Keeper november 2014rev

The Keeper

Once Upon A Dream 1

For The Love of The Game 2

PSC Soccer Ball 3

PSC Goalkeeping Program 4

2015 Portage Classic Logo

Competition Winner! 4

Tournament Merchandise 5

PSC Giving Back to The

Community

6

How Can You Help? 7

PSC Partners with Gazelle

Sports 7

FAQ: Frequently Asked

Questions

8

Meet Our PSC Parent

Representatives

10

Concessions Update 12

Photo Board 13

PSC Practice Facility

Expansion

14

PSC Board 14

Inside this issue:

November 2014

The Keeper

Once Upon A Dream

The Portage Soccer Complex owned and operated by

the Portage Soccer Club opened in 2002. None of our

current players have ever played a home game at an-

other venue. Here’s a brief history lesson on how it

came to be. . .

PSC home games were first played at the former

Michigan Independent Soccer League (MISLE) Soccer

Complex now the PSC practice facility from 1985 to

1996. In 1996, the MISLE lease expired and the property reverted to its

owner, Pharmacia & Upjohn, L.L.C. After the closure of the MISLE com-

plex PSC teams played its home games at River Oaks County Park.

In September 1996, MISLE purchased the land where the Portage Soccer

Complex is via a land contract. Its player numbers dwindled and were

absorbed into AYSO Region 74 in early 1999. Facing a default on its land

contract, MISLE sold the property to the PSC in May 1999. The PSC

agreed to move forward with the development of a soccer complex receiv-

ing site plan approval from the City of Portage in June 1999.

Ground breaking for the Portage Soccer Complex was on May 11, 2000.

During 2000 and 2001 construction seasons the property was mass

graded, underground storm drainage installed, irrigation system in-

stalled, fencing and gates (over a mile long!) installed and the fields

seeded. In September 2001, work began on the concession and storage

building and continued throughout the winter. A hardy band of PSC vol-

unteers worked every weekend but one to complete the building by April

2002.

The last step was the paving of the parking lot on April 18, 2002. The

steam rollers were still compacting the asphalt as the first cars arrived

for AYSO games that evening. A formal dedication of the complex fol-

lowed on May 10th.

The Portage Soccer Complex was just a dream in 1990 when a small

group of volunteers began meeting to plan it. It has now been open 12

years approximately the number of years it took to plan and build it. I

guess dreams can come true!

PAGE 2 THE KEEPER November 2014

For The Love of The Game

Have you ever noticed whenever you turn around all you hear about are the negative stories involving

society? That’s because the media has discovered controversy and issues sell space and boost ratings.

To test my theory, I just Googled the words “Soccer Coach”. I then clicked on the word “News” and im-

mediately found stories of “Smokey Hill Players use slurs” and then “Youth Soccer Coach sent Inappro-

priate texts”.

What we don’t see is the true human interest stories like our very own Coach Vu Le. Many of you may

not have had the good fortune to have had him as a coach, but I can guarantee you his influence has

touched your team. As our Technical Director of Coaching, he is involved with providing guidance to

all coaches on both tactical and technical player development. If you ever need to find him all you need

to do is hit the practice fields where he typically is coaching anywhere from 3-5 teams each year.

Now some people seem to think he does this because he gets paid a lot to do it. Well if this was a

game show you would have heard the buzzer going off indicating you were wrong. Coach Vu doesn’t

typically take any money. In fact his Technical Director of Coach stipend is regularly donated right

back to the club. So what's in it for him? It’s simple, Coach Vu does it for the love of the game. As

a parent who has had him as a coach and someone who has spent years working with him on the PSC

board, I can honestly tell you, that’s all he needs. He simply loves helping both kids, coaches and the

community and to him the feeling he gets from this is truly priceless.

In 2006, the Le family was the first family to have 4 children playing for the club, Viet, Nam An &

Binh. At that time he was roped into coaching by our very own David Rice. That season he helped

coach 4 teams and since then obviously he has never let up. He still spends countless hours helping

our club, and I say countless because it’s true. I tried to add it up and I eventually lost count.

Even with this incredible time commitment he still

finds time to seek out additional training opportunities

for himself so he can bring this education back to us.

In 2013, he was able to attend and complete the exten-

sive National B License training program. This pro-

gram was a serious time commitment as he was re-

quired to complete over 20 hours of classroom training

along with another 48 hours of field time.

Behind every good man is always a Great

Women. Without the Love and support of

Vu’s wife Anh, we as a club would not have

been able to benefit from his time, passion

and support he continues to give back to

PSC.

Vu and Anh continue to be positive role

models for coaches players and parents alike. Vu thank you for all that you do

and Anh thank you for sharing him with us! The Le family continues to support the PSC family not for

the notoriety, income or any other reason other than simply for “The Love of The Game.”


PAGE 4 NEWSLETTER TITLE NOVEMBER 2014

This fall, the Portage Soccer Club added a new training opportunity for players. On Wednesday and

Thursday evenings, goalkeepers of all ages received training specifically targeted at improving their

technique and game management. Training topics ranged from such fundamentals as footwork,

proper ball-catching, and diving to more advanced tactics like positioning and breakaways. Each

training session typically had more than 20 goalkeepers participating, and coaches Brian Boukalik,

Russ Randall, and Tom Mellinger divided the kids into smaller groups based on age.

Going forward, coaches will be provided with some tools that incorporate their field players with

goalkeeper training. In addition, suggested pre-game warm-ups will be developed to ensure that

goalkeepers are prepared both mentally and physically for each match. The club is also hoping to

put on some winter training clinics for goalkeepers.

The NSCAA offers education clinics for coaches interested in learning more about training goalkeep-

ers. Each year there are a few of these clinics in Michigan. Please contact Tom Mellinger if you are

interested in attending one of these or if you would like help with goalkeeper training in the spring.

PSC Goalkeeping Program

Congratulations to Hannah (Vinnie) Hoffman. She plays on the Girls Portage SC 01 Green

team. She designed the winning logo! She was one of eight players who submitted logos

this year and was selected by the tournament board with a majority vote. To vote, the

tournament board only get to see the designs, not who submitted them.

For having the winning logo she receives a free Tournament

Sweatshirt, t-shirt and a pizza

party for her team.

Thanks to those who submitted

designs. Presentations will be

made at the June club wide meet-

ing.

2015 Portage Classic Logo Competition Winner


The Portage Soccer Club is having a huge sale on all our old Tournament Appeal. We have items from

this past tournament and all the way back to 2007. Prices range from $12 to $5. Prices simply can’t be

beat. Some quantities are limited so please be sure to order early.

Please visit the website main page to see the items and to get more information.


St. Augustine Cathedral School recently constructed a soccer field and

playground improvements at its downtown Kalamazoo campus.

Dubbed “love thy neighbor” project, the improvements will be used by

students during the school day and the neighborhood when school is not

in session.

While the soccer field was nearing complete, it was still missing soccer

goals when school resumed. In stepped the Portage Soccer Club through an anonymous donation a set

of U11/U12 goals were purchased. On a recent Sunday morning PSC volunteers Sean Bowser, Verne

Genisio, David Rice and Greg Strayer assembled the goals and laid out and lined the soccer field. Can

you imagine the excitement when the children arrived at the school on Monday morning?

“I brought my son to school this morning. He was so excited to see the goals up and the

field striped...he can’t wait for recess.” Mike Flynn—Project Architect

“Thank you very, very much. The goals are wonderful. I’ll take some photos today of the

kids using the field.” Andra Zommers—Principal

“Thank you very much for the PSC’s significant contribution and efforts in making this

happen for the kids.” St. Augustine Boosters

PSC Giving Back to The Community.

PAGE 7 November 2014

How Can You Help?

The Portage Soccer Club is looking forward. In order to ensure we take the right path we have put

together 4 committees to look at every aspect of our club, what is working, what is not and how we

can improve These committees include: Facilities, Operations, Communications and Coaching

Education.

If you have any suggestions for these committees please feel free to contact the chairperson from

the group below.

Facilities Operations Communications Coaching Education

Gordon Groves Tom Mellinger Ken Pope Wayne Harpenau

Portage Soccer Club together with Gazelle Sports are excited to "play it forward" by sharing the

gift of soccer. There is a need of uniforms for future soccer players and we are in a position to help.

The PSC has developed a uniform recycling program with Gazelle Sports. We need your help. The

PSC will collect any uniform from the previous years kit which you are willing to donate.

I will collect the uniforms and take them to Gazelle for distribution. Donated items will be ac-

cepted beginning in April at the Practice Facility and will continue the collection process each

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through the month.

This a great way to share the sport we love. Thanks for your help and for making a difference!

Jay Hoffman

V. P. Uniforms

PSC Partners with Gazelle Sports

mailto:[email protected]




http://grameenfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/soccer-kids.jpg


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: At what age can you start playing in Elite or Premier Leagues?

A: Elite currently begins at U12 while Premier begins at U13. However, there has been talk

about the possibilities of Elite beginning at U11 somewhere down the road.

Q: Can you explain the difference between Select, Elite and Premier Leagues?

A: Each of those are different leagues with different ranges in competitive levels. WMYSA and

GVSA both have Select levels of play. This is where the majority of teams play. We also have

Elite which is an interleague program with teams from GVSA (Grand Rapids), CASL

(Lansing) and WMYSA. Typically the top teams from these leagues move into Elite to play

each other. Teams that do well in Elite will sometimes then move on to Premier. The Premier

league is bigger and predominantly on the East side of the state. Because of its size the com-

petitive levels range from Classic Divisions (similar to Select/Elite) to Premier Divisions.

Q: How do you get to play in Elite and Premier Divisions?

A: Typically the top three teams from the U11 WMYSA division in the Spring get recommended

to move up into Elite. Then beginning at U13, Elite utilizes a promotion relegation system

where the bottom 3 teams in the Elite division are relegated back to the Select level of play.

Teams that win their WMYSA division will then be recommended for Elite placement. How-

ever, it should be noted recommendation is not a guarantee.

Teams wanting to play in Premier can do it in one of two ways. By placing in the top half of

the Elite division during a fall season, WMYSA will automatically sponsor the team into the

Premier League. If the team did not come in the top half of Elite then they would need to peti-

tion the board for sponsorship. The board will only sponsor teams they feel have a proven re-

cord .

Q: We received our child's player evaluation. Is there a process in place for us to

evaluate our coach?

A. Absolutely, our Director of Coaching welcomes feedback from parents. Like players this is just

one way we can help our coaching staff reinforce what they do well and better understand all

areas to improve upon.

There are several ways to get the evaluation. You can get a form sent to you by your manager

or parent representative. You go also go to .the club website, under Team Information/Club

Administration/Managers Page you will find a tab at the bottom labeled Forms. The coach

evaluation form can be found there. Or just go to this link.

http://portagesoccer.com/pscManagersPage/forms/CoachEval2011.pdf

http://portagesoccer.com/pscManagersPage/forms/CoachEval2011.pdf


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: My daughter’s team came in 1st place, do they get trophies?

A: This depends, WMYSA does give each player on the winning team something. In the past

they gave out championship pins. This past year they began converting over to giving out

Championship T-shirts.

There are some teams where the parents chip in for trophies for the kids; but that is done on

a team by team basis. To get more information we recommend you speak with the team

manager.

Q: Our team has won several Tournaments and has even beaten some teams ranked in

the top 20 in the state, how come our ranking doesn’t show?

A. That’s a great question because most people don’t fully understand how it actually works and

what it all means. The way GotSoccer rankings are setup is to only look at the team record

from league play, State Cup Tournament and other GotSoccer Tournaments. In order to re-

ceive ranking points for GotSoccer the league or tournament must have done scheduling

through GotSoccer. If it didn’t use GotSoccer then it will be excluded for the point system.

In order to earn ranking points every GotSoccer Tournament is classified into one of two main

categories: Premier Elite Tournaments or Premier Tournaments. Based on the level of the

competition in that tournament points are awarded to teams that win. Each tournament’s

flights are then assigned a value based on the Top 5 teams in that flight. Points can range

from as high as 6,5000 to as low as 400. Points are then awarded based on how the team per-

formed. GotSoccer then ranks teams by overall points. The team with the most points in the

rankings is ranked higher.


Hello Parents,

My name is Mike Hensley. I have just taken a position on the PSC Board as one

of the Parent Representatives. My family and I are a residents of the Portage

community. I am employed at Graphic Packaging in Kalamazoo and my wife

Corry is a 1st grade teacher in the Portage Schools. We have two daughters,

Abby who is a Junior at Portage Northern High School and Audrey who is an 8th

grader at Portage North Middle School.

We moved to the Portage area in 2009 after I was transferred with my job. Our

daughter Audrey started out in AYSO soccer when we first came to town. We

were introduced to PSC in the spring of 2012 when Audrey joined PSC’s ‘01 girls

team at U11. We have played with the club now for two and half years. I am also the team manger

for the ’01 Green Girls team which my daughter plays on.

As a parent rep, I want to see every family have the experience our family has had since joining

PSC. This is such a great organization with exceptional coaches and people involved. I look forward

to getting to know more of you as your parent representative.

Thanks, Mike Hensley

Meet Our Parent Representatives

Hello

My name is Rick Beam and I am new to the PSC Board serving as a Parent

Representative. I have lived in Portage since 2003 with my wife Jennifer, my

daughter Grace, and my son Justin. I am an Operations Manager for Perrigo,

my wife is a teacher in Plainwell, my son is a sophomore at Eastern Michigan

University, and my daughter, who plays goal keeper for the ’00 Green playing

Premier, is a freshman at Portage Northern.

We have been a PSC family for 2 1/2 years now since Grace came to Paul

Knight's team from one of the other clubs. We have friends on many other

PSC teams and have thoroughly enjoyed our time with the club...so much that I am also the Manager

for Grace's team.

My main goal as a Parent Rep is to ensure that all of my PSC families have as positive of an experi-

ence as my family. I am open to discussing any topics you want to bring to me. I will do what I can

to help any family in the PSC club, and if I can't, I will take the issue to the board to discuss solu-

tions.

Thanks, Rick Beam


Hi Parents,

PSC has a long-standing reputation for being a distinguished club. They pro-

vide great leadership, talented coaches and wonderful families. My family

has been a part of Portage Lightning for the last 2 years. I have a 13 yr old

son and 11 yr old daughter (’03 Green) and work full time as an accountant at

the W.E. Upjohn Institute. I’m excited to be a part of helping to keep the

prominent tradition of PSC going. I look forward to meeting many new faces

in my role as Parent Representative.

Thanks, Sheila Meyle

Meet Our Parent Representatives

Mike Hensley

02 Yellow Girls: Saucier

00 Green Girls: Knight

98 Girls: Orwin

97 White Girls: Orwin

05 Green Boys: Boukalik

05 White Boys: Soule

03 Green Boys: Kish

03 White Boys: Burhans

97 Green Boys: Le

97 White Boys: Kelly

Rick Beam

06 Green Girls: Leone

06 White Girls: Leone

02 Green Girls: Harpeneau

02 White Girls: Harpeneau

99 White Girls: Saunders

06 Boys: Lovell

04 Green Boys: Henry

04 White Boys: Zoeller

Sheila Meyle

Academy Coed: Murry

05 Green Girls: Murry

05 White Girls: Murry

02 Green Boys: Twiehause

02 White Boys: Pope

01 Green Boys: Lam

01 White Boys: Lam

99 Boys: Daranijoh

Russ Randall

04 Green Girls: Kreps

03 Green Girls: Le

03 White Girls: Le

03 Yellow Girls: Le

01 Green Girls: Rice

01 White Girls: Rice

97 Girls: Abdo

98 Green Boys: Rice

Your parent representatives are each assigned specific teams. To see who has your team please look at the below list.

It can also be found on our website under board contacts.

Parent Representatives Team Assignments


Concession Update

As many of you may remember, our Concessions was closed dur-

ing the Spring 2014 season and with the help of a couple of great

ladies (and their families) stepping up, we opened our windows

again this Fall. The task of keeping open includes many hours,

but can also be very rewarding. So while our club grows, so does

the need for more members to help oversee the hours we are able

to keep open each weekend.

The league has changed the scheduling format over the last couple of years and our complex is open

several more hours to get in all of our games. So, our VP of Concessions is looking for 4-5 people to

help take on manager/supervisory roles. This way we can keep the concessions open without overbur-

dening a couple of people to spend their weekend locked in the building. If you can give a few Satur-

days and/or Sundays during the season to help supervise and keep the concessions open, please con-

tact Cheryl Kucharski [email protected]. Cheryl would be glad to give you more complete

details on how this could work.



PHOTO BOARD

The Portage Soccer Club began in 1985 and

gained status as an incorporated non-profit organi-

zation in February 1991. Starting with only four

boys’ teams playing in the West Michigan Youth Soccer Association (WMYSA). Today PSC is one of

the largest clubs in WMYSA, fielding a combination

of thirty-one boys and girls teams playing from U9

all the way to U19.

Although PSC has changed in size over the years,

our philosophy of emphasizing player development

over winning has remained and our teams have

performed very well on the field in terms of both

skill and results. Our belief is players, parents, the

club, and the community will always "win through development" supporting youth to their maximum

potential.

PSC owns and maintains the Portage Soccer Com-plex at 4422 Bishop Road (east of Sprinkle and

south of Bishop/Romence) where home games are

played. This nine field complex opened in 2002 and

President: David Rice

Treasurer: Tom Mellinger

Secretary: Kim Maystead

VP Coaches: Wayne Harpenau

Dir. Tech Development: Vu Le VP Communications: Ken Pope

VP Concessions: Cheryl Kucharski

VP Fundraising: Amy Areaux

VP Uniforms: Jay Hoffman

Registrar: Dana Pope

Parent Representatives: Mike Hensley, Russ Randall

Rick Beam

Sheila Meyle

Field Manager: Gordon Groves

Web Master: Ken Pope Tournament Directors: David Rice & Ken Pope

BUSINESS NAME

We’re on the web

Www.PortageSoccer.com

PSC HISTORY

PSC Practice Facility Expansion

The Portage Soccer Club operates the best soccer facilities in west and southwest Michi-

gan. The Portage Soccer Complex ~ the premier 9 field venue in the state and the PSC

practice facility ~ 8 fields dedicated solely to PSC training is not far behind. Our PSC

families are fortunate to have these facilities all of which are maintained by volunteers.

The growth of the PSC has led to the need for additional training fields. Under develop-

ment are two additional fields in the northeast corner of the practice facility. This area

was graded and leveled this fall using soils from the field drainage projects at our main

site ~ the Portage Soccer Complex. The fields will be seeded in spring 2015 and should be

playable the following year.

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Keeper november 2014rev