Sorry, W.A.; I guess I just heard too many echoes from the past when I read that. Three years ago, 2003 season, teams like JI were posting 18-0 wins against our team. The following year, when I took over as head coach and was trying to recruit some solid fall and winter sport athletes to play soccer in the spring, all too often I heard, "Why would I want to try out for a team that's just going to get embarrassed like that?" The hardest thing to change was to instill the belief that with hard work and a little faith, we CAN win, and we can make even the great teams in our area work for what they get from us.
Three years and a lot of hope, faith, and amazingly dedicated athletes later, we're still an underdog team playing in a big dogs' world, but the gap has closed significantly. My thanks to every coach who has sincerely complimented my players on their effort and improvement; it makes a world of difference in how they see themselves, and consequently in how they play.
Maybe I've had a bit too much to say about this topic lately; if so, I apologize. I would just like to see more of the starting, struggling, and rebuilding teams out there get the encouragement they need to follow through, improve, and become more today than what they were yesterday; for one, I think every aspiring soccer player should be able to play for love of the game. For another, I can't help but think that as these teams become more competitive, it will raise the bar across the state.
W.A.--My sincere apologies for a reflexive reaction. I've read enough of your posts to know you wouldn't intentionally say anything to bring negative attention to a struggling team.
