Sporty Saturday Spotlight 10-10-09

This Saturday the sporty spotlight shines bright on sixteen-year-old soccer player and skateboarder, Alex Espinoza. Check out the interview below where Alex shares her thoughts on fear and an amazing pic.

Name: Alex(us) Espinoza

Age: 16

Sport(s): Soccer and Skateboarding

Hometown: La Habra

High School/Middle School/College: La Habra High School

What’s your fave sport? Soccer and Skateboarding

How many years have you been playing your fave sport?

Soccer – 8 years

Skateboarding – 9 1/2 years

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from playing your sport?

What I’ve learned from skateboarding is that you can’t be afraid of anything.

What lessons have you learned about work ethic from your sport?

I’ve learned that when you fall just get back up even if you are hurt.

What have you learned about teamwork?

That teamwork is very important. You’ve got to listen to what people tell you.

Who’s your fave athlete, both male and female?

Soccer – David Beckham

Skateboarding – Adam Taylor, Lyn-z Adams Hawkins, Ryan Sheckler, Cody McIntire, and Tony Alva.

What’s the girliest thing you like to do? (Pretty Tough signature question)

Getting my nails and hair done.

Thanks, Alex! Great work ethic advice – when you fall, get right back up. Can’t wait to check out your fave skateboarders and best of luck with your sports career. :)

Do you want to be spotlighted? Send an email to Keri Mikulski at kerimikulski(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy Saturday!

Kick Like a Girl to air on HBO tonight

I screened a short documentary called “Kick Like a Girl” a couple months ago and was delighted to find out that HBO is airing it tonight (6:00 ET).  Anyone who sometimes feels jaded by the state of sports these days needs to tune in to the adventures of the Mighty Cheetahs, a third-grade girls’ soccer team in Salt Lake City.

After two undefeated, largely unchallenged seasons (with scores like 11-0 and 16-1), the Mighty Cheetahs decide to join the boys’ division in an effort to experience some real competition.

The move to the boys’ division makes sense in terms of sports skill. But it has repercussions for the league, particularly for the boys they play against. “Kick” takes a gentle look at how gender roles are stereotyped — and how parents sometimes have trouble looking past them. Sure enough, there are the soccer dads in the stands who have a hard time watching their boys lose to girls.

The documentary is as much a girl-power story of triumph as a sociological look at the different ways boys and girls approach practice, play and teamwork. We get to know the Cheetahs themselves – both their skill at the game and their views on soccer and life. It’s not so much about winning and losing as it is about teamwork and taking on challenges.

“Kick Like a Girl” was filmed and produced by the coach, Jenny Mackenzie, whose daughter, Lizzie, plays on the team and serves as the film’s narrator. Mackenzie obviously shares a close relationship with the girls allowing for some open, and incredibly realistic dialogue. In addition to being a volunteer youth coach, she is a social worker whose family is involved in the entertainment industry so helming a documentary film came somewhat naturally.

The last segment of the documentary tracks the Cheetahs through their first couple of games in the boys’ division, with enough on-field action to confirm that the Cheetahs belong there. They play well, with a remarkable grasp of teamwork.

The players interviewed have interesting things to say about how the Cheetahs triumphed by planning, passing and working together while the boys often lost because some insisted on hogging the ball in order stand out as a lone star.

Mackenzie interviews some of the boys, too, after their matches with the Cheetahs. Sure, they admit, it’s a little awkward at first to play against girls, but once the game starts, the only real issue is skill.

“If one of my friends say, ‘You kick like a girl,’ I’d be, like, ‘Yeah, that’s nice. Thank you,’ ” one of the boys says in the film.

“Kick Like a Girl” doesn’t pretend to document some dramatic gender divide. But it does suggest a few attitudes may have shifted.

I recommend this film to viewers of all ages, particularly older girls now competing at elite levels. It will remind them of why they started playing and how to celebrate the pure joy of a game well played. It would be interesting for the filmmaker to follow the players as they grow up and apply the lessons of the soccer field to high school, college and professional life.

Be sure to tune in tonight – it will be one of the most enjoyable 30 minutes of your day.

How NOT to coach youth sports: A lesson from Minnesota

Fellow WTS blogger, Nicole LaVoie, at One Sport Voice, writes about a recent youth soccer match in Minnesota:

The scene: Two Minnesota Thunder Academy (MTA)  teams played each other in the State Cup final to see who would advance to the Regionals. The 12-and-under girls soccer club, playing above their level, fought to a gutsy 1-1 tie through two overtime periods against the favored 13-and-under team from the same club. That set the stage for a dramatic penalty shootout.

As this moment of truth played out on soccer field, Coach Mark Abboud instructed his girls to “roll the ball” nicely to the goalkeeper, virtually ensuring the “better team” move on. The girls were shocked, but followed orders.

Chaos, tears, frustration, confusion, emergency meetings at all levels, commentary, opinions, anger, a public apology from Abboud, and parental support for the coach ensued. To read all the details go to, the Inside Minnesota Soccer article, the Star Tribune article, and Coach Mark Abboud’s own contrition on his blog.

LaVoie points out that sport provides many “teachable moments”. Good coaches teach athletes to give full effort, focus on what they can control, treat opponents with respect, and accept the outcome with grace. One decision by a coach does have an impact on everyone involved, and this is a cautionary tale of how not to coach because, simply put, it taught the wrong lessons.

In his team blog, Abboud wrote that he will never forget watching a star player take a weak kick at the goal and walk off in shame. “The silence was deafening. I felt the sun on my face, brushed a tick off my lower leg, and listened to the highway traffic on I-94,” he said. “I felt sick to my stomach.

Those familiar with the way soccer clubs are organized and the intense politics that play out at the administrative level probably aren’t that surprised at this story.  At issue is what’s best for the players and what’s best for the club. Unfortunately the answer isn’t always the same for both.

Recruiting: College Soccer Showcases

For high school and club soccer players, the arrival of spring signals the beginning of tournament season and, for many, attending the all-important college showcase tournaments. The stakes are high but it’s not bragging rights or a tournament trophy that’s on the line, these athletes are showcasing their soccer talent and skills hoping to attract the attention of the soccer coach from the college of their dreams.

College soccer showcase tournaments have rapidly grown in popularity over the past few years with major sponsorship support from companies like Under Armour, Nike, Puma, Adidas, Toyota, Gatorade, College Soccer Tours and SC Premiere Sports Management. The tournaments are designed to promote the highest levels of competition in youth soccer by drawing from the best state, regional and national level teams from all over the country. They provide college coaches a chance to evaluate young players for possible recruitment to their college teams and, for players, an important opportunity to be seen.

There are many additional benefits for soccer players attending these showcase tournaments: Exposure to top teams and players in the U.S and internationally, and to play at some of the best soccer facilities in the country. A few of the tournaments also feature great college teams playing in “friendly” or round robin games which provide young players and their families an opportunity to view a variety of elite college players and school teams in action.

The first thing to remember about college showcase soccer tournaments is that, no matter how well-run the event is, how well you play, and which coaches are present, simply showing up and playing is not nearly enough to have every division 1, II or III coach in the nation beating a path to your door. It’s important to do your homework, plan ahead and make informed choices.

Most of the top tournaments are invitational so getting accepted into the tournament may be the first obstacle a team must overcome. A little advance planning may be necessary to help your team collect the required tournament experience and points to get accepted into these tournaments. Some showcase tournaments are not truly competitive. That is, although the competition on the field may be top notch, the tournament subscribes to the ‘everyone plays’ approach to allow all the players on a team to get exposure to the college coaches. Often, there are no playoffs or finals and the team coach can choose the number of games the team will play during the tournament. This is especially good for the athletes since no one benefits from playing two games a day throughout the tournament and burning out, or possibly injuring, the athletes.

When choosing college showcase tournaments, it’s important to remember that the best ones are not necessarily the same for boys and girls. Find out which coaches will actually be attending. Coaches, not schools. Will it be the head coach, assistant coach, or a junior assistant at the tournament? Does the person attending have the power to recruit if they like what they see? Some of the top tournaments for women in the U.S. are:

Although the college coaches are not allowed, by NCAA rules, to speak directly with the athletes at these showcases, the athletes can contact the coaches directly by email or phone before the tournament to invite them to watch them play. It’s particularly important to note that college coaches expect to hear from the athletes themselves, not their parents. Contact the coaches early and update them about specifics on playing times and fields. Many of the tournaments also offer, for a fee, a player profile form for participating athletes to fill out and update for attending coaches to view.

For most college coaches, the trend for evaluating young soccer athletes has evolved from an emphasis on recruitment through high schools to club and tournament recruitment. Since most recruitment is based on play, the almost year-long club and tournament season provides coaches more time to see players in action and the showcases allow the coaches to cover more players in a shorter period of time. It’s far easier to make determinations of a player’s athleticism, size, speed, movement, technical skills, team and personal attitude at a showcase than by watching a video. But don’t forget to follow up after the tournament by providing the coaches with a well-produced highlights video, too!

Read On: Pretty Tough Book Club

Last month I received a note from a teacher at Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida who is a huge fan of  ”Pretty Tough” by Liz Tigelaar, the first book in our young adult fiction series. 

JoJo says, “I loved it as a teacher who sees students just like the ones in the book. I loved it as a sister who I did get along with growing up…”

At Apopka High School, there is a reading event called “Oasis.”  It has been going on for about 6-7 years.  Any teacher can select a book to promote.  The library makes a really nice poster of the teacher, the book and all the information so students can sign up.  The students read the book and then meet during lunch in a special room in the media center to discuss the book over pizza and coke. 

JoJo had never done an “Oasis” but since she  LOVED the book so much, she organized a discussion for each of the 3 lunch shifts.   Usually, teachers sign up anywhere from 8-16 students but more than 34 students read ”Pretty Tough” and wanted to take part.

Through a friend of a friend of a friend, JoJo contacted us and asked for some Pretty Tough goodies to raffle off during the event. We were happy to oblige.

Here’s JoJo’s recap of the “Oasis,” including the girls’ ideas regarding film casting!

Everything worked out perfect today. We got into some interesting discussions about sisters, coaches, and school. The girls loved the t-shirts and the next book (”Playing with the Boys”) and want to know if we can do this again. .

The group had a bit of a hard time with the casting of the potential movie…here are the ones they came up with:

Krista: Blake Lively
Charlie: Dakota Fanning
Martie: Jada Pinkett Smith
Noah: Mike Vogel
Cam: Zac Efron
Brooks: Brenda Song
Pickle: I have a girl in my class who said she wants to be Pickle. She is a cute girl; very animated and plays soccer! I told her to make a video and we would send it to you!!

Thank you again for making today very special and memorable…One more thing…I re-read the book and took some notes to prepare simple questions for the raffle ticket as they entered. And I cried…again! Tears in the coffee this morning as I finished the last 20 pages!

Time to grade some papers…thanks again for everything.

Joanna “JOJO” Lowe

If anyone wants to organize a book club discussion around “Pretty Tough” or “Playing With the Boys” (Penguin) let us know and we’ll try to help out.

Read on….

A High School Championship

If you haven’t been to a girl’s high school soccer game lately you might be surprised at the quality of play. Last weekend was the Southern California DII Championship game which pitted the #1 seed Harvard-Westlake against #2 La Jolla. I’ve been following the HW team through their entire pre-season, league and post-season play. Yeah – it seems excessive but it’s my daughter’s team and I’m the consummate soccer mom.

High school athletics are a special breed of competition. It’s as much about the game as it is about the school, class pride, and friendships. It’s about wearing the team uniform to school on game days and passing the torch of responsibility from one senior class to the next.

Most of the girls on the HW team have played since they were young kids, the majority play at an elite club level during the off-season, a couple are even ODP players so there’s no shortage of team experience. But playing for their school is a wholly different experience.

Most athletes don’t compete because it’s fun (though winning certainly is). They don’t love the suicide sprints, the getting up early for games, the staying late to finish practice. The blood and sweat from training, the constantly aching, tired muscles aren’t enjoyable nor are the extra laps the coach makes them run. But for those who see it through, there is great satisfaction in the way they play and the work they do. They learn to never back down. Never let up. And to have each other’s backs.

Interscholastic rules prevent high school and club seasons from overlapping so the girls can focus on one team at a time (as well as one coach). The club vs. high school coach debate is the subject of an entirely different post. While club teams practice 2-3 days a week, the varsity girls get together and practice daily after school. During the off season they’re encouraged to work together on strength and conditioning. The high school team shares a bus to and from games creating additional bonding time.

But the biggest difference between high school and club soccer is probably the level of support the girls get during their games. Club and tournament season usually involves a lot of travel. Fields may be hours from home. Lots of time it’s a weekend in a hotel room away from friends and in some cases boyfriends. Spectators usually include parents and the odd sibling or grandparent. The girls make a commitment to the team often at the expense of social time.

At high school games the bleachers are filled with classmates and teachers. They may be doing a reading assignment or grading papers while watching the game but they’re showing support. They’re cheering and applauding great plays. Games against long-time rivals or championship games draw even bigger crowds. At HW a group of red-clad Fanatics root loudly. Signs and handmade posters promote favorite players. Alums and parents of alum often show up.

The games leading up to the recent state championship grew larger and larger with each round. There were spirit days at school. Homemade cookies passed around to students. Balloons. Bouquets of flowers. And a real sense of pride.

When Harvard-Westlake won the state championship last Saturday it was a moment each and every girl will remember for the rest of their lives. Sure, they’ve won other tournaments with other teams. A lot of these girls have rooms filled with trophies and medals. But this moment, with this group of girls, at this school, was a moment they’d worked for and dreamt about all season long. And our side of the stadium couldn’t have been filled with more appreciative fans – families, friends, classmates, administrators, alumni, former coaches and teammates – who will also remember the moment forever.

Great job girls.

Here’s a highlight reel of the game – HW is in white. If you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, go to 5:14 to see co-captain Maddie Lenard’s beautiful, game-winning goal.

Ten high school girls to keep an eye on in 2007-08

They run, play lacrosse, volleyball, soccer, golf and basketball and they’re among the top girls playing high school sports. Check out Sports Illustrated list of the 10 girls who deserve the highest high school accolades.

Read more