| Convention Tidbits (March 2009) |
Items of interest from the annual gathering in St. Louis
By Jay Martin
Clearing out the notebook after another successful Convention in St. Louis....
The Walt
Jay Miller was the recipient of the 2009 Walt Chyzowych Award. Miller has achieved success at every level of soccer. His 1981 University of Tampa team won the NCAA Division II national championship; his 1977 East Lebanon County High School team won a Pennsylvania state championship; he coached in more than 56 national team games, from the U-17s to the senior team; and he was the longtime U.S. Soccer National Coordinator of Coaching and a National Staff Coach. Today he is the Executive Coaching Director of the 4,000-player Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association.
Throughout his multifaceted career, Miller has performed with dignity and class, with a sense of humor and a professionalism seldom seen in today’s soccer environment. His sense of humor was on display during his acceptance speech, as he took each of the previous winners – Jerry Yeagley, Anson Dorrance, Bill Killen, Joe Morrone, Bob Gansler, John McKeon, Mel Lorback, Bruce Arena, Tom Fleck, Joe Machnik, Nick Zlatar, Lothar Osiander and Jay Vidovich – to task with humorous accounts of their past and their relationship with Walt.
Miller graduated from East Stroudsburg University, where McKeon coached him. Miller’s involvement in soccer has touched hundreds of players and coaches. His impact, like that of Walt Chyzowych, will not be forgotten.
The Walt Chyzowych Memorial Fund Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to honor those persons whose dedication to the game of soccer exemplifies the principles of life and sport espoused by Walt Chyzowych. Walt is considered one of the founding fathers of U.S. Soccer. He passed away in 1994 at the age of 57.
The Record
As a way to raise awareness of its Passback Program (an initiative to collect new and gently used soccer equipment and distribute it to those less fortunate) and give children in economically depressed areas proper soccer equipment, the U.S. Soccer Foundation broke the World Record for the Longest Chain of Shoes at the NSCAA Convention by stringing together 11,904 shoes!! The previous record had 10,500 shoes.
The shoes were on display outside the Exhibit Hall in the America’s Center Convention Complex, where volunteers tied together the donated shoes. At the end of the week, all the shoes were donated to the foundation’s Urban Soccer Collaborative and to local St. Louis organizers.
“Through this effort our Passback Stars and supporters can have fun while also leaving a footprint in St. Louis by giving children the proper equipment needed to play soccer,” said Sarah Pickens, Community Outreach and Development Coordinator of the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
The Foundation
U.S. Soccer is not the only organization with a foundation. The NSCAA has its own foundation. NSCAA Immediate Past President Al Albert made it a goal of his term in office to increase awareness of the NSCAA Foundation. He succeeded! The foundation was created to “provide soccer coaching educational opportunities to underserved socioeconomic communities, geographic areas and ethnic groups throughout the United States.”
Founded in 1989, the NSCAA Foundation has existed under the radar. The program was reinvigorated for a short time in 2003 by instituting the Cornerstone Partners Program. This program actively started soliciting funds for the Foundation.
In January 2008, when he assumed the NSCAA presidency, Albert launched the silent phase of a $1,000,000 endowment campaign. The Cornerstone Partners Program became the Cornerstone Society. With that name change, the foundation got off to a great start – again.
Albert will continue to lead the Endowment Committee. Based on the growth and the increased awareness of the endowment, Albert’s presidency was a success.
The Honor Award
Congratulations to Roy Gordon, winner of the 2009 NSCAA Honor Award.
The Issue
In addition to the Convention wrap-up, this issue offers a myriad of soccer information. The SJ Interview offers comments from three of the best international coaches today: Alex Ferguson, Luis Aragones and Morton Olsen.
The SJ Five Favorites is the first part of the presentation Gerard Houllier gave at the 2008 NSCAA Convention in Baltimore, Md. Part II will be presented in the May issue.
Old friend Adam Owen from Rangers Football Club did a 20-week study on sustaining a fitness level during the season using Sheffield Wednesday players. The U.S. Olympic Committee’s e-zine offers a short piece that deals with pre-game nutrition.
From the website Journal of Football History (www.jofh.co.uk), William Lander offers a response to a new book, Inverting the Pyramid. His piece, “Too Many Tactics,” is a great introduction to the book and the game!
NSCAA Director of Coaching Education and Development Jeff Tipping writes his first editorial for SJ. He will offer editorials in every other edition of the Journal. In his debut, he explains the makeup and agenda of the newly formed NSCAA Education Committee!
Enjoy!
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