Youth soccer takes a community
As we become involved in our special interest groups, it's hard to imagine how they could have survived without us. Before we become involved, the activity is "not our concern." I would venture to say that youth activities, whether we have children or not, are our concern.
Without activities that extend beyond the school year, children sometimes become involved in less than wholesome activities which impact all of us regardless of whether we are parents or not. Our sphere of influence is important to protect our children and our community from negative influences which threaten our ability to parent successfully and, yes, even the safety of the community. Team sports are an excellent way to develop individuality while fostering the concept of community (awareness and concern for others) through teamwork.
One of the fastest growing team sports in America is soccer or futball (literally foot ball), as it is called in other parts of the world. In Montana, we face special challenges in developing effective clubs and soccer players. We have a large state with a small population and we have, let's face it, a short season, owing to weather.
We are challenged with the need to acquire a strong coaching staff and sponsors to foster stronger players, without the resources that larger clubs have outside of our state. Competitive soccer clubs focus on expanding the players' fundamental skills and progressing to individual and team tactical skills through excellent coaching, while giving youth members a greater field experience through travel by playing outside the local talent pool.
High school varsity and junior varsity teams benefit greatly by players who have had the experience of a higher level of training and competitive field play throughout the state and region, which they gain by their affiliation with competitive club soccer. Soccer players are not developed overnight. It takes years, to perfect the game. Professional players do not even reach their peak until their mid-20s.
Glacier United (GU) is one such organization that strives to raise the talent pool by focusing on developing the highest player potential skills and talents. The Columbia Falls Blast and Whitefish Stings clubs merged in 2003 to give greater opportunity for our North Valley resident members to support that goal by expanding our player pool.
As we are coming into Glacier United's seventh year for the 2009 season, GU is now seeking licensed coaches or persons, valley-wide, willing to become licensed to fulfill U11-U18 boys and girls teams, pure or mixed-age brackets.
GU encourages licensing for its coaches, pays for licensing clinics and offers stipends for travel during the soccer season. GU also provides for all the facilities (indoor and out) and equipment for coaches during the season.
Moreover, to extend beyond the parenting pool, GU pushes for young individuals (player coaches) who have had experience on the field as players and wish to contribute back to the advancement of youth soccer development to become coaches.
Since GU players are being selected during season tryouts on Oct. 5 and 12, from noon on, at the Smith Fields off Highway 40, anyone interested in coaching should contact Natalie Valov at 892-1323 (home) or 471-3953 (cell), or Aaron Delventhal at 261-9824 (cell) as soon as possible. It is your community, too.
Donna Johnson is a board member of the Glacier United Soccer Club.