Mercer Island FC Newsletter
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  April 2016  
Register Now For Microsoccer, RecreationalRegistrationopen Soccer and Select Tryouts - 

Select Tryouts Start April 30th Selectryoutregistrationandschedule
Select soccer players should be registering now for tryouts. We start with the U10 age group (2007 birth year) on April 30th and work our way up to U18 over the next couple of weeks. By registering ahead of time, you help us finalize plans for tryouts. It also gives us an idea of how many players we'll have in attendance and how many evaluators, coordinators and other tryout assistance we'll need. 

Register now for Select tryouts at  MIFC Select Tryout Registration .

Select Tryout Schedule  
With tryouts for Girls and Boys teams from U10 (birth year 2007) to U19 (birth year 1998), we have a lot of tryouts to schedule and hold. And in some cases, dates or fields we schedule need to be moved as we learn there are other activities on the island that affect our schedule. The current tryout schedule is on our website at MIFC Select Tryout Schedule. 

Check out our website now to note the tryout time for your child's age group. And keep checking back to see if there have been any changes. We'll also send out emails to age groups affected by changes, but it's always a good idea to check the club website for the latest information -   MIFC Select Tryout Schedule

Registration for Microsoccer and Recreational Soccer 
is Open - Act NowRecreationalregistration
It's  time to register for Mercer Island FC Fall Recreational and Micro soccer. Registration opened April 1st. Go to the MIFC website registration page and sign up for fall soccer at MIFC Micro or Recreational Soccer Registration to guarantee your Recreational player a spot on their team from last fall.
 
"Why register in April and May for fall soccer" you ask? Well, there are several reasons -
  •  With ~1200 kids in MIFC programs, we need time to get players assigned to teams across U6-U19 age groups. We start with returning players being assigned to their previous team, then fill out rosters with new players.
  • We try to have rosters completed and ready to distribute to coaches in July.
  • The leagues our MIFC teams compete in start working on their schedules early in the summer. They want the member clubs like MIFC to have an idea of how many teams we'll be fielding that they have to plan for.
  • A lot of work goes into planning the practice time slots and game schedules for the 100+ MIFC teams for the summer and fall.
  • Finally, we know Mercer Island families are busy and are already beginning to plan their summer and fall activities.
Remember, you can register for Recreational soccer, Micro soccer or any of our program offerings on the club website at www.mercerislandfc.org and selecting the tab on the left-side labeled "Registration". 

Have questions? Email  [email protected]   
Friday April 29th is MIFC Night at MIHS Boys SoccerMIFCatMIHS




Wondering how a player makes it to MIHS boys soccer?  Click here for a visual graphic developed with Coach Rigby and our partners at EFC to help visualize the pathway.

Wear your MIFC gear and come out Friday night to support the MIHS boys as they pursue a 2016 state berth. 
Register Now for Summer SoccerSummercamps Camps

Mercer Island FC has partnered with several summer soccer camp providers to offer a range of camp options for MIFC players. Some are with long-time MIFC partners like International Academy of Soccer or Mercer Island Boys High School Soccer Coach Colin Rigby. Others are a new program we are offering this year.   Here are the details on each camp - 

Seattle Reign FC Camps for girls -
We are excited to announce a special program in partnership with the Seattle Reign FC - two girls only camps for MIFC players!
June 27th - July 1st, 1:00 - 4:00pm @ Homestead Field 
August 8th - 12th, 9:00am - 12:00noon @ Lid A Field
Register for either/both Seattle Reign FC girls camp by clicking here

Mercer Island High School Coach Colin Rigby 
Coach Rigby and his staff has two camps offered through Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club. These camps are co-ed.
July 18th - July 22nd, 9:30am - 12:30pm ( register here under "Programs") 
August 1st - August 5th, 9:30am - 12:30pm ( register here under "Programs")
Questions? Contact Cori Sonnabend at  [email protected]

International Academy of Soccer (IAS)
MIFC training partner IAS and Executive Director David Addison have a slate of camps scheduled throughout the summer designed to meet your player's needs and your busy schedule. 
June 27th - June 30th, Skills & Agility(Mercer Island)
July 11th - 14th, Ball Mastery(Mercer Island)
July 25th - 28th, Keeper/Striker(Mercer Island)
August 1st - 4th, Ball Mastery(Bellevue)
August 8th - 11th, Ball Mastery(Mercer Island)
August 15th - 18th, Keeper/Striker (Bellevue)
August 22nd - 25th, Keeper/Striker(Mercer Island)
For more information on times and locations of these camps and to register, click here.

Other camps in the area - 

MIFC night at the Seattle Reign FC match is Sunday, May 22nd at 4:00pm. Come join the fun and excitement as MIFC shows up in force to cheer on our awesome women's professional soccer team. The Reign will be hosting the Chicago Red Stars. Anyone wearing their MIFC gear will receive a special gift, and if we bring 200 people to the match, a Reign FC player will join us at a future MIFC event.

When: Sunday May 22nd at 4:00pm
Where: Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center
Special pricing offer: $15 for Lower Grandstand seats (reg. price $25)

How to buy your tickets:
2. Select the match: Sunday, May 22 vs. Chicago Red Stars
3. Enter desired number of Lower Grandstand seats
4. Checkout - enter promo code: MERCERISLANDFC
5. Complete the order process
6. Enjoy the game and cheer the Reign to victory!
Toby's TakeTobysTake

April is always busy for the club with Microsoccer and Recreational soccer registration opening up, Girls High School aged Select teams wrapping up their regular season, and preparing for Select soccer tryouts. As explained in the article above, while it seems early for fall registration, there are a number of steps that go into getting rosters organized, teams slotted into leagues and coaches the information they need to start with their players in the summer. So take a moment now and register your player at MIFC Registration if you haven't already.

Tryouts can be Stressful for Parents
 
Having been through tryouts multiple times over the years with my own two daughters, I know how stressful they can be for the kids (and their parents). A couple of thoughts as we head into May and several weeks of tryouts for the various age groups in MIFC -
  • It's important that players relax and have fun. That goes for the parents too. While your player is out there to show their stuff, it's not the end of the world or their soccer career if they don't make the Select team this year. Kids develop physically and emotionally at different rates and the U10 "star" may be out of soccer by U14. Conversely, some of the best high school players were not the best on their team at U10 or 11. The worst outcome is for a player to drop out of soccer at a young age because they didn't get selected at tryouts.
  • By offering Recreational and Select soccer (and partnering with Eastside FC for Premier soccer), we have something for every player. Those that don't make a Select team this year can work on their skills with their Recreational team and in the additional training clinics we offer during the year. They can come back and try again next year. We often have high school-aged players who decide to play Recreational after several years in Select or Premier because they want to continue to play, but balance it with other sports, activities or commitments.
  • Tryouts are an inherently subjective process. We try very hard to have a fair, thorough evaluation of each player during the two days of tryouts for each age group. We have at least two independent evaluators assist the coach in observing the players, ranking them and deciding on the roster. VP of Select Soccer Ketu Shah then reviews each of the rankings by the coach+evaluators before signing off on them. Finally, we have MIFC board members at all the tryouts to help with logistics so the coaches and evaluators can focus their energy and attention on the kids. Despite all this, there may be players (and/or parents) who didn't think they got a fair tryout.
  • Players who aren't selected following tryouts will be disappointed initially, but kids are resilient and bounce back quickly, especially if parents don't let them dwell on it. If we can help them understand this is a minor bump in their athletic road and perhaps use it as motivation to work and improve, it can provide some valuable life lessons.
I hope some of these thoughts have helped. We all want what's best for our kids and to see them succeed. My experience is that my daughters 
benefited as much, if not more, from some of the disappointments along the way as they did from the successes.

See you on the pitch.

Toby Suhm, President
Mercer Island FC
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