Thursday was the second full day of school, and all four teams were engaged productively. The Freshman team all made it to the Computer Lab to do baseline screening for our concussion protocols. We'll be doing this with the other three teams in the coming week. Establishing a baseline makes it far easier to treat any concussions, should they occur.
The remaining three teams all trained at the Dresden fields. We're still working to get the bus transportation right, and today was better than yesterday. Our new contractor is very responsive, and we feel good that this critical element of the daily schedule is in good hands.
Friday, both the Reserves and Freshmen each have a full field to themselves. The Freshmen will be prepping for their Tuesday trip to Pinkerton, and are reminded that they need to contact their seventh period teachers on Friday to alert them to their 2:00 departure.
The Reserves have a full week of practice to get ready for the following one, when they have four games in an eight-day stretch. That will allow us to experiment with a two-squad setup. Rather than flood our sidelines with 36 players, Coach Erik McEwen and I have discussed (with input from players) dividing into two equal teams of 18. Each team would play two of the next four games, ensuring more reasonable rhythm and playing time. An interesting first step may be a few intrasquad scrimmages in the next few days.
The Varsity and JV head to Hampton, NH on Friday for 4:00 games with Winnacunnet High School, on fields only a mile or so from the Atlantic Ocean. Good thing we're not there when Tropical Storm Hermine pays a call on Monday! We petitioned the Friends of Hanover Soccer to underwrite a lobster dinner on the way home, and got a terse answer: Gatorade and granola bars.
This has been a wonderful week. Since last Friday, we have launched four teams with a total of 115 players. We've outfitted them with uniforms, balls, pinnies and cones, juggled them onto practice fields, sent them on three long road trips, and hosted a doubleheader that maxed out the parking lot at Dresden. Getting this done depended on the flexibility, unselfishness and trust of the players, and they have responded magnificently. This week, the emphasis was on getting all of our logistics right, and getting off to a good start in school. It was a pleasure to see today's after-school study hall in the Cafeteria!
We have been sending daily e-mails to the players from a rotations of coaches, with reflections on new ways to think about the game. Hanover teams are always pretty cerebral, and we know that many of them are true students of the game. We love feeding this.
As we settle into a routine, we can really bear down on helping every player improve, setting individual and team goals, and devising ways to meet them. The coaching staff has been tremendous, and they are eager to keep working with your sons. Kudos to Freshman Coach Willie Johnson, Reserve Coach Erik McEwen, JV Coach Yosef Osheyack, Freshman/Reserve Assistant Matt Starr,
Varsity Assistants Brett Wanner and Toby Niles. At the end of next week, we'll welcome yet another coach. Eric Jayne (HHS '11, Dartmouth '15), Dartmouth Soccer Captain and Norman Grant Clark Award winner, will be with us regularly as a floating assistant. Eric is just back from Ethiopia, working on a Dartmouth Graduate Research Grant, and has the fall free before he gears up for medical school. We're lucky to have him!
It's been a busy week, and after a full Friday we are eager to give every player two or three days off.
The Varsity will train on Monday, but everyone else has a three-day weekend. Enjoy your holiday, and we'll see you on Tuesday. This blog will continue every day over the weekend. We'll publish the schedule for the coming week on Sunday, as usual, and will have a few other fairly important pieces of information to share as we look forward to a fast-moving season. Thanks for your readership and support!
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