U10 hot-line: 1-866-206-9066, ext. 8870# / Twitter: http://twitter.com/nasaacadg10 / MNP web site: www.nasaathenaacademy.org/g10-mnp.htm 

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This page was updated February 22, 2012.  Content changes frequently; use your "Refresh" feature to display the most current information.

News:

Wednesday training - "on" as of early afternoon: (February 22)  Fields were open again Tuesday -- good! Wednesday's weather forecast calls for a chance of evening thunderstorms -- bad! Check our Academy hot-line for an update before heading to the fields. Weather permitting, we'll have our first spring goalkeeper session after practice from 6:55 - 7:30 PM. (GK training is an optional "come if you can" session.)

• Playing at home:  If you're looking for some "play at home" activities, check our video site: www.youtube.com/user/wcs3ree/videos?view=pl. The weekly specials are Ball striking and Dribbling: fakes and feints.

Next games - Saturday, March 3: (February 22)  We're off this weekend, then start regular Academy game days on Saturday, March 3rd. We'll post team assignments the Monday prior to the games. Check our schedule link (see menu above) for spring game schedules.

• Game-day procedures and guidelines:  Please take a few minutes with your daughter to review our game-day procedures and guidelines. This will help our coaches keep game days running smoothly. Link: game-day procedures and guidelines

Welcome Alli and Michelle! (February 22)  We welcome Alli H and Michelle to the Academy. Alli recently moved to our area and has been practicing with us. Michelle practiced with us as a guest during the fall and early spring. The girls recently accepted our invitations to join for the spring season. Welcome Alli and Michelle!

Tournament recap: (February 22)  We fielded seven teams between two pre-season tournaments the weekend of February 18-19. All of our teams were able to play twice Saturday, then rain came and washed out most of Sunday's games. Overall thoughts: the girls' enthusiasm and will to compete was outstanding; girls tried to use their skills; there was only minor "rust" from the skills standpoint; the biggest problem was giving up some soft goals due to hesitation or positional errors.

Spring season is here! (February 13)  We're excited to be back in action! Our next practice is Monday the 13th; we're back to our regular field and time slot (see below). Link: training session guidelines

NASA Academy U10 Girls @ United Quest Park: Spring 2012 practice schedule
Day	Location	Time
Monday	Noonday Park, field 1	5:30 - 6:45 PM
Wednesday	Noonday Park, field 1	5:30 - 6:45 PM 6:55 - 7:30 PM: optional GK training (GK starts Feb. 22)
Friday (starting Feb. 17)	see Friday link	see Friday link

• Weather updates:  If the weather looks bad, check our U10 Academy hot-line for any updates before heading to the fields: 1-866-206-9066, box 8870#.

• The "Noonday effect" and cool weather:  When weather is cool or cold, our Noonday practice field will feel 10 degrees colder. You'll notice this as soon as you walk down the steps from the parking lot to the field. Please make sure your daughter dresses appropriately. Link: cold-weather tips

We'll miss you Jay! (February 4)  NASA coach Jay Ingram passed away Friday, January 27th from injuries after being hit by a car while on his regular morning run. Please keep Jay's family in your thoughts and prayers. Jay coached in the U10 Academy for many years through this past spring before becoming lead coach of the U12 girls group. All of our 2nd year girls know him and his positive energy from last year; here's a picture of Jay as St. Patrick last March. NASA is working on some projects to honor Jay. For updates, check either the U12 Academy web site, the NASA web site, or NASA Twitter feed. (We borrowed "yeah baby!" from Jay, so every time the girls say this, we'll be honoring him and his spirit.)

Player evaluation meetings: (February 4)  We're behind schedule on player evaluations. When complete, we'll e-mail them to all parents, along with information about scheduling an optional face-to-face meeting. A typical evaluation meeting takes 20-30 minutes and includes either or both parents. (Players don't attend.) We'll review your daughter's progress, and you'll have an opportunity to share your thoughts about your daughter's and your own experience in the Academy program.

Happy Birthday wishes! (January 17)  We have lots of girls with birthdays this month. Here's a video "Happy Birthday" greeting from the NASA Academy girls after the MLK holiday scrimmage. (Bonus: video of other NASA girls going crazy)

Happy New Year! (December 31)  We have a couple of video Happy New Year greetings from the NASA Academy girls! Links: video 1 (early group) / video 2 (late group)

Soccer-related gifts: (November 22)  If you're looking for soccer-related holiday gifts for the girls, check our "Shameless Commerce" link for some ideas.

Game photos: (October 23)  We thank Bob Kupbens for sharing game action photos from several fall season games:

• NASA Classic (August, 2011): NASA team O'Reilly, multiple games; link: photo album
• October 1, 2011: NASA team Krieger vs. Atlanta Fire United; link: photo album
• October 22, 2011: NASA team Morgan vs. Cobb FC East; link: photo album

Communication channels: (August 12)  We have several outbound communication channels:

• Web site:  The Academy web site is our primary communication channel. We update it on a regular basis. Now that we're starting our season, we recommend you check it twice each week.

• E-mail:  We'll send occasional group e-mails. This has been our primary communication channel during the summer. But as the season begins, we'll switch to the web site as our primary channel, and only use group e-mails for polls or updates related to schedule changes. Some families like us to send to a single e-mail address, others prefer us to send to several (home, work, mom, dad, etc.). If you'd like us to add any e-mail addresses to our distribution list, just send the address(es) to Ward.

  • Notes for Gmail / Hotmail / Yahoo accounts:  Gmail tends to redirect our group messages to spam or suspect e-mail folders (link: work-around). Hotmail and Yahoo often block them altogether. If you have one of these e-mail accounts, you may miss our group messages, but you can still stay current by checking our Academy web site.

• Phone hot-line:  We have a U10 Academy phone hot-line for late-breaking news, usually related to weather updates. If bad weather develops shortly before a practice or game, the hot-line will let you know if plans have changed. Info on the Academy hot-line takes precedence over info on the NASA field status hot-line. Academy hot-line: 1-866-206-9066, ext. 8870#.

• Texting service:  If you'd like to receive text (SMS) messages about any last-minute schedule changes, you can do so via our Twitter account. Link: text updates

How to navigate your daughter's soccer path (parent education article): (February 19)  A recent Soccer America Youth Soccer Insider publication has a good article about evaluating youth soccer options. Link: article

Soccer sense quiz: (October 13)  Something different - we've put together a quiz. We ask that you spend 30-60 minutes with your daughter as she takes a soccer-sense quiz. You can use coasters or drinking glasses or board game pieces to setup the situations in the quiz. Kids should do the thinking and provide the answers, but parents can help as guides.

2009-10 Girls

About the Academy: Formed in May, 2001, the NASA Academy is designed to enhance the development of the North Atlanta Soccer Association's girls at United Quest Soccer Park through professional coaching at the 8, 9 and 10-year old levels (what we call "U10" players). Our mission is to build a strong foundation for the soccer stars of tomorrow, while providing a fun and healthy soccer environment. We've expanded over the years to create U11 and U12 Academy programs. The Academy programs serve as a bridge between our U8 / U10 / U12 recreational soccer programs and the U13 select (i.e., "Athena") program.

2009-10 goofy girls

U10 Academy coaching staff (2011-12):

• Amber Anderson:  volunteer coach
• Mo Gonda:  USSF A license; 15 years coaching experience, including R3PL and college
• Sarah May:  USSF D license; former NASA player; 4th year with the NASA Academy
• Ward Swain:  NSCAA Youth National Diploma; 11th year with the NASA Academy; 14th year coaching U10 select girls at NASA

We’ll also occasionally have older Athena-level players join us as guest trainers. This will allow your daughter an opportunity to see the technical skills that higher-level players must possess.

Highlights of the Academy program:

• Training opportunities three times a week (currently Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
• Weekly friendly matches against other clubs' Academy teams
• Flexibility to move players freely between teams
• Athena Academy camp

The pool of players for the Academy will consist of 30-40 girls, most coming from the NASA recreational program. We identify prospective players in three phases:

• Academy staff evaluates players during training sessions and games with their recreational teams during their league seasons
• We make further evaluations during informal scrimmages in May
• We complete evaluations through structured tryouts after the spring season

Players who are identified as strong candidates will be offered admission into the Academy. There is no obligation to join, however. If the level of commitment isn't right for your daughter or family, the NASA recreational program at United Quest Park will still be available as an option.

Links:

• Frequently asked questions
• Information for Academy prospects

Academy Goals:

• Create an atmosphere where young players are exposed to the game with an emphasis on skill development more than team development.

• Create an environment where players are allowed to flourish in a competitive arena in which the focus of quality soccer is more important than short-term success of winning versus losing.

• Educate our players and parents in the development process and club values.

• We'll measure learning and fun, not scores and standings.