Semester 1 Reflection

September Eleventh, Twenty Seventeen. Taylor Martin Memorial Game. A game in memory of a life so precious, so loved, and where we raise funds for a scholarship in her name. Care took place at this event. From setting up, during, and cleaning up, care was in the air. SOC gave me the opportunity to connect with Coach Martin, and gave me the platform to make this night one to remember. Being in SOC, and having the opportunity to plan and have volunteers for this event gave me the opportunity to grow on my ideas, and gather new ideas for years to come. In the future, I can hand down documents and notes I took for this event, and share my ideas and others ideas to keep growing this program. Connecting with the Nelson County Girls Soccer Team brings everyone together, but the friendships we make before the game become rivals on the field. The growth of not only this night but also this program goes beyond one night, it gathers different groups of people. Alumni coming home, young children being inspired to play soccer, and even parents wanting to get involved within this sport. I see growth in the future, and this program being very successful. Growing bonds within the Girls Soccer program, and even becoming partners with other organizations too. 

• WHAT IS ONE THING YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF IN RELATION TO SOC THIS SEMESTER?
• WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WANT TO IMPROVE UPON FOR SOC NEXT SEMESTER?

I am proud of the dedication each officer has towards making the new SOC class grow and become an opportunity for everyone to share ideas and become better all around. This semester was filled with many proud moments. From the Football team making it to playoffs to the SOC Angel Tree new tradition, to RUSH week, and even the SOC retreat at the beginning of the semester. Everyone was supportive of all ideas, and we accomplished many things this semester. I can not wait to see how next semester goes. Good luck to everyone!

How to Best Support our End of Season Celebration Banquet

As another season has drawn to a close, there are a variety of end of the season items that need to be addressed.

First, we will host an end of the season celebration to commemorate our season and our Lady Generals Soccer community. This celebration will occur on Sunday, November 12th from 5:00-6:30PM at TNHS Cafeteria. The event will center around connecting with one another, celebrating the gifts of our players, and reflecting upon our season. To ensure its success, I will need the following support from our community:

1. The banquet will be a potluck meal. The meat will be purchased and bought by the booster club, and then all players will be responsible for bringing at least one side dish to support the meal. We will be having fried chicken and will plan on eating at 5:00PM. Please click on this document to view the item that we have requested you to bring. If you have a specialty dish that you would like to bring, please feel free to make adjustments to the sheet.
2. Uniform Collection - all player uniforms (BOTH old and new uniform) should be properly washed, bagged, and returned AT the banquet. When uniforms were distributed at the beginning of the season it was documented what pieces of the TNHS uniform was given to you to use; all parts of your uniform must be returned. Players who fail to return their uniform or parts of their uniform will have a charge placed on their student account until it is returned or purchased. 

Stay tuned for additional posts if necessary. Please reach out to me or a Legacy Core member if you need assistance completing the tasks outlined above.

End of Season Celebration - Banquet Attendance

Reminder that our end of season celebration banquet will take place this Sunday, November 12 from 5:00-6:30PM at TNHS cafeteria. Please communicate how many will be attending the banquet from your party on THIS GOOGLE FORM. Even if you have scheduling conflicts and as a result will not be able to attend, please communicate by filling out this form. These numbers will be utilized to determine how much chicken to order.

Additionally, please check the blog in the next few days to see how parents can support the end-of-season celebration. Stay tuned.

Vote For Player Character Awards

1. Character Awards - At our upcoming end-of-season celebration, we will honor select individuals for demonstrating outstanding character throughout the course of the season. All players will have an opportunity to vote for student-athletes who best exemplified the traits described for each award. We will have one representative from both the JV and Varsity teams be recognized for each award. Before you vote, please read the descriptions for each award below so you know what we're looking for. Varsity team members will vote for the varsity awards, while JV team members will vote for the JV awards. If you were a dual player, then you will vote for both. 

• 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 sought 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 has 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 was 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.
• JV PLAYER AWARDS - Vote Here      
• VARSITY PLAYER Awards - Vote Here

NOTE: You MUST submit your vote by Friday, November 3rd, 3:15PM!

Generals CARE - Fundraiser Benefit for Logan Chevalier

Nelson County Soccer Community,


The Nelson County Youth Soccer League is hosting a 3v3 soccer tournament as a fundraiser benefit for Logan Chevalier. This fall I had the privilege to work with Logan as I helped coach Eli's U8 rec soccer team, and Logan is the nicest and most kindhearted individual that you'll ever meet. Logan and his family received heartbreaking news as he has recently been diagnosed with Leukemia and is currently staying at Kosair hospital.

To help raise money for his family during this time of need, NCYSA is hosting a 3v3 soccer tournament at Dean Watts Park on November 18th. Each team will consist of no more than 6 players. This will be a one day event at Dean Watts Park. To sign up for this event, fill out the attached form (CLICK HERE) and bring your money to Coach Martin OR report to Dean Watts concession stand during the time frames listed below.

Thursday, November 2, 4:30-6:30PM
Friday, November 3, 5:30-7:30PM
Thursday, November 9 4:30-6:30PM
Saturday, November 11 from 1:00-3:00PM

The deadline to sign up is November 12th. Please contact Vickie Fulkerson at 502.507.0462 if you have additional questions or concerns. Finally, please help spread this information by passing this along to others.


Thanks,


Alex Martin

Lady Generals PLAYERS, Vote For Our Homecoming Nominee

Lady Generals Players,


TNHS fall homecoming will take place on Friday, October 13th during halftime our home football. Each organization will nominate one SENIOR LEADER to represent their organization for homecoming. This student nominee should ultimately embody and live our LEADER values and they should be someone who represents our organization well, on and off the field.

Please click on the following link to vote for a homecoming nominee to represent the girls soccer team. This nominee will then be placed on the initial ballot for the whole school to vote. I need ALL PLAYERS to vote by 3:00PM today, September 14, 2017. The voting window will close at that time.

Thanks,


Alex Martin

Taylor Martin Memorial Game Updates

Updates:

1. Due to several recent injuries on Nelson County Lady Cards side, we will NOT play a JV game tomorrow. 
2. Therefore, the pre-game ceremony set to honor Taylor's life will now start at 6:30PM. The varsity game will start immediately after the ceremony.
3. The tailgate and social will start at 5:00PM as planned, and we host all activities described in the previous blog post.

CLICK HERE to see how you can support the event.

Taylor Martin Memorial Soccer Game

Nearly two years ago, our community lost a dear friend, teammate, and Original General as Taylor Martin was taken from us on September 10th, 2015. Taylor embodied the notion of LEADERship through peacemaking, care, and friendship. To honor and celebrate her life, we will host the Nelson County Lady Cards in our annual Taylor Martin Memorial Game. Led by Legacy Core and student leadership team, this event was established to bring all members of the community together to connect and celebrate, much like Taylor was able to do in her own life. Entry into the Memorial Game and its aligned activities will be donation-based, and all proceeds from the game will go directly to the Taylor Martin Memorial Scholarship Foundation (see below for details regarding the scholarship foundation).

The Game
The evening will feature a varsity soccer match between the Lady Cardinals and the Lady Generals.
A short pre-game ceremony honoring Taylor's life is set to start at 6:30PM. A varsity match between the two teams is set to start afterwards. NO JV GAME.

Food and Social
We will host an "Ignite the Memory" social to create a space for all members of the community to gather and connect before the game and throughout the evening. The social is planned to take place in the space beyond the far bleachers (closest to the football practice field) and is set to begin at 5:00PM. This area will also serve as our main hub to get food and beverages, as we will NOT host typical concessions. All food served at the game will be available to public and will be sold on a donation-basis.

Games and activities, including a face-painting booth, will also be set up in the tailgate area.

T-Shirts
We will also sell t-shirts that commemorate the Memorial Game and celebrate Taylor's life. The shirts will sell for $10.00, and profits from the sales will go to the scholarship foundation. See the image below for a rough sketch of the shirts. The shirts will be white with purple font, and the lettering on the back came from a doodle drawn in Coach Martin's notebook, by Taylor herself during her senior season.

Taylor Martin Memorial Scholarship Foundation

Finally, we have established a scholarship foundation to honor Taylor's life. The Taylor Martin Memorial Scholarship Foundation seeks to raise $10,000 contributing to an annual $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior. This scholarship will be awarded to a senior female that represents peacemaking, CARE, and LEADERship. 2017 scholarship recipients were Laken Culver and Michaela Johnson.

How Can You Help Support?
All products to support the events described above have been ordered and purchased. Therefore, the main supports we need from our community are people to work the booths and stations described above. We will need approximately 16-20 adult community members to support. Please reference our sign-up document (CLICK HERE) to review the supporting roles and to sign-up to work an event.

Next Steps: 

1. CLICK HERE and share this information through a Facebook Post to help spread the word about the Taylor Martin Memorial Game. Encourage others to attend as well. All proceeds from the game go to the Taylor Martin Memorial Scholarship Foundation.
2. Provide your support during the game and sign up to work an event.
3. If you choose to write a check for your donation, please make checks out to "Taylor Martin Memorial Scholarship Foundation".
4. Please reach to Coach Martin if you additional comments or questions.

Thank you for your support.

Upcoming Weekend Events

Reference the details below concerning Family Fun Events that are taking place this weekend. After reviewing the details, ALL PLAYERS should text Coach Martin before this Saturday at 9:00AM with the following information:

1. Are you attending the Louisville City FC Match on Saturday? If so, how many will be in your party?
2. Are you attending the Kickoff Celebration on Sunday? If so, how many will be in your party?

Louisville City FC Match

The Lady Generals are planning to travel to the Louisville City Soccer game on August 12. We plan to meet at Thomas Nelson at 4:15PM and eat at Hometown around 4:30. Parents and family members are more than welcome to attend. Players/Parents need to anticipate on bringing enough money for your meal, $13 per ticket, and extra money for any other expenses. We will also need some parents who are willing to drive players to Louisville from Hometown and back to meet at the school. If you plan on attending or have any other questions contact Coach Alex Martin. Don’t forget to wear purple! Hope to see you there.

Kickoff Celebration

The Lady Generals Soccer Community will gather on Sunday, August 13 from 5:00-6:30PM at TNHS Cafeteria to celebrate the kickoff of our upcoming season. We plan to eat, celebrate new program members, and discuss particulars regarding our season and program. For each player, at least one parent representative is expected to attend, and additional family members are welcome.

The soccer program will purchase Subway sandwiches for all to eat, but we request that players and parents please bring AT LEAST one of the following, large bag of chips, large drinks (gallon of tea, lemonade, 2-liters, water, etc), sandwich condiments (Miracle Whip, mayonnaise, pickles, lettuce, tomato, etc), or a batch of cookies. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any additional ideas to support this event.

Note: We will also hold mandatory practice from 3:00-4:30PM to prepare for Monday's games.

TNHS Field Clean-Up

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Good afternoon. The fall soccer season has officially begun and practices are in full swing. This morning marked only our third July practice, but I'm very proud of the girls for their positive attitudes and hard work ethics thus far. Following practice, I toured our athletic campus, and a simple walk around campus helped remind me how fortunate we are to be able to use such nice facilities. We are very blessed! With scrimmages and games quickly approaching, we need to do our part to ensure our soccer facilities remain in world-class condition. Our first home scrimmage takes place on Wednesday, August 2 vs. South Oldham. So, in partnership with the boys soccer team, we will host TNHS Soccer Field-Clean Up on Saturday, July 29th from 9:00-11:00AM.

During this time, volunteer parents and players will work together to clean the concession stand and press box, power-wash the home and away bleachers and sidewalk areas, and line and paint our game field with necessary soccer lines. We need to locate at least 5 parents/players to assist with the cleaning process and at least 2 parents/players to assist with lining the field. In addition, we need a few materials to help make this process successful. These materials include several water hoses, extension cord, shop vac, cleaning materials for concession areas, rags, power-washer, etc. If you could assist this event by volunteering your time or help by bringing some of the materials listed above, please contact Coach Whitfield at 270.872.8721 and let them know how you can support.

Kris Cecil and I will be at TNHS on Friday, July 28th at 10:00AM to begin lining the soccer field (it's roughly a 3-4 hour process). If you would like to assist with this process please contact Coach Whitfield at the number listed above.

Thank you for doing your part of Take Care of This Place.


Alex Martin

Bluegrass Games 2017 - Important Information

Schedule
Saturday, July 22
Thomas Nelson (H) vs. Western Hills (A) at 12:30PM on Field 10
East Jessamine (H) vs. Thomas Nelson (A) at 6:30PM on Field 1

Sunday, July 23
Thomas Nelson (H) vs. Scott County (A) at 12:30PM on Field 10

CLICK HERE FOR AN OFFICIAL BLUEGRASS GAMES SCHEDULE

Location
Lexington Christian Academy
450 W Reynolds Rd
Lexington, KY 40503

Keys to Remember

• We will NOT be taking a bus, parents are responsible for getting their kids to the game. Please contact Coach Martin if you need transportation support.
• Players should arrive 45 minutes to 1 hour prior to the game.
• Stay hydrated with lots of water. Temperatures should get fairly warm.
• Go LADY GENERALS!

Map of Complex

TRYOUTS FOR LADY GENERALS SOCCER WILL BEGIN JULY 17th FROM 8:00-10:00AM.

CHECK OFFICIAL TEAM CALENDAR HERE.

What You Need to Know Before Pre-Season?

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


I couldn't be more excited to kick-off another season of learning and competition with the Lady Generals Soccer Program. Our goal is to continue learning and growing together as we work towards building a world-class program.

Our coaching staff recently met with players who are interested in participating in our program for the upcoming season. If you were unable to attend that meeting, then you can find all of the information discussed in the link below. Items discussed at this meeting included important summer dates, rituals and traditions, how to stay in the communication loop, a prescribed fitness program, physicals, and next steps. Please review this document in its entirety if you were unable to attend.

Additionally, all of the important links on the right side of our blog have been updated and are accurate. Keep in mind that many of these items are subject to change. Therefore, I do NOT recommend that you print these; instead, you should continue to visit our blog and use the provided links to ensure you aware of our most recent updates. You'll also notice the dates for many of the rituals and traditions we want to implement in 2017 have already posted on the calendar. Please scroll through the calendar to view important dates for the future as well.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW IMPORTANT DETAILS FROM AT THE PLAYER MEETING

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUTLINED PLAYER FITNESS PROGRAM

Also, I'm very pleased to announce the hiring of new assistant coach, Ms. Maggie Whitfield! Coach Whitfield will bring a ton of passion, energy, and positive personal experiences from the game to our program. See Coach Whitfield's purple cow tidbits below.

Thanks,

Alex Martin