Soccer Weekend: SLU, SLYSA, and CITY2

Last Saturday night (1 October), I went to Saint Louis University's Robert R. Hermann Stadium to cheer on the Billiken men against Atlantic 10 Conference rival Loyola Chicago. There was a good crowd on hand and I found my seat to await the game.

The visiting Ramblers took the lead on 14 minutes and it remained 1-0 until SLU leveled it on 47 minutes. The Billikens would win it on a fluke own goal, when a Loyola defender passing it to his goalkeeper overshot and the ball rolled into the net. SLU took advantage of this miscue to hold on to a 2-1 win. It was an odd way to win, but this Billikens fan will take it.

The next afternoon, I drove to Maryland Heights' Lou Fusz Athletic Complex to referee St. Louis Youth Soccer Association matches. I worked two under-14 matches and had the middle in the first one. The games generally went well, except for a situation in my first match where I had to send off two players for fighting. Fortunately, no other players got into it and the match ended calmly. I quickly wrote out an incident report that was turned in with the game card.

After my games, I drove to my girlfriend Julie's house in Florissant, picked her up, and drove us to SIU-Edwardville's Ralph Korte Stadium. St. Louis CITY 2 was playing Tacoma Defiance in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Final. Before the match, Julie and I enjoyed the tailgate experience. The St. Louligans were set up in the parking lot, along with Saint Louis City Punks, the Thieves, and Fleur de Noise.

Before our match, we knew that Columbus Crew 2 had defeated Toronto FC 2 in the Eastern Conference final that day. Thus, Columbus would host the winner of our match. Julie and I joined with the other supporters in marching into the stadium for the match.

We were singing and chanting away from before the opening kick-off. Our constant chants paid off in the 31st minute, when CITY 2 scored to take a 1-0 lead. Tacoma nearly equalized a few minutes later, but the shot hit the post.

In the second half, two quick Tacoma shots early on were saved by CITY 2's goalkeeper. The home side doubled the lead with a 59th minute score. Tacoma pulled one back from the penalty spot 16 minutes later, but that was as close as they came. CITY 2 was Western Conference Champions. The St. Louligans--including Julie and I--went nuts.

CITY 2 plays at Columbus this Saturday late afternoon/early evening (Central Time) for the MLS NEXT Pro Championship. Julie and I plan to watch the live stream of that game.

I drove Julie and I to her home, where I stayed for a bit to chat before going home--tired, but happy. 

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Saint Louis University Athletics: Saint Louis University - Official Athletics Website (slubillikens.com)

St. Louis Youth Soccer Association: Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)

SIU-Edwardsville Athletics: SIUE - Official Athletics Website (siuecougars.com)

St. Louis CITY 2: STL CITY 2 | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

MLS NEXT Pro: The Official Home of MLS NEXT Pro | MLSNEXTPro.com

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

Saint Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

The Thieves: Home | Up the Thieves! (stlouligans.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise

Volunteering at the USYS Midwest Championships

Yesterday (26 June) and today, I did my bit as a volunteer for the United States Youth Soccer (USYS) Midwest Championships. This competition--bringing together boys and girls state champions from 14 states (Ohio is divided into North and South states for youth soccer)--was held in Maryland Heights, Missouri, at the Lou Fusz Athletic and Creve Coeur Park soccer complexes. It began on Friday (25 June) and will end with the finals this Wednesday (30 June).

I was at Lou Fusz for my volunteer assignments, helping with traffic control. This had me stationed near the parking lot entrance, directing traffic into and out of the complex. This included making sure vehicles followed the specified direction into and out of the lot to maintain good traffic flow.

I received a volunteer t-shirt to wear while on duty and wore a cap and cargo shorts. The latter were handy to hold the water bottle I constantly had while working. The organizers at the Missouri Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) took care of us volunteers, including getting full bottles of cold water to me at my post.

I would wave at the vehicles as they pulled into the complex, and then used arm signals to direct them to the right as they headed for an open parking spot. Many times, the drivers and some passengers would wave back at me. As the vehicles exited the complex, I would try to wave at them as they headed for the exit. There were a few times when the drivers asked for directions to specific fields at the complex or to find the nearest gas station. I would help them as best as I could.

Yesterday's shift ran from 1:45 pm to 6:00 pm, although I ended up working until 6:45 to make sure everyone got out fine. I was tired, but happy to have done my part to make this tournament run smoothly.

Back at it this morning, I worked from 9:00 am to 2:15 pm. Today was a hot one, with the temperature reaching 88 degrees F (31 degrees C), and the heat index reaching 95 degrees F (35 degrees C). I went through four 20-ounce (592.5 ml) bottles of water. At midday, the MYSA people brought over a box lunch from Jersey Mike's Subs. I picked out the Italian sandwich, which came with a bag of potato chips and two chocolate chip cookies. I ate my lunch while at my duty station, which was a bit awkward, but I made it work.

As my shift neared its end, I heard air horns sound at the complex, followed by referee whistles. Glancing at the nearest field, I saw the teams walking off the field. A lightning strike had been detected in the general area, forcing a stoppage in play at all fields. I helped direct traffic for a bit longer before being told to shelter in my car.

It was at 3:30 pm--1 hour and 22 minutes after the alarm sounded--that the all clear signal was given, allowing play to resume. A few minutes later, I walked to the tournament office and said my goodbye to the site coordinator, who thanked me for my service these past two days. He and the volunteer coordinator both commended me for the job I did in traffic control.

I then got back in my car and drove home. I was tired and a bit sunburned, but happy for the experience.

Later.

Weblinks of entities mentioned in this post:

US Youth Soccer: US Youth Soccer

Missouri Youth Soccer Association: Missouri Youth Soccer Association (missourisoccer.org)

USYS Midwest Regional Championships: Midwest Regional Championships | US Youth Soccer

Jersey Mike's Subs: Jersey Mike's USA - Authentic Sub Sandwich Franchise Since 1956 (jerseymikes.com)

Soccer Refereeing Returns for Me

One week ago today (28 February), the Spring Season for the St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) (Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)) began for me as a referee. I worked three under 14 boys matches at World Wide Technology Soccer Park (SLSG Facilities - Soccer Park | St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club (slsgsoccer.com)) in Fenton. The games went well--I had the middle in between two matches as an assistant referee--but lightning in the vicinity caused a 30-minute delay in the first half of the first match. This pushed the rest of the day's games behind schedule, but nothing we can do about that.

Today, I was at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex (Lou Fusz Soccer Complex - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)) in Maryland Heights for four under 12 boys matches. One of my partners and I took turns refereeing, so I was in the middle for the second and fourth games of the set. My two middles involved a team from Illinois, which won their matches handily. They outscored their opponents today by 21 goals to nil. This was in one of the lower divisions of the age bracket, so the overall quality of play was not that great. However, this one team did very well in their matches today.

After the matches, I stopped by Cold Stone Creamery (Birthday Cakes Cupcakes Bakery - Cold Stone Ice Cream (coldstonecreamery.com)) in Creve Coeur on the way home. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, I ordered the Coffee Lovers Only combo of coffee ice cream, roasted almonds, Heath Bar, and caramel. All of this was served in a waffle bowl. Delicious! It was a good way to reward myself for such a good day on the pitch.

Back to work tomorrow morning.

Later.

Soccer, Scale Modeling, and Rain

I refereed soccer and futsal last Sunday (18 February). First, I didn't realize I had soccer games that day, and I need a reminder call to tell me. I quickly got dressed and arrived at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex (https://loufuszsoccer.com/facilities/) in Maryland Heights, where I was in the middle for a under 14 match. It was a bit challenging, but it ended well. I was supposed to have worked another match after that, but neither team showed up and it wasn't on the league's schedule. That meant I was able to get to C4 (http://www.c4stl.com/) in Town and Country for the final night of the futsal season. My first match of four--all high school boys--was not held, as neither team showed up. My partner and I waited until the next game time arrived, and then we did the three other matches. They were all tense at times, bur all of them ended up well.

Back at work Monday morning, it was busy as usual, but nothing the branch staff could not handle. Home after work, I finished work on a car model for the next night's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting.

After work on Tuesday (20 February), I was off to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for the IPMS/Gateway (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/) meeting. It was raining a lot that day and night, and that cut into the meeting's attendance. Our first contest for Modeler of the Year was held; per tradition, it was an Out of the Box Contest (no modifications to the kit, and kit instructions to accompany the entry). My car model--a 1:32 scale 1957 Chevrolet convertible--was one of 27 entries in this contest. (This was a lower number of entries, due as I said to the rain-reduced attendance.) I didn't place in the Automotive category, but at least I earned 2 points--one for entering in the category, and one for entering in the Special Category (Out of the Box).

We also had a vote on the revised Constitution and By-Laws (C&BL) for the club, which passed overwhelmingly. Overall, a good night.

It rained off and on Wednesday, as my branch mates and I kept busy with our duties.

Off on Thursday, UI went to the Oakville License Office (http://dor.mo.gov/offloc/index.php?category=&locationString=63129) to renew my Corolla's state registration. My documentation was in order, and I received a two-year renewal in return for my money. After that, I chilled out at home. I split my TV time that day and in the past few days between the Winter Olympics, which end this weekend, and old movies and TV shows.

Another Friday at work was busy towards the end, but we all pitched in and got it done.

Today, I went to Worldwide Technology Soccer Park (http://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) in Fenton for Saint Louis FC's (http://www.saintlouisfc.com/) pre-season match against SIU-Edwardsville. I first joined the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) for their tailgate in the parking lot before we marched into Toyota Stadium for the match. About 30 minutes before the match, rain started pouring down and it never let up the whole afternoon. I was with some of the St. Louligans in our usual spot in Section 8 for the first half, but retired to the covered plaza near the west stand for the rest of the match. Saint Louis FC won the first of the 75-mionute matches 4-1; after that, I left to get warm and dry. (With the second mini-match included, Saint Louis FC won 7-1.)

After the match, I went to Starbucks in Valley Park (https://www.starbucks.com/store-locator/store/17458/hwy-141-i-44-922-south-meramec-station-rd-valley-park-mo-630882) to get a nice hot coffee drink and to relax before heading home. There, I got out of my wet clothes.

Later.

Two Nights of Soccer Activities

After a busy Friday at work, it was time to relax a bit on the weekend. Late Saturday afternoon (15 October), I met with my friend and fellow referee Austin Gomez at his house, then we and another colleague, Kevin Winkelman, met with two others--Zorinko Milicevic and his son, Ivan--before we headed to America's Center (http://explorestlouis.com/meetings-conventions/americas-center/) in downtown St. Louis. There, we attended the 46th Annual Induction Dinner of the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame (http://www.stlsoccerhalloffame.com/). After a happy hour, we entered the dining hall for dinner, followed by the program, which was hosted with his usual aplomb by Bill McDermott. Four future soccer stars (two boys and two girls) were recognized, and ten people were inducted. These inductees included my Saint Louis University (SLU) classmate, Steve Maurer; my former refereeing colleague, Nancy Lay-McCormick; and Karen Lombardo-Baker, wife of my friend from SLU Pat Baker.

Several other awards were presented, including one to the 1966 Quincy College men's soccer team, which went undefeated and won the NAIA National Championship, and to the New Dimensions Soccer Program, which uses soccer as an outreach program for refugee, immigrant, and underserved children in Metro St. Louis. I also saw a few people I knew there, including several fellow soccer referees (among them: Holly Hollingsworth, Randy Masterson, Sam Chan, and Tom Lutker), former Webster University men's soccer coach Marty Todt, and my SLU classmate Steve Hunsicker. Overall, it was a very wonderful night for remembering St. Louis soccer's greats and looking forward to the future.

Sunday morning, I proofread a calendar for my friend, Janette Lonsdale (http://janettelonsdale.com/), which she had prepared for her client. It went very well, with hardly anything needing correcting. That night found me at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex in Maryland Heights. I ran line on two St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) (http://www.slysa.org/) matches. They went well, although my legs were a bit sore afterward.

Back at work Monday morning, it was a busy time at the rental branch. We all worked hard to keep things moving forward and getting our customers completely satisfied. It was unseasonably warm early in the week, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) on Monday, but things cooled down to more fall-like temperatures by mid-week. It was rainy yesterday afternoon (19 October), with temperatures getting down to about 45 degrees F (7 degrees C) that night.

After flexing out of work Tuesday afternoon, I took care of personal business at home, then went to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting. I supplied photos our Invitational last month, which were projected on a screen during the meeting. We also had a good turnout for the Model of the Month "beauty contest."

After work last night, I went to St. Louis Community College at Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/MC/) for the first session of Portuguese Language: Beginning II. There were four others in this class--all but one had been with me in the Beginning I class that ended the week before. We are instructed by Elizabeth Bittencourt, provided to the college by the Viva Brasil Association of St. Louis (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home). I enjoyed the first session, despite noise from the air conditioner making it hard to be heard at times in the classroom, and will be back for the remaining seven sessions.

On my off day from work today, I went to Kaldi's Coffee (http://kaldiscoffee.com/) in Kirkwood, where I met Norm Podorski, a networking contact. We chatted for nearly 45 minutes before he had to leave, and got caught up on things. I then had my semi-annual check up at my dentist. It went well--no cavities. After lunch at Qdoba (https://www.qdoba.com/), I bought some cookies and brought them to the Enterprise branch in Kirkwood, in thanks for my helping them out last week when they were short staffed. The manager there, Kelley, greatly appreciated the gesture.

Later.

Two Nights of Soccer Activities

After a busy Friday at work, it was time to relax a bit on the weekend. Late Saturday afternoon (15 October), I met with my friend and fellow referee Austin Gomez at his house, then we and another colleague, Kevin Winkelman, met with two others--Zorinko Milicevic and his son, Ivan--before we headed to America's Center (http://explorestlouis.com/meetings-conventions/americas-center/) in downtown St. Louis. There, we attended the 46th Annual Induction Dinner of the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame (http://www.stlsoccerhalloffame.com/). After a happy hour, we entered the dining hall for dinner, followed by the program, which was hosted with his usual aplomb by Bill McDermott. Four future soccer stars (two boys and two girls) were recognized, and ten people were inducted. These inductees included my Saint Louis University (SLU) classmate, Steve Maurer; my former refereeing colleague, Nancy Lay-McCormick; and Karen Lombardo-Baker, wife of my friend from SLU Pat Baker.

Several other awards were presented, including one to the 1966 Quincy College men's soccer team, which went undefeated and won the NAIA National Championship, and to the New Dimensions Soccer Program, which uses soccer as an outreach program for refugee, immigrant, and underserved children in Metro St. Louis. I also saw a few people I knew there, including several fellow soccer referees (among them: Holly Hollingsworth, Randy Masterson, Sam Chan, and Tom Lutker), former Webster University men's soccer coach Marty Todt, and my SLU classmate Steve Hunsicker. Overall, it was a very wonderful night for remembering St. Louis soccer's greats and looking forward to the future.

Sunday morning, I proofread a calendar for my friend, Janette Lonsdale (http://janettelonsdale.com/), which she had prepared for her client. It went very well, with hardly anything needing correcting. That night found me at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex in Maryland Heights. I ran line on two St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) (http://www.slysa.org/) matches. They went well, although my legs were a bit sore afterward.

Back at work Monday morning, it was a busy time at the rental branch. We all worked hard to keep things moving forward and getting our customers completely satisfied. It was unseasonably warm early in the week, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) on Monday, but things cooled down to more fall-like temperatures by mid-week. It was rainy yesterday afternoon (19 October), with temperatures getting down to about 45 degrees F (7 degrees C) that night.

After flexing out of work Tuesday afternoon, I took care of personal business at home, then went to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting. I supplied photos our Invitational last month, which were projected on a screen during the meeting. We also had a good turnout for the Model of the Month "beauty contest."

After work last night, I went to St. Louis Community College at Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/MC/) for the first session of Portuguese Language: Beginning II. There were four others in this class--all but one had been with me in the Beginning I class that ended the week before. We are instructed by Elizabeth Bittencourt, provided to the college by the Viva Brasil Association of St. Louis (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home). I enjoyed the first session, despite noise from the air conditioner making it hard to be heard at times in the classroom, and will be back for the remaining seven sessions.

On my off day from work today, I went to Kaldi's Coffee (http://kaldiscoffee.com/) in Kirkwood, where I met Norm Podorski, a networking contact. We chatted for nearly 45 minutes before he had to leave, and got caught up on things. I then had my semi-annual check up at my dentist. It went well--no cavities. After lunch at Qdoba (https://www.qdoba.com/), I bought some cookies and brought them to the Enterprise branch in Kirkwood, in thanks for my helping them out last week when they were short staffed. The manager there, Kelley, greatly appreciated the gesture.

Later.

Serving and Eating a Brazilian Dinner

Last Saturday evening (8 October) found me at the Cardinal Rigali Center (http://archstl.org/cardinal-rigali-center) in St. Louis. This venue hosted the annual Taste of Brazil Dinner presented by the Viva Brasil Association in St. Louis (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home). I was among the volunteers at this event, helping serve a full course dinner to a sell-out crowd. (Many of the attendees came to the dining hall from a Portuguese language Mass celebrated at the Center's St. Vincent de Paul Chapel.) After helping serve for the first hour, I was relieved to enjoy eating the dinner, which included a green mango salad, chicken stroganoff with rice and shoestring potatoes, and pork chops with creamy pumpkin. It was all very tasty, and everyone I chatted with had a good time. Brazilian music was played over the public address system, and a large screen showed a presentation on Viva Brasil STL and some Brazilian travel videos. I was very happy to have helped out at this event, and seeing some of my friends there.

Early the next morning, I was at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex in Maryland Heights, officating in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Fall Festival youth tournament. These were my first games since last spring and I was concerned about how well I would do. Fortunately, all three games (under 13 and 14 boys) went well, including refereeing the first match of the set.

After my games, I got lunch at Which Wich (https://www.whichwich.com/#!/), a sandwich shop, in Des Peres. I had a reuben with chips, soda, and a cookie. A very nice lunch.

Back to work Monday morning (10 October), I did my part keeping things rolling at our branch. We also started using wash cloths for wiping down interior surfaces and glass, in place of the paper towels we've been using for many months. The reusable cloths are working out very well so far, proving to be more effective than paper towels in efficiently cleaning the interiors.

Late Tuesday afternoon, I was dispatched to our Kirkwood branch to help them out, as they were otherwise down to two people. After I reported in there, my colleague Leah--who had previously worked with me at Ellisville--chatted briefly with me before leaving for an appointment. I got some vehicles cleaned and dropped off some customers. Things worked out very well and the assistant manager, Abby, thanked me for helping out.

After work Wednesday night, I was at St. Louis Community College at Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/MC/) for the final session of Portuguese Language: Beginning I. Sandra, who taught this class on Saturdays, filled in for Priscila, who was moving out of town with her husband. We did some more exercises on basic verbs and their proper use. This morning, I signed up to take the Beginning II class, which starts next week, also at Meramec. I have gotten much from studying Portuguese, and look forward to continuing this class.

Relaxed at home today, doing laundry and watching TV. As I write this, I am watching the St. Louis Blues (https://www.nhl.com/blues/) play their home opener against the Minnesota Wild. This season is the Blues' 50th, so they had some special ceremony before the tame started.

Later.

Serving and Eating a Brazilian Dinner

Last Saturday evening (8 October) found me at the Cardinal Rigali Center (http://archstl.org/cardinal-rigali-center) in St. Louis. This venue hosted the annual Taste of Brazil Dinner presented by the Viva Brasil Association in St. Louis (http://www.e.vivabrasilstl.org/home). I was among the volunteers at this event, helping serve a full course dinner to a sell-out crowd. (Many of the attendees came to the dining hall from a Portuguese language Mass celebrated at the Center's St. Vincent de Paul Chapel.) After helping serve for the first hour, I was relieved to enjoy eating the dinner, which included a green mango salad, chicken stroganoff with rice and shoestring potatoes, and pork chops with creamy pumpkin. It was all very tasty, and everyone I chatted with had a good time. Brazilian music was played over the public address system, and a large screen showed a presentation on Viva Brasil STL and some Brazilian travel videos. I was very happy to have helped out at this event, and seeing some of my friends there.

Early the next morning, I was at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex in Maryland Heights, officating in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Fall Festival youth tournament. These were my first games since last spring and I was concerned about how well I would do. Fortunately, all three games (under 13 and 14 boys) went well, including refereeing the first match of the set.

After my games, I got lunch at Which Wich (https://www.whichwich.com/#!/), a sandwich shop, in Des Peres. I had a reuben with chips, soda, and a cookie. A very nice lunch.

Back to work Monday morning (10 October), I did my part keeping things rolling at our branch. We also started using wash cloths for wiping down interior surfaces and glass, in place of the paper towels we've been using for many months. The reusable cloths are working out very well so far, proving to be more effective than paper towels in efficiently cleaning the interiors.

Late Tuesday afternoon, I was dispatched to our Kirkwood branch to help them out, as they were otherwise down to two people. After I reported in there, my colleague Leah--who had previously worked with me at Ellisville--chatted briefly with me before leaving for an appointment. I got some vehicles cleaned and dropped off some customers. Things worked out very well and the assistant manager, Abby, thanked me for helping out.

After work Wednesday night, I was at St. Louis Community College at Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/MC/) for the final session of Portuguese Language: Beginning I. Sandra, who taught this class on Saturdays, filled in for Priscila, who was moving out of town with her husband. We did some more exercises on basic verbs and their proper use. This morning, I signed up to take the Beginning II class, which starts next week, also at Meramec. I have gotten much from studying Portuguese, and look forward to continuing this class.

Relaxed at home today, doing laundry and watching TV. As I write this, I am watching the St. Louis Blues (https://www.nhl.com/blues/) play their home opener against the Minnesota Wild. This season is the Blues' 50th, so they had some special ceremony before the tame started.

Later.