What's on the Agenda?
No Scheduled Soccer Activities this week.
Be on the look out in SportsYou for upcoming Team Building Activities
Reminders and Important Dates-
Rankone Forms and Physicals are due before you are eligible to participate in soccer class.
SWAY Concussion Protocols- need to also be completed. The SWAY concussion app needs to be downloaded on your phone and I will send the code out for you to complete.
Rally at the Ridge will be on the 16th at Gupton stadium. This is a Fun community event and we look forward to everyone participating and coming out to support Vista Ridge Athletics. (Should take about an hour)
The Team store opens Monday the 14th and will be open until August 31st. This store will offer things you need for the upcoming season. Farmer's Almanac is predicting a colder & wetter winter this season. (Because predicting the weather is never wrong, right?) And of course we are in the midst of one of the hottest summers in forever. So who knows? All I can say is, "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it, and not have it." Best be prepared for everything. Live Link Coming Soon!
Speaking of Weather- Attached are the Leander ISD Temperature Guidelines- These are our Heat and Cold Weather guidelines.
Mark your Calendar-
We will have a Mandatory Soccer Parent Meeting on Wednesday, August 30th at 6 PM in the Big Study Hall.
- We will Cover-
1. Season Outlook, Calendar, & Dates
2. LISD Athletic Policies
3. Lady Ranger Team Policies- Expectations
4. NEW UIL Guidelines
5. Booster Club
a) Membership Signups & Fundraising
b) Sponsorships
c) Fan Angel
d) 2023-24 Budget Outline & Goals
Lessons Learned
As we are all disappointed that the USWNT has been eliminated from the World Cup, we know that they are an Amazing team and we will continue to support them (and All of Women's Soccer).
As I was riding the roller coaster of emotions that saw them knocked out on 3 missed penalties I tried to think of those lessons that you can take away in a loss and learn from them to help our team to grow and become the most successful team we can become.
Soccer like Life, is sometimes cruel, unjust, and unfair.
- The US dominated possession 58%
- Out shot Sweden 22-9
- Shots on Goal 11-1
-Corner kicks 9-3
And yet- - - it came down to a Keeper who was on Fire, and a few millimeters-- Sometimes games are decided on the smallest of margins. (Millimeters even)
2. 1st touch - bad touches put you on your heels scrambling and always under pressure. - Commit to working on your foot skills every single day.
3. Fitness - the difference between elite level players and elite level teams almost always comes down to moments. Little moments where you have that little extra burst to close someone down or push past a defender. - Commit to working on your fitness each and every day.
4. Physical Play - 100s of times through out a game there are opportunities to win 50/50 balls. Almost always the more assertive player is going to win the ball. The team that wins the ball the most sends two messages. 1) they will not be bullied- that leads to confidence. 2) if your team has the ball the other team is defending and chasing. That over the course of the game is going to tire them and lead to more opportunities to win the game.
5. Tactical awareness- better yet spatial awareness. Where are the open spaces on the field? How do you get to those spaces to receive the ball? What do you want to do with the ball once you receive it? Scanning the field and thinking one pass ahead is essential for playing at a high level.
6. Practice vs Game pressure. It’s said that good players practice till they get it right; Great players practice till they can’t get it wrong. As a player the environment you train in should replicate the level of intensity in which you perform in. If you are not mentally approaching practice to train at a high level of intensity (whether individually, in a small group, or as a team) then you are not getting better and are simply being active. Mental fortitude and toughness are developed through focused training. Commit to being mentally focused and prepared each time you train , so that practice seems like a game and the games seem like practice.
Summer is Winding Down. School is starting up. And this is going to be a great year.
Let's Go Lady Rangers!
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