An interesting weekend was had as the weather was unusual at best. I attended the Brittany Tournament in Wilson on Friday night. In the spring, the Brittany is for high school girls team (63 were there-playing 35 games) and in the fall, there is a boys high school tournament. All games are played at the beautiful Gillette complex in Wilson on Friday night and Saturday. The town of Wilson should be lauded for building this great six, soon to be eight, field soccer complex. Lights, seating, room to roam and park....they made a commitment and did it RIGHT. The folks of Wilson put on a great show with the Brittany. After every round of play, which consists of six games, the participants of all twelve teams gather for a ceremony. The referees pick a sportsmanship winner from each team. The teams get their seniors introduced and the team gets pizza to devour. Most schools also make a donation to the Brittany fund which provides scholarships for college to children (not just soccer players) in town. KUDOS to all involved! It should be an event that you should attend even if you don't have a child playing. The weather was starting to get bad....wind and rain during the last set of games on Friday night.
Saturday morning, it was up early for me to host the "Back of the Net" soccer show. Then off to the MADD Walk at NCSU's Centennial campus. I did the "jog" and had a good time but was wearing a hat and gloves on April 9th, due to the coolish temperatures. In attendance were the CASL Wildcats coached by Nicole Hutchinson. They raised over $10,000 for this great cause!
The weather kept things cool for CASL games on Saturday as the bad weather waited until later to rear its ugly head! That ugly head appeared a little after 7 pm at the same time as the Carolina Railhawks game. A little under 10 minutes into the game, the lightning and then the rain came. The field and stands were cleared and a rain delay of almost 2 hours commenced. The game resumed around 9 pm between the Railhawks and the Puerto Rico Islanders. These two teams played in last year's final series with the Islanders prevailing. PR went ahead in the 1st half but in the 86th minute, the Railhawks tied the game. Alas, in stoppage time, the Islanders put another one away and had a 2-1 victory. The second half was played in a driving rain and the players, coaches and the 400 fans that remained are to be commended!
Due to the rain on Saturday, some of Sunday's games were postponed. All games in the southern 1/2 of CASL's footprint had to be postponed due to the risk of injury due to standing water. We were able to open fields in the north which were wet but playable. This is the third full or partial rain out day that has occurred on Sundays this spring. CASL's scheduling staff will be hard at work trying to reschedule those contests.
The strange weather continues today as a high of 85 degrees is forecast but it doesn't feel like that this morning. I hope that all survived the weekend and I am looking for better weather this weekend, not just for CASL folks but fot the Railhawks as they have another home game this weekend!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
What is on Back of the Net Tomorrow?
The "Back of the Net" Soccer radio hour is every Saturday from 7-8 am on 99.9 the Fan. I host the show and we talk about various aspects of the game.
Tomorrow, we will talk about the Carolina Railhawks with the voice of the Railhawks, Dean Linke and head coach Martin Rennie. The Railhawks open their season on Saturday night against the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Railhawks and Islanders played for the championship last year! The game is at 7 pm at WakeMed Stadium in Cary. There are still tickets available. Go to http://www.carolinarailhawks.com/.
We will also talk to Philip Thompson about "The Brittany" High School Girls tournament happening tonight and tomorrow in Wilson, NC at the Gillette Soccer Complex. 65 High School teams will play in the event this year. Philip is on "The Brittany" tournament committee.
Also, we will have our EUFA Champions League expert, Michael Milazzo talk about the games last Tuesday and Wednesday and the upcoming games on Tuesday and Wednesday this week in the quarterfinals. Do any of the teams that lost this week have a chance to win the home and home series. It will be interesting to get Michael's take on Chelsea's chances against Manchester United after losing 0-1 at home!
It will be a great weekend for soccer here in the Triangle!
Have Fun and Remember, it is Just a Game!
Charlie Slagle
Tomorrow, we will talk about the Carolina Railhawks with the voice of the Railhawks, Dean Linke and head coach Martin Rennie. The Railhawks open their season on Saturday night against the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Railhawks and Islanders played for the championship last year! The game is at 7 pm at WakeMed Stadium in Cary. There are still tickets available. Go to http://www.carolinarailhawks.com/.
We will also talk to Philip Thompson about "The Brittany" High School Girls tournament happening tonight and tomorrow in Wilson, NC at the Gillette Soccer Complex. 65 High School teams will play in the event this year. Philip is on "The Brittany" tournament committee.
Also, we will have our EUFA Champions League expert, Michael Milazzo talk about the games last Tuesday and Wednesday and the upcoming games on Tuesday and Wednesday this week in the quarterfinals. Do any of the teams that lost this week have a chance to win the home and home series. It will be interesting to get Michael's take on Chelsea's chances against Manchester United after losing 0-1 at home!
It will be a great weekend for soccer here in the Triangle!
Have Fun and Remember, it is Just a Game!
Charlie Slagle
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Who is CASL's Director of Classic-Girls' Division, Sean Nahas?
Sean Nahas is the Director of the Girls' Classic program for CASL. He is also the coach of the Spartan Elite Black at the under 14 and 15 age brackets and the coach of the Under 18 Spartan Elite. Sean's Under 15 and Under 18 teams won the NCYSA State Cup in Wilson in Novemeber and both will be participating in the Region 3 Regionals this summer in TN.
Sean grew up in East Northport, NY and played soccer for the Northport Cow Harbor Soccer Club and Elwood John Glenn HS. He played soccer at Queens University in Charlotte and then graduated from Hofstra University. Sean's brother, Damon, also works for CASL and will be highlighted in a later blog!
Sean started in the soccer business by doing private instruction in NY. He has been with CASL for six years.
He is driven to stay in the soccer business by the slogan "Family, Pride, Passion and Purpose." Also, "the competition, the effect on young players' lives that we are so fortunate to have an impact on."
His most enjoyable parts about the game are, "the opportunity to work with some of the finest young soccer players and people that I have had the pleasure to be around in this game (family environment), and the ability to learn from young players day in and day out and know that each day as a coach I will get their full effort!"
Sean's most challenging parts of his job are, "meeting the expectations that I set for myself and wanting to meet the standards that the club has created based on years past and wanting to meet those expectations!"
The people and groups that have influenced him in his playing and his career in soccer are, "my brother Damon-having the opportunity to work next to him each day allows for me to keep setting my own bar higher and higher!" Daniel Trant-"a close friend who passed away in 9/11 who helped give me my first insight into coaching." The 95 Spartan Elite Black-"a girls' team who helped me realize the adjustments one must make as a coach in order to get the right response from them." CASL staff- "providing me the opportunity to work at the club six years ago has helped me realize what it takes to work with the best soccer players in the area."
Sean Nahas has done a great job for CASL in his six years with the club. He has done an excellent job in his position of the Classic Director for the girls division. Sean sets the bar high for himself, for his teams and for the coaches in the girls' division. He does not waver from his ideals and works very hard to achieve his goals. His program's success was evident when CASL swept the four girls NCYSA State Championships in the Fall.
Charlie Slagle
Sean grew up in East Northport, NY and played soccer for the Northport Cow Harbor Soccer Club and Elwood John Glenn HS. He played soccer at Queens University in Charlotte and then graduated from Hofstra University. Sean's brother, Damon, also works for CASL and will be highlighted in a later blog!
Sean started in the soccer business by doing private instruction in NY. He has been with CASL for six years.
He is driven to stay in the soccer business by the slogan "Family, Pride, Passion and Purpose." Also, "the competition, the effect on young players' lives that we are so fortunate to have an impact on."
His most enjoyable parts about the game are, "the opportunity to work with some of the finest young soccer players and people that I have had the pleasure to be around in this game (family environment), and the ability to learn from young players day in and day out and know that each day as a coach I will get their full effort!"
Sean's most challenging parts of his job are, "meeting the expectations that I set for myself and wanting to meet the standards that the club has created based on years past and wanting to meet those expectations!"
The people and groups that have influenced him in his playing and his career in soccer are, "my brother Damon-having the opportunity to work next to him each day allows for me to keep setting my own bar higher and higher!" Daniel Trant-"a close friend who passed away in 9/11 who helped give me my first insight into coaching." The 95 Spartan Elite Black-"a girls' team who helped me realize the adjustments one must make as a coach in order to get the right response from them." CASL staff- "providing me the opportunity to work at the club six years ago has helped me realize what it takes to work with the best soccer players in the area."
Sean Nahas has done a great job for CASL in his six years with the club. He has done an excellent job in his position of the Classic Director for the girls division. Sean sets the bar high for himself, for his teams and for the coaches in the girls' division. He does not waver from his ideals and works very hard to achieve his goals. His program's success was evident when CASL swept the four girls NCYSA State Championships in the Fall.
Charlie Slagle
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Who is CASL's Director of Classic-Boys' Division, John Bradford?
John Bradford is the Director of Classic for the Boys. He also runs CASL's Camps and Academies and coaches the U14 Chelsea Boys team, the U15 Boys Elite and is one of the staff coaches for the CASL Chelsea Development Academy.
John has been working for CASL since the spring of 2005. Before that, he worked for the Dallas Texans beginning in 2002. John played for Furman University after growing up in Winston-Salem and playing for both the W-S Twins and Greensboro. He also played at Mount Tabor High School. He credits his coaches along the way as the biggest influences on him on the field and in life. Those coaches were and are: Paul Dinkenor (yes the Leesville Road High School coach-this was back in their Winston-Salem days), Kareem Daser, John Hackworth (now asst. coach for the MLS Philadelphia Union), Jay Vidovich (Wake Forest Univ. coach), Rusty Scarborough (CASL Director of Coaching), Steve Allison (formerly of GYSA), Keith Donnelly (HS coach), Dewi Hardman (club coach and asst. at WFU), Jay Miller, Tom Durkin, Jay Hoffman (US National team coaches) and Doug Allison (Furman coach).
John loves the job because of being "part of different environments (trenches, success, etc.) with both players and staff!" The most challenging part of his job is "giving every area (each team, each player, each question, etc.) sufficient time." He stays in the soccer business "for the quality relationships with staff, players, other coaches, etc. and to see the development of individuals realized through dedication."
John and his wife, Jill (also a soccer-ite), have a son, Owen! According to John, Owen (who is 7 months and isn't walking as of yet, of course) has NO choice but to play this beautiful game and......according to John, "he better be good!" JOHN........we will see how that goes both for Owen and for you!!!
I have watched John develop as a coach and he has taken his great talent to play the game of soccer and translated it into becoming an excellent coach. I see John continuing to become an even better coach as he plies his trade!
Charlie Slagle
John has been working for CASL since the spring of 2005. Before that, he worked for the Dallas Texans beginning in 2002. John played for Furman University after growing up in Winston-Salem and playing for both the W-S Twins and Greensboro. He also played at Mount Tabor High School. He credits his coaches along the way as the biggest influences on him on the field and in life. Those coaches were and are: Paul Dinkenor (yes the Leesville Road High School coach-this was back in their Winston-Salem days), Kareem Daser, John Hackworth (now asst. coach for the MLS Philadelphia Union), Jay Vidovich (Wake Forest Univ. coach), Rusty Scarborough (CASL Director of Coaching), Steve Allison (formerly of GYSA), Keith Donnelly (HS coach), Dewi Hardman (club coach and asst. at WFU), Jay Miller, Tom Durkin, Jay Hoffman (US National team coaches) and Doug Allison (Furman coach).
John loves the job because of being "part of different environments (trenches, success, etc.) with both players and staff!" The most challenging part of his job is "giving every area (each team, each player, each question, etc.) sufficient time." He stays in the soccer business "for the quality relationships with staff, players, other coaches, etc. and to see the development of individuals realized through dedication."
John and his wife, Jill (also a soccer-ite), have a son, Owen! According to John, Owen (who is 7 months and isn't walking as of yet, of course) has NO choice but to play this beautiful game and......according to John, "he better be good!" JOHN........we will see how that goes both for Owen and for you!!!
I have watched John develop as a coach and he has taken his great talent to play the game of soccer and translated it into becoming an excellent coach. I see John continuing to become an even better coach as he plies his trade!
Charlie Slagle
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
What Questions have I received about the Tryout Blog?
First and foremost, I encourage people to send me questions either through the blog or to my e-mail address, charlies@caslemail.com. If they come through the blog, I will identify the questioner (as will happen in this blog) and if they come through e-mail, I will ask if the questioner wants to be identified on my blog response. I will also try to answer the questioner with an e-mail response.
Yesterday, I wrote a blog about tryouts and 5% of my followers asked me some questions (that is 1 out of my total of 20 followers). Ed Tennant had the following questions which are followed by my answers:
Can you explain a little more for Rec players trying out for challenge? The beauty of CASL is that there is a place for everyone. Not everyone can be a classic player or wants to be a classic player. Not everyone can be a challenge player or wants to be a challenge player. Challenge teams start at the Under 10 level. CASL allows rising under 9's and under 10's to tryout for the Under 10 age bracket. There are single year age brackets through Under 18 in challenge. Under 10 teams are formed from scratch and come from 1 of 4 geographic areas: Cary/Apex/Morrisville, Raleigh, Garner and Wake Forest. All other age brackets will have returning players and coaches will go to the tryouts to fill out their roster. Reurning players, that want to stay on their same team, do not attend tryouts. The tryout process results in a draft, by the age bracket coaches, from each area hoping to promote parity in the league. If there are no spots in your geographic area, then coaches can pick a player from another area if the player has listed that area as a second choice.
Should they first register for Rec? Yes, recreation players registering for challenge tryouts should register for recreation. If the player makes the challenge team, then the fee paid will be transferred over and help pay for the challenge fees. If the player doesn't make the challenge team or decides not to accept a challenge team offer, then the recreation spot has been reserved for them. If the player has listed that he/she wants to return to the same time, that will be assured.
Can registration wait until they know the tryout result? The player should register for recreation before the tryout as there is no negative to doing so (see answer to the previous question). Some challenge tryouts end before the Early Bird (guaranteed placement) deadline but the process would be tight to register after finding out that the player didn't make a challenge team or decided not to accept a challenge team offer. Therefore, I would advise registering for recreation prior to the tryout!
I want to thank Ed Tennant for his questions. Hopefully, I have answered his queries! I, once again, encourage any and all to ask questions of me at any time. An informed membership is CASL's goal!
Charlie Slagle
Yesterday, I wrote a blog about tryouts and 5% of my followers asked me some questions (that is 1 out of my total of 20 followers). Ed Tennant had the following questions which are followed by my answers:
Can you explain a little more for Rec players trying out for challenge? The beauty of CASL is that there is a place for everyone. Not everyone can be a classic player or wants to be a classic player. Not everyone can be a challenge player or wants to be a challenge player. Challenge teams start at the Under 10 level. CASL allows rising under 9's and under 10's to tryout for the Under 10 age bracket. There are single year age brackets through Under 18 in challenge. Under 10 teams are formed from scratch and come from 1 of 4 geographic areas: Cary/Apex/Morrisville, Raleigh, Garner and Wake Forest. All other age brackets will have returning players and coaches will go to the tryouts to fill out their roster. Reurning players, that want to stay on their same team, do not attend tryouts. The tryout process results in a draft, by the age bracket coaches, from each area hoping to promote parity in the league. If there are no spots in your geographic area, then coaches can pick a player from another area if the player has listed that area as a second choice.
Should they first register for Rec? Yes, recreation players registering for challenge tryouts should register for recreation. If the player makes the challenge team, then the fee paid will be transferred over and help pay for the challenge fees. If the player doesn't make the challenge team or decides not to accept a challenge team offer, then the recreation spot has been reserved for them. If the player has listed that he/she wants to return to the same time, that will be assured.
Can registration wait until they know the tryout result? The player should register for recreation before the tryout as there is no negative to doing so (see answer to the previous question). Some challenge tryouts end before the Early Bird (guaranteed placement) deadline but the process would be tight to register after finding out that the player didn't make a challenge team or decided not to accept a challenge team offer. Therefore, I would advise registering for recreation prior to the tryout!
I want to thank Ed Tennant for his questions. Hopefully, I have answered his queries! I, once again, encourage any and all to ask questions of me at any time. An informed membership is CASL's goal!
Charlie Slagle
Monday, April 4, 2011
What is the Scoop on CASL Tryouts?
Yes, yes, yes, tryouts are just around the corner and registration opens this week. Where do you find the information? How do you register? What are the dates? When is the registration deadline? I'll try to answer these questions on today's blog plus more!
The information on tryouts can be found the CASL home page (http://www.caslnc.com/). On the left tab, click on the tryout section. Then, depending on what level the player is trying out for, continue clicking to get that information.
One registers on-line by following the instructions on-line.
The dates are also on-line. Please note that the older HS girls age brackets (Rising U16-U18) begin their tryouts earlier than everyone else and earlier than usual. Their first tryout is on Sunday May 1st. Further tryout days are also on Sundays.
The registration deadline is May 10th except for the U16-U18 girls. Their deadline is April 26th due to their tryout beginning on May 1st(see above). If you miss the deadline, the only way you can register is at the field on the days of the tryout. Registration tables will open 45 minutes prior to the tryout commencing.
If you miss the deadline, the fee increases by $20 so it behooves you to register by May 10th (April 26th for the U16-18 girls). This may seem like a harsh penalty and that it is a money maker for the organization, HOWEVER, it is just the opposite. Registering on-line takes a great deal of human error out of the process(as long as parents input the correct information). Signing up on a tryout day can lead to things going amiss and making it easier for players to be overlooked or be in the wrong age bracket (usually for a day). CASL would absolutely love it if all signed up by the deadline. Then the registration process is seamless and the tryout sheets with names and numbers are ready to go! THEREFORE, please try to register on-time!
Tryouts are a hectic time for all involved. Parents are on edge as their child is being evaluated and all parents want their child to do well. Many players are on edge as they are trying out (some are more on edge due to the influence of their on edge parent(s)). Administrators are on edge as they want to make sure that all the walk-up registrants are in the proper tryout and that the coaches get the info about these walk up players. Coaches are on edge because in tryouts in a subjective sport such as soccer (in cross country, you ask competitors to run and rank them how they finish--there is no such possibility in soccer), productivity of a player can be hard to judge in a couple day tryout even for the most experienced coach.
MY ADVICE: Have the players ready to go with everything they need at tryouts. Parents should encourage the players to go out and play hard, have fun and to volunteer to perform in as many drills and playing opportunities as possible during the tryout. Try not to set expectations about what team the player should be on....just encourage the player to play as well as possible and let the chips land where they may.
Parents should let the process run its course. Trying to figure out what is in the mind of the coaches at tryouts is an inexact science, at best. Also, there is a thought out there that returning players have an advantage over new players due to the coach knowing the player. That is probably true with the hard working player (practice and games), the very solid citizen and/or a player that is very productive despite not being as talented. HOWEVER, players that do not work hard in practice, are not such a solid citizen and may be very talented (including in the tryout situation) but not as productive as witnessed in past experiences have a disadvantage at tryouts, due to the coaches knowing those things!
Have Fun and Remember it is Just a Tryout!
Charlie Slagle
The information on tryouts can be found the CASL home page (http://www.caslnc.com/). On the left tab, click on the tryout section. Then, depending on what level the player is trying out for, continue clicking to get that information.
One registers on-line by following the instructions on-line.
The dates are also on-line. Please note that the older HS girls age brackets (Rising U16-U18) begin their tryouts earlier than everyone else and earlier than usual. Their first tryout is on Sunday May 1st. Further tryout days are also on Sundays.
The registration deadline is May 10th except for the U16-U18 girls. Their deadline is April 26th due to their tryout beginning on May 1st(see above). If you miss the deadline, the only way you can register is at the field on the days of the tryout. Registration tables will open 45 minutes prior to the tryout commencing.
If you miss the deadline, the fee increases by $20 so it behooves you to register by May 10th (April 26th for the U16-18 girls). This may seem like a harsh penalty and that it is a money maker for the organization, HOWEVER, it is just the opposite. Registering on-line takes a great deal of human error out of the process(as long as parents input the correct information). Signing up on a tryout day can lead to things going amiss and making it easier for players to be overlooked or be in the wrong age bracket (usually for a day). CASL would absolutely love it if all signed up by the deadline. Then the registration process is seamless and the tryout sheets with names and numbers are ready to go! THEREFORE, please try to register on-time!
Tryouts are a hectic time for all involved. Parents are on edge as their child is being evaluated and all parents want their child to do well. Many players are on edge as they are trying out (some are more on edge due to the influence of their on edge parent(s)). Administrators are on edge as they want to make sure that all the walk-up registrants are in the proper tryout and that the coaches get the info about these walk up players. Coaches are on edge because in tryouts in a subjective sport such as soccer (in cross country, you ask competitors to run and rank them how they finish--there is no such possibility in soccer), productivity of a player can be hard to judge in a couple day tryout even for the most experienced coach.
MY ADVICE: Have the players ready to go with everything they need at tryouts. Parents should encourage the players to go out and play hard, have fun and to volunteer to perform in as many drills and playing opportunities as possible during the tryout. Try not to set expectations about what team the player should be on....just encourage the player to play as well as possible and let the chips land where they may.
Parents should let the process run its course. Trying to figure out what is in the mind of the coaches at tryouts is an inexact science, at best. Also, there is a thought out there that returning players have an advantage over new players due to the coach knowing the player. That is probably true with the hard working player (practice and games), the very solid citizen and/or a player that is very productive despite not being as talented. HOWEVER, players that do not work hard in practice, are not such a solid citizen and may be very talented (including in the tryout situation) but not as productive as witnessed in past experiences have a disadvantage at tryouts, due to the coaches knowing those things!
Have Fun and Remember it is Just a Tryout!
Charlie Slagle
Friday, April 1, 2011
What is on Back of the Net this Saturday?
Back of the Net is on Saturdays from 7-8 am on 99.9 the Fan! It is sponsored by Dunn Physical Therapy! Tomorrow's guests are: Michael Bradley from the USMNT. The National team had two friendlies last week. They tied Argentina 1-1 and lost to Paraguay 1-0. Next will be Martin Rennie, the coach of the Railhawks. They open their regular season next Saturday at home against the Puerto Rico Islanders.
Then Stephanie Bronson, a senior at Leesville Road HS and a NC State signee, will talk about the Leesville team and season. Then our National team expert, Bruce Murray will talk about the men's national team's most recent two games. Bruce was just informed that he is going into the US Soccer Hall of Fame through the veterans division. Other new Hall of Fame members are Earnie Stewart, NC's own Eddie Pope, Cobi Jones and coach Bob Gansler(Bob is entering the Hall through the Builders division).
If you are up early, tune in to 99.9 the Fan and listen to some "Soccer Talk!"
Supposed to be a gorgeous day tomorrow for soccer. The fields will still be a little moist but the temperature will be great. "Have Fun and Remember, it is Just a Game!"
Charlie Slagle
Then Stephanie Bronson, a senior at Leesville Road HS and a NC State signee, will talk about the Leesville team and season. Then our National team expert, Bruce Murray will talk about the men's national team's most recent two games. Bruce was just informed that he is going into the US Soccer Hall of Fame through the veterans division. Other new Hall of Fame members are Earnie Stewart, NC's own Eddie Pope, Cobi Jones and coach Bob Gansler(Bob is entering the Hall through the Builders division).
If you are up early, tune in to 99.9 the Fan and listen to some "Soccer Talk!"
Supposed to be a gorgeous day tomorrow for soccer. The fields will still be a little moist but the temperature will be great. "Have Fun and Remember, it is Just a Game!"
Charlie Slagle
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