THE LATEST FROM WYOMING SOCCER |
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WYOMING 307 SELECT & ODP
Wyoming 307 Select is still active and players have one more opprtunity to train at the Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) at the University of Wyoming this coming weekend. To get more information, please check out the Wyoming 307 Select page on our website, where all upcoming dates are listed. The Spring season is nearly upon us and things will slow down for the program during active season.
With that said, tryouts for next year are scheduled and will occur throughout the summer. Dates are listed on our site and the registration is open (click the button below to register). The tryouts registration for the current season are now closed, but if you are interested in joining, please talk to your local coach and let them know. If they feel you would be a good fit, they can always make a recommendation and our 307 Select Coaches are constantly scouting for players at our events across the state.
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Wyoming Soccer Association is actively seeking a state sponsor for our state programs. If you are aware of a business or organization who would like statewide exposure to families and young athletes, we would like to visit with them! Please contact us if you or anyone you know would be interested in this amazing opportunity. |
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JOIN WYOMING SOCCER FOR OUR AGM, WORKSHOPS & AWARDS
Coming to Casper March 12-13
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Wyoming Soccer Association is gearing up for our 2022 AGM, Workshops & Awards Celebration and we want you to join us!
We will be joined by Trainer, Kristin Oshiro, with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA). Not only will she grace us with a fantastic workshop that will leave everyone in the room with a new and fresh perspective on their role, responsibility and impact within the youth soccer environment, but she will also be offering the keynote for our annual awards celebration on Saturday evening where we will honor our players, coaches, referees, volunteers, administrators and TOPSoccer Buddies! Be sure to save the date and join us!
Kristin is a former Division 1 soccer player from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She walked on to the University of Hawaii Women’s Soccer program in the fall of 2005 and after spending a year as a reserve, Kristen’s determination and work ethic earned her a starting position as an outside midfielder.
Kristin will be offering a free workshop entitled Double Goal Coach, which builds on the premise that youth sports include the goal of winning and the more important goal of teaching life lessons. This course is not just for coaches, but is impactful for parents, players, officials and administrators, as well.
The course will focus on things like:
- Filling emotional tanks
- Coaching for Mastery of Sport
- Honoring the Roots of the Game
Find out more about the PCA Double Goal Coach course here.
We will have a full agenda on Saturday, March 12th culminating with our Annual Awards Celebration that evening.
It all happens at the Clarion Inn in Casper. Click below to RSVP and/or view the event schedule!
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BE PREPARED FOR THE ACT/SAT TESTS
We are here to help through the eKnowlede PowerPrep10
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Wyoming Soccer Association's partner, eKnowledge, has boosted their programming to assist our high school aged soccer players across the state in gaining some amazing ACT and SAT test prep for a deal almost too good to be true.
The PowerPrep10 Beta Program is a course that is intuitive, student-driven, comprehensive, multi-media, content rich and focused precisely on your student's needs with instant access to a LIVE teacher!
The value of this is $350, but as a member of Wyoming Soccer Association you can get in for as low as $19.99 and can receive EVERYTHING for only $49.99 - a $1500 value!
Registration deadline to register for the next ACT Test of 2022 (April 2, 2022) is March 11, 2022 (late fees apply).
The deadline to register for the first SAT Test of 2022 (March 12, 2022) is March 1, 2022 (late fees apply).
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SPORTS THREAD PROFILE ACTIVATION - 100% FREE
Attention College Bound Athletes!
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Do you have a player who as aspirations of being a college athlete (even if it is not soccer)?
If you have a high-school aged player, you probably received an email yesterday (check your inbox!) with information on how to activate your profile from our newest partner, Sports Thread. Why is this important and what the heck is Sports Thread you ask?
Well, in a nutshell...
Sports Thread is an award-winning social media-based network that connects student-athletes with team members, coaches, parents and fans.
Didn't see the email? We'll help you out. Follow these instructions:
Profile Creation Process
2. Open Sports Thread App
3. Select "More"
4. Click "My Profile"
5. Press "Edit" followed by "Add Sports Profile"
6. Fill Out Sports Profile
If you have questions, Sports Thread has a helpful FAQ page, which can be found here.
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THE LATEST FROM US YOUTH SOCCER |
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US YOUTH SOCCER AND FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHING PROGRAM TO HELP SOCCER EDUCATION |
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Over the past several months we have shared multiple articles regarding partnerships USYS is forging to help provide valuable resources, education and technology to members across the country, and they continue to do so.
Last week USYS announced US Youth Soccer (USYS) is forging a partnership with Florida State University (FSU) to have its FSU COACH program serve as a coach education provider. USYS Director of Sport and Member Development Tom Condone made the announcement last Tuesday.
FSU COACH -- Florida State University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching -- will provide a collection of resources designed to train USYS members in a variety of areas to improve their performance on and off the field. US Youth Soccer, the largest sports organization in the world, features NEARLY three million registered players and thousands of coaches among its 54 state associations.
“Our mission at USYS is to provide world-class support, resources and leadership, helping every member fulfill their goals on and off the field of play,” said USYS CEO Skip Gilbert. “Our partnership with FSU COACH is a terrific opportunity to educate our constituents through our USYS University platform on a wide variety of subjects. FSU COACH will help us elevate and enhance coaching development through a dynamic learning environment and we’re excited to get this relationship moving forward.”
FSU COACH and USYS will develop a USYS-University Coaching Clinic together with the goal of providing training for USYS coaches on a broad array of topics related to coaching and athlete development. A virtual clinic is scheduled tentatively for next month.
“USYS has a long history of prioritizing education and development of their coaches,” said Tim Baghurst, professor and director of FSU COACH. “We are thrilled to be part of that process and look forward to working with them on a variety of initiatives that support their coaches.”
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THE LATEST FROM US SOCCER |
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SAFESOCCER FRAMEWORK
US Center for SafeSport Implements Parent & Minor Training
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All Amateur Sports Organizations across the country are required to enforce SafeSport Certification for all adults working with minors. Wyoming Soccer started implementing SafeSport Training for all coaches, referees, staff, board members and volunteers in 2020.
The US Center for SafeSport now offers additional training for parents and minors.
Parent Training is available free of charge without an access code. In addition, age appropriate training is offered to minors ranging in age from preschool up through high school and can also be accessed free of charge.
We are not required to track completion of parent or minor training, but will report how and when it was offered. We highly encourage parents and athletes to participate in this training. Do you know what grooming looks like? Do you know the signs to be aware of when it comes to athlete abuse? Do you understand the reporting process? Help us protect our players by educating yourself and your children on how to prevent abuse.
As we prepare for the Spring Season, please take advantage of this free and impactful training.
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Wyoming Soccer is working hard to gain more referees, and the best way to do that is to host referee clinics. We have several referee clinics coming up and we invite you to take advantage of the opportunity to offset some of the costs of youth soccer, earn some extra money, familiarlize yourself with the rules and see things from a new perspective!
Click the below button to find out about all our upcoming Wyoming Referee Clinics. We have four coming up in March in Cody, Buffalo, Jackson & Cheyenne!
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If your club is interested in hosting a referee clinic, please click HERE.
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Lawsen Quist, who plays with Cheyenne Sting, is in the spotlight for the month of February.
Lawsen has been playing soccer nearly all her life. She started at the age of three and started playing competitively when she was eight. Lawsen has been part of the Wyoming 307 Select Program since 2020 and although she was invited several years to participate in Wyoming ODP, there was only one year where she was able to join. Unfortunately, that was 2020 and as we all know, everything was cancelled. This past year she had to make a difficult decision between high school basketball and ODP and basketball took the win for Lawsen.
Lawsen is a high school freshman and she is homeschooled. She does participate in public school extracuricular activities, however. She is part of the Cheyenne South High School marching, jazz, pep and concert bands. Music is one of her main loves, and she was selected for one of six spots for alto saxophone in the Wyoming All State Concert band, which performed in January. This actually does tie into soccer, as well! Lawsen has been a youth soccer referee for four years and over time she was able to save enough money to purchase a professional saxophone of her own!
As mentioned earlier, Lawsen also loves basketball, and as a Freshman, she has been able to play all the way up to the varsity level, and will be playing for Cheyenne South during High School Regionals this coming weekend. She will also be on the Cheyenne South girls soccer team this Spring!
Lawsen is an active member of the youth group at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, CO. She volunteers regularly at the library and has earned the US Presidents' Volunteer Service Award the past two years, which honors individuals whose service positively impacts their community, and specific qualifications must be met for eligibility. Lawsen also enjoys drawing, reading (she has a collection of over 600 books!) and spending time with friends.
Lawsen is also the top Wyoming Player on the TopYa! app with a record of over 1,000 juggles using only her feet! During quarantine in 2020, Wyoming Soccer offered the TopYa! app for free through our partner, Challenger. The app aims to provide free skills and contests to our players to help in their individual development. Although, it was created in 2020, it is still available and can be accessed HERE.
One of her coaches, Chuck Grenfell, had this to say about Lawsen, "Lawsen is not only a good soccer player, she's an amazing person. Aside from regular training sessions, whenever additional help is needed with either training the 4U's or with TOPSoccer, Lawsen is always one to volunteer her time. When it comes to training, Lawsen shows up every day with a smile on her face, works incredibly hard and is always a great teammate."
A very interesting fact about Lawsen is that she has a "lucky banana" in her soccer bag. It is literally a dried up black banana that has been with her for over four years! Lawsen is also the youngest of seven. She also has a dog named Bonnie. As mentioned, she loves music - in particular Blues, Jazz, K-Pop and classical saxophone. You may call her an old soul with that amazing musical taste! She aspires to be a blues musician and/or a child psychotherapist. She is also an avid fan of Harry Potter and her favorite food is ice cream!
We are honored to spotlight Lawsen, and want to hear more about players like her. Remember, the Player Spotlight can highlight achievement in any area, whether it's soccer, academics, community, or attitude. Please share your kids with us!
To nominate a player from your club for the Player Spotlight, please download the nomination form by clicking HERE. Once completed, please email to wssa@wyomingsoccer.com.
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WYOMING SOCCER WELCOMES INTERIM TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Meet Dave Eldred
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Last month, Wyoming Soccer Association announced the departure of David Hayes as our state Technical Director. His final day was February 10th.
As we navigate our current situation and come up with a plan that best suits our state association, we are happy to announce that Dave Eldred from Cheyenne has stepped up to the plate to assist us on an interim basis until the perfect fit is found.
Eldred is more than qualified to fill this position and we are confident he will do so with poise and enthusiasm. He played in high school for Cheyenne East and also collegiately while at Creighton University. Eldred has his United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma, Level 1 Goalkeeping Diploma, High School Coaching Diploma, Director of Coaching Diploma, Master Coach Diploma and USSF D License for coaching. He has coached with the Wyoming Olympic Development Program, and has served as a staff coach for U.S. Soccer West Region ODP, and is also a volunteer assistant coach with Laramie County Community College's Soccer Program. He also served in an interim technical director capacity for Wyoming Soccer from 2016-2017, so he is very familiar with the role and expectations.
He is definitely no stranger to Wyoming Soccer Association and served on our state board of directors for four years from 2017 - 2021 as District 5 Representative, which covers Cheyenne, Laramie, Torrington & Rawlins. Dave has always advocated for the players first. In addition, he is extremely organized, communicative and approachable and will work to create state relationships with our Wyoming clubs on the coaching side along with advancing our state programs. He is also the current President of Cheyenne Soccer Club, and has helped to expand the TopSoccer program, creating awareness and involvement of kids with special needs. He has been instrumental in working with the City of Cheyenne in getting the fields updated and creating the best environment for the club to play.
We are greatful to Dave for stepping in to fulfill this role and know we are in good hands with him at the helm on the technical side of Wyoming Soccer!
Welcome back, Dave!
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THE LATEST UPCOMING EVENTS |
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March 5-6, 2022
March 12-13, 2022
April 9-10, 2022
April 23-24, 2022
April 30 - May 1, 2022
May 7-8, 2022
May 14-15, 2022
May 28-30, 2022
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FEBRUARY CODE OF CONDUCT HIGHLIGHT |
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All registrants must agree to the Wyoming Soccer Association's (WSA's) Code of Conduct.
Integrity: Conduct yourself with uncompromised honesty, honor, ethics, and integrity in all situations.
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GET TO KNOW OUR GROWING LIST OF PARTNERS |
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WYOMING SOCCER ASSOCIATION| www.wyomingsoccer.com
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