End of Season Celebration and Checklist

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Good afternoon. First, I appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we work to organize our end of season items. The purpose of this post is to identify specifics about our banquet celebration and to communicate general end-of-season housekeeping items.

End of Season Celebration
Our banquet celebration will take place Sunday, December 13 from 4:00-6:00PM at TNHS Cafeteria. Your presence is crucial to the success of this event as we celebrate our girls and our team. It's very difficult to accommodate for everyone's busy schedules, so my apologies if the date and time do not work with your schedule. We will celebrate our season through a pot-luck meal, player recognition, and picture slideshow. I request the dress for this event to be semi-formal attire. Follow the checklist below to ensure each of us are prepared for celebration.

1. Attendance - each player should complete this one-question survey to communicate how many people in your party will be attending the event.
2. Dish Request - In order to make the pot-luck meal possible, each player has been requested to bring a dish. Click on this link to view your requested dish. 
• If you feel really passionate about a particular dish of yours, then feel free to adjust the request as you see fit. 
• We will serve fried chicken with the sides requested (booster account will purchase the fried chicken).

Uniform Collection

All players will be expected to bring their uniform to the banquet for recollection. Please have all pieces of your uniform cleaned and placed in an individual bag with its player's name on it. As a coaching staff we have to assess our uniforms from a count and durability perspective. 

We will offer a uniform purchase deal for any senior player who wishes to keep parts of their uniform for personal memorabilia. Obviously, any part of the uniform which is kept by a senior player will need to be replaced before the following season and therefore the purchase price of your uniform will be equal to the purchase price of a replacement jersey. According to BSN Sports, the prices to replace pieces of our uniforms are listed below (click on this link - tops, shorts - if you wish to view a purchase recipit from additional uniforms that we ordered two years ago).

Short-sleeve tops = $60.00 per top

Long-sleeve tops = $67.50 per top

Shorts = $32.75 per short

Follow these steps if you wish to purchase part of your uniform

1. Return all pieces you do not wish to keep in a individual bag with its player's name on it to the banquet.
2. For the pieces you wish to keep, total your purchase and make a check out to TNHS - Girls Soccer and bring this to the banquet.

Feel free to contact me if additional questions arise.

Sincerely,

TNHS Girls Soccer Coaching Staff

Player Survey - Awards and General Housekeeping

Lady Generals,


I have created a survey to gather information about our your attendance at our banquet, to vote for player awards, and to inquire about your interest with off-season activities. As a member of the team, make sure your voice is heard by completing the survey within the given timeframe.

The survey has three parts. Make sure you are able to answer all of the questions before you complete the survey because you can only submit it once. The three parts of the survey are described below.

Survey Parts

1. Banquet attendance. We will have our end of the season celebration banquet on Sunday, December 6 at TNHS cafeteria from 4:00-6:00PM. Note we are not having the banquet this weekend.
2. Player Awards. You will have an opportunity to vote for players who best exemplified the traits described for each award. The awards are different from last year as they better align to our values. We will have one representative from both the JV and Varsity teams be recognized for each award. Reference each award and its description below.
• Higher Purpose Award - A player who exemplifies these characteristics played for a higher purpose. They did not use the game to just compete and win, but they used the game to help prepare them for life. They seeked excellence in all areas - in the classroom, outside of school in their community, as a person, and as a player.
• Community Award - A player who exemplifies these characteristics invested a lot of energy into building the community within our program. They reached out to develop relationships with ALL of our teammates. They reached out to help support others on and off of the field. They were a consistent positive life force - someone others wanted to be around.
• Team over Individual Award - A player who exemplified these characteristics ALWAYS placed the needs of the team above their own needs. They would sacrifice their own self-interest for the greater good of the team. They played for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back of the jersey.
• Pursuit of Excellence Award - A player who exemplified these characteristics consistently looked to themselves for ways to improve. They consistently worked to get better by focusing on the small things. They never settled for "that was good enough". They pushed the tempo in practice and they constantly pushed themselves and the team to improve.
• LEADER Award - A player who exemplified these characteristics were a true LEADER on our team and to our program. Others looked up to this person and they were a player who you would follow. They represented and lived our LEADER values on a consistent basis.
3. Off-Season Interest Inquiry. You'll simply rate your level of interest for potential off-season activities.

Let me know if you have any questions about the items on the survey. You must be logged-in to your school's Google account in order to access the survey. Reminder, you can only submit it one time. Click on this link to access the survey when you are ready.


Thanks,


Coach Martin

5th Region Tournament

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Good afternoon, I'd like to thank all of the fans and supporters who came out to the 19th District Tournament. The energy from the crowd and the contest was electric, and as a result it was a fun environment to be a part of. Ultimately, we came up short on our goal of 19th District Champions, however we have advanced into region play and a greater trophy awaits the winner! As a team, we're moving forward and focusing our energy on advancing in the region tournament.

The rest of this blog post will provide specifics about the 5th Region Tournament and our practice plans to prepare for the those games. Elizabethtown High School (they have a very nice stadium with turf surface) will host the 5th Region Girls Soccer Tournament (click here for an official tournament bracket). In the 1st round of regions, Thomas Nelson will play LaRue County on Sunday, October 18th at 2:00PM. We will not be taking a bus for this weekend game. If we were to advance in the region, then our game schedule would be the following: Sunday at 2:00, Tuesday at 5:30, then the finals would take place on Thursday at 6:00. Goooooo Lady Generals!

Please click on this link to view our practice plans as we prepare for the region tournament. As usual, feel free to reach out with questions or concerns should they arise.


Sincerely,


Alex Martin

Celebrating Taylor's Life

Lady Generals Soccer Community,

I am very grateful for the continued love, support, and care that we have received from our community and our supporters. In recent years, I've gained a greater appreciation for the value of personal relationships and the bonds to which we develop on a daily basis. At the end of the day, it's the loving care and support of each other that will help this program and its stakeholders to continue to grow. Continue tending to these relationships in a positive manner and our community will prosper even more.

On behalf of Will Blaire, close friend of Taylor Martin, he would like to formerly invite our Lady Generals Soccer Community to Keystone Cinema to watch a video that celebrates Taylor's life. The video will be shown tonight, October 1, at 6:30PM at Keystone Cinemas in Bardstown. Each of the soccer players and their families have been invited to the 6:30 showing. The video is approximately 45 minutes in length and will highlight videos, pictures, and music that celebrates Taylor's life. I have informed the girls that attendance is optional and we will end practice early enough to allow for adequate transition time. My apologies on the late notice. Click on the video below to listen to a song written and performed by Aaron Givan in memory of Taylor.

As usual, feel free to reach out with questions or concerns.


Thanks,


Alex Martin

“A community’s well-being simply has to do with the quality of relationships, the cohesion that exists amongst its citizens...it is the extent to which we extend hospitality and affection to one another.” 

Peter Block

Forever in Our Hearts - #14

Lady Generals Soccer Community,

Play for Tay! Taylor was an involved member of our first Legacy Core team, and her assistance with forming the framework for our LEADERship team has laid the foundation for many Generals to come. Taylor was very mature for her age, always offering a holistic perspective on what this team and program was meant to accomplish. Taylor's comments will continue to echo throughout our program as I've organized Taylor's comments from our Legacy Core meetings on this document (click here). I would encourage you to read through this document to gain a perspective on what she wanted for this team and program to accomplish. 

Our Lady Generals Soccer team and TNHS Athletic Family plan to honor Taylor in a variety of ways throughout the rest of the season. Our coaching staff is always brainstorming and having conversations with invested stakeholders to make sound conclusions. I'm sure additional ideas will form, but currently these are a few of the ideas that we have in place to honor Taylor.

1. We have made special "Play for Tay" t-shirts and armbands for each member of the soccer team. Special thanks to Sarah Rogers for organizing the production of the t-shirts, and a huge appreciation to Apparel and Awards Factory for donating these shirts to the team. Expenses for the armbands were taking care of through our booster account. See the image to the right to view the "Play for Tay" gear. 
2. In our first home game following the loss of Taylor, we will honor Taylor by hosting a shield posting ceremony tomorrow night before the JV game. Our soccer team will participate in a small gathering in which we will mount a General Shield that commemorates Taylor in an area overlooking the soccer field. I would like to formally invite everyone to attend, the ceremony will be short and sweet, and should take place at 5:45PM. Following the ceremony, we will support our JV team as they kickoff against Christian Academy of Louisville at 6:00.
3. We several ideas formulating for our senior night celebrations. I would like to thank Michelle Simpson for taking the LEAD on this event, your commitment to these girls and our community is remarkable. Stay tuned for more information regarding our senior night celebration.
4. Additionally, I have visions to decorate or build a landscaping area of a flower bed, shrubbery, and/or tree, and then to dedicate this area in memory of Taylor. We're currently brainstorming options on what that would look like.  

Numerous schools, community supporters, friends, and parents have reached out to me or this program in a variety of ways and I've been extremely thankful for the love and support that we have received. I would like to send a special thanks to each of you for your work and care in our most precious resource - the growth of our Generals would not be possible without your diligent support.

Sincerely,

Alex Martin

Coach's Response to Ejections

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Thank you for your continued support and Happy Labor Day Weekend. As many of you are aware, at our most recent game vs. Oldham County, myself and a TNHS player received red cards and were ejected from the match. The purpose of this post is to address the situation, take accountability for my actions, and to communicate next steps for how we will learn from this and move forward. Our coaching staff has already met with our players on Thursday to discuss these items.

Accountability for My Actions
I would like to start by apologizing to our players, parents, and supporters for my actions at the game. Receiving an ejection from a match is an embarrassment to myself and our program. Additionally, I will be required to face suspension penalties that will essentially prevent me from directing helping our players. Also, I believe the subsequent red card and ejection received by our player occurred as a result of me being ejected. Ultimately, my actions has affected many people. I take full responsibility for them and I would like to apologize for my actions.

From my experiences I do not believe my actions towards the official warranted such a harsh decision. However, he is the referee, and regardless of how unjust we feel his decisions are throughout the game we must respect his calls. I will be honest and state that I was completely unaware of the harsh suspension penalties that occur as a result of a coach's ejection. I will face a 3 game suspension in which I will not be able to coach, sit on the sideline, or even attend the game as a spectator. Were I aware of this penalty, I can assure you that I would have acted much more intelligently. Many of our players and supporters understand the passion, care, and love I have for our players and program, and it's going to hurt me deeply not being able to support our girls during the next 3 games.

Our Current Reality
As referenced above, I have met with our players to discuss the events that occurred on Wednesday, our current reality, and how we will move learn and move forward together. Our team and program has numerous goals that we would like to accomplish, and we are moving forward to continue to work towards those goals.

I will face a 3 game suspension in which I will not be allowed to coach. Thankfully, we have two knowledgeable assistant coaches who are fully capable of picking up for my absence. We will continue to work and collaborate together, but I have full confidence in their abilities to keep our heading. I am allowed to attend and coach at practice, and therefore we will conduct our practices as usual. However, Coach Hurst and Coach Michael will work collaboratively to manage the next 3 games.

Our ejected player will serve a 2 game suspension and will not be allowed to participate during those games. She is a very strong player and someone who we routinely rely heavily upon in our defense. Her absence will open up minutes for another player and we expect our all of our players to have her back by stepping up in her absence.

Stay the Course
Our coaching staff is fully aware of our team record over the past 4 games (1-3-0), bringing our overall varsity record to 4-3-0. I assure you that no one hates losing more than myself, however I am able to keep our recent performance in check by understanding the context of what we are trying to accomplish. Ultimately, we want to continue working to get better each and every day, and one of our goals as a team is to be playing our best soccer by the time the postseason begins. We intentionally increased the difficulty of schedule because we knew that our girls need to be challenged in order to experience adequate growth. We will continue pushing to improve each and every day. We will continue to seek necessary adjustments to ensure we're playing our best soccer by the time our district tournament begins. Have confidence in our girls, coaches, and program, and stay the course.

As usual, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly if you have a question or concern. I want each of our supporters to be on the same page and thus I am a firm believer in having necessary conversations.


Sincerely,



Alex Martin

2015 Team Goal Setting

Agenda:

1. Why are we here? What are the outcomes of today's meeting?
2. What do we want to accomplish? Team Goal Brainstorming
3. Historical implications and current reality
4. How will we communicate these goals to the team?

Upcoming Events: Celebration and Preparation

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Good afternoon. We're off and away! Preseason practice is in full swing and the upcoming school year is right around the corner. This weekend, our program plans to celebrate and prepare for the upcoming season and school year in a variety of ways.

TNHS Back to School Bash
What: Open House at TNHS from 5:00-7:00PM and Celebration Bash from 7:00-9:00PM
When: Friday, July 31
Place: TNHS

The TNHS faculty is hosting school open house and Back to School Bash this Friday. Back to School Bash is a fun filled, family oriented event that gives students, family members, and TNHS faculty a chance to gather and have fun outside of the typical classroom setting. I would encourage all players and their family members to participate in the event.

To help support the event and to help promote our program, the Lady Generals Soccer Organization is hosting a booth at Back to School Bash. Dana Whitis will be LEADing this preparation for us. If you are interested in providing support for the event or have cool ideas that would take our booth to next level, please reach out to Dana at 502.827.4975.

Soccer Facility Clean-Up
What: Soccer Field Spring Cleaning
When: Saturday, August 1
Time: 8:00AM - ???

The boys and girls soccer programs will again be partnering up to prepare our soccer facilities for the upcoming season. Major tasks include, lining and painting lines on the soccer fields, cleaning concessions and press box, and spraying bleachers and surrounding areas. Click on this link for a more detailed description game plan. 

Dan Hicks will be LEADing this event for the girls team. We currently need 7-8 supporters to sign up to work the event. Also, we need supporters to bring in necessary materials to complete the tasks listed above. If you would like to help in any way, you can either sign up on the document linked above or contact Dan at 502.510.6644 to let him know how you can provide support!

Preseason Kickoff Banquet
What: Kickoff Celebration
When: Sunday, August 2
Time: 5:00-6:30PM
Place: TNHS Cafeteria

Our program is hosting a preseason kickoff banquet to celebrate the beginning of our 2015 soccer season. At this time, we would like to formally invite you and your immediate family to the event. The purpose of the event is to celebrate our program and its players, highlight our senior class, promote program vision, and to communicate partnering expectations.

The banquet will be a potluck, in which our program will provide chicken and drinks for the event, but we are requesting that each player bring one side dish. Please indicate how many people will be in your party for the event, and please view the side dish that has been requested for each player by clicking on this link. Michelle Simpson (502.827.3024) and Vanessa Reiter (502.827.1554) has agreed to LEAD this event, please reach out to them if you have additional ideas or can support event in any way.

Thank you for your diligence in staying informed, feel free to contact me if additional questions arise.


Alex Martin

Parent Visioning Team Meeting #1 - Community Partners

Agenda:

1. Welcome - Vision of Partnering With Parents:
• Partnership - Everyone plays a role
• Ownership - Invest stakeholders
• Create Together
2. Instructions for setting up your Google Drive
3. Brainstorming - What can we do to help create a world-class program?

Legacy Core Meeting #7: Vision Draft Reflection

Agenda

1. Read group Team Norms.
2. Review purpose and objectives of Legacy Core team.
3. Reflection
• Read Mission and Vision Draft #1
• Group Reflection

Centre College - Official Team Camp Schedule

Good morning, I would like to start by thanking all of those of were able to support our campers in helping to make this opportunity possible. The first full day of camp begins today, and I'm excited for what we have in store. Please click on the following link to view an official schedule for camp. We have 11v11, full sided games in the evenings, and I know many parents enjoy coming up to watch those. Absolutely, feel free stop by to watch a practice session or game. We do have players playing on "Thomas Nelson" and on "Independent C" to help even out numbers, and to ensure players are placed in a position where they can push themselves and their teammates. Free free to call or text me if you have questions or concerns. Also, you can contact our camp Team Mom, Michelle Simpson at 502.827.3024.

Note: To accommodate the U.S. game Monday night, there has been a slight adjustment to the schedule linked above. Please see the adjusted schedule below.

June 22nd
7:45AM - Junior/Senior All-Star Game (Practice Football Field)
Regular schedule as listed on the link for June 22 from 9:00AM-5:00PM

Games (game times have been altered)
6:00 Game Field - Central Hardin vs. Thomas Nelson
7:00 Football Turf - Corbin vs. Independent C

Legacy Core Meeting #6: What are Our Core Values?

Agenda:

1. Review Team Norms.
2. What are our Core Values?
3. BSN Team Shop - What are some items that we would like to be made available through the shop?
• Ideas: T-shirts, sliders, socks, car decals with name and number, quality material, essentials, just regular stuff, t-shirt with name and number on the back
4. Spirit Packs - What are our thoughts on spirit packs?
5. Gratitude Circle - Show some love to fellow a teammate.

Booster Meeting - Thomas the Train - 6.11.15

Agenda:

1. Welcome! All supporters should be sure to sign in.
2. Celebrating Generals
• Be sure to Like our new facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tnladygeneralssoccer
3. Highlight upcoming events on Lady Generals Calendar
4. Booster Club Introduction
• Key Themes
• We work to support and serve our program, school, and community.
• The expectation is for our program is self-sustaining.
• Goal for the future is create a parent visioning team that would collaborate with coaching staff on a monthly basis to create a vision for the club.
5. Lady Generals Account Balance
6. Fundraiser - Thomas and Friends
• Planning and Sign-Up Sheet
• Parking Logistics

Support our Community and the Lady G's - Thomas the Train

Lady Generals Soccer Community,

First, I would like to say how excited our coaching staff is to begin working with such a remarkable group of people again this season. We made huge strides in a number of areas last season, and I'm excited to continue to grow as we work together to build a world-class soccer program. 

Scheduling Reminders

• We will host open practice next week on M-T-W-T, starting June 15, from 9:00-11:00AM at TNHS. Any girl interesting in trying out for the team this fall is encouraged to attend.
• We will hold our first booster meeting of the fall season this Thursday, June 11 from 5:30-6:30PM in TNHS Media Center. The main purpose of this meeting is to create a meeting structure for the 2015 season, and to plan the fundraising event described below. In order to get involved and be invested in our program, it's my goal to have one representative for each player attend these booster meetings.
• You can stay up-to-date with our extended calendar by our viewing "Lady Generals Calendar"

Support the Community and the Lady G's

The TNHS Boys' Soccer Team has reached out to our program to request support with working Thomas the Train this weekend. Representatives from their program have recently brought this opportunity to my attention and thus is the reason for the short notice. By partnering with them and participating in this event, we can accomplish two major goals. One, we have an opportunity to support a local community, and two, to help raise money for our program. The expectation is to maintain a self-sustaining program, and therefore a united effort to help raise funds is essential.

On Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 from approximately 12:30-5:00PM, we will need 12-16 supporters for Saturday afternoon, and 16-20 supporters for Sunday afternoon. My vision for our fundraising events is for all members to contribute equally throughout the course of a season. I realize not everyone will be able to provide support this weekend, but throughout the course of the season we should all be pulling our own weight. At the end of the day, it takes a village of committed supporters to build a world-class program. I am extremely grateful for the group of supporters we have at TNHS.

View this link to explore additional details about the event and SIGN UP to work Thomas the Train. If you are having trouble viewing this link or signing up for a position, please contact me or Michelle Simpson at 502.827.3024 to state your intentions, and we will sign you up.

Thanks,

Alex Martin

Pre-Summer Player Meeting

A player meeting for all girls interesting in trying out for the 2015 Lady Generals Soccer Team was recently held after school on Friday, May 22. Several players were not able to attend for a variety of reasons, and thus the purpose of this post is to inform our players and supporters of discussions that took place at this meeting.

Topics of discussion centered around showing some love to our Legacy Core team, summer and preseason schedule, tryouts, team camp, and how to stay informed. I've attached two documents which were used to organize the meeting (see below for the necessary links), simply view these documents to get a summary of the meeting. Start with the outline, as it provides the viewer with a summary of the notes. The presentation includes simple pictures that complement the notes. Feel free to reach out to me with individual conversations and questions if necessary.

   Outline Notes (click here)           Picture Presentation (click here)

Legacy Core Meeting #5: What are Our Core Values?

Agenda:

1. Review Team Norms - focus areas: Being supportive and holding each other accountable.
2. Summer Team Camp - what are our thoughts on this experience? 
3. Program Vision Planning - What are Our Core Values?
4. Long term planning
• Lady Generals Calendar - What will our summer schedule look like?
• What do we want the Legacy Core to accomplish before the season starts?
• When and how can the Legacy Core meet during summer?
5. Gratitude Circle - Give thanks or show some love to a fellow Legacy Core member.

Change in Instructions for Registering for Centre College Camp

Hello Lady Generals Soccer Community,


The purpose of this post is to add clarity regarding the registration process for Centre College Camp. First, our Soccer Booster Club will be contributing $50.00 towards each player's camp fee. We've decided to accommodate this for a number of different reasons. We have the funds necessary for this expense, it will be money well spent towards an excellent experience, and it puts money which you have helped raise back in your pocket.

In order to process this contribution, you will NOT complete the camp registration online because your camp fee will be different than $395.00 indicated on the online registration. Instead you will fill out the paper copy of the form. Follow the instructions below.

1. ALL players must communicate with Coach Martin (via text message or conversation) their intentions for camp, regardless if they are planning on attending or not.
2. If you wish to attend camp, then you will click on this link which will direct you to a folder containing a document called, "Centre College Camp Brochure". Print this paper, fill out the necessary information, and then return it to Coach Martin ASAP. Note: Ignore the "May 12" deadline date on this form, this is last year's form and thus is not correct.
3. Centre College does offer several $50.00 scholarships for girls who are attending camp. Girls who wish to apply for the scholarship are required to write a handwritten response about how this camp will help their "passion meet their performance". File your scholarship application by completing this writing prompt. Either print this document and hand write it, or make a copy of this document, type your response, and share it with Coach Martin. Either way return your scholarship application, along with your brochure form, to Coach Martin ASAP.
4. If you are having trouble with any of the links above, please see Coach Martin to obtain paper copies of the forms above.

Therefore, with our booster club contribution and the scholarship opportunity through Centre College, you have an opportunity for your camp fee to be $295.00 - this is a considerable discount. Additionally, I am gathering contact information for our incoming freshman class. If you know of any Thomas Nelson to-be students, and know they are interested in trying out for our Lady Generals program, could you please pass this information along to me so I can establish contact with them? 

On a final note, I would definitely like as many as girls as possible to attend camp because I personally know how great of an experience it is. However, camp is not mandatory, and you need to do what you think makes sense for your child and your family. As usual, contact me if questions arise.

Thanks,

Coach Martin

Preseason - Centre College Team Camp

Lady Generals Soccer Community,

Participating in high school athletics presents young adults with a variety of unique experiences. It presents us with competition that continually drives us to improve. It poses adverse situations that help us develop and practice essential life skills that we'll carry with us into our future. Finally, and perhaps the most impactful one of all, are the opportunities it presents to share these experiences with one another - to build bonds with our teammates that ultimately last a lifetime.

Summer team camp is excellent opportunity to bring to life the elements described above. Last year, myself, Coach Hurst, and 28 Lady Generals set out to participate in Centre College's Women's Team Camp, and I couldn't have been more pleased with our experience. Coach Jay Hoffman and his staff have continued to improve upon their camp and have built it into very credible camp attended by many high schools throughout the region. Among other things, I was impressed with their knowledgeable instructors and the positive energy they presented around the sport. I am excited to announce that we have made arrangements to attend team camp with Centre College again this preseason.

Basic Information

Camp: Centre College's Girls Team Camp

Location: Danville, KY

Date: Saturday, June 20 - Wednesday, June 24

Cost: $395.00

Registration Deadline - June 1st (after June 1st, the cost increases to $430.00)

What to Expect

4-5 full days of soccer! A typical day consists of 4 training sessions (2 after breakfast and 2 after lunch) and 1 full match. Also, the camp embeds important discussions about topics such as proper nutrition for athletes, injury prevention, goal setting, etc. Finally, Centre hosts an excellent goalkeeper camp, called Keeper's Edge. For more details on the field player camp, click here. For more details on the goalkeeper camp, click here.

*Note - Attending camp does not guarantee you a spot on our 2015 roster. Tryouts will take place from July 13-17. Please reference our Lady Generals Soccer calendar for the most up-to-date agenda regarding our preseason plans and summer schedule.

Why I Should Attend

1. We always work to get better - Take an opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in our surrounding area.
2. Friendship and Camaraderie - Great opportunity to bond with your teammates. 
3. Stay on a college campus - Get a feel for the environment of a college campus and dorm life.

Camp "Team Mom"
Centre asks that each team bring a "Team Mom" to help chaperon the girls while they stay on campus. If you are interested in pursuing this option then please contact me directly. We do have someone already interested in the position, so don't feel obligated.

Player Instructions

1. ALL players must communicate with Coach Martin (via text message or conversation) their intentions for camp, regardless if they are planning on attending or not.
2. If you wish to attend camp, then you will click on this link which will direct you to a folder containing a document called, "Centre College Camp Brochure". Print this paper, fill out the necessary information, and then return it to Coach Martin ASAP. You will NOT complete the online registration process because our booster club is contributing $50.00 towards your camp fee and thus your fee will be different than the $395.00 indicated on the online registration. If you are having trouble printing this document then please see Coach Martin for a copy. Note: Ignore the "May 12" deadline date on this form, this is last year's form and thus is not correct.
3. Centre College does offer several $50.00 scholarships for girls who are attending camp. Girls who wish to apply for the scholarship are required to write a handwritten response about how this camp will help their "passion meet their performance". File your scholarship application by completing this writing prompt. Either print this document and hand write it, or make a copy of this document, type your response, and share it with Coach Martin. Either way return your scholarship application, along with your brochure form, to Coach Martin ASAP,
4. I am gathering contact information for our incoming freshman class. If you know of any Thomas Nelson to-be students, and know they are interested in trying out for our Lady Generals program, could you please pass this information along to me so I can establish contact with them?

Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have more specific questions.

Thanks,

Alex Martin

Legacy Core Meeting #4: What are our Core Values?

Agenda

1. Review team norms for meeting.
2. Vision Planning - What are our Core Values?
• Text Reading - what are core values?
• Core Values Team Brainstorming
• Discussion/Team Share Out
3. Learning - We strive to learn from everything we do.
• General Soccer Ideas - How can I make 2015 better?

Legacy Core Meeting #3: What Is Our Mission Statement?

Agenda:

1. Team Norms review and discussion
2. LEADER Lesson - What is entitlement? How will it prevent us from achieving more?
3. Girls Soccer Account Finances
• Account Balance
• BSN spending brainstorming - How can we spend $2,200 worth of credit?
4. Mission and Vision - What is our Mission Statement discussion.
5. Next meeting: Monday, April 27. Focus Area - What are our core beliefs?

The Core: Meeting #2 - What is Our Mission Statement?

Agenda

1. CLICK HERE for a link to today's presentation.
2. Service > Pursuit of Self Interest
3. Productivity: How can we get the most out of our meetings?
• Shared Google Folder - "The Core - Collaborative Documents"
• Legacy Core planning calendar and prep work
• Establishing team norms.
4. What is our mission statement?
• Review: "What is Our Purpose" brainstorming document.
• Discussion: What trends do we see? What should our program seek to do?
• Draft mission statements for our program.
5. Team Communication

• Next Meeting: Monday, April 13 - Focus Area: What are our Core Beliefs?

Summer Plans and 2015 Game Schedule

Reference this post to find important information pertaining to our summer plans, soccer team camp, and our 2015 match schedule.

​

2015 Game Schedule

I am pleased to release our 2015 Match Schedule (click here for a link to our schedule). This year you should find a healthy balance of teams that will be very similar to us in terms of their level of play. I am a firm believer in playing tough competition as regularly as possible. This difficult competition will help push us to improve, and will help prepare us for the intensity and energy that the postseason brings. 

We will also be a part of two very respectable, tough tournaments this year. The Bluegrass Cup is a JV and V tournament hosted in Oldham County, and will include the likes of Mercy, Elizabethtown, Oldham County, Male, Anderson County, and Conner. Additionally, the Little Caesar's Classic is a varsity tournament only, hosted in Boyle County and includes teams such as Boyle County, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Central Hardin, Anderson County, Bethlehem, Franklin County, and Scott County.

GO GENERALS! 

Note: The schedule is subject to change. 

Summer Schedule

Many parents are asking about our summer plans so that they can be prepared for these dates, and so that they can schedule vacations/trips accordingly. My expectation is that we have 100% attendance at 100% of our practices. However, I understand scheduling involves several different variables and you need to do what makes sense for you and your family. Feel free to reach out to me if an additional conversation is needed. 

The plans that follow are an overview and an estimation of the dates I currently have in mind.

• ​June 15-19, Open practice
• June 20-24, Centre Soccer - Team Camp
• June 25-July 9, Dead Period - no organized team activities (practices, camps, etc.) will take place during this time frame. Thus, this would be an excellent time to schedule trips!
• July 13-14, Open practice
• July 15, Official start of practice
• November 7, KHSAA State Championship

Team Camp - Centre College

I have made arrangements for us to attend the Girls' Soccer Team Camp at Centre College again this year. I was more than pleased with the instruction, organization, and the level of competition which this camp brought us last season. This is a great opportunity for the girls to receive valuable instruction, to spend time on a college campus on their own, to build relationships with their teammates, and to simply have fun. 

The camp occurs from Saturday, June 20 - Wednesday, June 24. The cost per camper is $395.00, we will determine whether or not the booster club will contribute towards this fee at a later date. Recall they do have a top-notch goalkeeper program, Keeper's Edge. Please begin thinking and having conversations about attending this camp. More information about what you need to do to attend the camp will be sent out through a later blog post, so stay tuned!

As usual, feel free to contact me if questions or concerns arise.

The Core - Meeting #1 - What is our Purpose?

Agenda

1. Welcome! CLICK HERE for a link to today's presentation.
2. What is The Legacy Core? What will we create together?
3. What is a vision? Why do we need a program vision?
4. Brainstorming - What is our purpose?

Introducing......The Legacy Core

Our Lady Generals Soccer team is pleased to announce its first members of The Legacy Core! I appreciate their courage to be apart of this LEADERship team, and their courage to serve the larger the community. The input, feedback, and experience which these Generals will bring to The Core will be invaluable to creating a shared mission and vision for our program. I am excited to begin this partnership, and look forward to creating together. Please join me in celebrating the following Generals:

Sophomores:

Caroline Middleton

Julia Rogers 

Juniors:

Cameron Boone

Claire Hicks

Haleigh Reiter
Marley Rogers

Valerie Rogers

Seniors:

Taylor Martin

Hannah Medley

Ashley Ritchie

Beth Simpson

Click on each individual athlete to view the letter of interest that they submitted to apply for The Core. Incoming freshman will have an opportunity to be apart and apply upon joining us at TNHS in the fall of 2015.

Our first Legacy Core meeting will be held Monday, March 16 from 3:20-4:00. I will post our agenda and necessary links to our team blog. You can stay informed with the items taking place at these meetings by reviewing our team blog.

LEADERship Teams

Start here by reading my introductory letter about the creation of our new LEADERship teams for the Lady Generals Soccer program....CLICK HERE

• Parent-led team, Booster Club - Executive Team....CLICK HERE
• Student-led team, The Legacy Core.....CLICK HERE

1.29.15 - TNHS Strength Training

Hello, I hope all is going well for you and your family! So, I have spoken with several girls who have expressed interest in exercising, and working out during the offseason. I train and exercise myself at Fitness One, local gym across from NCHS, and over the past few weeks I have started working with several players, teaching them the proper way to train and lift weights. These girls have made nice progressions since we began and they seem to love being in the gym. 

I would like to extend an invitation to all interested girls soccer players to join our strength training club. Training will take place at Thomas Nelson Field House, and thus will be free of charge! The goal is to train 3 times a week. Training for the rest of the week will be Thursday from 3:20-4:30, and then again Saturday morning 9:30-10:45AM. Players should come equipped with shorts, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. 

Reference these short articles as they provide a brief description of male athletic training vs. female athletic training.

    1. How Female Athletes Should Work Out

    2. Should Females Train Differently Than Males

Please monitor our Lady Generals Soccer Calendar to stay up to date with our offseason activities. As usual, feel free to ask questions as they arise.

Thanks,

Alex Martin