On the ball
By: Lyn Dowling
Now that the State Cup tournament is finished in all cases except those of the Under-19s, a few reflections on the tournament and the Florida Youth Soccer Association’s new headquarters complex at Lake Myrtle in Auburndale:
-- It is very pretty, with well-manicured fields and great facilities for all the sports that do or will call it home. The baseball field, which looks like a vintage spring training diamond, really is an eye-catcher.
-- It is very big, which makes it imperative that anyone who plans to attend an event there know which field he or she will visit. This is not like Viera, Palm Bay or Chain of Lakes, but a place that is kind of hard to get around, so you need to park close to your event.
-- It is going to need more parking as larger events take place there.
-- It needs lots more restroom facilities. Good for whomever brought in the port-a-potties, but they were disgraceful. At least throw in some hand sanitizer, please.
-- It needs a media area. Rather, the Florida Youth Soccer Association needs to set up a media area for tournaments such as the one in question. We weren’t the only people covering State Cup and the facility had no place from which stories could be filed or photos downloaded. And no, you couldn’t run to McDonald’s, Starbucks, Panera or any of those Wi-Fi’ed places at halftime, as nothing like that is anywhere close to Lake Myrtle. Neither are hotels or stores at which people between games can hang out and spend their out-of-town bucks.
-- It isn’t too close to restaurants, so you need to eat before you get there or bring a cooler. Some parents whose kids played early matches had to be there by 7 a.m. and they were more than a little irritated that they could not get so much as a cup of coffee at that hour.
-- It is really, really hot, with very little shelter and even fewer benches, chairs or picnic tables.
Otherwise, it was a fine weekend. Thanks for being so cordial, parents and coaches.
Courage . . . probably was best depicted in Sarah Buckley of the U-14 Central Florida Kraze/Krush. Buckley, who is the daughter of Rollins College coach Keith Buckley and Viera-type Lauri Duda Buckley, suffered a concussion a few weeks back and was thought to be lost for the season. So she went out and got a soft helmet, in which she played during the State Cup weekend. Risky? Maybe. Gallant? You bet.
Tryouts – Central Brevard Soccer is among the clubs that will have tryouts for competitive teams in the days ahead at Mitchell Ellington Field in Merritt Island
Boys’ U-19 and U-10 sessions will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 1, followed by U-14s through U-19s from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Boys U-9/10 through -13 will try out from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 3; and U-9/10s through U-19 swill do so from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 5.
Girls U-9/10 through -13 will try out from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, followed by U-14s through -19s at 7 p.m. U-9/10s through -13s will meet from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 4. Like the boys, U-9/10s through U-19s try out from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 5.
As always, players are asked to wear white T-shirts and shin guards, and be properly hydrated. Registration and the comp fee will total $350 per player for the 2010-2011 season. For more information, go to http://centralbrevardsoccer.org.
Speaking of next season . . . the BYSL’s fall schedule is out. Go to http://bysl.scoreline.net.
And yes, if you’re not completely attuned to all the mysteries of youth soccer in the Sunshine State, you still will need your secret decoder ring to figure out who’s who and which team is which.
Want something publicized on Play Brevard? E-mail ldowling@cfl.rr.com.
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