The U10 Mutiny - First Practice

Kennedy's soccer team, the U10 Mutiny, had its first real practice this past Saturday. I say real, because we practiced Thursday, but only for about 30 minutes (it was super cold and a little bit rainy).

So, Saturday was not rainy, at least. It was a little cold. And a tad bit muddy.

I (Michael) am coaching the team. My first foray into coaching soccer; I was an assistant for Natalie's U6 team last spring. Of course, U6 coaching basically consists of a) tying shoe laces, and b) pointing them toward the correct goal every now and then. U10 is different. So, this season, I'm focusing on developing better technical skills primarily, and we'll do some basic tactical skills.

See, I've learned the lingo. In soccer, there are two categories of skills.

• Technical. I define these as what you do with the ball by yourself, or almost by yourself. Dribble, pass, shoot, throw-in, things like that.
  
• Tactical. This would be things like, learning positions on the field, expectations for each position (forward, midfield, back, keeper; left, right, center), finding open space, triangles and diamonds, types of attacks and defense, etc. 

Anyway, back to Kennedy's team. They are twelve very fun girls. If individual creativity is essential to soccer, and I think it is, then we have plenty of it. So, I'm looking forward to my first year as head coach of a girls soccer team.

This Tuesday's practice was a different story. It rained all day Monday and Tuesday, and let up just in time for practice. Take into account that our field is low and flat. No drainage. Basically, we practiced in 1 inch of standing water. Some places had grass and others didn't (mud). The girls had fun anyway, even if the balls didn't roll very well.

There was supposed to be practice today, but I cancelled it. Practicing in mud is fun, but you can only do so much with it. Saturday might be better. We'll see.

Game schedules are due out this weekend for both Kennedy and Natalie. I'll post those here, and you're welcome to visit us and see a great game!

The Red Fire - First Practice

Natalie had her first soccer practice this Tuesday. She plays on a U8 (under-8) team known as the Red Fire. Michael is the assistant coach, and the head coach is Steve Carlile, an Evansville police officer. His youngest daughter, Erin, is on the team.

The Red Fire is associated with the North Evansville Youth Soccer Club. The NEYSC is the third largest recreational club in Indiana, and has a great philosophy of fun soccer. As a testimony to their recreational philosophy, they have fielded a Girls' U19 division, the only U19 division in the state. These are girls who are not playing on a school team or a travel team, just playing for the fun of the game!

At practice, we did some warm-ups, then some individual dribble drills from line to line, and some passing drills, first stationary, then with movement from side to side up the line. We also did a 2 on 3 keep away drill to help with spacing and passing. Then, we practiced scoring goals with a simple cross ball drill, and finished up with a fun scrimmage.

Look for more updates about the Red Fire later this month. When the season begins in the first week of April, we'll have some game pictures to post.

And, look for updates about Kennedy's soccer team later this week. Her first practice is Thursday.

Indiana's My Home

This past week Kennedy was featured in a program at Highland Elementary School, where the girls attend.

The first half of the program was presented by the Highland Choir, which is an auditioned 4th & 5th grade choir, of which Kennedy is a member. They presented a program of national songs, including:

• America, Of Thee I Sing
  
• I'm Proud to Call America My Home
  
• This Land Is Your Land
  
• The Grand Old Flag
  
• Yankee Doodle's Poney
  

 
(Kennedy was 2nd from the left, top row)

The second half of the program was presented by the entire fourth grade class of Highland. Fourth grade is "Indiana" year at Highland, so the program included songs that reinforced some basic facts about Indiana.

• Indiana's My Home
  
• Voices of the Past
  
• A Few Men Well Conducted
  
• Song of Corydon
  
• From a Boy to a Man
  
• A Road in the Night
  
• What is a Hoosier?
  
• Indiana's Game
  
• Indiana, That's Where I Belong
  

Kennedy had a speaking part. She taught us about the constitutional convention in 1816, in which Indiana became the 19th state to join United States. That would be the "Song of Corydon."

 

What is a Hoosier, anyway?

It was a great program, especially for Kathy, Michael, and Natalie, who learned much about this new state in which we live.

God Is Everywhere

God is the grass we
walk on. God is the
air I breathe. God is
Everything Everywhere
the things I look at, the
things I hear, God is
everywhere.

Kennedy Erwin,
Spring 2004

Thanksgiving is Coming!

Thanksgiving is coming
A joyful happy day,
Coming straight to us
In other words it's coming today

Sometimes when Thanksgiving is coming
I fidget, fuss, and fight,
Until something bad happens
I get down right crazy at night

Sometimes I play with play dough,
Or play a game with family,
We all get together
Before Thanksgiving night

Before we eat our food
And before we say our prayers,
I think of the best thing in the world
And it is family.


Kennedy Erwin
November, 2004

WINTER

FROSTBITES horrible to get

HOT CHOCOLATE sweet and warm

SNOWBALL FIGHTS almost never end

ICICLES stick to your mittens

by Kennedy Erwin
January 7, 2005

Roses

Roses are black, violets are brown: the world is cruel with a big, big frown.

Roses are black, violets are brown: I feel like a mouse down here on the ground.

Roses are black, violets are brown: why does everybody push me around?

Roses are black, violets are brown: every day I say the day gets me down.

by Kennedy Erwin
January 21, 2005

Christmas Roses

Roses are
red, Violets
are blue, It's
Christmas time
Love the homeless
people too

by Kennedy Erwin
December 5, 2004

My Sister and Me

My sister and me
We fight a whole lot,
But when we're not fighting
Our hearts do not rot.

It's true we do love each other
But I have to say,
I never want to
When she wants to play.

We don't get along
When I want to watch T.V.
But I love her
And she loves me.

by Kennedy Erwin
December 1, 2004

Don't Burp with your Mouth Closed!

Don't burp with your mouth closed
If you do beware,
For if you burp with your mouth closed
It will come right back.

When you burp without your mouth closed
Do it in the living room,
So you can have some privacy
But don't do it in the cat's face.

When you do it with your mouth closed
You're sure to have burps all day,
But when you're at an assembly
You'll hope you have a little one.

I'll tell you an important fact
That when you're at the dinner table,
If you burp out loud
Watch out for your parents.

by Kennedy Erwin
November, 2004

Snowmane

Here is Snowmane, a Weekender sailboat, designed by Stevenson Projects.

I started this boat after moving to Owensboro in 1997. I stopped in 1999. I'll let those who know me discern the reasons.





Okay, let me try and explain what you are viewing in the three pictures above. First of all, the boat is upside down, and you are looking at the keel and the bottom, and you can see the sides as well.

The first piece to be built was the keel. It's the long spine that runs the length of the boat. The keel will serve to provide what is called lateral stability. That means that when the sail is full of wind, the keel will 'dig in' to the water and keep the sailboat on a straighter track.

After constructing the keel, the bottom of the boat was shaped from marine grade plywood and screwed to the keel. I used these wonderful screws which have a square drive, which made for easier work, fewer stripped screwheads, and more torque.

Next came a bulkhead installed midway on the bottom and a transom attached to the end. That allowed structure to bend and install the sides of the boat, and then easy installation of the gunwale strips. The white dots you see in the pictures on the sides of the boat are actually countersunk screws that are covered with an epoxy filler to provide a smooth surface.

Finally, you may notice that the bottom, sides, and keel are shiny in the picture. At this point, they had been covered in a layer of woven fiberglass and sealed with an epoxy resin. This serves to strengthen the hull and provide some protection from moisture.

Keep in mind, part of the reason this design was attractive to me was the previous experience I had working for Apex Custom Fiberglass back in Griffin, GA, when I was growing up.




These next two pictures don't show as much progress as they could. Before fiberglassing the bottom and sides, I painted the inside of the boat, installed the deck, and covered the small cuddy cabin.

So, here in these pictures above, you see the bottom painted a glossy hunter green.

As it stands now, the boat looks pretty much the same. I have done some work over the past eight years in preparing the deck and cabin for fiberglass. There are many corners that need to be smoothed and/or filled with epoxy filler, and there are some minor defects in construction that need to be addressed, and then the hull will be complete.

Currently, Snowmane sits in our garage in Owensboro. There's no garage space available here in Evansville just yet, and certainly none that would be a suitable work area. So, that's an issue waiting for a solution. I do think I'm getting closer to the time when I will be able to complete the project and christen him.

Faithful servant yet master's bane,
Lightfoot's foal, swift Snowmane.

By the way, here is a definition of bane. Now you understand.

And here is an article about the original Snowmane. And more.

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