12.02.14 - Indoor Soccer and District Championship T-Shirts

Good evening! As mentioned earlier, I would like to create opportunities for girls to play in the offseason if they so choose. Local indoor sessions are under way and registration deadlines for Winter Session II are right around the corner. Please review and sign up on this document​ if your daughter is interested in participating. Feel free to see me or email me if questions arise. 

Also, I plan on placing one, community order for anyone interested in purchasing an "official" 19th District Champion T-Shirt like the one the girls received at the banquet. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt for yourself or family member, please follow the steps below:

1. ​Your daughter needs to find me at school:
• ​Send your t-shirt size (these are regular, cotton t-shirts)
• Send $10 for the purchase of your shirt

All orders must come in before Tuesday, December 9. Please communicate if questions arise.

Thanks,

Alex Martin

11.05.14 - Staying Informed!

Supporter Tasks to Complete:
Click on the links for all necessary information for each task

1. 2014 Banquet Updates
• Read the document to gather basic information.
• Scroll to the bottom to find the sign-up sheet, find your daughter's name, and complete the following:
• Make note of the dish you intend to bring.
• Write the number of people who will be attending in your party.
• Please fill this information out before Sunday, November 9th.
• Also, all player uniforms must be returned before the banquet.
2. Offseason Ideas and Plans
• Read this document for ideas about offseason plans. I communicated these ideas at our most recent, end of season team meeting with the girls. 
3. Remind 101 - I have created two Remind 101 accounts to help keep all invested members informed with events we have taking place.
• Player sign-up instructions for Remind 101 - Note: this is a player only account.
• Parent/Supporter sign-up instructions for Remind 101 - Note: this is a parent only account.

Lady Generals Soccer Community,

Hello, happy weekend. As many of you are well aware, Thomas Nelson will be playing host to the 19th District Girls Soccer Tournament this year. The district which consists of the following teams, Thomas Nelson, Nelson County, Bardstown, and Bethlehem, will be competing for the district championship. The tournament consists of two semifinal games on Monday, October 13, and one championship game on Wednesday, October 15. 

As hosts, we will be responsible for running and maintaining the gate, concessions, announcers booth, etc. We will be able to keep the profits obtained from concessions (usual agreement with the school), and then the gate profits will be split among all 4 high schools. This is a great opportunity to showcase our facilities, and should provide a bit of home field advantage for our team. 

I have created a work schedule to ensure we have proper support in all necessary areas. Please sign up for a time slot to help support this event. I want to encourage parents of JV players to sign up as well, as your support during our game times will be very appreciated to allow varsity parents to watch the game! The sign-up sheet is rather short, click on this link to view the sign-up sheet​. The link will also be attached to our team blog.

District Tournament Schedule

Monday, October 13

    6:00 - Nelson County vs. Bardstown

    8:00 - Bethlehem vs. Thomas Nelson

Wednesday, October 15

    7:00 - District Championship

Thanks,

Alex Martin

Lady Generals Soccer Community,

Hello, I'm emailing all supporters to inform them of bus departure times for our two upcoming matches. 

The bus for Tuesday's game against Christian Academy of Louisville will depart from Thomas Nelson field house at 4:00PM. All girls should make necessary arrangements to be at TNHS by 3:50, unless communicated with otherwise. The bus for Wednesday's game against North Bullitt will depart from TN field house at 3:30PM. All girls should plan on being at TN by 3:20 to ensure we leave on time. 

Additional Notes:

• ​​The bus will be staying for the entirety of both games and therefore girls will be able to ride the bus back to Thomas Nelson High School after the games. Please make arrangements to collect them from there if this is the case. 
• Girls will be allowed to leave with parents or supporters as long as they sign themselves out before departing with this person. The coaching staff must know where all players are and who's responsible for them. If your daughter plans to ride with someone else's parents, then please write them a note allowing them to do so, and have them bring this note to me before the game.
• We are the away team and thus will wear all navy as usual.
• Please refer to previous communication for addresses to each school.

Thanks,

Alex Martin

10.5.14 - Soccer Schedule

​Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Hello all and happy Sunday! It's hard to believe our regular season is coming to a close, however I am excited for postseason play to begin. Fall break will provide some inconsistency in our schedule as I search to find a proper schedule that will continue to move us forward, and one in which works well with those invested. See below or refer to our blog for updates about our upcoming agenda.

Note: the JV season ends this Wednesday as we play our final regular season match against North Bullitt on October 8. Therefore, they will not practice or play beyond Wednesday as the varsity team will be preparing for their postseason play. End of the season logistics for the JV team will be occurring over the next few weeks, so please continue to stay in the communication loop as we move forward. First, all JV players must have their uniform (all jersey tops and shorts) properly cleaned and returned to the coaching staff by Wednesday, October 15.

Agenda:

• ​Monday, October 6, 9:00AM - 11:00AM -  JV and Varsity practice
• Monday, October 6, 11:00AM - 11:45AM -  Varsity film session
• Tuesday, October 7, Match at Christian Academy of Louisville (link for school address)
  • ​JV game starting at 5:30 PM
  • Varsity game starting at 7:00 PM *Senior night for CAL
• Wednesday, October 8, Match at North Bullitt (link for school address)
  • ​Varsity game starting at 5:00 PM
  • JV game starting at 6:45 PM *Games are flipped due to lack of stadium lights at NB
• ​Thursday, October 9, 9:00AM - 11:00AM -  Varsity practice​ only
• Friday, October 10, 9:00AM - 11:00AM -  Varsity practice​
• Saturday, October 11, Day of Rest
• Sunday, October 12, 5:00PM-7:00PM - Varsity practice
• Monday, October 13, District match vs. Bethlehem at Thomas Nelson HS
• Nelson County vs. Bardstown match starting at 6:00
• Bethlehem vs. Thomas Nelson match starting at 8:00​

​Additional Notes:

1. ​We will be taking a bus for both away matches this week. The bus will travel to and from the fields on the corresponding dates. Official time of departure TBD, look for additional posts to confirm departure time.
2. We are also hosting the District 19 tournament at Thomas Nelson. This tournament will consist of 3 matches which will occur as follows: 2 semi-final games on Monday, October 13 and 1 championship game on Wednesday, October 15. We will be establishing a volunteer work schedule for gate workers, concession stand workers, clock keeper and announcer for each of these games. Look for this work schedule to be communicated ASAP.
3. Finally, through the hard work and dedication of our booster and through the parents involved in fundraising activities this year (special thanks to those again), we have built our soccer account to a steady state. To promote our program and to honor the girls for their involvement, we have agreed to purchase each girl a Nike, quarter zip pullover (Navy). These pullovers will represent our program and will identify each girl with their name and jersey number (they also abide by TN dress code). These pullovers are extremely nice and come as the benefit of the hard work of our parent volunteers. These items have been ordered. An ideal expected date of delivery should be around October 15-17. 

​​

Thanks,

Alex Martin

Tonight's Match at Nelson County - 9.29.14

Lady Generals Soccer Community,

Hello, I have just recently been notified that tonight's match times are slightly different than our schedule indicates. See below for tonight's official match times.

Game schedule vs. Nelson County (9.29.14)

JV Match - 6:00 PM

**NC Senior Night festivities in between matches

Varsity Match - 7:30 PM

All players should arrive to Nelson County approximately 45 minutes before official game time. All varsity members have been encouraged to watch and cheer on their teammates during the JV match. 

​Also, we will not be taking a bus tonight to Nelson County HS. Please make necessary arrangements to get your daughter to the game. Contact me via email or text if you need assistance with this process.

Thanks,

Alex Martin

9.16.14 - Weekend Schedule Updates

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Happy Tuesday, and hello again! I'm receiving several questions about the scheduling of different events which are taking place over the course of the next week, and for good reason, as we have a lot going on! See below for important updates.

Schedule

• Wednesday, Sept. 17
• 3:10-3:50 - All Lady Generals report to a tutoring session at TN.
• 4:00-5:30 - Regularly scheduled practice on game field.

• Thursday, Sept. 18 - Soccer match at South Oldham (click on this link for address to the HS).
• We will be taking a bus to and from this game. This bus will leave around 4:15.
• 6:00 PM - official start of JV game
• 7:45 PM - official start of varsity game

• Friday, Sept. 19 - Varsity practice only - no JV practice
• 3:30-5:30 - Regularly scheduled practice
• Friday, Sept. 19 - Girls Booster Club working the concert at the Bourbon festival - refer to this document for details on the work schedule.

• Saturday, Sept. 20 - Donley Classic at Madisonville, KY - Varsity only matches
• 1:00 PM (EST) - Varsity match vs. Graves Co. - We will be wearing white uniforms.
• 8:00 PM (EST) - Varsity match vs. Madisonville - We will be wearing white uniforms.
• Follow this link for an address to the complex for this tournament.
• We will not be taking a bus to this event. It is approximately a 2.5 hour drive. Please contact me if you will need assistance getting your daughter to the game.

• Sunday, Sept. 21
• 5:00-6:30 - Sunday practice because we have a match the next day.

• Monday, Sept. 22 - Soccer match at home vs. Shelby Co.
• 5:30 PM - official start of JV game
• 7:00 PM - official start of varsity game

• Tuesday, Sept. 23 - DAY of REST - No game and no practice.

• Wednesday, Sept. 24 - Back to normal schedule with practice.

Additional Details

On Thursday, with the match against South Oldham, the girls will be allowed to leave with their parents after the game as long as they complete the "sign-out" sheet before leaving. This will be a typical protocol where we know where all of the girls are going, and we know who is responsible for each girl. 

I am aware that we have several parents working the Bourbon Festival Friday afternoon and Friday night, and that this could cause transportation issues getting girls from practice Friday. However, we have two big games on Saturday, and as a result we will have a varsity only practice this Friday. I ask that you find a way to solve your transportation issues if you have them, however, please use common sense.

Saturday's double header is a tournament event in which the following teams will be competing: Thomas Nelson, Nelson County, Graves County, and Madisonville. A point system will be created and based upon the results of the matches, a winner will be determined. All girls participating from will receive a free tee shirt. Additionally, the booster club who is hosting this event will feed all of our girls following our first match.

Please contact if you have questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Alex Martin

9.08.14 - Booster Meeting - Stay the Course


Agenda:

1. Lady Generals Team Updates
• 5 game winning streak
• John Hardin Tournament Champions

• Continued growth and improvement
• Experiencing failure and struggle
• Stay the course
1. Recall previous meeting
• Blog Communication
• Google Drive 101
• Lady Generals Classic
2. Booster Updates
• BSN updates - date of delivery for apparellel orders
• Account summary
• Upcoming Events - Bourbon Festival
3. Bourbon Festival - Brainstorming and Sign-up

Friday's Match vs. Collins

Good afternoon, it has been confirmed that tonight's games and schedule is as described in my previous post. Varsity match will begin at 6:00 and JV will immediately follow around 7:30. Please make necessary arrangements for this unusual sequencing.

Friday's Match against Collins,

Hello all! I'm excited to finally have a match against a team in which both of our squads will get to compete against an opposing team. Collins does have a JV and a varsity squad, and both teams should be decent competition for us as we continue to pursue our goal of improving everyday. See below for important information regarding match times for tomorrow.

Our current schedule, which is what we are going by, has the varsity team playing first at 6:00pm and the JV game immediately following which should start around 7:45. I have reached out to the opposing team's head coach via email but he has yet to respond. I would prefer to have the varsity game second, however it's not a big deal either way. We'll adjust and plan to perform well as we usually do. I will call Collins' head coach in the morning to confirm the schedule and field his thoughts, however unless otherwise notified, the schedule will remain as described above.

Therefore, girls on each of these teams will report to the field or my classroom as listed below:

• Varsity team members: 
• 3:10-4:00 - Free time for relaxing, and pregame meals.
• 4:00-5:00 - Film session in Coach Martin's classroom
• 5:30 - Warm-ups begin on game field
• 6:00 - Varsity match start time
• JV team members:
• 7:15 - Warm-ups begin on practice field
• 7:30-7:45 - JV match start time

Please reference this blog sometime tomorrow as I will confirm this schedule once I touch base with Collins' head coach.

Upcoming Events - Weekend of August 29

First, over the course of the next week or so I plan on improving the Lady Generals Soccer Blog with a few additions. See below for helpful links which will be added:

•  A living monthly event calendar which will detail practice schedule, game schedule, and other important events which will be taking place. Once produced this schedule will give you and the girls clarity on when and where certain events will take place.
• Hudl, which is essentially a video sharing website in which all parties can view game films. Hudl login details and information about how to use Hudl will be communicated.

For the time being, see below for the agenda over the next week or so.

• Friday, August 29 - Varsity match vs. Marion County at home at 6:00pm. The JV match has been cancelled because Marion County does not have a JV squad this year. There will be no JV practice tomorrow either due to school not being in session and the difficulty parents will face getting their child at practice mid-afternoon.
• Saturday, August 30 - Varsity tournament at John Hardin High School (Lady Bulldog Classic). We will play 3 matches this weekend with our first game Saturday vs. Jeffersontown at 1:00pm. We will have another game later on Saturday, game time will depend upon our performance in the first game.
• Sunday, August 31 - One varsity game in the Lady Bulldog Classic, game time will depend upon our performance. Note: All girls will need to bring their home and away uniforms for all games this weekend.
• Monday, September 1 - Labor Day, no practice. Relax and enjoy!
• Tuesday, September 2 - Practice 3:30-5:30
• Wednesday, September 3 - Practice 3:30-5:30
• Thursday, September 4 - Practice 3:30-5:30
• Friday, September 5 - JV and Varsity match vs. Collins at home.

It's a Long Season!

The Lady Generals opened up district play last night against crosstown rival, Bethlehem. I don't think anyone could question the effort and heart presented by many of our girls last night, but after a hard fought effort, we came up short in a 0-2 loss. 

As a competitor, I will always be disappointed with a loss, and for me personally, the pain of losing will always be greater than the joy of winning. On the other hand, we should remind ourselves that it is a long season, and we're just getting our feet wet. The Lady Generals currently hold a 1-2 record with 15 regular season games left to play. Working to understand this game is a process, and each and everyday we will continue to work to get better. 

I fully expected us to struggle from time to time, and throughout the season we will struggle and we will fail again. Failure presents us with opportunities to learn from our mistakes. A team or a person who never fails isn't challenging themselves enough and thus isn't growing. In the little time I had to plan before the season I was able to increase our strength of schedule by adding games against quality opponents. I added these teams because I knew our girls needed to be challenged. At the end of the day, it's your performance at the end of the season and in the postseason that counts. The failure from last night's game will keep us grounded and keep us driven. The challenges we face ahead will help us grow and will make us a tougher team when postseason play arrives.

It's a long season, and I happy about the team, and the girls we have in our program. Here's to tomorrow and another opportunity to get better.

Booster Meeting - 8.18.14 - Learning and Working Together



Agenda

1. Booster Club Vision - review of ideas and philosophy of vision
2. Lady Generals Team/Booster Updates
• Varsity Team Captains
• Scrimmage updates
• Yard Sale - profited over $1,700.00
• Field Clean-up
• BSN - My Team Shop
• Account updates
3. Google Drive 101
4. Lady Generals Classic
5. Bourbon Festival