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CHICAGO -- The U.S. women's soccer team will face New Zealand in a pair of exhibitions next month, a rematch of their meeting in last year's Olympic quarterfinals.
The Oct. 27 game at Candlestick Park will be the first time the U.S. women have played in San Francisco in their 28-year history. The teams will then travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a game on Oct. 30.
The United States is 9-1 against New Zealand, including a 2-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Olympics. The Americans went on to win their third straight gold medal in London and are currently the top-ranked team in the world.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
USA Field Hockey Weekly Report-Week of September 16, 2013
USA Field Hockey’s Futures 2014 program is the first step in the Olympic Development pipeline. The Futures program is made up of 27 hours of specialized training. Field hockey athletes go through the specialized drills while being coached by USA Field Hockey accredited Level I, II or III coaches. This is a great program for athletes wanting to improve their skills and for athletes who dream about playing at a higher level. To become a Futures athlete, you must go through a trial with your coach. To find out more about the Futures trial process, please contact Caitie Tornes at ctornes@usafieldhockey.com or go directly online to: http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Field-Hockey/FUTURES/Futures-Trials.
Last year USA Field Hockey had 5,000+ athletes go through this program. From those 5,000, everyone had the opportunity to showcase and compete in a Futures Regional Tournament. From the Futures Regional Tournaments, 680 athletes were selected to compete at the USA Field Hockey National Futures Championship. A vast majority of those young women were recruited for collegiate team opportunities. Showcasing athlete talents for collegiate coaches has become a big emphasis for this organization. Largely the showcasing has come about as a positive consequence of our creating programs to help develop athlete enjoyment of the game through skill improvement, and to improve the pipeline leading to eventual Olympic team participation. No matter the outcome of the program (being on the Olympic team, gaining a scholarship or opportunity to go to one of the many fine colleges and universities throughout the USA offering hockey, or just for the enjoyment of competing and developing hockey skills) the Futures program has consistently shown positive outcomes for athletes through the years.
As an aside, USA Field Hockey is in the midst of updating the Futures curriculum. The purpose is to make the program contemporary with today’s athletes and to introduce some of the new major functionaries in the sport. The new curriculum is scheduled for completion for the 2014 year. Good stuff.
The USA Field Hockey Women’s National Team left for Mendoza, Argentina this past Sunday. They are competing in the women’s Pan Am Cup, one of several qualifiers for the FIH World Cup. The trip to Mendoza was extraordinarily difficult. It is a 22 hour adventure on a multi-stop flight. To top off the difficulties of travel to that country, we ran into a constantly changing set of requirements for entry. Visa documents costing $160 each plus the bureaucratic issues of dealing with a constant set of changing requirements to gain entry was indeed a struggle. It seems the government of Argentina is changing rules of entry without much prior notice. Thanks to the officials within the Pan American Field Hockey Federation and the Argentina Hockey NA, things were finally worked out. Traveling internationally often holds with it many challenges. We are glad the team made it and is now settling in. Courtney Tavener, of the USA Field Hockey staff will be serving as Communications Manager in Argentina. She will be tweeting and filing reports pre-during-and post games.
Team USA will face Mexico on Saturday, September 21 in their opening match. Next up, the team faces Chile on September 22, and then Uruguay on September 24. The Pan American Cup matches will be streamed live on panamhockey.org. Good Luck to Craig Parnham and the team on their Pan American Cup journey.
This past weekend, USA Field Hockey celebrated its 2nd annual National Field Hockey Day. This event was created to spread awareness of the sport, increase participation and celebrate each of our athletes, coaches, umpires, and fans across the country. We would like to thank everyone who participated and shared their experience with us through social media. We will be posting some of our favorite photos this afternoon. Awards for largest celebration, most creative and growing the game will also be announced later today on social media and our website. For more information on the initiative, please contact our Sport Development Team at growthegame@usafieldhockey.com.
Mark your calendars! Next year’s National Field Hockey Day will be on Saturday, September 13th, 2014.
Just a reminder: the Club Affiliation open enrollment window closes in two weeks at 11:45 p.m. EST on October 1, 2013. The window is open now to allow Under-12 and Under-19 members to change club affiliation for the upcoming event year. Between August 1 and October 1, members can change club affiliation by logging into their member account on www.usafieldhockey.com and selecting ‘Change My Club Affiliation’ from the left side navigation bar. Outside of the open enrollment window, members are required to submit a completed transfer request form.
Applications for the Club Advisory Task Force need to be submitted by the end of this week, Friday September 20th. Any current member who would like to be considered for a one year term in the CATF (a task force in which we are recreating new short term goals), please email your name, email address, membership number and role within the field hockey world to Emily Thomas. Four positions are available.
Last evening, Steve Horgan, USAFH Director of Umpiring, conducted a 75-person clinic for umpires at The Nook. The clinic was hosted by the Lancaster Lebanon Chapter Field Hockey Officials. Other local umpiring chapters from Harrisburg, York and Berks County were also invited to attend. Topics covered were “Understanding the Rule Book", 21st century hockey versus old time old school hockey, positioning and anticipation of play for umpires as well as current applications of stick and body obstruction. Steve reports that the group was a very energetic and enthusiastic bunch with a wide range of experience levels. Also on Wednesday of last week, the same presentation was given to the BBOWS Umpiring Board in Baltimore, MD with about 60 in attendance. Steve Horgan really appreciates the opportunity to be invited to local chapter meetings so that he and other delegates can do their best to get a consistent message to everyone involved with umpiring hockey.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: “In Canada, a man was attacked by a polar bear and he scared it off with his cellphone. Apparently the bear got frightened when he saw the two-year contract.”
Have a great week!
Steven Locke
Executive Director
USA Field Hockey
The Champions Cup Cheer and Dance State Nationals is excited to announce that in a few weeks, they will start try outs back up for their inaugural event that will take place in New Orleans, LA on July 14-18, 2014. “Last summer, The Cup had a little over 600 registered athletes for our event and it was a great start!” “Knowing that this would only field about 27 to 30 teams, The Champions Cup Cheer and Dance State Nationals felt that if we didn’t give or deliver the athletes and the industry the “experience” that they were looking for, it ultimately could jeopardize us pulling this off in future years to come” Says Jayson Polad, President of PC Brands. “While we all know that new things take time, we also can agree how frustrating it can be when an event is not what you expected it to be. So, we hope that folks can appreciate that we wanted to get it right the first time out. Thus, this is why we slid the date to July 14-18, 2014 so we could get it right” says PC BRANDS CEO Patrick Cowherd.
“The Champions Cup Cheer and Dance State Nationals have also heard from many of the parents, 252afdaparticipants, gym and dance studio owners, scholastic coaches, and vendors who have replied that they would love to have more time to really plan for this event, both on the financial side and to make appropriate, cost effective travel arrangements and we strongly agree with everyone.” “If given more time, it would allow for more athletes, gyms owners, dance studio owners, schools and coaches to get on board to make sure we really make this an unforgettable experience for everyone” says Cowherd.
The Champions Cup intends to keep the athletes that have already tried out on the state team that they made unless skills have improved, in which case, they can try out for a higher level team without incurring an additional try out fee. 1231473_10151580687941104_1416323170_n
We will be updating the web site over the next several weeks that will be more interactive and that will also include current athletes’ profiles for the state team they made. The new web site will also have a more prominent place for host gyms and host studio logos etc. The Champions Cup has also added a Pro/Semi Pro division for current and former NBA & NFL cheerleader and dancers.
“There are a few more collaborations that are being finalized that will make this a true family event for everyone of all
ages. We are more than excited about the new things we have added, and blessed that we went by the saying, ‘measure twice and cut once’ as going back to the drawing board has only made this event solid.” “We are so grateful for the continued support,” added Cowherd. “We are excited that the host gyms and dance studios that we have talked to or have called us back are in this for the long haul and will continue to support the vision.” “The Champions Cup Cheer and Dance State Nationals feels the suggestions that many of have made will help us initiate the best steps to truly making this event remarkable by fielding great teams across the board, and on every level,” says Polad.
Right now is one of the best times to get people involved from your cheer gym, dance studio, school, rec league, special needs, pro or semi pro in your state. If anyone should have any questions please feel to reach out to The Champions Cup Cheer and Dance State Nationals Team.
Egypt's soccer team will play in Cairo for the first time in two years when it competes for a spot in the World Cup.
The Egyptian soccer association decided Wednesday to hold the second leg of the World Cup playoff Nov. 19 against Ghana at a military stadium in the violence-hit capital.
The EFA also said that fans would be allowed in to watch the game at the 30 June Stadium.
The decision to play in Cairo for the first time since late 2011 was made after discussions among the national soccer body, state authorities and sports minister Taher Abouzeid, a former player.
Egypt hasn't qualified for the World Cup since 1990. But under former U.S. coach Bob Bradley, it advanced to the final two-leg playoffs for a place in Brazil next year with a perfect six wins in its group, the only team out of 40 to do that.
Bradley also had called for the playoff against 2010 World Cup quarterfinalist Ghana to be held in Cairo and in front of fans to boost the Egyptians' chances of making it to soccer's main event. The 30 June Stadium has a capacity of 30,000, and the EFA said it would be full for the Ghana game.
"We would love to play in Cairo," Bradley said after the playoff draw last week in Cairo. "That is the dream of the team."
Egypt's last game in Cairo was a 3-0 win over Niger in October 2011, four months before a deadly riot at a league game in the Mediterranean city of Port Said left more than 70 fans dead amid the country's political turmoil.
Since then, Egypt's national team has played in Alexandria and more recently in the Red Sea resort of El Gouna to avoid the unrest that has swept through Cairo and other major cities. The games have largely been played behind closed doors, although a few thousand supporters were allowed in to watch in El Gouna.
Egypt has won a record seven African championships. But the upheaval at home has affected the soccer team. Egypt was the three-time defending champion at the time of the 2011 overthrow of longtime President Hosni Mubarak. The country surprisingly failed to qualify for the 2012 African Cup and also missed out on the continental championship this year in South Africa.
The first leg of the decisive World Cup playoff is scheduled for Oct. 15 in Ghana.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
Sponsored by: Field Hockey Coaching DVD's from Sports Nation Video
This summer, the crème de la crème of high school athletes competed in the National Futures Championship, Futures Elite Championship, and AAU Junior Olympics. From these three events, the top competitors across U14, U16, and U19 age groups have been selected to train at the 2014 Futures Elite Academies. These athletes have been identified as possessing the skills, talent, and athletic prowess to successfully continue through the next stages in USA Field Hockey’s Olympic Development Pipeline. The Academies exist to provide additional training and competition opportunities for these athletes distinguished with the potential to one day represent Team USA.
“Within the Olympic movement our mechanism to identify the sport’s top athletes and move those competitors to the next level is well renowned,” explained USA Field Hockey’s Executive Director, Steve Locke. “This program is the envy of the Olympic family and has proven over the years to showcase athletes and improve their technical skills for top collegiate performance and potential Olympic team selection.”
The Futures Elite Academy Program sits atop the Olympic Development Pipeline along with the U17, U19, and U21 Junior National Team Squads. All Futures Elite Academy athletes must have participated in the Futures Program in order to continue up the Olympic Pipeline. Futures Elite Academy selectees participate in a Level I training site comprised of athletes who attended the prior year’s NFC, FEC, and AAU Junior Olympics within their region until the Futures Elite Academies begin in March, April, or May. Futures Elite Academy athletes have the unique opportunity to hone their hockey skills at an elite level under the highest caliber of coaches and develop their game amongst the country’s most talented high school aged players.
Whether you are trying to get in shape for cheerleading tryouts or working on stepping up your fitness routine for your upcoming season, this complete guide includes everything you need to achieve your goals!
Get your free copy now, and easily save, print and share this guide with your cheer community! The guide is free; we’ll just ask that you share this cheer resource by sending a tweet about it or posting it to Facebook.
Chapter Previews:
Fitness Plan
The first step in developing a fitness plan is to actually make a plan! Your plan should be beyond what you already do, or will do, for cheerleading – you’ll want to make your own fitness goals and stick to them. This will help keep you on track during summer breaks and holidays. Learn how to develop a plan, create a program and stay motivated in this comprehensive chapter that includes tips for the perfect playlist!
Stretches
Stretching is an absolute in cheerleading! Access over 15 stretches that focus on the most important target areas for cheerleaders: arms, back and legs. You’ll also learn about the training benefits of a disciplined stretching regime.
Core Training
Having a rock solid core helps with lifting and throwing, and prevents back injuries that could get you stretch_train_sketchbenched during the cheerleading season or haunt you later in life. Learn how to do a number of core exercises that will target train your back, abdomen and hips!
Leg Training
Cheerleaders need to target their legs during conditioning so they are strong enough for intense stunting. Building up the strength in your legs and hips will become one of your main lifelines for basing and flying, and will help give you maximum control. This chapter helps you focus on your calves, thighs and gluteus with solid conditioning exercises that would fit into any fitness program!
Arm Training
Arm strength is crucial to all positions on a cheerleading squad! Tossing, lifting, twisting and catching other girls in the air is not for the faint or weak, not to mention that the foundation of cheerleading is arm motions! From the triceps to the wrists, this chapter will help cheerleaders incorporate a strengthening routine that will make them a lean, mean, lifting machine. Use these anywhere arm exercises to help you strength train and condition.
RIO DE JANEIRO -- A World Cup stadium being built in the isolated Brazilian state of Amazonas may not become a white elephant after all.
At least one judge in the area has come up with a post-World Cup use: a prisoner processing center.
Brazil is readying 12 stadiums for next year's World Cup, and several -- including the new stadium in Manaus -- will be little used after the tournament.
FIFA and Brazilian officials were the subject of widespread protests three months ago during the Confederations Cup, a warm-up for the World Cup.
Millions took to the streets to protest spending billions on sports events in a country with poor public services, high taxes and stark social inequality.
Brazil is spending an estimated $3.5 billion on stadiums for the World Cup, part of a total of $13.3 billion for related infrastructure needed to host soccer's biggest event.
Spending on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics will be similar.
Alvaro Corado, spokesman for the Amazonas state court system, told The Associated Press Tuesday that Judge Sabino Marques had proposed a novel idea.
"He would, perhaps, suggest to the government of the state of Amazonas that the stadium be used as a processing center for prisoners after the World Cup," Corado said, quoting Marques.
Marques is also the president of a group that monitors the prison system in the state.
The new 44,000-seat stadium in Manaus, being built at a cost of $275 million, will host only four World Cup matches. The city of 2.3 million has no team in Brazil's first or second division, and little soccer tradition.
The potential for building white elephants is similar for three other new stadiums: in the capital Brasilia, in Cuiaba in the southwest, and in Natal in the northeast.
FIFA requires only eight stadiums for the World Cup, but Brazil decided to have 12 -- under pressure from politicians who used the construction projects to provide jobs and political loyalty.
Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo has defended the legacy of the stadiums as "centers for sports and non-sports events" and has suggested they would be places for conventions, shows and fairs.
Other Brazilians officials have said cities will need to be creative to find uses for the stadiums.
Jose Maria Marin, the president of the Brazilian Football Federation, said earlier this year that finding uses for some stadiums after the World Cup will "all depend on the creativity, the imagination of the owners and the operators of these stadiums. It will depend on the imagination of each leader."
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
Sponsored by: Field Hockey DVD's from Sports Nation Video
Chrissy Lewis Summers, head coach at the Potomac School in Mclean, Va. and owner of Beyond Sticks, writes from a unique perspective of losing to Coach Marsha Way and giving Way her 500th win.
As the clock wound down on a perfect Fall day and the scoreboard loudly declared "Home: 1 Guest: 2" I knew we were about to join the ranks of literally hundreds of other field hockey teams who’ve come up short. Only one week earlier, our guests, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Va., won their 500th game at home under the helm of head Coach Marsha Way. Since arriving at St. Agnes School (the school merged with St. Stephens School in 1991) in the fall of 1979, she has never missed a season as the varsity coach, even during her tenure as athletic director. Over 35 years, she has amassed an incredible 21 conference championships, 20 conference tournament championships, four Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association championships, and 12 undefeated seasons.
"I was pleased it happened on our home turf. It is just surreal,” remarks Coach Way of the monumental win. Despite achieving a milestone few reach in any level of sport, she is humbled less by the number but by those around her. "I don't want the attention on myself. This happened because of every kid I've ever coached and every assistant coach I've ever had. We did it as a team."
When comparing the game in her early coaching days to now, she is continually amazed at how the sport has evolved. “The kids are just more skilled. The game is much faster and the kids are faster. They can do more with their sticks. It’s great to watch.” Unlike some coaches, as the game evolved, so did Marsha and her staff.
Is there a secret to her success? According to Marsha, her “kids are simply hard workers”. Nonetheless, from what this coach can see, Marsha takes that work ethic, builds upon it, and instills a discipline in them that has created over 3 decades of consistently top level play. When asked to sum up her coaching mantra, it is beautifully simple and effective: “Work hard, play smart, and play as one team.” Her team doesn't just say it; they live it.
Although we plan on working to make sure their 501st win against our squad is her final win on our turf, there is no doubt we will not be the last team to see her players churn out another win for the record books. All under the listing “Head Coach: Marsha Way.”
Congratulations to a fellow coach on being a role model, on making those you play better, on honoring the game we all love, and finally, on scoring more than the other team for 35 years and counting.
Cheerleading News Sponsored by: Cheerleading DVD's from Sports Nation Video
A second organization has announced plans to create a sport out of competitive cheerleading in an effort to get competitions recognized by the N.C.A.A. A week after USA Gymnastics announced it would oversee meets among the six colleges that have had varsity competitive cheer teams, a competing plan was introduced by USA Cheer.
The governing body said it was teaming with 15 colleges to create the sport of stunt. Events approved by USA Gymnastics will be called team acrobatics and tumbling. Both efforts stem from a recent federal court ruling that found competitive cheerleading was not established enough to meet the federal gender equity requirements of a Title IX sport.
NEW YORK -- Chivas USA defender Mario De Luna has been fined for violent conduct in the team's Sept. 21 game against Houston.
Major League Soccer said Wednesday that De Luna's action against Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis in the 44th minute didn't warrant a suspension.
In another case, the league said that both the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps violated the mass confrontation policy in the 38th minute of their Sept. 20 game.
The Impact was fined $10,000 and coach Marco Schallibaum was hit with a $2,000 penalty because it was the club's third infraction. Vancouver received an official warning.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
Sponsored by: Field Hockey Instruction DVD's from Sports Nation Video
MENDOZA, Argentina – September 21, 2013 – Under brisk weather conditions and a flurry of snow, the U.S. Women kicked-off the Pan American Cup this afternoon in notable fashion. The squad created multiple scoring opportunities throughout the match, which resulted in goals from five different U.S. athletes. Team USA was able to continue their first-half lead momentum against Mexico to finish the game 6-0.
“The players were very eager to get going today, so it was nice to win in the first game of the tournament,” said U.S. Women’s Head Coach, Craig Parnham.“It is also pleasing that there have been multiple goal scorers. It was a great team effort today.”
The passing sequences throughout the first half created multiple circle entries, which led Team USA to capitalize on three quick corners. The U.S. converted on the third and fourth penalty corners as Katelyn Falgowski (Landenber, Pa.) and Jamie Montgomery (Lewisburg, Pa.) each found the back of the cage. Katie O’Donnell (Blue Bell, Pa.) closed out the first half of the match by scoring the third goal off a deflected ball in the circle.
“It was great to get a game under our belts,” said U.S Women’s Captain, Lauren Crandall. “Our main focus today was making sure we connected through each of our lines and to start the tournament off on the right foot.”
As the umpire blew the whistle and motioned the start of the second half, Team USA remained relentless. Katie Reinprecht (Perkasie, Pa.) opened the door of scoring by deflecting a shot by Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.). Reinprecht answered again finishing off a beautiful cross ball into the circle by Montgomery. Paige Selenski (Shavertown, Pa.) scored the final goal of the match on diving effort in front of the cage to solidify the win.
“It is always a team effort,” said Crandall. “The individual skills are important but collectively as a team it takes hard work from everyone to succeed and that is exactly what happened here today.”
“There is still some work to do,” Parnham said. "We were able to create multiple opportunities but we need to be able to convert on more of our chances in the next few games.
Team USA will take the pitch tomorrow, September 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET against Chile and will end pool play against Uruguay on Tuesday, September 24, 3 p.m. ET. The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, September 26 and the medal matches on Saturday, September 28.
To support Team USA as they embark on their Pan Am Cup journey in Mendoza, Argentina, follow our Twitter handle @USAFieldHockey for the latest news and live updates. Go USA!
Sponsored by: Cheerleading Instruction DVD's from Sports Nation Video
A federal appeals court ruled that colleges cannot count competitive cheerleading as a sport when trying to comply with gender-equity requirements, upholding a United States District Court decision against Quinnipiac University. In a decision released Tuesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that competitive cheerleading does not yet meet the standards of a varsity sport under Title IX, the 1972 federal law that mandates equal opportunities for men and women in education and athletics.
The ruling came on an appeal filed by Quinnipiac, which had been successfully sued by its volleyball coach after it tried to eliminate the women’s volleyball program in favor of competitive cheering. Quinnipiac did not indicate whether it would appeal the latest decision to the United States Supreme Court.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS and ZACH SCHONBRUN
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