USPSA E-newsletter for October 2010

President's Letter

Dear members and friends of USPSA,

We are now in full swing of registration and we are seeing some positive growth with new teams joining the Association. New teams have formed in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. It is good to see growth in the Northeastern region and we hope it is the beginning of bigger growth to come in that area.

We have a little more than a year before the 2011 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Paris, France October 30 - November 7. The team is training hard to defend the Cup from the 2007 win in Tokyo, Japan and needs your help. Between now and next October, the team needs to raise $62,000 for travel and registration to attend the World Cup. This does not include any other expenses like training camps, hotels, and travel. So as you can see, the need is large. I am asking each of you to support them by making contributions on their website through PayPal or any other means to help the team raise money so they can represent not only our country, but also all of us who play the game here in the US. These athletes represent all of us and we should do whatever we can to support them. Please consider a donation to the team today.

From October 9-11, we will also see the Americas Champions Cup. Five USPSA teams will travel to Vancouver, BC to compete for the cup. I wish all teams good luck and safe travels to and from Vancouver.

Vancouver will also be the training site for power soccer classifiers. The US will have three individuals attend a training class held by FIPFA prior to the Americas Champions Cup. Players will go through the classification process with FIPFA-trained classifiers to help with practical hands on training on Saturday prior to competition. This classification system will be used for all international competitions including the World Cup. This is a great opportunity to have US classifiers trained and available to answer questions as they surface.

Players will be classified into 4 categories. Two of the categories are allowed to compete. Of the other two categories, one would determine if players have too high a functional ability and not allowed to play, and the other would determine if players have too low a functional ability that may cause a safety hazard to the player or players around them. In both of these cases, the term "minimum level of entry" is used.

Of the two classifications that fall into the category of "allowed to play" or that meet the minimum level of entry, the classifiers will make a determination of whether the player's functional ability lies at the higher PF2 or lower PF1 classification. A team will only be allowed 2 PF2 players on the court at any time. The other two would be PF1. The team can have the option of having all 4 players PF1 if it wishes. But again only 2 PF2 will be allowed to be on the court at one time.

This is a FIPFA driven project and is a requirement for entry into the Paralympics. I have attempted to simplify a very complicated system to help you understand the basic elements. I unfortunately do not have any specifics or details to share. What I am sharing with you here is my understanding to date. In time, there should be more material available in writing.

Classification does not determine ability to play the game. There will be a number of PF1 players who are top players in the game. The classification determines the impact on the individual due to their disability not their ability to play.

On another note, thank you to all who have registered early this year. We hope to avoid any recurring issues and disappointments for anyone.

Have a great month.

See you on the court.

Dominic Russo
President
United States Power Soccer Association

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REGISTRATION UPDATES and REMINDERS

Hello Power Soccer Teams!

I want to thank those 5 teams who have already completed their registrations! Many more teams are more than 90% finished! Please remember ALL of the steps your team must take to complete registration:

1. Team registration form (online)
2. Athlete and staff registration forms (online)
3. Proof of insurance (mail, fax, or email to USPSA Secretary)
4. Registration fee (mail to USPSA Treasurer)

Registration forms and downloads can be found online at:
www.powersoccerusa.net/registration

If your team has new participants, they must sign a physical copy of the Waiver/Liability Release. Existing players transferring to different teams must also submit a Player Transfer Request Form.

Payments received after October 31st will be subject to a $100 late fee.

Please remember to have your whole team register AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so that teams can be seeded into conferences. Conferences cannot be seeded until all returning teams have registered, but teams can begin to play sanctioned games as soon as you and your opponents are fully registered.

Please let me know if you have ANY questions about registration!!

Jenny Mitchell
USPSA Secretary
secretary [at] powersoccerusa [dot] net

Important Addresses for Registration

USPSA Secretary Jenny Mitchell P.O. Box 15668 Fremont, CA 94539 Fax: 510-657-1750

USPSA Treasurer Lois Vega P.O. Box 2322 Cupertino, CA 95015

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TOURNAMENT NEWS

Conference Cup Bid packet now available!

It may seem like the 2010 USPSA National Tournament was just yesterday, but it's a new season and changes are afoot for the USPSA's Tournament Selection process. No longer are there "Regional" and "National" competitions. The new Conference Cup system lets every Conference team play in an end-of-season Cup Championship Tournament. It is estimated that there will be 6 Conferences this season.

The Conference Cup Bid Packet is attached here and available online at www.powersoccerusa.net/downloads under "Games and Tournaments." Bids are due by October 15th, and tournament sites will be announced November 15th. All Conference Cup tournaments must be held between June 1st and July 31st.

You may ask, "But the Team Conference alignment isn't announced yet, how do I know what Conference to bid on?" If you would like to host the Conference Cup that a specific team will participate in, simply indicate that on the form. You may bid to host more than one Conference Cup tournament.

All the details are explained in the Bid Packet. Questions may be addressed to the Tournament Selection Committee chairperson: Jonathan Newman, jonathan [at] borp [dot] org, 510-849-4663 x304.

 

Want to host your own tournament?

If your organization wishes to host a USPSA sanctioned tournament to be advertised in the USPSA e-newsletter and website, please fill out and submit the Tournament Scheduling Form available online at: www.powersoccerusa.net/downloads.

Central scheduling assures that your tournament will not conflict with others around the area and allows us to help you with getting referees for your games. We can only help when we are informed, so please keep us updated about your event by using the form. Thank you!

 

Americas Champions Cup

The Americas Champions Cup will be held October 10th-11th, 2010 in Burnaby near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Five American teams have been invited - Atlanta Synergy, San Jose Steamrollers, Tampa Thunder, Atlanta Tigers, and Courage Blizzards Blue. They will take on three Canadian teams - the Vancouver Lightning, Okanagan Thunder Chairs, and North Shore Eagles. The scores will tentatively be updated on the USPSA website at the end of each day.

 

Glendale Invitational

The new power soccer season has started!!!

Glendale Power Soccer is hosting its first power soccer tournament, the Glendale Invitational, on November 6-7, 2010 at Glendale Community College's Verdugo Gym.

The Rough Riders and Wild Wheelers invite you to come watch and support us as we take on teams from Santa Barbara, Arizona and Northern California.

Please check out the attached flyer. Please pass the word if you think anyone else may be interested in seeing this exciting sport. This event is admission free, however donations are always welcome.

We hope to see you there!

Gordon Cardona
Team Captain,
Glendale Wild Wheelers

 

Southeastern Power Soccer League

The USPSA Southeastern League is getting geared up for the new season, and we know teams are Ready to Play. The Atlanta Synergy were the D-I SEPSL Champions, and the North Georgia Screamin' Eagles were the D-II SEPSL Champions for a second year in a row.

We have 13 teams registered and have a great season ahead, with League days scheduled at 10 different venues, across six states. Scoring will be the same as last year, with two bonus points given to a lower Conference team for beating or scoring on a team that is in a higher Conference. The top four teams from each conference will be invited to play in the Southeastern League Championship, which will be held again at Mulberry Creek in Flowery Branch, GA.

We will kick off the 2010/11 season at the legendary Suwanee Sports Academy later this month. If your team is interested in joining the league, contact Pika Durand at Pika [at] FernandoFoundation [dot] org.

 

DASA Tournament

The DASA organization is hosting a USPSA tournament in at the St. Charles Community College in St. Peters, Missouri, January 22nd-23rd 2011. The tournament is open to 12 teams of any conference; prices and lodging will be announced later.

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POWER SOCCER CLINIC RECAPS

Steven, Josh, Chris and Jodi with new coach Dan Metcalf and Mentor President Russo

Power Soccer of Indy's new athlete clinic held September 12th proved to be a great success. After 8 years of power soccer in Indiana, seven new athletes attended the afternoon clinic, giving surprise to the organization. "It is amazing that after al this time, we are still learning about power wheelchair users that haven't heard of power soccer yet," says President Karen Russo, These athletes will join together to start a new team in the Franklin area, (12 miles south of Indianapolis) making this the 12th team in the state. Turnstone Center based out of Fort Wayne has also added a new team this year, the Fierce Flyers.

On September 18, Salt Lake County athletes and staff participated in a day long USPSA clinic and showed they are well on their way to having a robust power soccer program. Elements already in place are strong support from the county (excellent facility, storage space, equipment) experienced, enthusiastic management and a sizeable pool of athletes. Jeff Burley, Salt Lake County's Adaptive Program Manager, plans to start weekly power soccer practice September 30 and hopes to host a tournament in 2011.

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USPSA WEBSITE

Don't forget to check out the Official USPSA website for all the latest in US power soccer news! If you have news articles or photos of events that you'd like to share, send them to itcommittee [at] powersoccerusa [dot] net and we'll find a place for them!

www.powersoccerusa.net

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/powersoccerusa

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USPSA COMMITTEE NEWS

The USPSA Marketing Committee has been hard at work developing a new plan for growing the organization in the future. Be sure to keep an eye on your email in the coming weeks as we introduce this new idea to all USPSA teams. If you are interested in helping USPSA get the word out about power soccer and joining the committee, please contact Karen Russo at: exec-vicepresident [at] powersoccerusa [dot] net

Recently, USPSA formed a brand new College Committee. The group is comprised of several athletes who attend universities around the country, as well as those who are soon graduating high school. Many of our athletes are currently in high school and will be graduating and attending college over the next couple years. The purpose of this committee is to reach out to campuses across the country, with the goal of creating collegiate teams. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact Jerry Frick at: jfrick [at] fernandofoundation [dot] org

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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
Tracy Meyer	Officials Committee
Karen Russo	Marketing Committee
Don Faria	Rules Committee
Jenny Mitchell	IT Committee

 

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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