Bishop Burton United went down to their seventh defeat in the last eight games yesterday when they list 4-1 to Molescroft Rangers at Beverley Leisure Centre in Joe Horne’s first game in charge as caretaker manager.
Molescroft opened the scorer not long after the 10 minute mark but Sam Brown managed to equalise before half time. In the second half United conceded three goals but were never really out of the game and whilst Rangers deserved their win the scoreline did flatter them.
Defeat all but puts to an end any slim hopes United had of challenging fir the title. More to follow.

Nikolay Davydenko continues his stellar play in the fall with a three set 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 defeat of Roger Federer. It seems like everyone is beating Federer these days but Federer was impressed with Davydenko’s performance. The final set was close with Federer only two points away from taking the match. “I was a couple of points away, but just couldn’t get it done.” Daydenko was pleased with the win saying he wanted to beat Federer for the first time, perhaps by 2011. Federer claimed the number one ranking position on the ATP tour struggled with his serve and that gave Davydenko all the encouragement he needed to win today. Davydenko moves onto the ATP Final match on Sunday against either Del Poto or Soderling.

Hi All

Will be in the Jolly Sailor St Albans Monday night

Come on you whites……….

With apologies for a lot of downtime thanks to our blogging software, we resume with the Walsall draw, a Jekyll and Hyde affair if ever we saw one.

During the first half Brentford were excellent, Myles Weston making us look quite the fool with a scintillating and ambitious performance. Half time merited more than a one goal lead.

Once he went off injured Brentford laboured and the ball kept bouncing back (past our non-existent midfield), leaving an equaliser tediously inevitable.

And that’s all we can be bothered to say at this stage.

People have adapted to live in some pretty inhospitable environments on this planet.

I guess originally they didn’t know any different or better.
Maybe they thought everywhere was the same and just sucked it up and carried on the best they could.

… but now most people know that there are climatically less challenging places to live.

Have people just got used to where they live? … or are they nuts?

note: sorry if this post was anticlimatic.

double note: some people live in inhospitable environments … but there are a lot of people who are inhospitable in all environments.

triple note: is there an inhospitality service industry that I’m not aware of? … it seems to be really popular.

quadruple note: planetross is an adapter, but not for everywhere.
… I may ruin your electronic equipment.

quintuple note: planetross doesn’t rely on matches and ice cubes for heating and cooling: those are used for other things.

Heating and cooling are supplied by:

.

notes to myself #71

You’ll live in places with central heating, wood burning stoves, fireplaces, water radiators, coal stoves, oil furnaces, electric heat, propane heat, kerosene heat, and dung burning ovens.
… I’m just kidding about the dung burning. hee hee!

Roger Federer played Juan Martin del Potro… and I missed it! But, from what Roger Federer’s website says (I go there everyday ), he just made it through to the semi-finals! Although Del Potro did defeat him 6-2, 6-7 (5), and 6-3 (I’m not quite so sure I’d want to watch that anymore…), Roger got the best of Andy Murray’s record: 45 games won to 43 games lost, while Andy Murray has 44-43! (Thanks to Roger Federer’s website for those statistics!) One game can really mean a lot…

“This is what separates the men from the boys.”

In this epic now three-set match, Roger Federer shows what it takes to be a professional tennis player. Andy Murray took the first set 6-3, but Federer didn’t let this bring him down. He showed that if you keep believing in yourself, anything is possible. Federer took the second set, 6-3, and we’re now in the third set, on serve.

Murray is trying to be more aggressive than he was in the first set, but didn’t do enough with the forehand. Roger Federer produced two brilliant shots in a row to get the match even at 1-1.

Murray has double faulted six times in the match, double faulting on the first point in every game of the third set. Now 0-30, can Federer pull off this game?

Triple break point. “He’s allowing Federer to gain confidence.” What a great statement to describe this moment in the match.

Federer takes the game! It’s now 2-1… and a commercial break. E-Harmony, some pretty good stuff right there!

They’re experiencing some “technical difficulties.” But no worries! Federer DID end up winning, 6-1 in the third!

Joe Horne goes into his first game in temporary charge of United away to Molescroft Rangers on Saturday with manager Mark Falconer still sidelined with illness and injury (Falconer is now expected to undergo surgery next week which may well rule him out of returning in time for the home match against Market Weighton United). Horne will still be without the services of midfielders Ben Raiton and David Wood though Wood is expected to return to training next week. Defender Matt Wilson is unavailable this Saturday whilst Tom Hoyland and Jason Mohammed were both unable to train last night and are doubtful for the weekend. Horne is one goal off his 60th for the club though had reverted to centre half in his last match and may well continue in defence against Molescroft Rangers. Mateusz Bajer overtook Horne as the clubs top scorer this season when he notched his 10th goal of the campaign against Waterloo, Bajer is now also chasing his own personal milestone as his next strike will be his 20th for the club.

United beat Molescroft Rangers 3-2 at home in the first league match of the season. The scoreline somewhat flattered the opposition who scored both their goals in the last 10 minutes when United took their foot off the gas. A Sam Brown double and a strike from Joe Horne done the damage that day but in truth United should have scored more with Mateusz Bajer and John Paul McMillan both passing up gilt edged chances. Rangers are second bottom in the table but have started to show some form in the last three games. An emphatic 6-0 home win over Skirlaugh caught the eye, especially as Skirlaugh were top of the league and undefeated at the time. This was followed by a 5-5 draw against Division Two side Leven Members Club in the League Cup and last week Rangers can count themselves very unlucky to go down 4-3 at Hornsea Town Reserves having been 3-1 up at one point. Over the last four league games Rangers have a slight edge over United in form with 4 points compared to 3.

United will be desperate to get back to winning ways especially as next month brings three monumental games which could well be the making or undoing of the season. Three out of the current top four will face United (Market Weighton United and Wawne Ferry Reserves at home and Waterloo away) so to drop points against the side second bottom of the league would almost certainly put paid to any slim title aspirations that United still hold.

Below – Joe Horne (left) and David Wood (right) in action against Molescroft Rangers in the opening day 3-2 win.

I’m currently sat on a train, en route to the parents’ house for Bird Day.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and we’ll see you back next week for more Double Blind Experiments in Dating!

- Dr. Jane

I don’t smoke, but I do light candles, so I buy matches pretty infrequently.  (If I smoked though, I would totally light my ‘rettes with matches, because HOT! Also, I would use the term ‘rettes. Conclusion: I would be a somewhat affected smoker.)

Every time, I freak out at how cheap a box of matches is. TWENTY CENTS! Fire is one of the most revolutionary human discoveries, but we can buy multiple easy-to-make portable fire opportunities for twenty cents. Insane.

Actually, that was all I planned on writing about today but then I took an accompanying photo (hey, I’m not allowed to talk about boys anymore, might as well cover the banal stuff real well), and noticed something interesting…

On the right, you have my old matches, proudly proclaiming their contents: 50 safety matches. On the right – whispering down in the corner of the pack – 45. [On the top - gratuitous Jo Malone]. And there goes my last haven of ‘the good old days’. I feel like BJ Novak providing the revelation of the shrinking creme eggs!

Still! Less than a half-cent each!  AMAZING!

Prestigio 4-4 FC Tempastella

Scorers: Yan(3), Sadiq

Assists: Sadiq, Alfa

Things are turning out to be very similar every week for Prestigio. a second draw of the season for Prestigio puts them in a position ahead of Tempastella where they can slot into title contending position if they continue to produce results. With the first round of the remaining fixtures against Renaissance FC, Huat FC and Holland Park, these are games in which we must win in order to fight for the title. With Prestigio starting with only 11 players, it was clear that they struggled throughout the first half, and conceded an early goal which was a foolish one, by not playing to the referee’s whistle and failing to clear their lines. Tempastella is a team that can pass the ball very well and are always patient in their build up. we were left exposed many times in the first half as we failed to dictate any tempo and pressure them. By half time Prestigio were down by 2-0 and you can see the quiet mood in the camp. But as usual, Prestigio displayed a tremendous second half performance. 2 minutes after kick off, a great delivery from Sadiq via a free kick found Yan who slotted a well cushioned header way off the reach of the keeper. despite the opponents getting one back, Prestigio’s momentum didn’t break, and they dominated throughout the game. Sadiq made it 2-3 when he tapped in an open goal. he seems to be very comfortable playing at the advanced central midfield role and has been in good form this season in both creating and scoring, with 2 goals and 3 assists in 4 games. However we did not see the brothers combining today as Barak was absent. A siege of Prestigio attacks came and Yan once again grabbed his second hat-trick of the season in only 4 games, after adding another two goals to give Prestigio a 4-3 lead towards the end. Yan is now Prestigio’s headline maker, having been on the spotlight in every game with his tremendous goal-scoring ability. in a cheeky attempt to ease those chasing him to become top scorer, he wanted to award his 2 goals to manager Kecyk. Notable mention had to go to Zai, for another outstanding performance against Tempastella. it seems that he relishes the challenge by Tempastella, and the opponents would certainly remember his outstanding goal-line save from last season’s match. this time, Zai made an oustanding full stretched top corner save from a corner kick, and also a close ranged freekick. Man of the match would have his name on it had it not been for a fluke goal in which the ball bounced off his hand while diving. still, he is staking a strong claim for that first choice keeper slot. however all that hard work defending were to be undone by a last minute equaliser which saw a through ball penetrating a tired defence. nevertheless, another strong performance and in a good position, we must now STOP DRAWING and start WINNING in order to challenge for the title.

Those who are wondering how they can can increase their profile views, receive more messages, and significantly raise their chances of landing a date on Zoosk should maybe consider requesting and publishing friend testimonials on their Date Card! Testimonials are awesome and really speak a lot about you, especially on an online dating site.

What’s a testimonial? A testimonial is a short blurb from a friend or acquaintance that says something positive about you. We publish third party testimonials on Zoosk because testimonials are a great way to give potential matches more information about you from people who know you. It gives someone who looks at your profile the chance to hear something nice about you from a third party. Because this information is coming from a source who knows personally, it gives credibility to the fact that those great things they say about you are true. It’s uncouth to brag openly about yourself, so why not have one of your friends brag about you on your behalf?

If you’re wondering about how the get testimonials for your Date Card, read on for step-by-step instructions! Log into Zoosk and go to your Date Card tab. At the very bottom, below where you enter your favorite music, movies, and books, you’ll see bold text that says “Testimonials”. If you do not have any testimonials, the page will say, “You do not have any testimonials” and show a link that asks you to invite your friends to offer testimonials for you. Click this link to get testimonials! It will take you to the next page, screenshot below.

Clicking “Invite friends to get more testimonials!” will take you to a page that looks like the image above. You can invite people from your email networks, like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Windows Live, and AOL. All you need to do is enter your email login name and password and click “Continue.” Zoosk does not store any passwords. This feature uses the same technology that helps you locate contacts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social networking sites and doesn’t store any of your or your contacts’ information. Once you click continue, the screen will pull up a list of your contacts. You can choose specific contacts and send them a request. Your contacts do not have to be Zoosk or Facebook members.

You can also invite people straight from Facebook. On the same page there will be a link, highlighted in yellow, that says “Invite your Facebook friends to write testimonials for you”. Click that link and you will see your Facebook friends pop up on the next page. Simply choose which friends you’d like to get testimonials from.

If you would prefer not to upload your Facebook friends or to load your Gmail or Yahoo Mail contacts, or if you use a different email server that isn’t listed on the sidebar, you can invite  your friends to send their testimonials by directly typing in their email addresses into the system. We then automatically send testimonial invites to their inbox. Click the link that says “or type in your friends email addresses” and you will be directed to a page that looks like the screenshot below.

Put your emails in the blanks and click “Invite Now.” You’re done!

Once they’ve written a testimonial for you, you’ll get an email at the same address you use to log into Zoosk (if you use Zoosk as a FB application, this will be at the same email address you use to log into Facebook). This is the same email where you get all the other Zoosk notifications, like notices about messages and updates on our site. The email will look just like the screencap below.

The testimonial your friend submitted will be now on your Zoosk Date Card. It will be on the side bar, to the left of your personal information. See?

Doesn’t it look great? Now potential Zooskers will be able to read awesome tidbits and compliments about you from your friends. What better way to advertise what a great catch you are than to get a testimonial from someone who knows you already? Get a testimonial today!

Hypothesis (prediction before the date): Well his profile looks a bit like Stalin. Or Lenin. Or this guy:

But I don’t think he’s Russian or angry. We haven’t talked too much yet, so I don’t have a lot to go on. Should be interesting!

Materials (the guy, the place, any other variables):

• Turns out he used to be in real estate, then the market tanked. So he went into something to do with marketing and demographics. But hated it. So now he’s back in commercial real estate.
• He suggested Pete’s coffee out in BFE, and I politely said KEEP DREAMING. My best friend raves about this other coffee place that has approximately zero locations anywhere near myself or my regular commutes, so I’m venturing every so slightly outside my comfort zone to go see this Subject

Procedures (omg what happened???): Can I see myself ever dating this guy? No. He’s really cute, easy to get along with (kinda scrawny), and super nice. Can I see myself becoming a business partner with this man? Absofreakinglutely!

Seriously people, this Subject is bidness-oriented like whoa. I didn’t feel like I was on a job interview, so much I was with a recruiter who felt confident that he had plenty of jobs for me, and I only had to pick the one I liked best. Which, as it were, I wish he had been, because my job pays me in compliments and miniscule amounts of attention.

We talked a lot about politics and how he had worked on a Democratic local election campaign. And we talked about trends in online media and the way marketing and demographic information can be researched and to what purpose such information can be used to drive business. We talked about the City community on a local level and the complexities of hyper-localization. I felt like I was using everything I learned in my undergrad Econ classes with this man, and it made me feel smart in a non-geeky way. Wow!

But most importantly, this was the ABSOLUTE most amazing coffee I’ve ever had. Let me tell you about this place: They don’t make lattes or mochas. No, they have phenomenal coffee. You pick which kind you want out of several buckets of freshly roasted beans, and they grind it to the finest possible grind, Turkish. Then they stick it in this little filter-station-thing. So there’s a paper filter over what looks like something out of Bill Nye’s lab, and they pour 190 degree water over it. Once all the water has seeped through, they grab the beaker-thing and pour it into a paper cup from like 3 feet in the air. Then they pour it back into the beaker from like 3 feet, and back and forth until everything’s all blended and there’s this adorable froth on top of the brew. Amazing. Only problem was, after the experiment ended, I had to walk up a fairly decent incline, and the INTENSE caffeine that I had previously drank combined with mild resistance produced a heart rate of easily 360. Seriously. I thought my cardiovascular system was going to jump out of my body and go for a jog without me.

By the end of the Experiment I was starving, having not eaten since lunch. Also, I felt a bit like the squirrel in the scene from Over the Hedge where he drinks some caffeine:

Results (the good, the bad, and the ugly): I felt totally comfortable talking to this Subject. And he gave me some really sound advice about job hunting, which I’m inclined to try. I almost wish I had a slightly more entrepreneurial attitude so he and I could start the next best Fortune 500 company. DBEID FTW?

Conclusion (overall rating): Great coffee, stimulating conversation. Pretty cute looking dude, too. Nothing at all like a somber communist from the ’50s. I give it a 7.5.

Much of this story, of course, began last Fall.

Christy, Haley Anne, and Hannah E. were coming off an undefeated U12 season at ASA. Christy and Haley Anne were invited to play-up for the struggling U14 Blast in the ASA Cup. This gave Christy and Haley Anne an opportunity to rejoin Shockers alum AC with whom they had won the U12 Extreme Cup the prior Spring. Coach Chris and I Observed that patch-work team play together (three draws), and got to know some of the parents. And, we saw great promise.

Drama (and, that is certainly an understatement) was afoot as Chris and I decided to break from ASA, and pull the core of our U12 team up early into U14. We merged with that Blast squad, regrouped with Mars and Hannah D., and built a team around a focused goal of going to the Spring State Cup.

That U14 team exceeded all expectations, and the story is chronicled on this team blogsite at.

I feel the stage was set, in epic fashion, as we returned to ASA this past weekend for the ASA Cup.

With a pair of key defenders injured (Claire and Loren) and others expected to be on holiday, we knew our U16 Shockers were going to be low on reserves. I had not really thought about it (and, truthfully so) until we arrived at The Polo Grounds (with my heart, admittedly, in my throat), but Christy and Haley Anne (with their hearty and ferocious U14 teammate Rachel) were once again joining an older squad to lend support. The vital difference this year was a more than reasonable expectation that we could win a Cup (and, coach Brian might realize a promise he made to the Claire and Grace the prior year).

Match One Saturday U16 Shockers vs. ASA Xplosion

In the very first match Saturday, under perfect condition to include cobalt blue skies, we faced ASA Xplosion. This is a hand-picked team of select players, many of whom have played together for over four years, dropped into the Rec divisions with the specific mission to win a State Cup in the coming Spring. The team is trained more often than not by Jeff Salas, one of the ASA directors who has a daughter on the squad. They were undefeated through the Fall season. We are told they averaged six goals per match against all opponents, and often won by shut-out, with only four goals scored against them in the regular season.

That was precisely the test I wanted, as we are really only now peaking, coming into our own, and preparing for Athens.

The Xplosion defense lived up to their training. Our vaunted Shockers attack had much fewer shots on goal than usual. But, we pressed hard, passed well, with very good communication, and saw the ball often on their end of the pitch. At roughly the 20th minute in the first half, Christy found herself facing a rebounded ball, spinning off a cross from Shelby, and placed it neatly into the back of the Xplosion net. I can look back on that match now and understand that we should have then changed our lineup to keep Xplosion on their heels. However, our intensity never let up. Both sides fought hard and passed well. We’ll offer no excuses. But, our defense that day was just getting accustomed to the lineup and the addition of Haley Anne. We had some miscommunication, and the very experienced Xplosion were able to convert on two goals. The final score was 2 to 1 in favor of Xplosion, but our Shockers were clearly under their skin.

And, we had a terrific opportunity on our hands (if not our boots).

I took the position that we had a dramatic opportunity to demonstrate only great character, come off this tough loss, and fight our way into the finals to face the Xplosion for a rematch.

Match Two Saturday U16 Shockers vs. AFU Cheetahs

That thinking and objective took us to our second match of the day and against league rivals AFU Cheetahs. And, of course, there would be a brilliant twist!

We had already beaten Cheetahs 3 to 2 earlier in the season; and, ironically, in the driving rain. Our 2nd regular season match had been rained out and needed to be rescheduled. We needed the points to overtake Cheetahs sister team Angels for the league championship. I had suggested to the Cheetah coach that we use the tournament match to decide the league tally. So, our second match of the tournament had both a Cup and a League championship on the line (I did not mention this to our Shockers even though several parents knew).

Cheetahs had just beaten the ASA Rockets 1 to 0 earlier in the day, and were well positioned to advance. All they had to do was get past us for the finals. To put matters into perspective, Cheetahs had played in the finals at Kohls Cup the prior weekend.

I’ll submit to you, and right now, that every Shocker on the pitch brought both their heart and their best boots to that match. The Cheetahs midfield and defense are stubborn and skilled. The ball failed to bounce in any one teams favor. Both sides broke the others fast breaks and used the sidelines like professionals found at the World Cup level. Lauren came up with several key saves (including a heart-stopping melee right in front of our net). Our defense were pulling themselves together under the leadership of Megan while Lindsay was playing as though possessed. Haley Anne was getting used to the speed-of-play at the U16 level and offered up several timely transition kicks. Although I think it might have been Grace that frustrated the Cheetahs Forwards the most, I’ll pick Kelsie’s Stopper play as the most dominating. As we transitioned the ball, Michelle demonstrated some very savvy passing. However, it was the gritty play of U14 reserve Rachel and always reliable KC that kept the ball moving in the right direction. Those two combined with the exceptional fighting and dribbling skills of Grayce and Shelby literally carried the day. In the first half Shelby found a brilliant cross from the right and laid the ball cleanly past the Cheetah Keeper. And, it was KC’s opportunistic BIG SHOT and score (because she FINALLY played up to the box) from thirty meters out that kept the momentum in our favor. It should be noted that the last five minutes of that match were likely the longest of my coaching (or playing). That score was 2 to 1 in favor of Shockers giving us the advantage over Cheetahs in the standings and one match away from the finals. It also put us five points over AFU Angels for the league championship – meaning that both our Shockers teams ended the regular season as respective league champions with a combined record of 17-1-2 (more about that later in a separate post).

Afterwards, walking off the pitch with Grace Guthrie, I had the opportunity to look her in the eye, and remind her that she always seems to step up and bring her best play when we need her most.

Match Three Sunday U16 Shockers vs. ASA Rockets

Sunday morning broke both cold and wet. And, our Shockers appeared to hardly notice. They showed up at ASA’s Polo Grounds all grins, and knowing what they had to do with the tournament “satisfied” as opposed to “pleased”.

The Rockets coach approached me shortly before kick-off with a chuckle. He ruefully advised me that we had clearly rattled their sister team Xplosion. The players had been texting and Facebooking beseeching Rockets to take “those Shockers” out of the final. “We knew you guys were good but wow. No one is happy here”.

The Rockets had already fallen to Xplosion 5 to 0 and Cheetahs 1 to 0. So, they had an opportunity to play the spoliers and support a Club sister team. And, many of those Rockets are good fighters. However, with Xplosion and Cheetah players haplessly watching more of our match from their sidelines than their own our Shockers may have played one of the most balanced and aggressive efforts I’ve ever seem them muster. We certainly played our typical “Shocker Ball” keeping the play on the Rockets side of the pitch over 85% of the match. Our passing was text book, the confidence supreme. Our scoring onslaught started in the first minute with Grayce’s sliding out of the back, but not before cutting the angle and hammering a jaw-dropping shot across the box into the far corner of the Rocket net. The Rocket coach summed it up nicely with “wow”. And, we could hear Salas behind us (coaching the Xplosion) adding a: “you have to watch her”! Shelby’s selfless passing was relentless. By the end of the match, we had scored eight goals (although the refs had it tallied officially at nine). Grayce had a hat-trick, and over the course of the match saw Michelle, Shelby, KC and Christy add to the scoring tally. The final official score was 9 to 1 and the U16 Shockers were in the finals and ready to face Xplosion for the Cup.

This promised to be a barn-burner. Yes it did!

Tournament Finals Sunday U16 Shockers vs. ASA Xplosion

I was, admittedly, in high spirits as I approached the Polo Grounds fields just after 2:10. Then I got the news… To keep this part of the story short, the “tournament director” had made the arbitrary decision to end all finals with penalty kicks as opposed to a complete match. Oddly, even though Patty and I were registered in the system, neither of us received the text messages announcing this decision.

In any event, one of my first thoughts was actually recalling that Grayce’s Dad, Regan, had reminded me two weeks earlier that Grayce was a very talented Goal Keeper. I made up my mind even before I called Coach Chris and Patty with the news. I knew that Xplosion and their coaches had watched our usual (and very successful) Keeper Lauren in action, and knew their penalty kick trained shooters had good odds. But, they had no idea about Grayce. And, I wanted Lauren focused as one of my shooters. I knew she would come through for us if we had her placed in the lineup properly. I started making calls to Shocker parents and making fast decisions. I knew who my shooters were. But, I also understood, in my heart and gut, who would get the job done under heart-pounding, adrenaline-drenched pressure. I walked up to Grayce with the news. In typical fashion, her first concern was for her teammate Lauren. I explained the strategy of surprise, and our need to for Lauren to focus on shooting, and Grayce decided that it would be fun! Coach Bill herded the team over to a far goal and started getting them warmed up. Within minutes Grayce was limbered up and all grins while inspiring mounting confidence from her VERY nervous, but determined, teammates.

As I pulled the team together I explained the shoot-out rules, sequence, and what to expect. I told them I felt they had earned this opportunity, and it was a day they would long remember – and, likely used as a comparison for many significant events in their lives. It was less about skill, and more so luck. Often a crap-shoot. Breathe, don’t make eye contact with the Keeper. No big run ups. Shoot for a corner. As Chris watched them intently near the net looking for a an opportunity for a quick correction, I took a moment to look at them as they chattered nervously amongst themselves. I’m not sure why, but I was surprised to see confidence, in me, in their eyes. This was not about me, mind you. But, they were listening to what I was saying. And, they understood – especially the part about not making eye contact with the Keeper. And, so I knew. We had a Cup waiting for us. We only needed to finish well.

Our players, parents, families and supporters, Shockers Nation all, were standing closely together when the ref called for coaches and captains. Upon the invitation form the head ref, we called numbers and it was decided that we would take the first shot. Little did the opposing goalie realize but this is what I wanted. I knew clear-eyed Shelby would stride purposefully up to that ball, toe it, step back – and, nail it home.

And, she did that very thing.

Our lead shooters were Shelby, Christy, Lauren, Kelsie and Grayce. Megan, Michelle and KC would follow. I stood slightly away from the group watching how the other Keeper positioned herself and how the Xplosion shooters approached the ball in terms of confidence and form. I tied my decision about which shooter to use and in which sequence, shooter-by-shooter, to what I saw happening as the drama played itself out. I felt I knew who might miss but also who would then compensate. We hit six out of eight and that is very good. It might be Megan’s shot I’ll remember the most vividly. Shoulders squared, I imagined that grim smile played across her face. Grayce also came up with two big saves. And, that is HUGE. The entire time she was in the net she had a smile on hr face. I kept looking at her thinking she was having the time of her life. I was also thinking about her Dad, all the Dad’s (and, of course Mom’s), in fact, and what a terrific organization we have. I felt grounded to the pitch as the ref turned to me, pointed, and sounded his whistle.

That’s a tough way to win a tournament. But, we earned the right to prove our fortitude, and demonstrate our nerve.

I held back wanting to savor the moment and watch the team rush Grayce, memorizing each and every (albeit dazed) smile in those faces.

I found Haley Anne first. And, then each of my Shockers. It was our day. It was a cold one to be sure. But, it was also brilliant, none the less.

A note from Mary Guthrie:

“…Sunday’s game was equally thrilling. It seemed like it went on forever. Finally, I asked the line judge how much time was left. He chuckled and said, “A long time. 15 minutes.” He then asked if we would be in the finals. I told him we hoped to be and explained we lost the first game on Saturday to the green team. “Wow. I can’t believe anyone could beat your team.”  A few minutes later he continued, “I mean, this ASA team really isn’t that bad. They can play soccer. But, your team is just blowing them away.”  A few minutes later, he said again, “This team is really good, every one of them. They are all really good.”   I saw him again after the penalty kick championship. He congratulated me. (When I recounted the line judge story at home, Grace and Claire found this very funny. (“You didn’t even play, mom. Why did he congratulate you?”) As the Shockers were having their picture taken in the net, he turned to the official he was standing with and described the morning game. “You wouldn’t believe how good this team is…”.

[]

We’ve come so far. But, I feel like we are only, and really, just coming into our own. We have Athens in two weeks. And, if we can keep these teams together. And, I pray we do, we go to the State Cup in the Spring. And, I wonder if that’s it for me.

For any player that still wants a tournament t-shirt, we have the distributor on standby for the order. Please let me and Patty know ASAP.

I hope to see as many Shockers at practice as possible Wednesday. We have a lot of work to do as we march, Shockers Nation all, on Athens.

Coach Brian

The U16 Fusion Shockers are 2009 League Champions.

Coach Brian

While perusing the interwebs for a picture for Friday’s post, I came across this image:

And immediately I thought to myself, “Self, what is this blog about? So I pointed good ol’ IE7 to http://50baddates.com and nearly collapsed in horror when the page finally loaded. Is it possible that someone has the exact same blog concept as me?!?!

So I read the most recent post, and immediately felt better because HOMEGIRL CAN’T WRITE FOR SHIT.* But still, the concept was the important thing to me. So I jumped to her Welcome page, and felt a twinge of panic when I saw that our blogs are, so it would seem, very similar. Yet I was thrown off by the last paragraph, which states that her dates start in Spring 2003. Is this a typo? Has this girl really been dating for six years and only has fifteen dates to show for it? Because that would just be sad.

Lo, after reading the first date, I discovered that this woman is not going on dates and writing about it. No, no. She is WHINING about dates she’s had in the past. Date number one was posted in October of 2009, but it took place sometime around when Head of State came out. A quick consult with my faithful imdb.com reports that this was, in fact, in 2003. Really? I mean, I could talk about the time that I fell asleep with a date and he woke me up at 3:15 am because he had to go to his girlfriend’s house, lest he be in trouble. Yes, we had been on a DATE, and yes we went back to his place and made out before falling asleep. That happened, and it’s entertaining (…in retrospect - I certainly wasn’t laughing at the time…). Or the time a man told me he was in love with me (and meant it!) the same day we met. Oh Midori and hot tubs! But those stories are neither here nor there. Know where they are? IN THE PAST. Where they belong. And if I dredged them up, I’d call my blog 50baddates and assume that every Experiment I conducted would be inherently awful. And guess what, Bad Date Lady: If you’re looking for love and you want to blog about it, I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts you ain’t gonna find it. I say good day, madam.

Maybe our concepts are vaguely similar. You could say that this idea’s time has come, and soon enough we may see tons of other blogs sprouting up with a similar theme to them. Just remember: those fools are just bitching about dating. I, too, am bitching about dating, but – AND THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART – I am conducting pseudo-scientific Experiments that have structure and purpose. So while Bad Dates McGilicutty is wandering aimlessly in the blogosphere, wondering why True Love won’t just fall into her lap so she can give up her silly, poorly-written internet memoire, Dr. Jane will be locking up Subjects and becoming a veritable EXPERT in first dates and first impressions.

*Seriously folks, this girl can’t write. Below is a conversation I had in the gchats with one of my very dear friends:

I’ve always loved Indians, even when they’re crying over litter. Or when you win a jackpot.

So I thought I’d post come matchbooks that have classic Indians and a few Thanksgiving-y ones.

And remember – if you’re gonna fry a turkey, make sure you video it and put it on You Tube so I can watch you burn down your house.

This one is for Steve – he’s a huge Gobbler!

I’m watching TENNIS!!!! Roger is playing Fernando Verdasco and they’re well into the third set. Roger is leading three games to… ZERO!! Roger Federer truly is my hero. My friends made fun of me for wearing a Love Roger shirt and for singing his song! Well then!

Roger is up 4-0 in the third set now. They’re playing the year-end championships and it’s a round robin match. Verdasco won the first set 4-6 (which I was watching in the shower =D) and Federer won 7-5 in the second set. Haha… it’s now 5-0. I’m laughing because Verdasco was about to challenge a call, and Federer just sat down in his chair! Haha… you had to be there. Wait, I wasn’t even there! Let’s just forget I even said anything. But anyways, Verdasco ended up not challenging.

The tension is rising! 0-15, Federer in the lead. What will happen? Well, tune in next month for the answer! Just kidding, just kidding. I will keep you posted… NOW!

I missed it! My friend just called for homework help so I’m going to rewind. He won it 6-1 in the third. I love that match. I love any match that Roger Federer wins, though, so don’t go by what I love.

Our 16 Shockers are the 2009 ASA Cup Champions.

Coach Brian

Well, what a proud mum!!  Tears almost came when the U10’s walked their walk to the bench before the start of their first game this afternoon.  Aged from almost 10 down to about 5 – they looked so cute!  The opposition were rather well polished, but our players certainly put up a hard fight.  They should be very proud of themselves.  Unfortunately due to our team not quite having the 16 required on the bench – I think we were short by 1 person, they had to forfeit the game, and therefore it became a challenge game and the other side automatically got an 8:0 win.

During play, it did highlight a few things that need to be sorted out in training, but I think the guys and girls, enjoyed themselves despite not getting any goals – though there were a few near attempts!  A few more game tips & a few more practice shots to the boards, and a bit more defending & protecting the goalie, and sending the puck down the other end of the rink, and they should be set for their next game!!

All in all a very good game for a first one – they should be proud of themselves – I hope all the other parents are!

So, next game 5th December – a bit of a trek but I’m sure I’ll cope!  After all, I’m a hockey mum!!

No 31 - T Andersen