TEAM Soccer Magazine

$6

vol 2 Issue 1

Volume 2 - soccer 2012

www.teammag.com

Crossfire Academy’s

JOSE OCAMPO the definition of dedication

player profiles: alex young marissa pool tristan springer

our featured sponsor:

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A few years back, with our own family members playing on numerous youth sports teams, as sort of a lark, we created and published a few editions of TEAM, a magazine all about youth sports. It made sense – our lives were consumed with practices and games and traveling to games, we may as well have some fun with it – and fun we had.

F EATURES Brianna’s Soccer Journal SHANNON DRAYER COLUMN: LAMAR NEAGLE - SEATTLE SOUNDER PROFILE: TRISTAN SPRINGER cover story: crossfire’s Jose Ocampo profile: alex young profile: marissa pool

After four issues, life took us in other directions, and TEAM went on a shelf. But a funny thing happened – we never stopped talking or thinking about it. As new technologies were introduced, we’d discuss how TEAM could be better using the improvements. Another funny thing happened. People who had read TEAM in the past asked about it, and seemed to genuinely think we should never have stopped publishing – enough people that we started doing more than talking about TEAM as something from the past and instead started planning for its future.

So we move forward and what you hold in your hand right now is the new TEAM Magazine. This is our first soccer issue, and with over 25,000 kids playing soccer on Seattle’s Eastside alone, we think a magazine devoted to that single sport is warranted.

Other TEAM magazines will publish soon, including Baseball and FIT (a magazine focusing on youth health and wellness).

Ok, great plans, but none of this could happen without the strong support of the companies that choose to sponsor TEAM Magazine by advertising. We thank those companies that joined us for our first issue back – especially Lee Johnson Chevrolet KIA, our Gold Sponsor. We hope there will be many companies that want to be a part of the TEAM family and we look forward to meeting you just down the road.

FIT BY JAN soccer facts Gabriel uribe story

Lets play ball!!

Jim & Sandy

“Soccer is all very well a good game for rough girls, but not for delicate boys.” ~ Oscar Wilde

prove myself and by the time preseason rolled around a month later in August I felt better about being capable enough to play on the team… a little.

The upperclassmen slowly but surely became friends not foes. I went from stumbling through awkward, superficial conversations with them, to running around the dorms in preseason finding shenanigans to get us into. These included starting a water-fight with the football team and sneaking into a fraternity’s pool. I had earned the approval from the rest of the team and only needed to focus on winning the heart of my coaches.

By Brianna Jeannine Sweeney

After years playing with both Crossfire, and on the Woodinville High School Falcons Soccer Team, I was one of the lucky ones. I got a scholarship to play with the University of Washington Soccer Team. What follows is a journal of what life was like making that transition.

Since I had grown up playing on an amazing club team, Crossfire McCormick, you’d think traveling to national tournaments and playing high competition games would have prepared me perfectly for freshman year- WRONG. Morning practices seemed even earlier when I dreaded having to prove myself to all the upperclassmen. The coaches weren’t even allowed at our summer practices and I was still running with my tail between my legs trying to be impressive. However, with the right baby steps I can confidently say I DID

All preseason long I went to both practices every day with the same thought in my mind- fake it ‘till you make it.

During drills I would be completely dumbfounded but acted like I designed the thing. In the weight room I didn’t even know the difference between a barbell and a dumbbell…

“FAKE IT ‘TILL YOU MAKE IT!” and I sure felt like a dumbbell! The weight room environment was one that put me completely out of my element as a freshman. Growing up I had a gym membership to a place nicknamed Mold Creek because it was so old and decaying.

At UW, everything was purple, gold, new, and shiny. Football players towered me with a protein shake in either hand as I walked out to practice.

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welcome to the All preseason long I took in my new surroundings and worked as hard as I could to fit in, but also standout. By the time our first game rolled around against Seattle University, I was told I would be starting at center-back.

Luckily, I had one of the best center-backs in our league right next me, my teammate Kendyl Pele. I say “luckily” because first play of the game, a Seattle U. forward ran by me, almost scored, and I felt my stomach drop out of my butt. Kendyl turned to me and said, “Shake it off Sweeney, welcome to the big leagues.” Honestly, I didn’t have time to be scared for any second longer.

The rest of the game I was so focused on not making a mistake, the perpetual dry-mouth and hyperventilation slowly subsided. We won the game 1-0, starting the season off right and setting up a solid foundation for the rest of the season to build upon.

“Shake it off Sweeney...

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big leagues.”

Established in 1980, the Issaquah Soccer Club is dedicated to promoting sportsmanship and the love of soccer to children between the ages of 5 and 18. With over 250 youth soccer teams and over 2,500 players, ISC is one of the largest, most successful youth soccer clubs in the Northwest. Their goal is to help children learn, compete and grow as athletes and citizens.

For more information about the Issaquah Soccer Club, visit our website at

http://www.issaquahsoccerclub.org/

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Lamar

Neagle

It is just thirteen miles from the Federal Way Boys and Girls Club to the Starfire Sports Complex where the Seattle Sounders train. On a chilly fall afternoon shortly before the playoffs were to begin, first year midfielder Lamar Neagle’s thoughts drift back to where his soccer journey began.

“My first memory of soccer was playing at the Boys and Girls Club, not too far from here,” he said. “The only thing I remember about the season is that we won.

We went to the final, had a PK shoot out and everybody on my team made it but me (laughs). I was a little upset with myself but we still won so everyone was happy.”

Soccer for Lamar was about spending time with his friends, and scoring goals.

“All the guys I went to class with played soccer and they played together on a team. Every day we played at recess. They asked if I wanted to play on their team because they thought I was pretty good. It kind of developed from there. One guy I played with all the way to college from first grade.”

By Shannon Drayer

go, what team to try out for. I didn’t really want to play if I wasn’t playing with my friends. A couple of my friends said forget it, and came down to the rec league with me and one of their dads coached us and we had a great time. Eventually we tried out again and we all ended up on a different team in the highest competitive league.”

Getting cut from his club team was not the only adversity Lamar faced. Despite being a standout on the Thomas Jefferson High School team that won the state championship his senior year Lamar was not recruited to play college soccer. A friend from the Boys and Girls Club who was recruited came to his aid telling his coach at UNLV about Lamar. He was invited to walk on and a month later he was given a scholarship.

Three years later he would be given an assist to the next level from another familiar face.

While the game remained fun for Lamar, there were bumps along the road with the most dramatic being getting cut from his club team.

“I was on a team with all my friends and I was one of the leading scorers,” he remembers. “Then I got cut and it kind of rocked my world. I didn’t know where to TEAM Magazine - Soccer

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Lamar knows better than most and would like to share with others, sometimes talent is not enough to get you to where you want to be. He learned at an early age that sometimes he would not have control of the direction of his path. The important thing however, was to stay on the path. As long as he was on that path, he had a chance to change the direction to where he wanted it to go.

Above all he said, never forget that feeling you had on the playfield when you were a kid. To that end, he takes time after every practice to just kick the ball around with teammate James Riley.

“I wasn’t in the MLS draft. I got the most votes from my conference to go into the combines but they didn’t pick anyone from our conference. Darren Schmetzer, my coach from high school, was the assistant for the USL Sounders and he called me up out of the blue and asked me to come to camp. They gave me a month tryout and I signed a month later.”

“never forget that feeling you had on the playfield when you were a kid.”

There have been bumps at the professional level for Lamar as well. In 2010 he didn’t make the team out of training camp and went down to the USL-2. He made the most of his time and earned league MVP honors.

“I can kind of get knocked down or cut whatever,” he said, “but I keep going and I keep pushing myself. It is the main thing that has gotten me where I am today.”

“The work and the perseverance is a huge factor that you definitely need,” he said. “You need to be able to push yourself, but to be able to have fun at the same time, that is going to make you a better player. We are only out here for a couple of hours anyway, just juggling with one of the other players is good and it works on things too. But if you keep the fun in the game you are going to be confident, you are going to enjoy what you are doing it’s not going to be a job. I come out here and I am having fun every day with a great group of guys and as long as I am putting the work in I am going to be around.”

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PROFILE

TRISTAN SPRINGER AGE: 16 MEADOWDALE HIGH SCHOOL

TEAM: Crossfire (4 yrs) Academy (1 yr) Boys U-16 LEAGUE: USSDA, U.S. Soccer Development Academy POSITION: Center Midfielder COACHED BY: Ralph Black Other Sports You Play: Skiing, other sports for fun Favorite College Soccer Team: U.C.L.A Bruins Favorite Pro Soccer Team: Chelsea F.C. Favorite Pro Athlete: Carlos Tevez Favorite Sports Movie: The Rocky series How long have you played soccer? 11 yrs Why did you choose to play soccer?

My brothers played soccer, so it came naturally to me; I used to play baseball, but I soon got bored of the standing around.

Favorite Soccer Memory: Competing in the National Championship my U-14 year What do you like most about playing soccer?

Mostly the feeling after scoring a goal. But when I think about playing and the effects it has on me I appreciate the fact that it keeps me out of trouble as well as in shape.

Other hobbies/things you enjoy doing: cooking, skiing, exploring new places, listening to music Who inspires you the most and why?

Pele the soccer great because he grew up with nothing and still became one of the best soccer players in the world, it makes me realize how fortunate I am.

Who’s your favorite Artist?

Kanye West or local artists here in Seattle Favorite thing(s) to do on a Sat. night?

Go to Seattle with some friends and try something new, explore a new place, or try a new restaurant. Then come back and watch a good movie!

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JOSE OCAMPO

cover feature:

DEFINITION OF DEDICATED: JOSE OCAMPO

By Jim Lengell

It’s almost impossible not to notice Jose Ocampo on the soccer field. He stands out. He’s always moving, and those movements are lightning fast, with a fluidity that cries “natural.”

But he’s not a natural. Jose Ocampo practices, and then practices some more. He’s been known to show up early for his Crossfire Academy practices – SEVEN HOURS early – alone on the field, except for his true companions – a soccer ball, and a net to shoot at.

“Jose is the poster child for what we want to accomplish as an organization,” says Bernie James, Coach of the Crossfire Academy’s Youth 16 team. “He’s an outstanding kid, dedicated, talented, and because Crossfire is able to help out with a scholarship, Jose has these incredible opportunities.”

The goal of the Crossfire Premier Soccer Club is to promote the game of soccer by providing the highest possible level of technical and tactical training, skill development, competitive team play, and to provide highly skilled and capable players with an opportunity to further excel in the sport. Playing for this club requires commitments of both time and money. The kids playing Crossfire don’t play anywhere else – not even on their high school teams. Practices are five to six days a week, year round. The team travels heavily, and much of that travel is down to California for tournaments.

“I grew up with it, played with my family, played ever since I was a little kid,” Jose recounts. “I was attracted to the ball, liked using my feet with the ball, liked playing on a team.”

Playing for Crossfire often leads to college scholarships, and Jose, a junior in high school, already has Harvard and Santa Clara watching him. He’s interested in Stanford and UCLA as well and he’s doing his part academically by maintaining a 3.6 GPA.

“When I have a ball at my feet, I’m just happy!”

“Jose has a really strong chance to go to college on a scholarship,” says Bernie James. “We’re going to do everything we can to help make that happen.”

It runs in the family. His father played semi-professional soccer in Mexico with his Ocampo cousins on a club team called Zacatepec, a Mexican football team based in Zacatepec, Morelos. They were nicknamed Cañeros (Sugarcane growers).

After relocating to the U.S, Jose’s father opened a landscaping business in Bothell which he continues to operate. Nowadays, he leaves the soccer to Jose, and Jose has taken the opportunity his father has provided about as seriously as a kid can take anything.

For now, Jose stays focused on keeping his grades at a place where colleges will see him as dedicated along with his goal of continuing to improve his abilities on the field playing a sport he’s loved his entire life.

“When I have a ball at my feet, I’m just happy,” Jose says. “No matter what, if I’m stressed or if I’m feeling down the one thing I can do is go to the fields, pick up a ball and I feel like everything goes away and I zone it all out, and I come back home happy.”

Seven hours later.

Alex Young

Age 13

School You Attend: Thunder Mountain Middle School, Enumclaw SD Team You Play On: Rapids League: Maple Valley Premier Position You Play: Defender Coached By: Boyd Kinney Other Sports You Play: SOCCER SOCCER and more SOCCER Favorite College Team: Duke Blue Devils Soccer Team Favorite Pro Athlete: Christiano Ronaldo Favorite Sports Movie: Remember the Titans How long have you been playing soccer? 8 years+ What is your favorite part about the game of soccer? Stealing the ball from the other team; taking free kicks and penalty kicks Who is your favorite soccer athlete and why? Christiano Ronaldo because he's got a really strong shot

Marissa Pool Age 10

Marissa Pool is 10 years old, and she loves soccer enough to play on two teams; the Wild Ponies from the Bellevue Youth Soccer League and her school team at St Thomas in Medina. Marissa plays defense.

“I love being outdoors,” she says. “And I love kicking things.”

Her soccer career started at age six, and while she sees herself participating into high school and maybe beyond, she has a lot of other interests too, including singing, dancing, drawing and writing.

And traveling. Marissa’s favorite place is Hawaii, and on her last trip to the islands she attempted surfing for the first time.

“I got up on the board for a long time…30 seconds,” she said, with a determined smile on her face. “I’ll get better.”

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FIT BY JAN

“Being STRONG makes you FASTER. Period.”

Speed training for youth soccer players should not only consist of basic speed drills, but more importantly Strength/Core training, balance and flexibility.

All components must be addressed in order for an athlete to excel and reduce chances of injury. Do you want to be fast? Then you need to be STRONG. Soccer Strength Training programs should be geared towards unilateral, multi-directional movements that integrate balance. What?!? That means strength workouts using one leg at a time, balancing, and moving in all different directions. Balance is vital to the success of a soccer player…especially a fast one. Balance is also one of the best methods of reducing the chance of injury. Every cut, step, acceleration and deceleration requires balance between multiple muscle groups. Balance also means balancing the amount of strength between opposing muscles. Hamstrings are typically much weaker than quadriceps in soccer players so a strength program should incorporate specific balance exercises for the hamstrings. The following are examples of Leg Strengthening exercises to add to your program: Lunges (forward, reverse, and diagonal), Single leg Deadlifts, Crossover Balance Taps and Lateral Bounding.

Another critical factor for Mad Speed is core strength. The power in your legs is directly related to how strong your core muscles are. Your abs and back are your Center of Power. This power means everything if you want to propel yourself past your opponents. If your core is strong, your body can support proper running mechanics, which in turn……makes you faster once again. Some examples of effective core exercises are: Planks (side and single leg), Bicycles, and Supermans.

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Scan the QR Code to see a Fit By Jan soccer speed training video.

Jan Denman

Owner/Personal Trainer

206.498.9849 www.fitbyjan.com While being strong is directly proportional to your speed, it is also important to maintain your flexibility.

Flexibility works with strength, endurance, speed and agility to improve your overall athletic ability.

There are 2 different kinds of stretching: Static and Dynamic. The trend for youth soccer players is to warm up using Dynamic stretches as opposed to Static ones. Static stretches are the ones you learned in P.E. class. Hold a stretch with slight tension for 30 seconds and release. Dynamic stretches gradually move parts of your body to increase your reach and speed. Doing this raises body temperature, increases muscle elasticity and mimics actions used in training and competition. Static stretches are a great way to cool down after a game.

“It is Important to maintain your flexibility.”

Performing speed and footwork drills will bring you to a certain level of quickness on the soccer field. If you want to take it to the next level, think about incorporating an age-appropriate strength training program. Most exercises are performed with only your body weight and can be done on a practice field or at home. Make sure this program consists of single leg exercises requiring balance as well as a core strengthening routine. By increasing your athletic power and strength, you will be able to cut quicker, jump higher, last longer, and run much, much faster!

“True champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts.”

• “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” ~Mia Hamm

American Female Soccer Player

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SOCCER Thanks to the game's long history, soccer has grown to become the most popular sport in the world. Millions of people around the globe watch major competitions, and soccer stars become huge international celebrities. Many kids worldwide play soccer, because it is relatively simple to play on a beginner level--and it is fun.

Origins Nobody knows for sure who invented soccer, or when. According to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, international soccer's governing body, there is evidence that people in China might have played a game similar to soccer more than 2,000 years ago. However, modern soccer traces its origins back to medieval England. Village ball game contests slowly evolved into a more organized sport by the 19th century.

Rules The newly formed English Football Association wrote the first official soccer rules 1863. This association still governs English soccer today. The rules have changed over the years, but the basic game is still the same.

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, commonly known as FIFA, is the governing body of association soccer. FIFA organizes and regulates all of the main soccer competitions in the world. It also has control over any rule changes.

Soccer or Football?

Soccer is known as football throughout most of the world. In North America, however, the word soccer is used to avoid confusion with American football as played in the National Football League, or NFL.

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FACTS Popularity Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. According to figures published on The Independent website, at least 260 million people watched the 2006 World Cup soccer final live on television. In comparison, approximately 98 million people watched the 2006 Super Bowl.

Competitions The World Cup is the biggest and most important soccer competition. It is an international competition, with each team representing its own nation.

Each country in the world also has its own national competitions between clubs. Soccer first appeared in the Olympic Games in 1908.

Greatest Player Many consider a Brazilian named Pele to have been the greatest soccer player of all time. However, others argue that Diego Maradona, an attacking midfielder from Argentina, was as good as Pele.

Player Awards Each year, FIFA names one player the World Player of the Year. This is arguably the greatest recognition that an individual soccer player can receive during his playing career.

Money Soccer players can make a lot of money. Soccer stars earn a lot from their clubs, and they make even more from sponsorship and advertising deals.

According to The Daily Mail Online website, Lionel Messi, the 2009 FIFA Player of the Year, earned more than $41 million in 2009 alone.

BY ANTHONY GRAHAME Anthony Grahame has been a writer for more than 15 years. He began writing professionally online in 2008. He has a degree in English literature from the University of Sussex and is an experienced traveler and travel writer. His work has been published on a variety of well respected websites including "Living in Peru".

The

Gabriel Uribe Story

Soon after Gabriel Uribe’s third birthday, he was diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy. Barely able to walk or talk, Gabriel suffered, during the worst periods, over a thousand epileptic seizures per day. Doctors told his parents that Gabriel had only a 50% chance of surviving to adulthood until he started treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Today, Gabriel is a healthy ten year-old and a proud member of Issaquah Soccer Club’s Gunners premier squad.

On October 4th, 2011, Gabriel accompanied ISC Club President Bret Knutson and ISC Director of Coaching, Jimmy Ball, to present Children’s Hospital with a $3,500 check raised in ISC’s recent Children’s Fundraiser.

Children’s Katie Fath, Event Specialist/Corporate Annual Giving, was impressed with the generosity of ISC, especially how fast the Club raised the money, and with Gabriel’s story of recovery.

Soon after Gabriel’s diagnosis, he was accepted into a special program for children with epilepsy at Children’s, focusing on diet and nutrition as well as speech and physical therapy.

He’s made rapid progress but still has a long way to go.

Gabriel’s parents, Mauricio and Cindy, enrolled him in several youth sports programs for exercise and rehabilitation. Mauricio even volunteered to be an assistant coach for Gabriel’s flag football and soccer teams.

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Physical activity helps all children build fitness and coordination and especially helps children with epilepsy build and strengthen the neurological pathways between their brains and their muscles.

Unfortunately, young Gabriel spent most his time in flag football on the bench because, the head coach reasoned, it wouldn’t be fair to the other players that wanted to win to depend on a team member who tripped as often as Gabriel did.

As an assistant soccer coach, Mauricio learned the coaching staff at ISC had a different approach. Issaquah Soccer Club’s Director of Coaching, Jimmy Ball, explains, “for younger players, development over winning games is very important. It helps develop well rounded players and individuals.”

Given a chance to play and to improve Gabriel thrived.

“It is a true miracle,” according to Gabriel’s father Mauricio, “With the assistance of the doctors and staff at Children’s, he has gone from a little boy that could barely walk and function to proudly playing with the Gunners U10 B squad this year.”

Gabriel hasn’t suffered a seizure in over six years and his parents credit both Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Issaquah Soccer Club with his recovery.

It’s stories like Gabriel’s deepen the bond between Children’s and ISC and strengthen ISC’s commitment to Seattle Children’s Hospital. $3,500 was raised through

Gabriel’s Story (Continued) raffle ticket sales and a chance to win over $500 worth of sporting goods from Sports Authority, ISC’s exclusive raffle partner. “We are happy we were able to help ISC support the great work at Children’s,” said Sports Authority’s Brent Vander Mey, Community Marketing Manager-Seattle. “Fund raising efforts like this demonstrate ISC’s commitment not only to youth soccer, but to the community as a whole.” Katie Fath of Children’s thanked ISC for its “donation of $3,500 which will go to the greatest needs at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Support like this ensures that children in our region benefit from world-class medical care, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.”

“It is a true Miracle!”

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TEAM profiles youth athletes and the sports they play in a quarterly (plus TEAM Xtra newsletters) magazine designed to shine the spotlight on these amazing kids, their coaches, parents and all the wonderful volunteers who together make up youth sports.

Single copies of TEAM Soccer Magazine can be purchased for $6 from your local youth soccer organization, or directly from TEAM. Contact us at: subscriptions@teammag.com

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