USPSA E-Newsletter for February 2009

President's Letter

Dear Members and Friends of Power Soccer,

In the past couple of months there has been a lot of activity for the USPSA. In November, we had a great opportunity to present power soccer at the United Soccer Leagues AGM in Tampa Florida. Elio and Jessie Navarro and Justin McFatridge joined me for the presentation. We had an opportunity to show our new DVD and answer questions about our sport. Although the group was small, all were intrigued with power soccer and its growth.

Two days after the presentation we were given an opportunity to hold exhibition games at the USL Soccerfest. This is an annual youth championship competition made up of soccer teams from all over the country. Tampa Thunder, Tampa Crossfire, and Atlanta Synergy all played a part in this exhibition. The event was a great success and we have been invited to return again next year.

I also received the resignation of Mike Hayes as Deputy Vice President. Thank you to Mike for your service. I have assumed those responsibilities until an adequate candidate presents himself or herself. Since that time, we have developed regular communications with all our top officials throughout the country. We have a draft letter of commitment from USSF supporting our referee program. We have established a commitment from National Intercollegic Soccer Officials Association to become involved and provide officials throughout the country where power soccer teams exist. I would like to thank Herb Silva and Chris Mulholland with assisting the development of these significant partnerships. I have also started sharing articles to coaches to help support their efforts. We will also be developing a Coaches Corner on the web site where articles and communication which addresses the fundamentals of coaching our sport. There will also be an area on the web site called "The Whistle Stop". This will be an area used by Chris Mulholland to communicate various discussions of Laws, questions and interpretation.

In January, we were an exhibitor at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. This is the largest gathering of soccer coaches from all levels of soccer. This was the perfect venue to display our sport. We were able to hold an exhibition of power soccer in the convention hall to a small group of coaches. There was a great appreciation for the sport and much interest in the game. Thank you to DASA for coming to the exhibition under extreme cold conditions. A thank you also goes out to Shane Butler for arranging officials for the exhibition.

It has finally been confirmed through BlazeAmerica, their Insurance does not provide the needed coverage for our teams. We suspected early in the season of a potential problem and worked to get answers from Blaze. It was just recently confirmed. Thanks to the hard work of Karen Russo and Ericka Sutton, we were able to secure appropriate coverage for our teams. The communication from BlazeAmerica appears to indicate the USPSA teams were at risk for some time. It is fortunate we did not have an incident.

The application process for the next Team USA Head Coach has closed. There were two possible candidates who applied, Mike Hayes and Chris Finn. The International Committee met and reviewed the two very capable coaches. The committee unanimously recommended Chris Finn to the Executive Committee to approve. The Executive Committee has supported the International Committees' recommendation. Congratulations to Chris Finn and good luck. Staff applications are now being accepted. Interested individuals may acquire an application on the web site.

As we continue to grow our teams, the need to ensure the integrity of competition must remain even and appropriate. To establish a means to secure the integrity of divisions, I have opened discussions on "division definitions." The definition of divisions will address questions such as "When does a Division ll team move to the next level of competition?" Without a means of maintaining the competitive integrity of Division ll, we will begin to lose developing teams as they begin to learn the game. There have been a number of thought-provoking responses from a variety of people. Thank you to those who responded. The Athletes Advisory Committee will begin discussions of how to address this issue. Please respond to their inquires as you are asked. We need wide spread feedback as they work to develop a recommendation to the Executive Committee.

Lastly, an appeal for membership support was sent to all registered athletes, coaches and families. Unfortunately, the response was sparse. It is with the help of many that we can reach out to the hundreds of people still untouched by this sport. If every member were to contribute $10.00 it would add up to over $5,000.00. That could go a long way towards reaching other players, travel for new clinics, presenting at trade shows and purchasing the much-needed marketing items for exhibits. Please reconsider making a tax-deductible contribution to the USPSA.

Thank you for your support,

Dominic Russo

BLAZESPORTS AMERICA Membership No Longer Accepted to Fulfill Insurance Requirement

In light of recent findings, the USPSA is no longer accepting BlazeSports America Memberships as proof of liability insurance. Blaze insurance does not meet the USPSA requirement.

There are two options available for you to obtain proof of liability insurance:

1. Liability coverage through your local organization; or
2. The USPSA has made available, insurance through a reputable company and it is available to all of our member teams.

The liability insurance application which meets the USPSA requirements is on line and available to download. The insurance coverage is quite extensive and cost effective. A team of twelve athletes is $135.00 total for twelve months. All of the details of this policy can be reviewed on the USPSA website under downloads.

For those teams who purchased BlazeSports America Membership, you are still a member of Blaze and will have insurance for Blaze Sanctioned Events should you choose to participate. The USPSA's events are not sanctioned by Blaze Sports America.

If you have purchased membership for insurance purposes this season, September 2008 forward, BlazeSports American will refund your membership dues. We are working closely with Blaze to expedite this refund.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused your team. Your insurance must be in place for all teams prior to competing in USPSA sanctioned games or regional and nationals tournaments.

For any concerns or questions, please direct them to me at secretary [at] powersoccerusa [dot] net

Thank you for your immediate attention.

USPSA Will Get a New Face!

The IT Committee has been feverishly working behind the scenes to launch the NEW USPSA Website. It's new face is on track to launch by this weekend. The new site will be easier to navigate for yourself as well as our visitors and sponsors. The Home Teams On Line Website will still be active and will be designated solely to member teams. Here you will find your schedules, scores, standings, team stories, and more. The team site will link direct from our new website.

The new site will give us the capabilities of launching our National Fundraiser, Walk and Roll, on line giving and much more. Be on the look out for the new look!

Regional Tournaments are Just Around the Corner!

The courts may be empty now, but in just a few short weeks they will be bustling with excited athletes as they vie to place 1st in their region! St. Louis, MO is the first to kick off the season and the Disabled Athletes Sports Association is busy preparing for the Division 1 tournament. DASA will also host their annual Ameristar tournament on the same weekend with Division ll teams from across the midwest. It is sure to be a fun filled weekend. Thank you DASA for hosting these games!

The Southeast and the Western Regional will quickly follow the Febuary games. They both take place on the same weekend in March! Thank you to Fernando Foundation for their continued support of hosting tournaments and welcome to Far West Wheelchair Sports for hosting their 1st santioned USPSA event.

Another new host this year, Courage Center out of Minnesota. The Midwest Division ll teams will head to Minneapolis to compete for their spots. Thank you to the team of volunteers up north for all your work preparing for a great tournament.

Good luck to everybody, play hard, play with spirit, but most of all have fun!

WEST COAST DIVISION l and ll
San Jose,CA, hosted by Far West Wheelchair Sports
March 6, 7, and 8th, 2009

SOUTHEAST DIVISION l and ll
Duluth, GA, hosted by Fernando Foundation
March 6 and 7 and 8th 2009

MIDWEST DIVISION l QUALIFIER and DIV ll TOURNAMENT
ST Louis, MO, hosted by DASA
Feb. 14 and 15, 2009

MIDWEST DIVISION ll ONLY
Minneapolis, MN, hosted by Courage Center
March 21 and 22, 2009

USPSA is Represented at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America

The USPSA made it's first convention appearance in St. Louis, MO last week to introduce Power Soccer to the NSCAA Conventioneers. The convention draws thousands of visitors from all over the world for a three-day event filled with coaches training, soccer demonstrations and all the soccer vendors you can imagine. Thank you to DASA Dynamites who showcased our sport by way of an exhibition game and to Shane Butler Les and George for refeering the games. Though the audience was less than expected, the contacts made were impressive!

Most everyone was mesmerized as they walked by our booth and caught a glimps of our promotional video, some knew about us already and one was even at the World Cup! What a small world. The USPSA will continue to showcase and introduce our sport across the nation with other events being planned in the future!

Congratulations to Team USA Head Coach!

If you missed it in "News from the President" the next Team USA coach has been selected. Congratulations to returning Coach, Chris Finn! Chris has been busy preparing for the job ahead. Be on the lookout for upcoming Press Releases and information on how you can apply to be on the next Team USA!

The Columbus, Ohio Clinic a great success!

Hosted by Columbus Recreation and Parks!

New Athlete Clinics Scheduled Around the Country

DAYTON, OHIO: Wright University, Jan 31, contact Karen Russo
AKRON, CLEVELAND, OHIO: Spring 2009, Karen Russo

Let us know if you are holding a clinic in your area, we will post it in the next e-newletter!

Busting Seams at the Glendale, CA Clinic!

What a great turn out the Glendale CA clinic had last Spring! With over 18 athletes participating in the long awaited Southern CA clinic, Jonathan Newman and and Pika Durand gave them the lowdown on the sport. Thank you to Bill Balles and the Santa Barbara Rollin' Gauchos for their tremendous support at the clinic and Laura Matsumoto and all the folks at Glendale Community College for a wonderful job putting on the clinc!

Please welcome one of our newest Division I teams... GLENDALE ROUGHRIDERS!

"DRILLS, GAMES AND MORE" Booklet Available Soon

Power Soccer of Indy in collaboration with the USPSA has created a Drill Booklet that will assist new and existing teams in skill development. The booklet has a variety of drills which were gathered from the power soccer camp in Minnesota this past summer. The booklet is free of charge to all teams and was funded by a grant received through Power Soccer of Indy from the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation. The booklet will continue to collect drills and game ideas from teams across the country for the next publication.