Comments on: My First Soccer Coach was…Godzooky? http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:35:57 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Sara http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-42 Sara Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:06:26 +0000 http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-42 It must have been 1991 and I can't tell you how I ended up at the local soccer club, but maybe it was because I played basketball already and those girls all played soccer too, so why not me?! I remember bright orange t-shirts we wore, some years, neon orange with "West Hills Soccer Club" scribbled on the front. After a couple years we graduated to grass green and white jerseys. With the green I now remember muddy, wet and cold weekend games in the NW downpour. I was never a natural soccer player and was so freaked out and intense when I did get the ball that I would take one breath and not breath again until I had passed the ball or lost it somehow. Well, this created a hyperventilating effect that concerned all. So I found myself in goal defending the net. This I thought was fabulous, to hurl my body through the air into giant mud puddles hopefully and then hear cheers when I was successful. I think my mom almost had a stroke watching me do this and get kicked in the head a couple times, but what a thrill for a 11/12 year old! Ah the adrenaline! It must have been 1991 and I can’t tell you how I ended up at the local soccer club, but maybe it was because I played basketball already and those girls all played soccer too, so why not me?! I remember bright orange t-shirts we wore, some years, neon orange with “West Hills Soccer Club” scribbled on the front. After a couple years we graduated to grass green and white jerseys. With the green I now remember muddy, wet and cold weekend games in the NW downpour.

I was never a natural soccer player and was so freaked out and intense when I did get the ball that I would take one breath and not breath again until I had passed the ball or lost it somehow. Well, this created a hyperventilating effect that concerned all. So I found myself in goal defending the net. This I thought was fabulous, to hurl my body through the air into giant mud puddles hopefully and then hear cheers when I was successful. I think my mom almost had a stroke watching me do this and get kicked in the head a couple times, but what a thrill for a 11/12 year old! Ah the adrenaline!

]]> By: Scott http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-22 Scott Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:28:13 +0000 http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-22 I was one of those that grew up without a soccer ball under my bed. Come to think of it I'm not sure my dad ever really played any sport... although being a kid with pollio how can you blame him. I do remember though finding myself on a youth soccer league, standing out on the grass waiting for my orange slice. Oddly though at the Jewish Community Center, I say oddly as I was raised protestant. So, I never missed any cartoons as there were no games on Saturday. What I do remember about that experiance is not really understanding the game. I was told to stand on the corner of the box and stay there... if the ball came my way then I was to kick it the other way. (This was probably a good statement to my ability at the time) What I found confusing was getting yelled at because the ball came to the middle of the field and I didn't leave my assigned post to go chase it. I still remember not understanding how following what my coach said to do was the wrong thing. If I think about it now this was probably the start of my authority issues... It wasn't till later, on my JV team in high school that again I found myself on the soccer field learning to question authority. This time though under the guidance of my coach. He taught me to always see more than one opportunity available and how to translate that off the field as well. I think that's where my connection with the game still is... so many opportunities... so many different ways to work with the team... I was one of those that grew up without a soccer ball under my bed. Come to think of it I’m not sure my dad ever really played any sport… although being a kid with pollio how can you blame him. I do remember though finding myself on a youth soccer league, standing out on the grass waiting for my orange slice. Oddly though at the Jewish Community Center, I say oddly as I was raised protestant. So, I never missed any cartoons as there were no games on Saturday.

What I do remember about that experiance is not really understanding the game. I was told to stand on the corner of the box and stay there… if the ball came my way then I was to kick it the other way. (This was probably a good statement to my ability at the time) What I found confusing was getting yelled at because the ball came to the middle of the field and I didn’t leave my assigned post to go chase it. I still remember not understanding how following what my coach said to do was the wrong thing. If I think about it now this was probably the start of my authority issues… It wasn’t till later, on my JV team in high school that again I found myself on the soccer field learning to question authority. This time though under the guidance of my coach. He taught me to always see more than one opportunity available and how to translate that off the field as well. I think that’s where my connection with the game still is… so many opportunities… so many different ways to work with the team…

]]> By: gianfranco http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-20 gianfranco Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:34:26 +0000 http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-20 My father Luigi, played in the youth system of AC Milan before coming to the US after his career began to flounder and his father quickly realized that the USA would offer a better oppurtunity, much to my father's my grandpappy did not mean the NASL. With these circumstances I group in a soccer passionate home since day one, and did not fit in with any of my friends, but my first and most memorable moment that did it all for me was watching AC Milan thrash Barcelona in the CL.final at the tender age of 10. Masssaro with a brace and Savicevic with one of the best goals I have ever seen and my father jumping up and down for a moment of nostaligia of a career that never was... My father Luigi, played in the youth system of AC Milan before coming to the US after his career began to flounder and his father quickly realized that the USA would offer a better oppurtunity, much to my father’s my grandpappy did not mean the NASL. With these circumstances I group in a soccer passionate home since day one, and did not fit in with any of my friends, but my first and most memorable moment that did it all for me was watching AC Milan thrash Barcelona in the CL.final at the tender age of 10. Masssaro with a brace and Savicevic with one of the best goals I have ever seen and my father jumping up and down for a moment of nostaligia of a career that never was…

]]> By: Gary http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-19 Gary Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:20:32 +0000 http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-19 Oh yeah, I grew up with a football but Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade ruled in Scotland! Asterix and Bugs are cool, but my favourite carton was "Dastardly and Muttley" and my grandmother bought me a tee-shirt with them in their "Flying Machines". So one fateful morning, well chuffed and sporting my spiffy new shirt, I went out to play football... the story ends with a nickname "Muttley" until I moved to England at 16. Oh yeah, I grew up with a football but Glen Michael’s Cartoon Cavalcade ruled in Scotland! Asterix and Bugs are cool, but my favourite carton was “Dastardly and Muttley” and my grandmother bought me a tee-shirt with them in their “Flying Machines”.

So one fateful morning, well chuffed and sporting my spiffy new shirt, I went out to play football… the story ends with a nickname “Muttley” until I moved to England at 16.

]]> By: Matthew http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-18 Matthew Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:04:04 +0000 http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-18 1997, man. Everyone that grew up in my neighborhood at some point had played for the Rosewood Soccer League, House league at it's finest. I remember so well wanting to be a keeper, so pumped on wearing some total badass gloves. I played for the "big" team and was fortunate enough to have a coach who was also a keeper when he played back in the day. Man, spending hours before and after practice working on my one-on-one and handling was the shit. Those were some of the most memorable days of my life. by the way, you write fucking gold on cartoons. you capture the feeling of being let down by what is supposed to be a routine wicked show but is in turn a shitty spinoff. You are my hero, at least until I sober up. 1997, man. Everyone that grew up in my neighborhood at some point had played for the Rosewood Soccer League, House league at it’s finest. I remember so well wanting to be a keeper, so pumped on wearing some total badass gloves. I played for the “big” team and was fortunate enough to have a coach who was also a keeper when he played back in the day. Man, spending hours before and after practice working on my one-on-one and handling was the shit. Those were some of the most memorable days of my life.

by the way, you write fucking gold on cartoons. you capture the feeling of being let down by what is supposed to be a routine wicked show but is in turn a shitty spinoff. You are my hero, at least until I sober up.

]]> By: Lissette Evil Blue http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-17 Lissette Evil Blue Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:25:13 +0000 http://weekendwarrior.theoffside.com/orange-slices-and-aspirin/my-first-soccer-coach-wasgodzooky.html#comment-17 Love Ur story. It's as weird and crazy as my own :) Tanx God I just witch that my mother could read this. Some day :) Love Ur story. It’s as weird and crazy as my own :) Tanx God I just witch that my mother could read this. Some day :)

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