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USPSA E-newsletter for December 2011
December 5th, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear Members and Friends of the USPSA,

The past month has been an exciting and historic time for US Power Soccer as our National Team won a second FIPFA World Cup. The staff and members of this team are the first US Soccer team to win back-to-back World Cups! While the team suffered a loss to England - its ever first loss in competition - winning in the final game against England made it that much more satisfying. The English have a strong team and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

Team USA outscored their opponents 41 - 1 over 6 games. Michael Archer was tied for high goal scorer with 9 goals and was awarded a well-deserved MVP of the World Cup.

The players were resilient throughout this entire two-year process, always keeping their eyes on the goal. I couldn't be more proud of everyone involved with this team. All who were in Paris noticed the professionalism, class, and sportsmanship displayed by this group of players and staff.

A great amount of credit must be given to Head Coach, Chris Finn and Assistant Coach, Mike...

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USPSA E-newsletter World Cup Edition
November 1st, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear Members and Friends of the USPSA,

The time has come. For the past two years, members of Team USA have trained hard to become the best they can be. The US is in a tough pool but that is not uncommon for the top-seeded team. Only two teams from each pool will move on to the semi-final round. The team will have to start hot and fast as their first opponent, Japan, was a worthy adversary in 2007.

There are ten countries represented for this World Cup. Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Switzerland, and the US. There will be two pools of five teams with the opening game on Wednesday night, November 2, between France and Belgium.

In 2007 I had the honor of being directly involved with the team and it is my opinion that as good of a team we had in 2007, this team is head and shoulders above that charter team. They have trained longer, harder, and they are faster. I know to a person, each one of these players - old and new - feels a great pride in representing their sport for the United States and each one of you. I...

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USPSA E-newsletter for October 2011
October 4th, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear Members and Friends of the USPSA,

The new season has started and Team USA has begun the final preparations to go to France and defend their title. In addition, there are a number of new things this year that I would like to share with all of you.

There is an official FIPFA World Cup website that will keep you up to date with things going on in Paris. There is also a plan to show the games via this website, so check back often for the information so you can cheer on the team!

During the World Cup, a World Congress will be held. During this meeting, elections and matters dealing with the business of soccer throughout the world will be discussed. One item on the agenda will be a new Constitution. The new Constitution simplifies a 20-page document into 5 pages. Simple is sometimes better for a young organization, however, in this case, it also eliminates the voting rights of the Zones and reduces the decision makers...

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USPSA E-newsletter for September 2011
September 1st, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear friends and members of the USPSA,

Hope you all had a great summer. The soccer season is now open and registration has begun. There have been a number of questions about the promotion and relegation of teams. Please know, registration needs to be complete prior to us announcing which conference you will be placed in. As we go through this process, we will give priority to the teams who met their obligation by attending their Cup tournament and then review the teams that did not attend their cup.

International development continues. I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in a development workshop in Australia in August. It was a FIPFA event and attended by Herve' Delattre, Pika Durand, Nico Dubes, from France, Hiroshi Takahashi from Japan, Mark Jones and the Russo's from the US. Wow, what a long trip! We had the pleasure of meeting 29 players, their families, and a highly motivated organizer and the President of the Australian Power Soccer Association, Matt Cross. The energy and commitment from those involved was incredible. The...

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USPSA E-newsletter for July 2011
July 26th, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear friends and members of the USPSA,

July is here and all the Conference Cup Championships are now in the books. It was a great season and the Conference system overall has worked very well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the hosts of the Conference Cups - Ericka Sutton with Royalty Power Soccer, Brian Farmer with North Georgia Screaming Eagles, Jr. Mamea with the Courage Center, and Andrew Achenbach with Turnstone - for their hard work and making the first year of the Cups successful. It is only through hosts and organizations like these that Power Soccer can achieve National recognition. Thank you.

In addition, I would also like to thank the Referee Coordinators for their work at the Cups. This is the first year we have had this position. The coordinators were Doug Wolfe, Chris Mulholland, Andy Green, and Mike McCoy. Their responsibility was to coordinate the referees and to complete written assessments for the referees working the games. This new process will reap benefits in the future. Thank you to these four leaders to help us...

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USPSA E-newsletter for June 2011
June 1st, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear friends and members of the USPSA,

There has been a lot of activity in preparation for the upcoming annual meeting. I would like to thank the Legislative and Bylaws, Nominations and Elections, Equipment Specifications, and Rules Committees for their contributions to this year's annual meeting.

FIPFA has made a number of significant changes to the Laws of the Game. We have gone through all the changes and are making some recommendations to approve. A law that we are not recommending is the Classification law. We will be having a discussion about classification and how we should proceed as a national organization.

We have also added some specifications for a "rear-guard". There are a number of athletes that have added a rear guard to their chairs, therefore regulations for length, height, etc will be implemented for those athletes who choose to use them.

We also have lost a member of the Executive Committee. Lois Vega is no longer our Treasurer. Lois has purchased an accounting business and time no longer allows for her...

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USPSA E-newsletter for April 2011
April 24th, 2011
E-Newsletters

USPSA Members Survey Results

Last month, we sent out a survey to all USPSA members - athletes, coaches, and referees - to get your opinions on a variety of issues the USPSA is addressing. We received about 150 responses to the 10-minute questionnaire.

About 60% of respondents are comfortable with foreign players on our teams, 15% are neutral, and 25% feel negatively about it. Only 18% think that no international players should be allowed on teams, 47% feel there should be a limit, and 35% don't think there should be a limit. A large majority of respondents would support an international exchange program, but only a few would be willing to host a player or travel themselves.

Member's opinions on the new conference system were equally split. About 50% like the system, 27% are neutral, and 23% dislike the system. The results were similar regarding a classification system. About 65% do not think we should limit participants with a classification system, 11% are neutral, and 24% feel we should limit participation.

Finally, regarding Team Representatives, fewer than 10% of respondents feel their Team Rep does not represent them well or communicate well, and 33% say their team does not decide how to vote as a group. While it is...

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USPSA E-newsletter for March 2011
March 23rd, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident'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...

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USPSA E-newsletter for February 2011
February 17th, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear Members,

I have just returned from the US Soccer Annual General Meeting (AGM) and once again US Power Soccer was announced in the roll call for involvement with the business of mainstream soccer in America. While there was no direct action taken that will effect our great sport, there are a number of people who ask the question, "what is power soccer?" That is typically followed by, "I didn't know anything like that existed!" I get an opportunity to discuss and share what our sport is about to program directors and leaders in the soccer community. I also get a chance to share information about the World Cup. Being part of mainstream soccer is an important connection we need to continue to maintain. I had an opportunity to thank Dan Flynn, the Secretary General and CEO of US Soccer for their generous donation of team kits for our National Team. It is a valuable relationship we will continue to develop. We remain the only National Disabled Soccer Organization member. It was a great two days.

Nominations and applications for...

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USPSA E-newsletter for January 2011
January 17th, 2011
E-Newsletters

Dominic Russo, USPSA PresidentPresident's Letter

Dear members,

Happy New Year!

Competition has been abundant so far this season with over 100 games played through December. This is a great start and supports our goal for teams to play more games.

I had the opportunity to travel to the University of New Hampshire to attend a referee training class. There were 12 in attendance with referees from New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont in attendance. It was good to meet these new referees, players, and coaches during this Saturday afternoon in December. This will now pave the way for sanctioned games to begin in the New England area. Thanks again go out to Chris Mulholland for teaching this class and helping power soccer to grow in the Northeast.

Work on our referee program continues. Chris Mulholland has delivered a draft of entry level and follow-up referee exams. Once these documents are finalized we will begin to utilize this tool at training clinics and on a yearly basis as a way to measure their understanding of the laws of our game.

The World Cup preparations and plans begin...

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