Soccer Preseason Journal: Part 8
8/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
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This last preseason journal begins with an apology. I apologize to those of you who have waited with baited breath for a summary of the inner-workings of Alabama Soccer. I blame technology for this unfortunate event and if you want to read the journals that I wrote, put on some gloves and dig through the world wide web because they are currently floating around somewhere in there.
Moving on, instead of summarizing the previous three entries, I am going to emulate Jerry Springer and give you my “final thought” on these past 12 days of preseason practice.
Most of us came into camp with an aura of excitement about us. The seniors were excited to get their last season off to a good start. The juniors and sophomores were ready to make vast improvements, while the freshmen entered into a completely different chapter in their life. None of us knew what to expect, yet we all knew that hard work, pain, fun and sweat would be commonalities each and everyday.
This season everything has been done with a purpose. It seems that Alabama Soccer as an entity is on the same page. We all have one common goal that is to not be satisfied with mediocrity. Our training staff, managers, academic support team, coaches and teammates have all given the most of their time and energy in order for our team to have everything we could possibly need in order to be successful.
Preseason is actually a great thing. It allows us to get back into soccer mode, but it also promotes team bonding. When you are around the same 25 people for nine hours each day you learn a lot about them. I have never laughed more in a preseason than I have this year. There are many personalities on this team. We have players from all over this country as well as Canada. Everyone brings something special to the team regardless of their accents or the fact that some people call a “bathroom” a “washroom”. These differences make us more dynamic. When you combine that along with the many different soccer styles we have grown accustomed to, you have a convergence of talent.
Coach Staley, Coach Barnes, Coach Caldwell and Coach Hall have all taken each of our attributes and designed a style of play in order to maximize our strengths. It is only a matter of time until we see how good we can be. I certainly encourage everyone who reads this to come to our games, even if you don’t live in Tuscaloosa. However, if you are in town, I can promise you that Friday nights and Sunday afternoons will be exciting. Come to the game, watch good soccer, eat free food (if you’re a recipient of some of Alabama Soccer’s Bama Bucks!) and have a great time.
Thanks for reading all of these little entries!
Alabama Soccer 2005...just a mission and a defiance of defeat!
SEE YOU ON THE FIELD!
Emily Pitek #6
ROLL TIDE!
