ALITHSA Volunteer Recognition Program

Coaches Tim Wagner and Dave Sierakowski - U8 Travel Coaches

ALITHSA would like to recognize U8 Travel Coaches Tim Wagner and Dave Sierakowski for their "above and beyond" volunteer work.

One of the nominations they received said:

"Both coaches went above and beyond duty to help us keep a team together, despite being short players. They were positive and encouraging to the players at all times, win or loose, and really helped them to improve, and learn about the game of soccer. Their time and patience, and obvious love of the sport was much appreciated by the parents. It was the funnest soccer season yet for us. Thanks so much Tim and Dave!!!."

We took a few minutes of Tim's (pictured on right) time to get to know them a little better.

ALITHSA:

How long have you been involved in soccer and in what forms?

Tim:

17 years as a parent, and approx. 9 years as a certified coach.

ALITHSA:

What are the three top things for you as a coach?

Tim:

A. Teaching building block skills that will continue to develop and expand as the child moves up in soccer.
B. Having the children learn about the concept of 'team' and 'discipline' which they can use not only in soccer, but in their life as well.
C. Making soccer, even at the advanced, travel level, enjoyable, and watching individuals not only learn better skills but also have fun as they do it.

ALITHSA:

How can we get more coaches to participate and what has been your best influences?

Tim:

Part of the issue with finding coaches is the lack of 'soccer knowledgable' parents who hesitate to oversee a team in a sport which they never played. It is critical to have a mentoring system in place that gives new coaches a support system, to have coordinators evaluate coaches and give them pointers. I believe, if it was possible, that all coaches should not only be certified (the lower levels only take a one weekend commitment), but also start as an assistant coach to a more knowledgable coach. I have been lucky in that I was able to start as an assistant coach to Bob Stoltman, an extremely knowledgable individual who taught me that younger kids can learn more than you think they can. In addition, during my later coaching time, I was assistant to former ALITHSA Trainer Adrian Davis, who has a wealth of professional and semi-professional soccer experience. He showed me that you can use soccer to make not only a better player, but a better person.

ALITHSA:

Tell us about your most special soccer memory or event.

Tim:

As a travel soccer team we flew to England and Scotland. The team tied two professional team's youth club, then beat another club (Nottingham Forest) 7-0, which made the local radio station's news with a 20 minute discussion exploring how it could occur! That same team also was the first U.S. team to win the Coerver Cup in York, England.

ALITHSA:

How in your mind can we make soccer in ALITHSA as creative and fun as possible ?

Tim:

First, I think we have to remove the dichotomy of travel and recreational soccer. Recreational soccer should be an enjoyable local sport that helps children learn some basic skills and have enormous fun doing it. The emphasis on 'winning' should be lessened, and the emphasis on 'teamwork' should be strong.

For children that show exemplary skill they should be moved into the more competitive travel program. I think in the past there has been a great deal of misunderstanding about what travel soccer is, and what it accomplishes. The lack of knowledge of the program has undercut the amount of children who should be participating in more advanced training.

More importantly, fun and creativity come from two sources, the parents and the coaches. All coaches should be evaluated throughout the season by board/coaching staff to make sure they are being effective. Many coaches, even at the very young levels, because of their lack of experience resort to yelling, screaming, and overemphasizing winning at all costs. Parents should, by the coach, have constant reinforcement regarding not putting pressure on their children regarding soccer, and to only show positive behavior at games. Board members should consider having monitors wander between games to watch for inappropriate behavior and/or give referees clear instructions on controlling sideline behavior of both coaches and parents.

ALITHSA:

Anything special you would like to share with all of us in ALITHSA about being a volunteer?

Tim:

Most of us start volunteering because of our children, and with three boys, that is how I started. However, I've learned that volunteering has other benefits; it brings the family together, it lets you meet new friends and be a more active part of the community in which you live. I would encourage more parents to begin to take part, they will never regret it.

ALITHSA:

Thank you Tim!

If you know of any ALITHSA coach, asst. coach, team mom, referee or coordinator that goes above and beyond, please let us know about it. We want to regularly recognize those that stand out from the crowd.

Please send your nominations and the reason for the nomination to mvp@alithsa.org.

Home Page Recreational Program Travel Program Registration Parent Participation Rec Schedules Travel Schedules FAQ Medical Waiver Form Maps to Parks Incident Report Form Volunteer Recognition Referee Information The Laws of the Game ALITHSA Constitution Board Meeting Minutes Contact Us		ALITHSA Volunteer Recognition Program Coaches Tim Wagner and Dave Sierakowski - U8 Travel Coaches ALITHSA would like to recognize U8 Travel Coaches Tim Wagner and Dave Sierakowski for their "above and beyond" volunteer work. One of the nominations they received said: "Both coaches went above and beyond duty to help us keep a team together, despite being short players. They were positive and encouraging to the players at all times, win or loose, and really helped them to improve, and learn about the game of soccer. Their time and patience, and obvious love of the sport was much appreciated by the parents. It was the funnest soccer season yet for us. Thanks so much Tim and Dave!!!." We took a few minutes of Tim's (pictured on right) time to get to know them a little better. ALITHSA: How long have you been involved in soccer and in what forms? Tim: 17 years as a parent, and approx. 9 years as a certified coach. ALITHSA: What are the three top things for you as a coach? Tim: A. Teaching building block skills that will continue to develop and expand as the child moves up in soccer. B. Having the children learn about the concept of 'team' and 'discipline' which they can use not only in soccer, but in their life as well. C. Making soccer, even at the advanced, travel level, enjoyable, and watching individuals not only learn better skills but also have fun as they do it. ALITHSA: How can we get more coaches to participate and what has been your best influences? Tim: Part of the issue with finding coaches is the lack of 'soccer knowledgable' parents who hesitate to oversee a team in a sport which they never played. It is critical to have a mentoring system in place that gives new coaches a support system, to have coordinators evaluate coaches and give them pointers. I believe, if it was possible, that all coaches should not only be certified (the lower levels only take a one weekend commitment), but also start as an assistant coach to a more knowledgable coach. I have been lucky in that I was able to start as an assistant coach to Bob Stoltman, an extremely knowledgable individual who taught me that younger kids can learn more than you think they can. In addition, during my later coaching time, I was assistant to former ALITHSA Trainer Adrian Davis, who has a wealth of professional and semi-professional soccer experience. He showed me that you can use soccer to make not only a better player, but a better person. ALITHSA: Tell us about your most special soccer memory or event. Tim: As a travel soccer team we flew to England and Scotland. The team tied two professional team's youth club, then beat another club (Nottingham Forest) 7-0, which made the local radio station's news with a 20 minute discussion exploring how it could occur! That same team also was the first U.S. team to win the Coerver Cup in York, England. ALITHSA: How in your mind can we make soccer in ALITHSA as creative and fun as possible ? Tim: First, I think we have to remove the dichotomy of travel and recreational soccer. Recreational soccer should be an enjoyable local sport that helps children learn some basic skills and have enormous fun doing it. The emphasis on 'winning' should be lessened, and the emphasis on 'teamwork' should be strong. For children that show exemplary skill they should be moved into the more competitive travel program. I think in the past there has been a great deal of misunderstanding about what travel soccer is, and what it accomplishes. The lack of knowledge of the program has undercut the amount of children who should be participating in more advanced training. More importantly, fun and creativity come from two sources, the parents and the coaches. All coaches should be evaluated throughout the season by board/coaching staff to make sure they are being effective. Many coaches, even at the very young levels, because of their lack of experience resort to yelling, screaming, and overemphasizing winning at all costs. Parents should, by the coach, have constant reinforcement regarding not putting pressure on their children regarding soccer, and to only show positive behavior at games. Board members should consider having monitors wander between games to watch for inappropriate behavior and/or give referees clear instructions on controlling sideline behavior of both coaches and parents. ALITHSA: Anything special you would like to share with all of us in ALITHSA about being a volunteer? Tim: Most of us start volunteering because of our children, and with three boys, that is how I started. However, I've learned that volunteering has other benefits; it brings the family together, it lets you meet new friends and be a more active part of the community in which you live. I would encourage more parents to begin to take part, they will never regret it. ALITHSA: Thank you Tim! If you know of any ALITHSA coach, asst. coach, team mom, referee or coordinator that goes above and beyond, please let us know about it. We want to regularly recognize those that stand out from the crowd. Please send your nominations and the reason for the nomination to mvp@alithsa.org.