THE FEDERAL OBSERVER

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be to foster an environment of respect and understanding through the game of soccer.

1 THE FEDERAL OBSERVER Volume 6, No. 4 Building Community Through Soccer For Over Ten Years Fall 2002 Mission Statement -As taken from the Boston Strikers Website The purpose of the Boston World Soccer Championship Tournament 2003 shall be to foster an environment of respect and understanding through the game of soccer. Men and women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight, through soccer, shall develop a greater understanding of themselves, and of the diverse international community in which we live and play. Through the physical and tactical understanding of the game, we will see the camaraderie, goodwill, and respect inherent in all people. Purpose To host an international amateur soccer tournament in the Greater Boston area during the summer of To bring men and women of all skill levels, and varying economic backgrounds to compete and be challenged in a productive sporting and cultural experience. The tournament is the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) World Soccer Championship. Gay Soccer Formal gay and lesbian soccer first surfaced in 1980, and the "International Gay and Lesbian Football Association" Organization (IGLFA) was founded in IGLFA promotes understanding from the non gay world through the median of football (soccer). IGLFA has established and supports an international network of football clubs, and promotes physical and tactical understanding of the game of football. IGFLA sponsors and sanctions an annual football tournament for gay, lesbian, and other participants. Proposed Schedule in Boston -Saturday August 2, 2003 IGLFA Board Social -Sunday August 3, 2003 Opening ceremonies Party -Monday August 4, 2003 Free Night in Boston -Tuesday August 5, 2003 Men's Party -Wednesday August 6, 2003 Women's Party -Thursday August 7, 2003 Provincetown Excursion -Friday August 8, 2003 Club Night -Saturday August 9, 2003 Closing Party Feds in Boston Nick Napolitano Every year the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) puts on a tournament, commonly called the Gay World Cup, that draws players and teams from around the globe. Last year's tournament coincided with the Gay Games and was held in Sydney, Australia. This year's tournament is hosted by Boston and will be staged on the hallowed grounds of Harvard University from August 3-9, With the exception of 1997, when Washington, DC hosted the event, the Feds typically bring one men's team to the IGLFA tournament. But given how easy it is to travel to Boston from DC, and how much the club has grown in the past two years, this year we are aiming to field two men's teams and, for the first time in six years, a women's team. In order to include everyone and avoid a situation where team captains are recruiting at cross purposes, the board is organizing two tryout sessions, to be held on Saturday, April 12th and Saturday, April 17th from 1pm until 3pm (location TBD). The tryouts will be designed and run by Vinny Cousineau, Jim Ensor, and Dan White. Women tryout evaluators are still being recruited. Though the board is helping organize these sessions, the tryout evaluators will be solely responsible for player evaluations and team selection. The tryout sessions are completely open and everyone, whatever their soccer experience and perceived skill level, is encouraged to participate. The board will do everything it can to ensure that every Feds member who wants to play in Boston will have a spot on a DC team. Though these sessions are designed to help select teams that will have the greatest chance of competing well in the tournament, they are intended to be an educational tool as well. The hope is that after the tryouts each player, regardless of the team they are placed on, will walk away with a better understanding of their strengths and areas of improvement. The club is a 501(c)3 non-profit after all, and a big part of our

The fields at Harvard are excellent and the organizers are putting together a first rate program that includes nightly parties, an excursion to nearby Provincetown, and an awards ceremony.

2 mission is helping players improve their skills, team play, and all-around understanding of the game. The annual IGLFA tournament is the exciting epicenter of a global gay and lesbian soccer community. For many, Boston is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on an international stage. The fields at Harvard are excellent and the organizers are putting together a first rate program that includes nightly parties, an excursion to nearby Provincetown, and an awards ceremony. Come be a part of it! For more information about the IGLFA World Championships, visit the web site, Further information about the DC tryout sessions will be forwarded to the club listserv as soon as details are finalized. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Andy Sylvia (Andy20009@aol.com) or Nick Napolitano DCnick23@excite.com). Feds Annual Meeting The Feds annual meeting will took place at the newly renovated home of Leslie Engleking and Wayne Scott. The meeting included wonderful food supplied by the hosts (Leslie is available for catering cheese balls made to order.) The meeting consisted of a rehash of the events of the past year, up coming events, club finances and the election of the new board. Congratulations to the New Board President Andy Sylvia Vice President Nick Napolitano Treasurer Tom Van Wagner Communications (Open) At-Large Rep Louis Van Dyck At-Large Rep Michael Pranicoff Special thanks go out to Matt Koch, Leslie Engelking and Matt Kingsley for all of there efforts last year and to their continued support in Rehoboth Beach Classic V Three Feds teams are heading to New York this year for the New York Ramblers Indoor Classic. DC Scramble headed by Walter Schlapkohl, DC Spin headed by Nick Napolitano and Lauren Lads and Lasses headed by Leslie Engelking. We wish everyone the best of luck and have high hopes for one of these teams to bring back a trophy this year. At present all rosters are full. If you are still interested in playing in the games please let someone on the board know and we will see what we can do about getting you placed on another team. MCRDL The Spring MCRDL season is nearly upon us. We're still hoping to field two men's teams, one in Division IIA and another in Division III. Right now there are about twenty confirmed players. We need at least five or six more players before we can commit to registering two teams. Games are played on Sunday in Montgomery County, MD and the season will most likely start in early April and last roughly 10 weeks. The fee is $50 for Feds members and $75 for non-members. If you're interested, forward your name, the position you would like to play, and the division you'd want to play in to Dcnick23@excite.com. In order to make the registration deadline we need to hear from everyone no later than Monday, March 10 th. It s time again for the Rehoboth Beach Classic. It s hard to believe we have been doing this for Five years already. This year the tournament will be held 4 th of July weekend again. Look for details in the Spring addition of the Federal Observer as well as announcement on our Yahoo Groups list. Off the Pitch As crazy as it sounds there is life off the soccer field. There are some Feds out there that have other interest than soccer. As a new feature in the newsletter we will explore the lives of our soccer brothers and sisters. Featured in this issue are Michael Pranicoff (recently elected to the Feds Board as an At-large rep), Marta Alvarado (regular player on the coed teams) Songs for a new World Directed by Michael Pranicoff Says the author of this gripping show, "It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back." Newcomer Jason Robert Brown (composerlyricist of the recent critical smash Parade) has the whole theatre community talking about his blend of 2

that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage.

3 savvy showmanship and exciting contemporary sound. Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to meet a startling array of characters ranging from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage. These are the stories and characters of today, the songs for a new world. With a small, powerhouse cast and a driving, exquisitely crafted score running the gamut of today's popular music, Songs For A New World is a great way to bring the next generation into the theatre. It's a remarkable achievement from a remarkable new voice. Robert gets a new Job As if being the director for Capitol pride doesn t keep Robert York busy enough he has picked up a second job. Yes, Robert York is now the mascot for the DC Freedom. I have Robert York as Glory been volunteering as the Washington Freedom mascot, Glory, since June of 2002 for special appearances, says Robert. Robert is now official as he has signed a contract for the 2003 season. When asked why this got his interest Robert responded, I look forward to helping the team during the season to build the excitement and love for the game of soccer. This is very exciting for me and will bring back many wonderful memories when I was on the varsity cheerleading squad in high school and college. Being able to motivate a crowd that motivates the team is a great experience. Washington Freedom head coach on Glory 2003 "Glory will be a big factor for us during our season. We expect Glory to step it up a notch, in order to make our games even more electrifying. Glory is great with kids of all ages and will help make Freedom games fun for everyone." Staying in shape Vinny Cousineau Treadmill Training for Soccer I see lots of people trying to get in shape by doing minutes of steady running on the treadmill or climbing on the StairMaster, but unfortunately this doesn t help people get ready for the bursts and sprints you ll need on the field. Classic suicides, centipedes, and hills are ideal, but who has the motivation to push themselves without a team or coach around them? The best solution I ve found is a manually controlled treadmill routine that emphasizes changes of pace and speed. This style of routine will prepare you for the mix of aerobic and sudden sprint activity you ll see on the field. And of course, getting in shape can have other benefits as swimsuit season approaches! Below is a sample of one of my routines. Adjust it according to your fitness level, but be sure to hit your fastest sprint at least three times and to build slowly at least twice. Before doing it yourself, look at the over all pattern and you ll get an idea of what I m going for. If you are just beginning to get in shape, please do not do this version of the workout. Begin with what s appropriate for you. Better to start out easy and work your way up! Here is an important point, one that I ll emphasize whenever I talk about training: WRITE OUT YOUR ROUTINE AHEAD OF TIME. Goal setting is important, and if you just go with the flow you might not push yourself as hard as possible or you might over-train. Think about how your workouts have gone in the past. Consider what amount of energy you ve expended in the past 24 hours or will expend in the next 24 hours. Then write out a challenging but appropriate plan. Then force yourself to stick to it unless you feel you are running the risk of hurting yourself. Planning and documenting are important aspects of a productive fitness program. Treadmill Routine Difficulty Level: Challenging 0:00-7:00 Warm up by running at a steady 7.5 mph 7:00-8:00 Run at a steady 8.0 mph 8:00-8:30 Run at a steady 8.5 mph 8:30-9:00 Run at a steady 9.0 mph 9:00-9:30 Run at a steady 10.0 mph (try not to scare the people near you!) 9:30-10:00 Bring speed down to 4.7 mph; raise incline to 7.5% 10:00-13:00 Walk 4.7 mph at 7.5% incline this is great for the glutes!! 13:00-15:00 Remove incline and speed back up to 7.5 mph 15:00-16:00 Run at a steady 8.5 mph 16:00-16:30 Run at a steady 9.0 mph 3

4 16:30-17:00 Run at a steady 10.0 mph (you can make it; it s only 30 seconds!) 17:00-17:30 Bring speed down to 4.7 mph; raise incline to 7.5% 17:30-20:00 Walk 4.7 mph at 7.5% incline 20:00-20:30 Flatten treadmill and increase to full run (10.0 mph) 20:30-21:00 Run at a steady 10.0 mph 21:00-22:00 Run at a steady 7.0 mph 22:00-23:00 Run at a steady 10.0 mph (this is the tough one!) 23:00-24:00 Run at a steady 7.0 mph 24:00-24:30 Run at a steady 10.0 mph (last sprint! 30 seconds!!) 24:30-26:00 Bring speed down to 4.5 mph; raise incline to 6% 26:00-27:30 Cool down at 4.5 mph and 6% incline 27:30-30:00 Cool down at 4.0 mph, steadily lowering the incline Local Play Indoor Soccer Games have begun and rosters are set. Pickup Sunday pickup continues on the Mall next to the Washington Monument from PM near the corner of 17 th and E Streets, NW. Wednesday pick-up has found a home on the polo fields near the FDR Memorial, during daylight savings. For directions and time please visit the Feds website at MCRDL Season Stats: Two teams are planned for the spring of 2003 details to follow. COED Currently one coed team is planned for the spring 2003 details to follow. Upcoming Tournaments New York Indoor March 22 nd Rehoboth Beach Classic July 4 th - 6 th Newsletter Managing Editor/Writer Andy Sylvia Copy Editor Glenn Auvé Feature Writer Nick Napolitano Feds Executive Board President Andy Sylvia andy20009@aol.com Vice President Nick Napolitano DCnick23@excite.com Treasurer Tom Van Wagner uncletvw@yahoo.com H Communications Officer (open) At Large Rep Matt Kingsley (202) matthewkingsley@hotmail.com At Large Rep Louis Van Dyck (410) quint1966@yahoo.com Immediate Past President Matt Koch loanboy999@aol.com Webmaster Nirun Sakulmaeka Become a Feds Sponsor ask about our 501(c)(3) tax exempt status IGLFA 2003 Boston August 2 August 9 Local Events Warm-up for New York Indoor March 16 th Feds annual yard sale May 4

5 Pick-up gets some structure 5

THE FEDERAL OBSERVER

THE FEDERAL OBSERVER Volume 7, No. 3 Building Community Through Soccer For Over Ten Years Summer 2003 DC Ties for Fifth in Boston Boston 2003 FEDS FINISH IN DIVISION ONE! QUALIFIED AS 6 TH SEED! -Nick