The competition was serious

At our summer bash, hosted by Ally, the competition at beer pong was serious.  

The young Ebony & Ivory team (self-named) was the team to beat.  Not only do they have great technique, but clearly they love the game.  They are inspiring to young college students everywhere.

The veteran team, Pong X-plosion, showed that age isn't a factor in this game.  They were 1-1 overall, notching an important come-from-behind victory.

Pong X-plosion

Fun party.  Great job Ally!  I tried to find a detail that you missed, but couldn't.

The Hostess

Bad Picture

The picture in the post below is not my favorite - especially when you
click on it to see the full size image.
On a different but not unrelated note, a guy at Starbucks called me over
to his laptop while I waited for my americano to show me the picture
attached - saying I look just like Mario Cipollini (famous Tour de
France rider). What's your vote? My wife's vote is "no".
See you at the first game of the season (unfortunately, I will probably
not make the party).

Posted by Nate.

Skipper

Jackal and I can't be at the game, but don't worry, Nate's got you covered. He will wear the captain's armband in our absence. If we had a captain's armband.

Nate's an ideal coed teammate. He's the Running Man, Versatility Inc., Speedy Gonzalez, Mr. 100%, Everywhere Man.

Nate, thanks for taking over this crew. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. I heard that somewhere.

Gold

I'm not admitting to watching the US women's game at work this morning.  However, if I would have watched it, I would have been thrilled.  I would have thought that there were only a few standout players - Lloyd, Solo, Rodriguez.  

The US couldn't hold the ball or impede the creative play of Brazil.  Their build-ups and passing from the back were off.  But they kept fighting and made something happen with a tremendous overtime period.  

Here's a shot of Carli Lloyd - who scored the game winning goal - and the resurgent Angela Hucles, who should probably be tournament MVP.  I took it at RFK during the US vs Canada friendly.

The party is so on

This is exactly what Ally's backyard is going to look like Friday for our team BBQ. It's going to be such a scene, how could you miss out?

You should have the evite in your inbox. Please respond so we have an accurate count. Directions and instructions are there.

Let's make sure to take metro and carpool b/c there will be a few spirits.

It's up to me to convince someone to make some jello shots - Kristin, your name came up, I guess that's a compliment.

Someone bring a few soccer balls. A brilliant idea has arisen to have cocktails and kick the ball in the backyard.

Charity report

As of today, we have a 100% participation rate in our charity program.  That is awesome, let's keep it up! 

Photos of China 3

Continuing my acclaimed photo series, here are some shots of Sichuan.  The first shot, depicting three juvenile pandas, was taken at Wolong Breeding Center in remote Sichuan Province.  It is quite close to the epicenter of the recent disastrous earthquake.  Many buildings were destroyed; pandas and people were lost.  Nevertheless, I learned on NBC that 10 baby pandas were born this year and the rebuilding has begun.  In 2006, we saw a crop of 14 babies all in one enclosure.  We also met Lala the panda, which I recounted in this post.

The other photos are of the Tibetan high grasslands in Western Sichuan.  Due to recent unrest, the county depicted in the shrine with prayer wheels is closed to outsiders, according to something I read.  It's inhabited by a firm majority of Tibetan people.

First game of the season - RSVP here!

Our first game is set. Sunday, 4:00 p.m. at the resurfaced but still awful Marina field in Alexandria along the Potomac. We play Hoover FC, who we have never faced before.

Are you in? Post your status here.

I was hoping to attend the game but I can't b/c I have a flight at 5:15pm. So please send your dues ahead of time, per this post.

No word on the rest of the schedule yet. We have Labor Day weekend off. Next game after this one will be Sunday Sept. 7th.

See you at the party on Friday night.

The season begins Sunday

The clock is ticking on the start of our season. We kickoff this Sunday. Here are some updates for you:

- I don't have a schedule yet for any games. I will pass it on to you immediately.

- We have 3 possible events this week: (1) scrimmage on Tuesday (maybe); (2) party on Friday (definitely); (3) game on Sunday. What's the most important? The party of course. More details on that later.

- Remember to pay your dues.

Photos of China 2

Continuing my series of China photos, here are a few more of Beijing. 

USA vs Cuba

On Saturday October 11th, 7:00 p.m., the U.S. will play Cuba in a World Cup qualifier at RFK stadium.  Tickets will probably be $30-35 for the premium seats.

This is the only qualifier to be played at RFK this cycle.  While the Cuban national team hasn't shown us much at the senior level, they do have some talent and it could be a good game.  Mainly, it's a chance to see the best of the US team right here in Washington.

I'm not going to formally organize a group.  We'll buy tickets on Wednesday.  If you want to join us, send me a note and be prepared to pay in advance.

All the best

Our friend and teammate Courtney has big news. She got married to her boyfriend, Scott, two weeks ago in Olympia. Megan alerted me to this little piece in the New York Times style section about the big event:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/fashion/weddings/10gregoire.html?scp=1&sq=gregoire&st=cse

We began covering this story in this earlier post about wedding bells. Looks like everything worked out great.

There's more news. But it's not so peachy for the team. Courtney and Scott are moving back to Washington State, so it appears that Court will soon file her retirement papers with me. We knew it was coming, we hadn't seen her on the field in a while. Based on our last conversation, it seems that she'll already be gone by the time our party comes around on the 22nd. I hope to cross paths with her in Denver at the end of the month.

Good bye Courtney, we love you.

All the best.

Photos of China

In honor of the Olympics, I'm gonna share a few photos of my travels to China.

Let's start with the Olympic stadium - a.k.a., the Bird's Nest - which I had occasion to see twice while under construction.  It's located on the 3rd ring road in Beijing, I believe, which is the third of five beltways around the incredibly crowded metropolis.  I saw it first in May '06 (first two images) and then again in August '07 (third image).  I've also seen the Water Cube, which is adjacent if memory serves.  See a photo of the stadium today.

Focusing in on the first image, I was told by a local that the black banner at the construction site was some type of propaganda for the workers.  That, I could believe.

Notice the air quality on both of the random days that I was there.  I experienced the worse air in August '07, despite the fact that my trip coincided with trials by the local authorities to reduce smog.  They banned about 50% of the registered cars from driving, based on license plate numbers.  In anticipation of this reality, many wealthy residents actually bought a second car and arranged for alternating license plate codes, in order to be able to drive on all days.  I take it they were still working out the kinks in the system at that point.  The lesson: air quality in Beijing is truly terrible.

Grade: A+

I hope you're watching the Olympics.  I give it an A+.  It's been quite a show, from the politicized opening ceremony to the wealth of unique events.  I've watched badminton (China's Xie Xinfang is awesome), rowing, beach volleyball (May/Walsh rock), swimming (4 x 100 relay!), gymnastics (I've had enough though), boxing (normally hate it), and field hockey.

Don't forget about soccer.  The US men stumbled when, unexpectedly, they couldn't beat Nigeria in large part because of a very early red card by newcomer Michael Orozco, who has potential to sneak into the senior men's team at outside back.  They're going home.  But the US women have found a groove despite missing Abby Wambach.  Amy Rodriguez is filling in nicely and the midfield is dominating at the moment.  My favorite, Lori Chalupny, is back after a mild concussion.  The US women are in the knock out rounds.

Remember - we scrimmage today

Bluemont Park, 6:30. We'll start scrimmaging around 7:00 p.m. Lots of people have RSVP'd so we should have a nice group. Pay attention to tab B on the map.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bluemont+park+arlington+Virginia&ie=UTF8&ll=38.877804,-77.124968&spn=0.034946,0.076904&z=14

Happy dogs

Here's a potd for you.  

While Griz and family went to Colombia for a short vacation, we watched boom, who is the Red Merle Aussie.  It's Moxie and Boom, best of friends. 

The winner of the poll was Sierra Nevada, which received 5 votes. That's what will fill our keg at the summer bash. It was a come-from-behind win, with Yeungling in the early lead.

Stay tuned for final details of the party

Time to pay; deadline is Sept 4

It's time to pay up for the fall season. You must pay by Sept. 4th. Please send via paypal, using pdi.usa@gmail.com.

$80 dues

$18 optional charitable contribution (learn more)

-------------------------------------------

$98 total

Notes: dues have gone down again - by another $5 versus last season. We have a full roster, therefore we can spread the fees among more people. Unfortunately, with inevitable increases in the future, don't expect dues to drop any more. We'll do our best to keep them here for as long as possible. Maybe someday we can get a sponsor to defray costs. That would be cool.

Spring 2008

It's time to turn the page on Spring '08, our most successful season ever. We went undefeated in eight regular season games, securing the division title, and placing second in the playoffs. We achieved promotion to the Second Division this coming fall. Golf clap.

This bunch won our first title

We set several records:

- First title of any kind

- First undefeated season (6-0-2)

- Longest streak without a loss (14 games). We still have a 14-game regular season streak going. Let's remember that...

- Most players scoring points in a season, which I discussed in this post (21)

- Most women on the score sheet in a single season (8 - Jackie, Bri, Ally, Katya, Carolyn, Jackie, Kate, Ashley)

- First goal scored by a keeper, although he was assigned to the field at the time (Liam)

- Most players on the score sheet in a single game (10, versus Red Tape)

- Fewest minutes played while short players (only 1 half versus Quicksilver).

Jon a.k.a. "Bubbles" won the scoring title and $1.00 off fall dues. Chris remains the all-time leading scorer by a wide margin. Deanna, Pete, and Jon get the MVPs. Hey, only two people voted and we each got one vote. De was a stand out, that was clear. I accept my co-MVP for coaching acumen. Recall that each player was required to take one practice PK after the Red Tape match. Turns out that was key to our win in penalties in the semis the following week.

The MVPs

Review the game reports for the season here. This was my favorite game report of the season, for obvious reasons. Wow, I was a happy fellow after that match.

But enough with stats. Most memorable to me is the concentration and dedication displayed by all players. We showed up in force to every game. We were aggressive. We made adjustments. We didn't take plays off. People drove in from out of state - all in pursuit of our common goal of winning our first title. It paid off, we did it.

Now it's on to the fall season, which will offer plenty of challenges - and fun of course.

Have anything to add?

Official results:

SPRING 2008 (.1000)
-------------------

• Mar. 30th - 1-0 win vs Flirts
• April 13th - 2-0 win vs Celtic
• May 4th - 3-0 win vs Capital Crew
• May 11th - 3-0 win vs 2LF (forfeit)
• May 18th - 2-2 tie vs Quicksilver
• June 1st - 4-4 tie vs ClareAndDons
• June 8th - 2-0 win vs Tsunami
• June 15th - 7-0 win vs Red Tape
• ----------------
• SEMIS - June 22nd - 2-2 win vs Quicksilver (penalties)
• FINALS - June 29th - 4-1 loss vs Flirts

Budget report

Team finances are in decent shape, all things considered.  

For dues, we're running a deficit for the year.  We have a few delinquents out there - you'll get emails from me.  I'm not a bank, please remember that.  Most of the deficit comes from indoor, because two guys who signed up bolted before the first game.  We were actually running a surplus for a long time because the indoor league never bothered to charge me.  I had to remind them like three times.  They just did it in July; I was about to issue refunds.

For our charity program, which is off budget, we collected $125 in the Spring season.  Because it took a while to get everyone paid up I never disbursed the money.  I'll hold onto it until fall and send the whole jackpot to United for DC at once.  It's just as well, our spring total is a  little disappointing.  Previously, we raised more, with a 50% participation rate, despite higher dues.  This time around, less than a third of the team contributed.  Let's raise a nice sum this fall.  Pretty soon, we'll pass that $1,000 mark in total contributions over the year or so that we've been doing the charity program.

Fall dues were paid to the league this week.  That's the topic of a future post.

Pre-season practice scheduled for Tuesday Aug. 12th

A mandatory* preseason practice has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 12th at 6:30 p.m. at Bluemont Park in Arlington. We're going to do a few drills and then scrimmage Max's team, who I like to refer to as "Rolling Thunder" because Nate once led us to believe that was their name. We want as many bodies there as possible so we shake off rust and begin to work well together before the season and not during it.  The tournament showed that we're not sharp right now.

Lots of people have said they can make it.  Good, see you there.

*Exceptions made for those living in Baltimore

Captain's Meeting Report

Tonight, Jackie and I attended the semi-annual captain's meeting. As usual, it was a long and divisive affair. Read about past meetings here and here. Following are the issues we discussed:

1. Schedule - season starts Aug. 24th. No games Labor Day Weekend. Season should be over in early Nov. Make up games Nov. 9th, playoffs to start Nov. 15th. T-giving is the hard stop date. No changes to the inclement weather line - look to the left on our blog homepage for the correct number.

2. DCU - we are again partnering with DC United. On the league website, we have a dedicated link to sell discounted tickets. Trust me, they're usually the best deal available. We get a cut of each ticket, which reduces our dues. Also, we get access to the RFK Auxillary Field for playoff games.

3. Fees - they are $1650 per team, same as last season. Included in that amount is $20 per player, that goes for liability insurance, medical coverage (over an above your health insurance), dues to national and state associations, and a contribution to youth soccer. Fees are high in this league compared to others, but we associate with state and national groups, we hire 3-person accredited reffing crews ($100 per game), and we pay for premium fields.

4. Fields - we will be using Trinity, George Mason HS, Kenmore, and possibly GWU and St. Stephens. Always looking for more opportunities if you know of them. Jackie is going to check into getting access to CUA's fields for the league.

5. Schedule - it will be out by Aug. 17th. We have a lot of people out the first few weekends so I may send in a scheduling request to try to get a bye in those early weeks.

6. Coed cup - this national tournament returns. This year it's in Dallas on Oct. 25-26. See earlier post this week. We may try to send a team.

7. Fines - we have to pay a $200 fine per forfeited game unless we properly notify the league by Wednesday night of the game week. Also, as I frequently mention, we must provide a referee to the league. If we do not provide a ref that's available for 5 games per season, we are fined $100 per game missed (that's a rule change - it used to be a straight $500 fine).

8. Registration issues - roster are due September 21. By next season, we'll likely have online registration, possibly with direct fee payment. Keep that in mind. We had a divisive debate on player passes. Organized, state-association types favor requiring players to use passes at each game. Most captains don't favor it because it's an extra burden. Goleros voted against implementing the pass system (for now - we actually voted on a motion to suspend debate). If you want to know more, send me an email and/or refer to my post a few weeks ago on the matter.

9. Discipline - we discussed the "jackass rule," which means as captains we are supposed to deal with those few people on each team that act like jackasses. We don't have any right now - let's keep it that way.

10. Social committee - we'll have a DCU tailgate this season. TBA.

11. Promotion/relegation - In the Third Division, Goleros and Flirting with Sobriety are going up. In the Second Division, Diplomats and Taz Devils are going up; Red Devils and Buena Vista Soccer Club are going down. In the First Division, Team X and Black Haggis are going up; Lost Tourists is going down. In the Premier Division, Mall Rats is going down and Team Q is disbanding (leaving space for Black Haggis to move up from First).

12. New Teams - we may have several new teams come in as some disband. We are currently at 37 teams. Although we want to reach a final number of 40, we're not ready yet. We'll stay at 37.