Updates

We have finished 2 of our 3 tryout days, and we are looking forward to the final day of tryouts tomorrow. We really have seen some excellent things from the boys so far this week. I will share that tryouts are surprisingly competitive this year, with a lot of new, energetic players showing up in the past week.

Tomorrow, we will complete the final day with some smaller games that will feel like a normal day of training. At the conclusion of tryouts, we will meet with each of the boys for one minute or less to give them their placement. Once they have met with coaches, they are free to go home. Those who have made teams should come to their scheduled practice Thursday. If players have questions, I encourage them to schedule a meeting for later.

One major factor that we are considering tonight is the size of the teams relative to playing time. Since the program will be quite young (70% of those trying out are freshmen and sophomores this year), it is important that we build teams that offer the best chance to maximize playing time for younger players so that they can develop. This is of even greater interest to us than in a different year because of the overall youth of the group. We are focused on not overloading any team.

One question that always comes up: Am I locked into this team all season? The answer is no, but it won’t change overnight. Over time, and with growth, there may be movement. The best thing to do if you find yourself on a team that isn’t what you aimed for is to show up, stay focused, and work hard toward your goal. To walk away means that you give up the opportunity to work toward that goal. So stick with it. Work hard.

One final note: if you attended our meeting on August 4, you knew that we were in the process of bringing on a new C-Team coach. The C-Team will be coached by Coach Jack Tubman, and I am thrilled to bring him on board. I will be coaching C practices alongside Coach Jack with the C-Team for the next few weeks as he gets accustomed to our systems and Niwot Soccer. Coach Jack will take over for Coach Johnny, who will still be with us part-time, but unable to take on the lead role of a team due to his work schedule. I will send out more introductory information on our coaches after teams are set.

As always, thank you for your support of Niwot Soccer.

Coach Stephen Dimit