Important Club News

The following contains excerpts from an email sent out June 3rd.

Tryouts:
Tryouts were a huge success this year. Our Club grew by over 20 players just in the U10-U14 age group. We expect the high school age groups to grow as well when try outs occur in August. Adding 20 players may not seem like a huge jump, but for several years soccer player numbers have been flat or declining. So, an increase like we had is very unusual. I would be curious to find out numbers from some neighboring clubs. Great job to everyone for getting the word out about our excellent Club! It truly shows we Believe in United!

On the field:
Your coaching staff continues to improve and accomplish bigger and better things. Several coaches, including our own Niki Brooks, just completed their USSF National “C” license. This class entails a grueling classroom and field educational process followed by an exam. Fortunately for all coaches in the northwest, our own Janine Szpara was recently licensed to teach this course. (a 2 week classroom/field class to obtain this authorization in addition to holding a USSF National “A” license) Janine’s instruction provided a huge boost to our own coaches.

Locally:
Many coaches have been secured by the Oregon Olympic Development Program (ODP)to train the best players in the state. Congratulations to Laura Schott, Rochelle Hearns, Adam Leyland and Floyd Rocker.

Regionally:
4 THUSC coaches are training the Regional ODP athletes. These players are the best in the West and demand the best coaching. Janine Szpara, Tom Atencio, Adam Leyland and Laura Schott top the list of Regional ODP coaches. Obviously, our coaches are fantastic and the rest of the west coast is starting to see this.

Nationally:
Tom Atencio has recently secured a prestigious post on the US Club Soccer Board of Directors. This is a national governing body of youth soccer. The selection process for this Board of Directors is arduous. Tom deserves huge accolades for this accomplishment. He will be making decisions which impact soccer across the United States. Again, great job, Tom!

From the sidelines:
It is very apparent that THUSC has emerged as the Premier club in Oregon and one of the top in Region 4. We should feel very blessed to have these top level, quality coaches on our staff who believe in the program, the players, the club. They could have landed at any other club, but they chose THUSC because they saw potential. Potential for greatness. And with the huge accomplishments listed above we are well on our way. I know that other clubs & players will be taking notice of this. [And they should be]

Sodium - You should be proud of your coach and make sure you tell him so. His accomplishments are no small task, aren't handed out and don't occur overnight. He has worked long and hard to reach these goals, much the same way he expects you to push yourself, to set goals and to far exceed them. So next time you take the field of battle, feel proud to be a part of greatness. Be confident of the decisions made and know that you have an exceptional team watching your back.

Proudly we yell; Go Tom! Go United! GO SODIUM!