Shirts for Monday...

All players should wear WHITE training shirts for practice Monday. We'll rotate back and forth all week...Tuesday/black, Wednesday/white, etc.

A NUMBER OF THINGS...

...after our last day of tryouts today:

1.) Congrats to everyone for a job well done these past three days in the heat and sun. Overall, the work ethic and attitude were great, and that just makes us coaches that more excited to work with all of you this season.

2.) We're looking forward to having some fun at the beach tomorrow. Please be on time! If you're not sure where Tunnel Park is, it's located on Lakeshore in Holland, just south of Lakewood.

3.) Be sure to READ through and STUDY up regarding the boys soccer guides you received today at the conclusion of our practice. A lot of time and effort was put into that, and it's the key to understanding EXACTLY what's expected of a Hamilton Hawkeye male soccer player at any age level. BRING the guide with you to practice on Monday! By the way, the second to last page of that guide provides you with the SHIN GUARD REQUIREMENTS for this season and beyond. Please take notice and make purchases accordingly.

4.) Remember that $25 is due (cash or check made out to Hamilton High School) for each player to next Tuesday for the game socks and training shirts you received today. If any individual simply cannot come up with that amount or needs to exchange sizes of shirts, please see any of the coaches ASAP.

5.) In addition, remember that your "other Hamilton soccer apparel" order forms and $$ are due by next Friday if you choose to partake.

6.) Monday of next week is a busy day for all players with the following items on the agenda: practice from 9-noon (Varsity players should plan on spending the last portion of practice in Coach Robinson's room for a team meeting which may go a bit beyond noon), JV Holland Rescue Mission trip (required...transportation is provided) from 3:30-6-ish PM, and Parent Night for all parents at 7 PM (JV in Coach Stieper's room, Varsity in Coach Robinson's room).

7.) For Varsity players as a future heads-up for next Saturday, the 22nd, here is the game schedule for our QUAD TOURNAMENT that day: Hamilton vs. Kelloggsville @10 A.M. (game field), Hamilton vs. Allendale @ 11:30 A.M. (game field), and Hamilton vs. Hastings @1:00 P.M. (game field). Each team will play 3 games of 30 minute halves with 10 minute halftimes and 20 minutes between games. Any tie will be resolved by a shoot-out. Further details for the JV tournament that day are still pending.

8.) For any other items on the schedule, please refer to the updated schedule you received at the conclusion of practice today.

We're all looking forward to a GREAT start to the official "team" season!

Friday and Saturday Reminder...

Friday: Practice 9-noon...the last portion of practice will be spent picking teams for the sand soccer tourney on sat. After practice, plan on sticking around, heading into the junior hallway of the high school, and waiting a bit for us to call you into my classroom where the coaches will fill you in on your situation with the soccer program. Everyone should be all set and ready to leave by about 1 pm, give or take a few mins.

Saturday: Sand Soccer tourney at Tunnel Park from 9 am to noonish. A picnic lunch in the park will be provided for players after the competitions on the beach....THANK YOU PARTICIPATING PARENTS! Please keep in mind that certain individuals may need help with car-pooling that morning. Of course, friends and family of players are more than welcome to come out to the beach and watch the games!

Congrats...

...to the top 3 Iron Man Contest winners from today: MATT ROUWHORST, R.J. FLOWERS, and CONNOR HAGEN.

Way to set a great example, guys! We look for more great things from you guys in the future.

PS. Don't miss the post just below.

REMINDER!

Please scroll down and remind yourself of the Wed., July 15 post. Add these important dates to your calendar and clue your parents in!

Great job on the first day of tryouts today, guys. There was overall improvement all around as compared to last year.

See you tomorrow by 9 AM sharp!

WATER...

Guys, for the next number of days of training, PLEASE remember to bring PLENTY of extra WATER for yourselves...especially with some of the heat and sun coming our way.

See you all soon!

The Official First Day of the Season...

...is on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Here is the schedule for the day:

8 AM-11 AM...meet at the high school track with running shoes and water for the beginning of the Iron Man Contest. We will proceed eventually over to the tennis wall and game field area for the rest of the contest. Please have soccer cleats and indoor soccer shoes in your possession for this part of the contest.

11 AM-1PM...rest and lunch (not provided). Players may choose to hang out in Coach Stieper's classroom inside the high school during this time if they so please.

1 PM-3PM...scrimmage time on the practice and varsity fields between ALL ages.

NOTE: players MUST have physical forms on file in the high school BEFORE Wednesday morning or else they will NOT be able to practice.

Monday (Aug. 10) training...

Anyone who can make our 5-7 PM training, please do. It will be our last unofficial time together (we will take the next day, Tuesday, off to prepare mentally and physically for the Iron Man contest and scrimmaging the next day), and we'll do some last-minute preparation for Wednesday.

Make every effort to be there!

Physicals/Insurance $$

A number of you have yet to get a physical on file in the high school office and/or have yet to pay the $20 insurance money to the office as of Friday, Aug. 7.

Physicals: Austin Dams, Brady Zomer, Tyler Immink, Dillon Guillozet, Justin Volkers, Sam Lohman, Aaron Polet, Zach Beyer, Jacob Swartz, Chase VanWyk, Dominic Morlan, Julio Hernandez, Ty Ralston, Justin Overhiser.

Insurance $$: same individuals as above (excluding Zach), Cody Weber, Kray Freestone, Aaron Kaseumsouk, Travis Williams, Andrew Hulsman, Cam Perkins, Mitch Gage, Hunter Townsend, Trevor Morris, Mitch Ganzon.

BE AWARE that failure to provide proof of BOTH of the above (especially the physical) will result in missed vital tryout time...no exceptions! PLEASE take care of these issues, and if you see some guys on this list that maybe need a reminder or a heads-up, please help out! Also, if you are confused about why your name is on either list, please contact the high school office at 269-751-5185 and have a chat with Connie.

We will see you guys soon enough. So excited to start!

End of Summer Training...

...is near. Guys, as always, please refer to the packet of information I gave you at our original soccer meeting for schedule, Iron Man, etc. updates.

BUT, just as a reminder: next week (Aug. 3-7), we do NOT meet together for training. That week is designed for you to personally keep your fitness up, play on your own if you'd like, and simply get your mind and body ready for the official start to the season (Wed., Aug. 12). Prepare yourselves!

We WILL, however, meet at our regularly scheduled times (5-7 PM) on Monday, Aug. 10 and Tuesday, Aug. 11 for some last minute prep work. Either way, be ready and on time to the Iron Man day (Aug. 12) at the track no later than 8 AM. After the contest, you'll have a lunch break (on your own), and then we'll proceed with our afternoon session at the practice field. Be sure to bring running shoes, water, cleats, shin guards, etc. to each session!

Have a good "week off"! See you all soon enough.

PS. Please do not forget to take care of physicals and insurance $$$.

Shin guards...

Guys, make sure to have proper shin guards for the upcoming season. "Proper" means shin guards that are "age and height appropriate" (check the label) and that literally have a tag on them that says "Meets NOCSAE Specifications"...or something to that regard.

See me if you have questions! The referee checked us a couple of times this past season.

Plan ahead!

Soccer Camp and other items...

THANKS AGAIN to all high school players for your help during the younger kids' camps this week and for your hard work and good attitude during your own evening camp sessions. Coach Malefyt and I REALLY appreciate the overall effort.

Guys, we've got just a few weeks left until the official start to the season (Wed., Aug. 12). At this point, it's very important to review your original schedule I handed to you at our boys meeting in order to check on the following items:

1.) The remaining schedule for the summer....summer training (next week = M-F...week after = off/conditioning only...following week = Mon./Tues. training and Wed. beginning of season) and pre-season both.

2.) Important singular dates: Iron Man, Sand Soccer Tourney, Parent Night, Rescue Mission work and Camp Geneva (from the previous blog entry below), first contests, etc.

3.) Iron Man contest rules and point systems

4.) Soccer Attendance Policy for the season

That's it for now! Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments. LET'S CONTINUE TO PREPARE FOR SUCCESS!

PS. Take care of PHYSICALS and INSURANCE $$ at the high school office ASAP!

Important ADDITIONS...

...to the pre-season schedule:

**Monday, Aug. 17 (after regularly scheduled practice) 330-6 PM: JV team will tour the Holland Rescue Mission and serve dinner in the male and female buildings. School transportation is pending upon approval...perhaps plan to carpool just in case.

**Tuesday, Aug. 18 (after regularly scheduled practice) 330-630 PM: Varsity team will tour the Holland Rescue Mission and serve dinner in the male and female buildings. School transportation is pending approval...perhaps plan to carpool just in case.

**Wednesday, Aug. 19 (after regularly scheduled practice) 2-5 PM: Both teams will participate in team-building activities at Camp Geneva near the lake shore. School transportation is pending approval...perhaps plan to carpool just in case.

Note: Our parent meeting for ALL parents will still be held on Monday, Aug. 17 at 7 PM in the high school. It's a busy week, we know, but a great way to kick of the official season!

Please let me or Coach Stieper know if you have any questions or concerns.

Training CANCELED...

...on Wednesday morning, July 15 due to weather concerns.

Insurance/Sports Physicals

Guys, please be sure to take care of BOTH within the next month before the official season begins. In both cases, the high school main office is where to seek information and/or turn in the necessary materials.

Failure to have either of the above items on file in the office will result in missed tryout practices until they are turned in!

Coaches are back...

...officially on Wednesday, July 8 for the A.M. training. We're looking forward to working with all of you for the rest of the summer!

Please be on time, dressed, and ready to go for the remaining sessions...and bring plenty of water!

We hope your 4th of July weekend was a good one.

PS. Don't forget that our Hamilton soccer camp begins on Monday, July 20! We'd love for some of you guys to participate in the younger kid sessions that go on earlier on each of those days. The kids LOVE it.

Summer training check-in...

Hello from afar, guys! Coach Stieper and I are having a lot of fun with the students in Germany right now. Coach Stieper will be back into town with the students tomorrow evening (Friday), while I proceed from here to Ireland through the July 4 weekend. I plan on being back to training sometime in the middle of the July 6 week.

I've been checking in a bit with the summer captains, and it sounds like training is going relatively well. Keep up the good work! And do your best to get as many participants out there as possible.

Now's the time to prepare! Enjoy your holiday break.

Coach Robinson

Summer CAPTAINS...

Congrats to the following 3 player-elected summer captains who'll lead the rest of the guys through daily June workouts: Jacob Swartz, Hunter Townsend, and R.J. Flowers.

Please, all of you be ready for the first captain-led workout on Monday, June 8 at 5 P.M. sharp. Arrive a bit early to be sure you're dressed and ready to go with full equipment and water by the time the clock strikes 5. Refer below again to the weekly summer schedule until otherwise notified.

We look forward to seeing you all officially in July! In the meantime, get some fun, competitive, worthwhile soccer training in.

SUMMER TRAINING update...

Guys, starting Monday, June 8, let's plan on the following weekly training schedule:

Monday: 5-7 PM (practice soccer field)
Tuesday: 5-7 PM (practice soccer field)
Wednesday: 9-11 AM (practice soccer field)
Thursday: 5-7 PM (practice soccer field)
Friday: 9-11 AM (track/practice soccer field)

Note: Monday-Thursday, meet directly at the practice soccer field site. Friday, meet initially at the track and then proceed to the soccer field site. STAY TUNED FOR SUMMER CAPTAIN UPDATES, AND REFER TO YOUR SOCCER PACKETS GIVEN AT THE BOYS SOCCER MEETING FOR MORE TRAINING/SCHEDULING SPECIFICS. Remember, weight lifting should be done on your own time if so desired.

We are looking forward to working with you all this summer more closely. The boys season officially begins June 8...let's use this time together to get better and have some fun doing it!

Boys Soccer MEETING...

To all prospective boys soccer players for the 2009 fall season: please meet in Coach Robinson's room (111) by 7 A.M. on Friday, May 8 for an important informational meeting. Plan on making necessary transportation arrangements. Be on time, and spread the word to those who may not know!