Superintendent Ron Lankford said the R-7 Board of Education voted June 10 not to add girls soccer and golf programs this fall based on his recommendation. Lankford said rising fuel costs make this a bad time to add programs that involve traveling to competitions.

The difference this time is an organized front, as noted in this Joplin Globe article:

If Sydney Philpot gets her wish in spring 2013, she’ll be suiting up for soccer as an incoming freshman with some 60 other girls — a first for Webb City High School.

Her mother, Christy Philpot, grew up playing soccer in Columbia, Mo. Upon starting a family in Webb City, she helped to establish the Webb City Soccer Club as an opportunity for local youths.

It appears there has been a change at the Superintendent level as well which hopefully has a positive impact on the decision. Go Cardinal’s!

For those students planning to attend OTC or their parents, it is a good idea to keep your just-completed income tax returns out for a day or two before you file them away.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the form students must complete in order to determine how much financial aid he or she is eligible to receive.

Several forms are needed to complete the application; completed 2010 tax forms, 2010 W-2 forms, 1099 forms and other statements of interest earned. The sooner the FAFSA is completed and submitted, the sooner students will learn what sort of financial aid they could receive.

The 2011-12 application form has an improved layout online for an easier and more accurate application process; it is free and available online at www.fafsa.gov

“We definitely don’t recommend waiting. If additional documentation is required or your FAFSA is selected for the verification process, it could add 8-12 weeks to the usual processing time. However, remember that in order to meet the priority deadline for 2011-12, the college must receive your FAFSA results no later than July 1, 2011,” said Kim Cary, assistant director of financial aid and coordinator of federal programs.

Benefactor Rick McQueary with 2010 Greenwood team and Alumni

The dedication ceremony for the newly christened Greenwood Field Stadium at the Cooper Soccer Complex went off under a beautiful blue sky complemented by the blue of the Greenwood Blue Jay faithful today. A large crowd was on hand to hear the dignitaries recognize the efforts of the community in bringing about the installation of the Astroturf surface that will now provide the Blue Jays with a true home field. The installation was made possible by donations from the Rick McQueary family and the Harry Cooper family.

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The inaugural Alumni game that followed saw the historic first goal scored by John McQueary, one of two sons of Rick and Mary McQueary and I believe the career scoring leader at Greenwood. His teammate, Thaylen Johnson (1999) also scored in the second half. Someone will have to update me on the final score which included a goal by the Varsity as the second half opened.

UPDATE – First Half scoring included goals by Alumni/John McQueary assisted by Thaylan Johnson
Second Half scoring included goals by Alumni/Thaylan Johnson assisted by John McQueary, Varsity/Stuart Beezley, Alumni/Thaylan Johnson again assisted by John McQueary and finally Varsity/Devon Whitlock.

Final: GLS Alumni – 3, GLS Varsity – 2

The event drew alumni from 1994 (Billy McQueary) to 2010 (Chris Algiere). I had the opportunity to chat with two of the early graduates, Blake Richards (1999) and Conor Haseltine (1996) about the early years. The video is below. The early years included a five year period (1993-1997) where the Blue Jays reached the State Final Four, when there were two divisions (Class 1-3 and Class 4). The Blue Jays returned in 2005 and that group was represented by Charles Albritton, Sam Chaffin, Brad and Matt Cook and Joe Seagrave in todays game. A complete list will be posted shortly and I’ll follow with a story next week on that group and the historic 23 game unbeaten streak that included coverage in Soccer America magazine, the voice of soccer at the time.

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Former MSU and Greenwood Lab School Soccer Coach Jan Stahle returned to coach his former Blue Jay soccer players as they played Head Coach Chris Shull’s Greenwood Varsity Team. The 1st Annual Alumni Soccer Game was held on Greenwood’s new synthetic turf home field at Cooper Soccer Complex Saturday, Aug 28.

The inaugural game on the new surface featured GLS alumni players representing 8 District Title teams and 6 State Final Four teams:

1993 (4th place),
1994 (3rd place),
1995 (2nd place),
1996 (2nd place),
1997 (2nd place) and
2005 ( 3rd place)

Roster GLS Soccer Alumni
Billy McQueary 1994
Conor Haseltine 1996
Ashley Dupree 1997
John McQueary 1998
Spencer Beezley 1999
Sam Blair 1999
Thaylan Johnson 1999
Chris Mullis 1999
Blake Richards 1999
Barrett Stanke 1999
Ross Van Velsor 1999
Justin Wolfe 1999
Noah Blair 2000
Scott Quinn 2000
Jay Brown 2002
Brandon Dupree 2003
Shane Algiere 2005
Ehren Schroeder 2005
Charles Albritton 2006
Sam Chaffin 2006
Cory Keith 2006
Rutger Thieme 2007
Brad Cook 2009
Matt Cook 2009
`

Greenwood Stadium Field, Aug 15, 2010

The Park Board, Lake Country Soccer and significant private funding from the McQueary Family and Cooper Family Foundation made the approximate $863,000 improvements possible. The field becomes the new home of Greenwood Laboratory School’s Bluejay’s soccer program.

The 400-foot by 260-foot installation is the first synthetic surface in the Park Board’s inventory of fields. The Astroturf® 3D-60 synthetic turf technology is made of polyethylene/nylon, which most replicates natural grass. Rubber infill is swept into the synthetic fibers, allowing for a uniform cushioned surface throughout the field. The new turf will allow for a significant reduction in carbon emissions due to regular maintenance of natural grass.

“The field surface opens a new window of opportunity for the Park Board and Lake Country Soccer,” said Parks Director Jodie Adams. “Not only will our soccer programs and leagues benefit from the year-round uniform surface and quick drainage caused by rains, but we now have the opportunity to bid on some of the larger state and national tournaments that require a field of this caliber. Springfield-Greene County is a leader in the Midwest with its outdoor and indoor soccer facilities, and this addition takes the amenities to the next level.”

The public-private partnership with non-profit Lake Country Soccer and its nine-member volunteer board allows for continued growth and development of soccer in southwest Missouri. There are 18 full-sized outdoor soccer fields, seven of which are lighted, and two indoor playing surfaces that make up the Cooper Sports Complex and Lake Country Soccer facility. The property is the largest indoor/outdoor soccer facility in the Midwest.

Lake Country also is hosting a tournament the weekend of the dedication. Thirty-five teams of nine-year olds through high school aged boys and girls will compete in the inaugural Founder’s Cup tournament. The games will run 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday, Aug. 28 and Sunday, Aug. 29 on 12 fields, including the newly resurfaced stadium field. There is no cost to attend the tournament, which is open to the public.

For more information, contact: Miles Park, Superintendent of General Services, 417-864-1326; or Kelly Ross, Lake Country Soccer, 417-862-3211.

A video tour of the nearly completed field taken August 15th, 2010

Greenwood Blue Jays, Aug 9th, 2010

Pictured here are, from left to right, Head Coach Chris Shull, Stuart Beezley, Ben Whitlock, Devon Whitlock, Cory McCoy, Assistant Coach John McQueary.

The gallery below reflects pictures from this morning as well as Thursday evening a few days ago, before the began the Astro Turf installation last Friday. The video shows them putting one roll into place, after having stitched them together as shown in the photos. Note the new lighting that will be put into place as well. It should provide lighting that will enhance TV and photography, with higher posts and higher lumens.

Cooper Soccer Complex - Artificial surface installation

Ground was broken on Wednesday, June 16th as the next phase of the synthetic turf installation on the Cooper # 1 stadium field got underway. We’ll be posting photos periodically as we chronicle the project from start to finish.

Some background information from the most recent President’s Message on the Lake Country website (from October 2009) offers some background on the project, which was made possible by a pair of significant donations. The McQueary family, on behalf of Greenwood, provided $400K which will also allow the Blue Jays access to the field for practice and games.

All weather outdoor turf fields on Cooper 1 and 2. The Board has been investigating the feasibility of installing synthetic (FIFA approved) turf on Cooper 1 and 2. Our research is that while there is an upfront cost, the cost for maintenance is very low and the turf has an expected life of 20 years. By installing turf on these fields, we gain the ability to attract regional tournaments, possibly attract higher profile collegiate matches, state high school play-offs, etc as well as creating fields that can be used for practice year-round. We definitely create fields that overcome our biggest problem: rain.

The wear and tear of an ordinary season and the tournaments we host currently require us to spend considerable sums on the fields for maintenance and we have to take these fields offline throughout the year to let them rest. This creates scheduling difficulties for teams wanting to play high school or club games and virtually assures that these fields are unavailable for practice. We estimate that the cost to install such fields and also installing improved scoreboards and a new press box will be approximately $1 -1.5 million dollars.

We also believe that we have some attractive partnering opportunities with possibly area schools and other groups. While this number sounds high, keep in mind that our current annual maintenance cost for keeping grass fields in game condition is approximately $50,000 per year and we cannot really maximize usage of the current fields without substantially improving drainage. That would require us to spend close to the same amount as installing turf and we would not really reduce our annual maintenance costs.

A look at the most recent Executive Director’s note on the website, from March, that discusses the new ‘arms race’ in soccer facilities throughout the country, points to the need to upgrade locally.

If you are interested in joining us for some fun, food, camaraderie, and of course Bowling please touch base with me. You are also more than welcome to support us with a sponsorship even if you are unable to participate.

A flyer about the event is attached Contact us for any additional information.

Thank you so much! Hope to see you on Friday.

From the St Louis Business-Journal

The World Cup activation is the most significant global marketing plan A-B InBev has undertaken with the Budweiser brand since InBev acquired St. Louis-based A-B for $52 billion in 2008. It also shows how A-B InBev will use Budweiser’s largest global sports sponsorship to push more brands within the InBev portfolio. For the first time during a World Cup, the company will leverage its sponsorship to push Brahma in Brazil; Hasseröder in Germany; Jupiler in Belgium and The Netherlands; and Harbin in China. Burggraeve called the change “a win, win, win,” and added, “It’s a win for FIFA because their rights are connecting in a relevant way, it’s a win for brands that can now really bring the property to fans, it’s a win for us because we’re getting a higher return on investment.”

You may also have heard about Bud House Deadline is Sunday March 28th!

Budweiser also will create a “Real World”-style, digital reality show called “Bud House.” The company has secured a house in South Africa and plans to put 32 soccer fanatics (16 men and 16 women) representing each participating World Cup country under one roof. The fans will bunk based on the group stage, so that the U.S. fan will share a room with a fan from England. Six to eight segments of the show will be posted online each day, and the winning fan of the winning team will be able to award the “Budweiser Man of the Match” trophy to the top player in the World Cup final. Budweiser Global VP Jason Warner said, “This will be our biggest program.”

The Central Missouri Soccer League (CMSL) board of directors regrets to inform you that the CMSL has been officially dissolved. The decision to end the league was not an easy decision; however, the league was faced with a myriad of administrative issues that simply could not be overcome.

To ensure ALL teams that applied for the CMSL spring session get their games, three MYSA-sanctioned organizations have come together to offer the Central Missouri Soccer Community an alternative for spring play. The Mid Missouri Friendlies will be hosted by the Capitals Soccer Club, Carrera Soccer Club, and Columbia Soccer Club.

The final pieces are coming together, and the games may begin as soon as Sunday, March 14. Costs and locations in Central Missouri for the matches will be announced by the end of this week.
The Mid Missouri Friendlies will use fields in both Jefferson City and Columbia. The following dates are being targeted for the games:

March 14, 21, and 28; April 18; May 2, 9

Please note: that we will be offering two games per day. Due to field restrictions and time we will be offering a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 8 games per team for the spring. This will also be dependent upon the number of teams registered in an age group.

And from the Columbia Daily Tribune comes this story – Missing funds finish youth soccer league
By T.J. GREANEY, Sunday, March 7, 2010

The Central Missouri Soccer League has been dissolved after its treasurer resigned amid accusations of financial wrongdoing. The board of directors of the competitive youth league decided to fold after preliminary investigations last month showed league finances were too disorganized to move forward.

In a statement e-mailed to the Tribune, league secretary Shawn Hull wrote: “The issues that resulted in the dissolution of the league began with the discovery in” January “that the league’s treasurer had been misappropriating funds for an as yet to be determined time period.”

There’s more in the article, click here to read it and the comments.

HappyFeet, Inc., which teaches 30-minute soccer classes at preschools and daycares using our proven “Story time with a soccer ball” curriculum, is currently looking for instructors in the Springfield/Nixa/Ozark area. Positions to start immediately.

This is a great job for college students looking for part time work or those looking to break into the coaching ranks.

Pay is $15/hour with the possibility of growth into full-time employment. Additional income opportunities are also available through the Fair Grove Soccer Academy and FC Springfield. Must be available either mornings (9-11:30 a.m.) OR afternoons (2-5 p.m.). Must be a legal resident of the United States and must be able to pass a KidSafe background check.

If interested, please send a resume and cover letter to Logan Hoffman, Regional Director, at logan@happysoccerfeet.com.

Check us out at http://springfield.happysoccerfeet.com.

The new network, a companion to Fox Soccer Channel, is taking over many of the rights that had been held by Setanta USA, which shuts down Sunday night. Fox Soccer Plus, a premium channel, will televise the European Champions League, the English Premier League, FA Cup, League Championship, FA Cup and national team and the Italian Serie A, plus rugby from the Magners League, the Guinness Premiership and the Heineken Cup.

None of the cable carriers will televise the new network in HD at this time. DISH is carrying FSC in HD and will charge $14.999 monthly for Fox Soccer Plus as an “a la carte” option.

I don’t have the Mediacom HD package, if they were to add this channel it would be the motivation I need to finally spend the money. What is your experience, tell me if you see the new channel now that it’s premiered!

Feel free to visit the Fox Soccer Plus website as well and click on the Locater button near the bottom. Enter your zip code and provider to let them know you are interested!

KC Wizards Stadium renderings, Jan 2010

“This is a great day for soccer in Kansas City,” OnGoal CEO Robb Heineman said. “After a lengthy process to keep the team in the metropolitan area, OnGoal and the Kansas City Wizards are thrilled to receive final approval for our stadium and fields complex. There are so many people to thank, including Mayor Reardon and the Unified Government, Governor Parkinson and countless others. Our vision will now become reality for our supporters and organization. We have designed the first authentic American soccer stadium that will showcase and help grow the beautiful game of soccer, while providing all of the modern amenities expected from a modern American sports facility. The stadium has been designed to deliver the highest-level guest experience in an intimate, loud and intimidating atmosphere to build a true home field advantage for the Wizards.”

The Wizards stadium is part of a larger $400+ million project developed by OnGoal and LANE4 Property Group that will help fulfill the initial vision of the Village West project. Additions will include a world-class tournament field complex with 18-24 fields for major youth sporting events and an office complex for Cerner Corporation expansion. The soccer facilities are projected to host more than 300 event dates with over 800 events annually, drawing more than 2.5 million attendees to the area. The Wizards stadium would also play host to concerts, international soccer matches, American football games, rugby matches, lacrosse games, field hockey events and more. The field complex would be an attractive host to major national and regional soccer tournaments due to Kansas City’s central location in the United States and the surrounding development at Village West. The complex will also host other tournaments and sporting events for men, women and children and in multiple sports.

More details can be found here!