2016 Pre-Summer Meeting

All players interested in trying out for the 2016 Lady Generals Soccer team met with Coach Martin on Thursday, April 28. If you were unable to attend, CLICK HERE for the presentation notes from this meeting as it previews our summer plans, options for Centre College team camp, and Legacy Core applications. 

Legacy Core Applications - players interested in applying for the Legacy Core LEADERship team should complete the following.

1. Think about what being a TNHS Lady General means to you and what attributes you could bring to the LEADERship team.
2. Write a letter of interest to our TNHS coaching staff by completing these instructions.
3. Share your applications with Coach Martin at alex.martin@nelson.kyschools.us before May 6.

Next Steps for All Interested Players

• Talk to your parents about Centre Soccer Camp and your options on attending. All players should text Coach Martin about their intentions (attending or not attending camp) so he can calculate numbers.
• Submit Legacy Core applications before May 6.
• Make sure your physical is up-to-date before June (click here for the form).

Preparing for 2016

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


Good afternoon, I hope everyone has had a restorative winter break following the conclusion of our 2015 season. Temperatures are warming up, days are getting longer, many players are in full swing with their spring activities, and with only 106 days until the official start of the 2016 soccer season, there are a number of planning and brainstorming items to address in the months ahead.

Coach Hurst, Coach Michael, and I are proud of the growth our program has experienced over the last four years, and we are excited about the potential our program possesses. Heading into the 2016 season, we are looking to continue building upon concepts aligning with our TNHS athletic mission of Community, Care, and LEADERship. In order for this work to align, there are a number of logistical and planning items that will take place.

Next Steps and Future Agenda Items

1. Uniform Return - All players should return their full TNHS uniform to Coach Martin for inventorying purposes. Expect an updated list of who has and hasn't returned their uniform in a future blog post. Any senior who wishes to keep part of their TNHS uniform for keepsake purposes may do so by paying for the cost of a replacement piece.
2. Legacy Core 2016 - Student-Athletes who wish to take on essential leadership roles within our program will have an opportunity to apply after spring break. Once the Legacy Core team is announced, we will begin meeting regularly.
3. Parent Partnership Meetings - Coming soon! Meetings to take place following spring break.
4. Lady Generals 2016 Match Schedule - Official release of our 2016 schedule is coming soon!

 I'm grateful for our continued support. Go Lady G's.


Sincerely,


Alex Martin

Nelson Elite Select Tryouts - Spring 2016

Lady Generals Soccer Community,


It's not too late to sign up to participate in select soccer for the Spring 2016 season. Our local Nelson Elite club will be hosting tryouts to form older division age groups on the girls side. Coach Alex Martin will be coaching a U16 girls team and Coach Whitney Hatfield will be coaching a U17/18 girls team. Tryouts for these teams will occur over the next few days.

Coach Martin will be hosting tryouts for a U16 girls team on Sunday, January 10 from 2:00-3:30PM at TNHS gym. All interested players should attend tryouts (please bring flats and guards in order to participate). Contact Coach Martin if you are unable to attend tryouts or if you have additional questions.

Coach Whitney Hatfield will be hosting tryouts for a U17/18 girls team on Monday, January 11 from 6:00-7:30PM at NCHS gym. All interested players should attend tryouts (please bring flats and guards in order to participate). Contact Coach Hatfield at 502.460.1693 if you are unable to attend tryouts or if you have additional questions.

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


Sincerely,


Alex Martin

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