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Showing posts with label Natalie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natalie. Show all posts
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Summer Vacation, pt 1
What a busy summer for the Erwin family this year!
So, this is part one - Georgia.
Kennedy and Natalie left home on June 7th to visit Barry and Cathy for about a week. I (Michael) took them, and stayed a couple of days.
We visited the World of Coke, basically a tribute to Coca-Cola and all of their products from the past and present. The highlight of the tour is the "Taste It!" room, in which about 70 different Coke products from around the world are offered. Some were fruity, some were traditional soda drinks, and some were downright awful! I recommend you try the Beverly at least once. You probably won't try it again :).
That night we went to a Braves game. Unfortunately, Alfonso Soriano (Chicago Cubs- boo) hit a home run on the first pitch of the game, then another one on the first pitch he saw in the second inning, and another one in the fourth inning. The Braves lost 9-1.
The girls also visited some sites in Warm Springs, GA, including The Little White House. I remember visiting TLWH when I was young growing up in Georgia. What I remember the most was the big goldfish.
There's also a Wild Country Safari in Pine Mountain, near Warm Springs. And they visited the Atlanta Zoo, to see the new baby pandas that were born there last fall. You can visit the Panda Cam during the day to see the pandas live!
The girls also went to the top of Stone Mountain. I was really proud when I saw the pictures, impressed that they walked all the way to the top, and wondering how my dad got them to do that. Later, I learned that they rode the tram to the top and walked down!
So, thanks to Bear for a great week!
So, this is part one - Georgia.
Kennedy and Natalie left home on June 7th to visit Barry and Cathy for about a week. I (Michael) took them, and stayed a couple of days.
We visited the World of Coke, basically a tribute to Coca-Cola and all of their products from the past and present. The highlight of the tour is the "Taste It!" room, in which about 70 different Coke products from around the world are offered. Some were fruity, some were traditional soda drinks, and some were downright awful! I recommend you try the Beverly at least once. You probably won't try it again :).
That night we went to a Braves game. Unfortunately, Alfonso Soriano (Chicago Cubs- boo) hit a home run on the first pitch of the game, then another one on the first pitch he saw in the second inning, and another one in the fourth inning. The Braves lost 9-1.
The girls also visited some sites in Warm Springs, GA, including The Little White House. I remember visiting TLWH when I was young growing up in Georgia. What I remember the most was the big goldfish.
There's also a Wild Country Safari in Pine Mountain, near Warm Springs. And they visited the Atlanta Zoo, to see the new baby pandas that were born there last fall. You can visit the Panda Cam during the day to see the pandas live!
The girls also went to the top of Stone Mountain. I was really proud when I saw the pictures, impressed that they walked all the way to the top, and wondering how my dad got them to do that. Later, I learned that they rode the tram to the top and walked down!
So, thanks to Bear for a great week!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Soccer Update
U10 Mutiny Soccer Update:
Kennedy's team has played several games. They're about .500 right now, but the key is, they are improving every game. I've enjoyed the coaching aspect of the game immensely, and my understanding of the game at this level has improved quite a bit.
The fun of coaching this level is this: the idea is to keep the forwards in front, the backs in back, and the mids in-between. Invariably, the players on my team will get one message from me and a different message from their parents. Especially forwards. I try to teach them to play "offense, offense, offense," yet parents insist that their daughters move back almost all the way to the penalty box to help out on defense. Asà es la vida.
The other point about coaching at this level is that they are more apt to listen to their coach (yeah!), which makes their parents yell all the more loudly!!!
U8 Fire Soccer Update:
Natalie's team is doing well. They've had several games, and are probably not up to .500 for the season currently. We very seldom have all our girls at any given game. Last Saturday we had five girls total show up to play five positions. They were worn out by the end of the game.
U8 is still in the realm of what I call "magnet ball." Imagine that the ball is a magnet, and all the players are iron shavings. They are totally and irresistibly attracted to the ball. We have been able to keep two defensive players on the defensive side of the field for most of the game. The danger there is, they are usually chatting or daydreaming when the ball comes down toward the goal they are defending. That makes for exciting moments.
We have just three more weeks of soccer left to play. And no fall soccer, considering the girls' league plays only in the spring. So, we're going to enjoy it while we can.
Kennedy's team has played several games. They're about .500 right now, but the key is, they are improving every game. I've enjoyed the coaching aspect of the game immensely, and my understanding of the game at this level has improved quite a bit.
The fun of coaching this level is this: the idea is to keep the forwards in front, the backs in back, and the mids in-between. Invariably, the players on my team will get one message from me and a different message from their parents. Especially forwards. I try to teach them to play "offense, offense, offense," yet parents insist that their daughters move back almost all the way to the penalty box to help out on defense. Asà es la vida.
The other point about coaching at this level is that they are more apt to listen to their coach (yeah!), which makes their parents yell all the more loudly!!!
U8 Fire Soccer Update:
Natalie's team is doing well. They've had several games, and are probably not up to .500 for the season currently. We very seldom have all our girls at any given game. Last Saturday we had five girls total show up to play five positions. They were worn out by the end of the game.
U8 is still in the realm of what I call "magnet ball." Imagine that the ball is a magnet, and all the players are iron shavings. They are totally and irresistibly attracted to the ball. We have been able to keep two defensive players on the defensive side of the field for most of the game. The danger there is, they are usually chatting or daydreaming when the ball comes down toward the goal they are defending. That makes for exciting moments.
We have just three more weeks of soccer left to play. And no fall soccer, considering the girls' league plays only in the spring. So, we're going to enjoy it while we can.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Natalie the photographer
Natalie is quite the photographer. Her favorite subject is... self-portrait. Here are a few samples...
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