terry and Amy for staying until all the parents got there while I sprinted off to my game (by the way we won 3-2).

As far as the weather goes, I will make it a point to check the forecast from now on. In general, unless it is absolutely horrible I intend on holding practices in the rain. Make sure you bring a rain jacket and under armor/long shirt to go underneath your jersey.

I will send out a cancellation notice if I feel it is going to be too gross for soccer but it is best probably to assume practices will happen unless otherwise indicated.

Thanks!

Coach David

Babe Ruth: Failure!

Do you know who Babe Ruth is? He was a pitcher for the Red Sox and Yankees and he led the American League in strikeouts for 1918, 1923, 1924, 1927, and 1928. 

Oh, and he is also ranked number 3 on the all-time home run list with 714 homers. Actually, despite striking out so many times history insists on celebrating how many homers he hit. Many trivia buffs seem to totally gloss over how many times he failed to hit the ball.

You could say that the reason the Great Bambino hit so many homers is that he swung at the ball so many times. The lesson we can learn from the Babe, in any sport, is to keep trying. Not a half-hearted try, not a kinda-sorta-but-we're-gonna-lose-anyway try, but a real honest try. Swing for the bleachers. Aim at the top right corner of that goal, where the keeper will never get it, and crush it. Block out every doubt in your mind and focus all your power on that ball.

Sure, it might sail over the goal and miss by a mile. Who cares? If it goes in one time, nobody will. Who knows, maybe you'll get some kind of cool nickname like the Great Davino or someday some U13 girls soccer team might be practicing the Gourlay move.

—Coach David

Thunderbolts Tie!!!!

Another close game ended in a tie this Saturday. Definitely some great soccer was played by both teams. We had some awesome goals but more importantly we had some great playmakers. 

A lot of emphasis is put on scoring but even plays that don't result in a goal make a big difference. There were a couple of sweet defensive plays that kept the team out of our zone for pretty much the entire first half. Our mid-fielders came up with several key wins that made opportunities for our forwards. 

—Coach David