Though I know many of you are in the midst of the 'off-season' I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself to those of you I have yet to meet.  My name is Kristin Taylor and in October I took over from Paul Rubright as chair of the Blitzz board.  My family has been involved with Blitzz for some time now as my son, Ben (U14), and my daughter, Kendall (U12), both have played with the club since their micro days.  Both kids are passionate soccer players and fans; as a result, the sport has become a steady presence in our lives in recent years. 

I have spent much time during the past few months meeting with and hearing from many of our member families and I thank all of you for your suggestions, energy and support.  The popularity of soccer continues to steadily increase in the U.S. and Bozeman is no exception.  Our club has grown during the past five years at a remarkable rate and we have tried to expand programs to match the level of interest shown by our players.  We are excited to offer options for micro, academy and competitive players as well as futsal, strength & conditioning, summer camps and a new local tournament.  In addition to focusing on club developments, several Blitzz board members and families continue to be deeply involved with the development of the new sports park facility that is slated to be operational in the fall of 2016.    

That pace of growth has been exciting while simultaneously presenting challenges and an ever-increasing volume of work.  As we continue to pursue opportunities for our children and navigate the many areas of growth, I want to thank so many of you who have stepped up and become involved in the process.  I am grateful for the work of our staff and board members as well as the literally hundreds of hours of time volunteered by so many of you this fall.  With your input and support, we have started to make structural changes that will address our growth through improved communications, team accounting, select player advocacy, team management, club policies and much more.  

As he winds down his board term, I'd like to thank Paul Rubright for his many years of board work on behalf of our club.  His tireless efforts have helped transform the Blitzz and I know that we all appreciate his dedication to our children.  In addition to his work on behalf of Blitzz, Paul has been instrumental in helping to acquire the property that will ultimately become the new sports park facility.  We extend our gratitude to Chris Budeski, too, for his work over the years as he concludes his tenure on our board.  Chris also has been a member of the sports park project's steering committee and his efforts there are appreciated as well.

Thank you again for your commitment to our club.  I wish you happy holidays and look forward to meeting many of you in the coming months.