Red Barons Update

Game Schedule - I've posted our game schedule under Important Links - "Game Schedule - Fall 2013" on the right hand side of this blog. Please be aware, this schedule is still subject to change. They'll still be making tweaks for the first week or two.

Snack Schedule - We'll be getting the snack schedule out this week. Any allergies we need to be aware of? Anyone want to volunteer to bring the snack/drink this Saturday?

Last weeks practice - We had a great practice on Thursday. I had one of my buddies, who coaches High School and Premier Soccer, join us to help for a day and to provide input. The boys had to work hard but it was a great practice! Kudos to the boys for stepping up and working hard, while still having a great time out there! We have a great group and this is going to be such a fun year!

Pictures & Videos - I'd like to ask everyone to take pictures and maybe some videos of the girls, throughout the season, and I'll post them on our blog. We might also have a private group on Facebook where we can post them.

Practice this week - We're only practicing on Thursday this week. Next week we'll start practicing on Wednesdays and Thursdays. So...this Thursday at 5pm at Danielson Field.

Thanks everyone,

Ben Yung

360-904-6380

Red Barons Update

We're all signed up and ready to go for this Saturday's Jamboree/Tournament. I don't have details or a schedule yet but it's going to be a lot of fun! As soon as I get information, I'll forward it on to you.

Practice this Friday (August 30th) - As you probably already know, our Thursday practice is cancelled this week because many of the kids have "back to school night". So...I am going hold a light practice on Friday evening, mainly to go over the new rules for U8, we need to make sure a the boys are ready to play the goalie position (which we've never played before) and I want to do a quick refresher and get ready for Saturday's tournament. The other teams will be ready to go and we've only had one good practice. Yikes!

I realize Friday is a tough day for some of you but we really need this practice. Please do your best to make sure your son is there and, if you've tried and it can't be arranged, I totally understand.

Future Practices - I keep getting asked if we're going to keep practicing on Thursday evenings at Danielson Field, at 5pm. This practice is set in stone and will not likely change. We will also be picking up a Wednesday evening practice starting on September 11th. This practice will be at the fields behind the Doc Harris Stadium, in Camas, (where we practiced last year) and will be held at 5:30pm. Here's our regular practice schedule going forward:

• Wednesdays 5:30 to 6:30pm - Doc Harris fields in Camas (beginning September 11th)
• Thursdays 5 to 6:10pm at Danielson Field (Washougal)

Please confirm that you've received this email and that your son can make our practice on Friday and will be available for our tournament on Saturday. I'm looking forward to this tournament. I don't think the boys have played in any of these yet, so it should be a great experience!

Thanks so much for your support and for allowing me the pleasure of coaching your son!

Ben Yung

360-904-6380

Red Barons Update

Parents,

I talked with Jeff, CW Director or Coaching, and he said the Kohl's Cup is a "one day only" tournament. All games are played on Saturday, August 31st. It's going to be a really fun day for everyone. If you haven't looked at the flyer yet, I've attached it again.

So far we have 5 boys committed. That's enough to play but, with at least 3 games in one day, the boys are going to get tired with only one sub. I'd like to have all of the boys playing with us, if possible. If you haven't reached out to me about this yet, please let me know if your son can join us. If it's a busy day for your family, we can probably figure something out, so your son can participate.

Practices - we will have our regular Thursday practice this week at 5pm (at Danielson Field in Washougal). I am also considering a practice for next Saturday, especially if we're playing in the tournament and we need to learn how to play with goalies. We had some Saturday practices last year and it seemed to work out really well for everyone. Perhaps even better than practicing during the week, in the evening.

Beginning September 11th, we'll start practicing on Wednesdays, in addition to our Thursday practices. I've got Danielson Field reserved for that day as well but I'm hoping to find an available field in Camas to practice at, for those that live on the West side. No guarantees, but that's what I'm shooting for. FYI...we're not practicing on Wednesdays until the 11th because I'm working on my Coaching Certification. I figured it's about time I got that, since I've been coaching for 6 years now. :-)

Fall Prep Camp - If you haven't signed up for the Fall Prep Camp, it starts tomorrow morning at 9am. If you still need to register, please do so ASAP. Here's a link to the flyer:  https://camaswashougal.korrio.com/files/2013/08/Fall-Season-Rec-Prep-Camp-2.pdf

By the way, our first regular season game will be on September 7th. I'll get the schedule posted as soon as I receive it.

Thanks Everyone,

Ben Yung
360-904-6380

 Red Barons Update

Fall Soccer Registration is already here!  Please read the email below (carefully -  there are some deadlines) and register your children at https://www.camaswashougal.korrio.com/programs/start-registration  We have two new boys that would like to join our team this Fall so please get registered quickly to ensure your child is able to play with us again this fall!

I'm also seriously considering the idea of coaching a girl's U5 team this Fall (with my daughter), so if you have or know of a 4 year old that wants to join us, please request me as a coach and let me know. If I do, we will be coordinating practices to make it easier on everyone and I'll request that we don't have conflicting game times. 

 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Email from the League:

"For Fall season, returning 2012 fall players have until June 15th for return team placement.  You can request the coach from fall season, and we do our best to place players on teams requested.  If you have a certain team you wish to be on, please register early. Please remember that registration is not considered complete unless fees have been paid and a birth certificate or passport is on file. 

Washington Youth Soccer requires that all players submit either a State Issued Birth Certificate or a Passport to verify legal name and birth date in order to be assigned to a team. Hospital issued and Baptismal certificates are NOT accepted.  New for Fall 2013 - ALL Players (new and returning) must submit a copy of their birth  certificate.  Registration will not be complete until a copy of a state issued birth certificate is received.  Hospital certificates are not accepted.

For more information about our recreational program, click HERE, or go to www.camaswashougal.korrio.com, click on the About Club menu option on the left, and then Registration.

Thank you,

Michelle Beard

CWSA Registrar

      Our traditional trip to Top Burger for ice cream

               Look at those nice new sweatshirts!

Red Barons Update

Parents & Players,

First Two Games - What an exciting first two games! 

• Game One - We went out and scored the first couple goals and,  just when we thought we had control of the game, the CW Rascals came storming back and scored several goals! This was GREAT! It really tested the boys and they really stepped it up in the second half, regaining control of the game. Matt and I couldn't have been more proud of them! The first game or two of the season are always a little awkward, but the boys made the best of it!
• Game Two - The Little Timbers are always one of the most competitive teams to play and they DID NOT disappoint! We were down two boys and a coach but the boys did an outstanding job out there! They started off a little cold and confused but pulled it together and did very well. Every boy contributed and we had a lot of fun! I know we don't keep score but I have to tell you, I had two different parents (from the other team) approach me and say that we're a really good team because we beat them and their team doesn't lose games!  By the way, I think we play every team twice!

Practices - We're still scheduled to practice on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, from 5:30 to 6:45pm at Doc Harris F, probably for the rest of the season. This week, we'll be working on our offense, we'll re-introduce the sweep position (for those tough defensive games) and, most importantly, listening and tuning into the coaches during games (and practices). The boys are getting too old for me and Coach Matt to be out on the field with them and I've had a really hard time getting their attention during both games! I'm sure you heard me yelling their names over and over, trying to get their attention, and they just couldn't hear me. I think they get caught up in the excitement of the game and forget we're there to coach and give them direction. It also gets really noisy when parents are yelling at them at the same time so please feel free to cheer but it might be easiest on the boys to have instructions coming from the coaches during game time. I think our team actually does well with this but when you get parents and spectators from both teams yelling, it gets extremely noisy. Please talk to your boy about staying in tune with the coaches and I'll bring it up again this week during our practices. A majority of their learning happens during the games. We can practice, practice and practice but everything clicks during game time and that's when we really need to be able to communicate with them.

Thank you! - I appreciate those who have brought our snack so far (the Friedman & Liss families) and I want  to thank Andrew for helping me out with our last game. I seriously couldn't have coached and managed the boys at the same time! 

Help - I still need help with the following items:

• I need someone to organize an "end of the season" party. I would love to see if we can get a reservation at the new pizza restaurant that used to be Angelo's! Or, if you guys have other ideas, that would be fine too. If there isn't anyone who can help with this, I can probably take care of it.
• We only have three games where we're the home team, where we need to provide a parent referee. Please let me know if you're willing to ref for us. Our first assignment is this coming Saturday at our 12pm game. 
• We don't have any pictures for our blog yet! Can I get a couple parents to take some pictures of our practices and games for me? It's so much fun to look back at these pictures and I make them available to the whole team, so you can download the ones you want from Dropbox.  

Thanks for your support everyone! We're off to a great start to the Spring Season and the weather had been soooo much better this year than last Spring! I'm having a really good time out there and I know the boys are too!

Red Barons Update

Our Official Spring Roster - Our roster has changed slightly. Konan won't be playing in the games with us this Spring but we have very high hopes he'll be back to play with us in the Fall as he's an important part of our team and we'll need 6 players in the Fall. Conner Neibert will be joining us and we're very excited to have him. Here's our Spring roster:

• Minwoo
• Shiven
• Owen
• Tommy
• Conner
• Evan

Practices this week - we're currently scheduled to use the Doc Harris field on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:45pm and I'd like to practice both of these days, if possible. Please have the boys at the field at 5:30pm and have them bring the cones I loaned them. We'll need them for our practice. Please have them bring a ball as well. Our practice location and times may change over the next few weeks. I know it's nearly impossible to find practice times that work perfectly for everyone so please be as flexible as possible. Scheduling practices and accommodating everyone is one of the most difficult things to do as a coach/team manager.

Spring Break - I'm going to be out of town during Spring Break and the fields will be locked up/closed so we won't have any practices that week. We'll quickly pick things back up the following week, because our games will start that weekend. 

Games - last year we started playing games at the beginning of March. This year they pushed the start of the season out to April, in hopes that we'll see better weather and that the fields won't see as much damage. I'm excited about this because we were practicing in the snow and cold rain last year and it was pretty miserable! So...schedules won't be out until the end of March but I'll get them posted to the blog and out to you as soon as they are completed and published . Games will be played on Saturdays, April 13th - June 8th (no games on Memorial Day Weekend).

Team Assistance - Please let me know if you can help with any of the following:

• Snack/drink schedule - putting together a snack schedule and sending it to me so I can post it on the blog
• Pictures - two or three parents who can take pictures at our practices and games. These pictures will be added to our blog.
• Team bench & canopy (as needed) - last year Minwoo's parents brought and set these up prior to each game. Anyone willing to do this again this year?
• Someone to organize and potentially host an end of season party and (possibly) trophies.

Jerseys - if your player doesn't have a jersey, here's some information, from the league, on purchasing the proper game attire:

• Reversible blue/white jersey
• Glory Days Trophy & Sport
• http://glorydaystrophiesandsports.com/
• In-store purchase only.  Call first to ask about sizes.
• 3190 NE 3^rd Ave, Camas : 835-7700
• $18/jersey
• Soccer shorts and socks do not have to be a specific color or type, but we encourage parents to purchase blue or white to match the jersey.  Socks must be long enough to cover over 

Please be on the lookout for more information as we get closer to the games. I will typically post information on the blog so please check back often. I would also strongly suggest going to the blog and signing up as a follower or for the automatic email updates. I'm also looking at the possibility of adding a private Facebook group for announcements. Is everyone on Facebook? My daughter's softball team is doing this and it seems to work very well. I'll keep you posted on that.

Thanks,

Ben Yung

360-904-6380

The weather has been pretty nasty, so you haven't heard much from me the last week or two. :-) I've heard back from just about everyone and it looks like Saturday, after 10:30am, is the best day for practice. At least initially. We'll need to switch to weekdays in the next couple weeks, especially when Softball/Baseball starts. 

The weather is supposed to be warm this weekend, so I'd like to start then. Let's plan on practicing from 11am to 12:30pm this Saturday. We'll keep an eye on the weather, and adjust accorgingly. I'll also keep you posted on the location. 

Please take the next few days to evaluate your equipment situation. After the muddy games, last Fall, and Evan's fast growing feet, I've pretty much had to buy him all new stuff! My guess is that you'll probably need to do the same. 

Please be on the lookout for another update as we get closer to the weekend. Also, if you haven't signed your son up for the camp, below, please do so. This will take the place of our practice, the week of March 18th, and will really give the boys a boost. We can all help out with rides, if necessary.

Thanks,

Ben Yung

We will be cancelling practices the week of March 18th to 22nd, in hopes that all of our players will participate in the following (Free) Soccer Camp. I would like to support Alexandria, who is putting on this camp for her Senior Project, and I think it would be a great opportunity for the boys! Please click on the flyer, below, and follow the directions to register your player. If your Son can't make this camp, please let me know as soon as possible. This is a great opportunity and it's going to be a blast!

- Ben

Red Barons Update

I hope everyone's year is off to a great start! I've got a few things on my mind, so I thought I'd give a quick update:

• Spring Soccer - Games start in March! - We'd like to get an earlier start this year than last Spring. I think what I'd like to do is start no later than the 2nd week in February and we'll probably only hold practices when the weather is cooperative. Cooperative, meaning that it's not raining or snowing and the field isn't a swamp! Please let me know, ASAP, if there are any boys that aren't planning on playing with us in the Spring. 
• Team Sweatshirts - Coach Matt has found some really nice team sweatshirts that we'd like to get the boys. These will have the boys names on them and our team name. Our goal is to have one at our first practice that the boys can try on, so we can figure out what size each boy will need. We're going to be arriving at our games in style and warmth this year!
• Additional Players - We'll still only need 6 players for Spring Soccer but we'll be looking for two more boys, that would be a good addition to our team, in the Fall. We may also need one or two in the Spring if we don't get everyone back. So...please keep this in mind and let me know if you know of any boys that would be a good fit. It's always easiest if we can find players that have some experience (so we don't have to start over) but the most important thing is that they will fit in with the chemistry of the team. We have a very unique group of boys (and parents), that get along amazingly well, and I'd prefer to keep it that way if possible. That's why I'm going to reach out to you guys, so we can hand pick instead of having someone appointed.
• End of Last Season - I want to take the opportunity to thank you all, again, for the great season last year. I think it was the most enjoyable year of coaching I've had (out of 5+ years of coaching), which is one of the reasons I'm willing to brave the cold again in the Spring. I love to see the boys work hard, improve and have fun out there and it's such a pleasure to be a part of that. It's also really nice when you have great help and support from the parents. Again....a special thanks to all you parents, especially to Coach Matt & Shiven's dad - Andrew for running around out there in the cold and hot weather with me! 
• Gifts - Thank you again for the end-of-season gifts last year. The Best Buy Gift Card was used toward my new Droid DNA (cell phone), which I absolutely love! The newness is finally starting to wear off but I was spending so much time playing with it that my wife named it my second wife! Yikes!!  I also, recently, went to a Blazer game with Coach Matt and had an amazing time! Not only did I get treated to a game that the Blazers won, I was also treated to a really nice meal at the Rose Garden! Thanks Everyone!