Training Camp Update

The team arrive Sunday afternoon for the largest training camp in team history. The staff continue to grow the player pool which is a great thing, it creates competition for the final twelve roster spots.

practice has gone well over the first few days. Some of the new guys look pretty decent and will certainly help the team in years to come and some of the newer guys that are in only their 2nd or third camp have definitely improved. It is exciting when you see younger players start to get better and grow because that is what ultimately makes a team better.

Day by Day recap:

Sunday- A fair amount of technical ball work (dribbling, juggling etc...). The team was then split into 4 smaller teams and played small sided games, the competition and the play was decent but should improve as the week goes on.

Monday- Similar to Sunday except agility was included in practice. The team did more technical work and then went into small sided games. I was not overly pleased with how I played but it certainly could have been worse. The PM session was canceled due to heavy rains that flooded our fields.

Tuesday- The team was in the weight room for some strength and conditioning in the morning. At the afternoon session the team had to perform a 6 minute run and a 1 minute run to see where their fitness levels are at. I finished 4th overall in both of those runs and am pretty pleased about that but I really need to shed some more weight and get in the best shape possible, I need to be able to run all day long. After the conditioning runs we were split into two teams and played a full field game (our size field). The game was a little sloppy but I think after the fitness testing the guys had some dead legs. The game ended in a 1-1 tie with the blue team (my team) scoring as time expired. My passing wasn't stellar but I think I had good ideas and ultimately created the tying scoring chance so that is something positive that I am taking away.

One of the highlights of camp is the free "schwag" that we get. Nike has a deal with U.S. Soccer and every time we have a camp we get free Nike gear. We also get provided cleats and running shoes throughout the year. The gear is sometimes hit or miss but for the most part is pretty nice, especially when you factor in that it is free. This camps gear was pretty nice, we got 2 t-shirts and 1 dry fit shirt, 3 pairs of shorts (1 pair is a pair of livstrong shorts and they are really nice) and the usual 3 pairs of socks (for some reason they send us sizes 6-8). This all just adds to my ever growing collection of Nike gear.

Stay tuned to see how the second half of the week goes.

Paralympics? Is that like the Special Olympics?

This is a question that every single Paralympic athlete is bound to encounter at some point and time. My teammates and i were getting off a plane one time and the pilot said "What are you guys Special Olympics?". I understand why people do not understand the differences;
1. The Special Olympics were created by the Kennedy's and are still funded by them today. This has gained the Special Olympics notoriety because of how famous the Kennedy's are and how much money they can put into the organization.
2. Despite how far people with disabilities have come in this country it is often times assumed that a mental disability is directly associated with a physical disability and this is not the case.

Everyone is aware that the Olympics take place every 4 years and draws athletes from all over the world. What most people do not realize is that the Olympics are not over after the closing ceremonies. Two weeks after the conclusion of the games the Paralympic games begin. The Paralympics are part of the Olympics but are for athletes with PHYSICAL disabilities. The games take place at the exact same venue's as the Olympics did two weeks prior. The Paralympics are a division of the Olympics and adhere to the same belief system that the Olympics prides itself on. Athletes at the Paralympic games have a wide array of disabilities, some of them are; Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spina Bifida, Amuptees, Stroke, etc...

So from now on when someone hears about the Paralympics they should immediately associate it with the Olympics. Paralympic athletes train very hard to achieve their goals, in most cases they train as hard as their able bodied peers in the Olympics. Paralympic athletes are also subject to drug testing done by USADA and WADA. This is the same type of testing done on the olympic athletes as well.

There is a great documentary out about the U.S. Quad Rugby Team called MurderBall. The film follows the team as they try to win gold at the Paralympics in Athens (2004), it also does a good job of showing what the paralympic movement is about and provides you with an inside look of what it is like to be an athlete.

here is the trailer

What is training camp?

The team is usually brought together every month or every two months for training camps. These camps take place at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista CA. The purpose of a camp is to bring the team together so that they can get used to playing as a team and it also serves as an opportunity for our coach to assess our player pool.

The team participates in double session practices (one on the morning and one in the evening) during the week. Team also undergoes strength training and participates in scrimmages against local club teams.

Training camps require a lot of intensity and hard work. It is very tiring but is a necessity for the team to succeed and move forward.

Why this blog?

Well, I suppose first I should explain what this blog is about to people that might just stumble upon it. This blog will is going to follow the U.S. Paralympic National Soccer Team as they go through training camps and play in tournaments around the world. The team is for athletes that have Cerebral Palsy, have suffered a stroke, or have had a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The team is a part of U.S. Soccer and in 2007 finished 10th at CP-ISRA World Championships in Brazil. The athletes on the team take it very seriously and train year round to be on the team. This is the highest level that any of us will be able to compete at and we take great pride in being on the team.

Secondly, as a member of the team it is difficult for me to easily update all of my family and friends while I am away at tournaments and things of that nature so I figured this is probably the easiest way to do so.

Starting February 15th the team has a week long training camp in Chula Vista CA. The team is currently training for the 2009 CP-ISRA World Championships.

Please check back every so often for updates and please pass this along to friends and leave comments for your support, they are greatly appreciated and provide the team with motivation knowing that people back home are rooting for us.

Look for us on facebook at our fan page (copy and paste this link into your browser)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Paralympic-National-Soccer-Team/26346828571?ref=share