USPSA E-newsletter for March 2011

President's Letter

Dear Members,

The past several weeks have brought much attention to the referee program. I have assumed the role of Deputy Vice President and am responsible for referees, coaches, and athletes. To start, the USPSA will be introducing Referee Coordinators for the Conference Cup games. The coordinator will be responsible for assigning and assessing referees throughout the tournament. They will complete a written assessment for all center referees, which will provide valuable information on how to improve their game.

Starting next season, standards will be implemented for center referees to create consistency across the country. Registration and an exam will be required, and for recertification, a written assessment will be completed for each certified referee. The exams are still in development, but will be available online upon completion. Further, we will have a list on the USPSA website with approved referees for teams to contact for sanctioned games.

I would like to thank Chris Mulholland for his assistance with developing the referee exam questions and the development of the assessment document.

Until next time, safe travels and good luck to all athletes in their upcoming matches.

Best regards,

Dominic Russo
President
United States Power Soccer Association

---

USPSA Annual General Meeting

This year's Annual General Meeting will be held on June 17th. It will take place during the Premier Conference Cup in Norcross, Georgia, with other options (including a teleconference) for teams who can't be there in person. More specifics will be made available as we get closer to that date.

---

REMINDER: 12 Game Requirement

If your team is in one of the four conferences - Premier, Champions, Presidents, Founders - your team must play 12 games by April 30th to be eligible to compete in the post-season Cup Championship Tournament. If your team does not play a minimum of 12 games, your team will be fined $100 and dropped to the next-lowest competitive conference next season.

Up-to-date standings can be found at www.USPSATeams.org. If you feel your team is missing some games, first check that the host city has submitted the game scores. The games host must submit all scoresheets to secretary [at] powersoccerusa [dot] net within two weeks of games being played.

Teams who have a low number of games will be contacted shortly. Questions or concerns? Email me at secretary [at] powersoccerusa [dot] net.

---

TOURNAMENT NEWS AND INFO

Santa Barbara Power Soccer Tournament
Hosted By: Santa Barbara Power Soccer Teams

April 9th-10th, 2011
Saturday: 9am - 6pm
Sunday: 9am - 3pm

Carpinteria Middle School
5351 Carpinteria Ave.
Carpinteria, CA 93013

5-8 teams, $150 per team. If you are interested in coming to sunny Santa Barbara to play, please RSVP by March 15th, 2011.

Teams from all conferences welcome. Additional information regarding lodging, food, etc to be provided at a later date.

Contact: Bill Balles, RollinGauchos [at] yahoo [dot] com, 805-745-5909

-----

4th Annual Courage Duluth Power Soccer Tournament
Hosted by: Courage Center

May 7th, 2011
All Day

University of Wisconsin-Superior Health & Wellness Center (Fieldhouse and Gym)
1810 Catlin Ave
Superior, WI 54880
(Corner of Catlin Ave and Belknap Street)

Open to all USPSA Conference and Non-Conference teams
Cost: $50 per coach/athete; lunch provided
Lodging is being offered at a reduced rate at the Barkers Island Hotel and Convention Center in Superior WI.

Contact: JR Mamea: Office (763) 520-0558 / Cell (763) 229-7832 / Email jr [dot] mamea [at] couragecenter [dot] org

-----

Metal & Muscle Expo 2011
Hosted By: Houston Parks & Recreation Department

May 13th-15th, 2011
9am - 6pm

George R. Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Houston, TX 77002

No Registration Fees! 4-6 team Round Robin tournament Friday and Saturday, elimination championship Sunday.

Contact: Charles French, Charles [dot] French [at] houstontx [dot] gov, 713-562-4089

 

---

TEAM USA PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Quiet Thunder: Danny Gorman

Danny is a returning member of the US National Power Soccer Team that won the World Cup in 2007. His favorite moment from that tournament was being the player who scored the game tying goal in the final game. He had a huge impact on the first National Team and has just as big of an impact on the current team.

Danny has played Power Soccer for 7 years, and according to him, "power soccer means that I get to play a real competitive sport and be an athlete." Danny is a member of the Tampa Thunder power soccer team who finished 2nd in the 2010 Americas Cup Championship.

One of his goals is to "...make power soccer the most popular sport for disabled athletes, because I think it is the best sport ever." He is also working toward earning an Associate Science degree in Engineering Technology in 2011 from St. Petersburg College.

Being a member of the US National Power Soccer Team has given him a lot more confidence in his everyday life. Although he's known as a quiet guy, when he's on the court, he plays tough and loud, "like thunder."

Danny's dream? To be part of the first team to win back-to-back World championships.

 

---

TEAM USA NEWS

 

The US Power Soccer National Team has concluded its first training camp of the year of the Powerchair Football World Cup. There are only a couple more camps before the journey to France, and the team knew that they had to make it a productive camp. Everyone was focused and determined in an effort to better themselves individually and the team as a whole.

The athletes immediately showed they were ready for training camp. One could feel the enthusiasm in the gym. In the first drill of training camp, communication and focus was at a very high level. This resulted in an excellent demonstration of the drill and a promising start to camp. The fluidity, teamwork and awareness achieved made the execution of the drill the best yet.

The days were the longest of any camp. Everyone's battery chargers and stamina was put to the test. The team spent a lot of time working on execution of the plays. Sometimes in a game, a team could only have one scoring opportunity. With that thought in mind, every play requires 100%. After dinner, the team reviewed film of that day's scrimmaging. With video fresh in their minds, the team hit the court again for more practice. After the gym, everyone headed straight to bed. The long days and hard work helped everyone improve as the camp went on.

Thanks to the staff, Lakeshore and all of the family members, Team USA had an excellent training camp. The staff came with a well thought out plan and Lakeshore did great with the accommodations. The family members helped with the soccer balls on drills and helped in games by being line judges. The athletes were ready to play from the first team huddle. All of these elements together added up to a great atmosphere and a big step in the right direction towards the ultimate goal of victory at the 2011 Powerchair Football World Cup.

-Omar Solorio and Katie Dickey

For more information or to contact us, please visit our website at www.powersoccerteamusa.org.

 

---

BORP RECEIVES LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE

The Bay Area Outreach Program recent received media coverage on a local and international level. Below is an article about BORP and Team USA Head Coach, Chris Finn. Following that is a video feature about the BORP power soccer program that aired in Brazil!

Coach inspires wheelchair soccer players in Berkeley program

When Chris Finn talks about sports for people with disabilities, he often uses the phrase "you are able." He likes it so much, he adopted it as his e-mail moniker. The San Leandro man, who coaches power wheelchair soccer for Bay Area Outreach Program in Berkeley and who also happens to be the head coach for the USA National Team, is one of those rare magnetic types who inspires people in ways they never imagined. (click to read more)

-----

BORP featured on "Programa Especial" in Brazil

Click to watch the video! (Website is in Portuguese, but video is in English)

 

---

---

---

---

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS FOR THE 2010- 2011 SEASON

Barbara Peacock	Athletes Advisory Committee
Mark Pratt	Legislative and Bylaws Committee
Joe Carrow	Equipment Specification Committee
Jonathan Newman	Tournament Selection Committee
Ericka Sutton	Elections Committee
Case Calvert	Marketing Committee
Don Faria	Rules Committee
Jenny Mitchell	IT Committee

 

---

USPSA on YouTube

In a concerted effort to bring relevant video to people searching out information on the internet about power soccer and the USPSA, we are introducing a You-Tube page specific to the USPSA.

If you have power soccer videos (games, clinics, etc.) that you have taken at a recent USPSA event, or you are interested in video taping upcoming events and helping with this project, please contact Tony Jackson at: azpowersoccer [at] gmail [dot] com