Owls in
Flight

Thanks for your answers to last month’s question of the reasons kids play sports. Here is what 8,000 young athletes said, according to Michigan State researchers:

Girls Play School Sports:
1. To have fun
2. To stay in shape/get exercise
3. To improve my skills

Boys Play School Sports:
1. To have fun
2. To improve my skills
3. For the excitement of competition

The reasons given for club sports were essentially the same. Rounding out the top ten for both categories you only hear mention of “the next level” at #9 for boys playing school sports and #10 for boys at the club level. No mention of this by either the school or club playing girls. Curious to me as many parents quickly cite “college” as the reason for year round club commitments.

What should you take from this? Plenty, actually. It is important to know why your son or daughter wants to play. Is it for the reasons given in the poll or is it a different reason? What are your reasons, as a parent, for supporting this journey? If your child wants to ‘play more soccer or baseball’ say at the club level, that is great but what are his/her goals by doing this? If the goals are different between you and your child, this is usually a receipe for a very strained relationship and generally unrealistic expectations placed upon your kid. This is especially true if your goal is for your son/daughter to play  “At The College Level” but more on the realities of that next time…

As our players, coaches, and parents take the fields, courts, and courses for another great year of Athletics here at Overlake, I will turn my attention to educating you about the state of youth sports far beyond our campus on the hill.

This is truly a different age of athletics in our country. The simplicity of kids playing sports of the past has been replaced in many places with specialization, pressure, and unrealistic goals. I believe this environment does not support Overlake’s Mission nor our Athletic Department’s philosophy of participation, skill building, and education. More importantly, this new view of how and why we should play sports is not healthy for the children of our country.

This year I will make my case for what I believe athletics should be. What can you do? Just consider the information I will send you, consider reading more from the sources, and make your own determination.

We’ll start off with a teaser: Several years ago, Michigan State researchers interviewed 8,000 kids involved in both school and non-school (club) sports programs and asked them about their motives for playing. What do you think were the reasons kids gave for playing? Reply and list the top three in order for both boys and girls and I’ll give you the answers next time.

A few words on each game since we last talked as it has been a pleasure to see these great teams play…

11/3 EC League Tourney Volleyball at BCS – The most nerve-wracking high school sport there is. BCS wins a 5 gamer, 3-2.

11/4 – Tri-District Girls Soccer vs. Charles Wright (loser out) at Sammamish (SHS) – One great (30 yard out) goal by Emily Kelly was all it took. Great D. Owls 1-0.

11/5 Tri-District Volleyball at Seattle Christian – There should be defibrillators in every row. Owls jump up 2-0 only to drop it. We needed a 6’2 hitter! Seattle Christian 3-2.

11/6 – Tri-District Girls Soccer vs Vashon @ King’s – Too much Alli Risa – 4 Goals! Owls win 4-0 and are now going to State (again)!

11/10 – District Soccer Boys Soccer vs. Cedar Park @ SHS – Torrential rain and unstoppable Owls, 8-0. They punch their Spring State ticket!

11/11 – State Girls Soccer @ Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls, Spokane) – Lots of driving, too much Owls. 5-1 in opening round.

11/14 District Boys Soccer Finals vs. Seattle Christian – This remarkable team claims the District Title with a 3-0 win to extend their sparkling record to 16-0-1 and will return for the May State Tourney with a #1 seed.

11/14 – State Girls Soccer  Quarter-Finals @ Okanogan – On snowy, soggy fields, Risa finds net again and the Owls continue to bring their defense, 1-0. ‘The Road Warriors’ are now headed to the State Semi’s.

Everyone, The Next Stop: Girls Soccer State Semis. 11/20 2pm  vs. Connell at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. Be There and Go Owls!

After very successful regular seasons, we have now entered our “second season” – The Playoffs. It is important to remember what our teams need from you in the stands at these exciting games.

Our players need you to:

1. Be supportive of team strategies – player roles, formations, substitutions. Their coaches are all outstanding authorities on the team as they have worked with these kids regularly all season and have played a large role in getting them to this great point. Trust them.
2. Accept referees’ calls, no matter how wrong you perceive the calls to be. Referees are not perfect, they’re human, and they do the best they can. Our players are constantly coached to “play through calls” so we need our fans to support them by modeling poise.
3. Be as loud as you can be, but stay positive. These games are exciting and there will be many mistakes made by both teams. How our players cope with their miscues will usually determine the outcome.

I know these are exciting, nerve-wracking times to be an Owl fan (certainly an athletic director as well). Please know that all of us – players, coaches, parents, and fans – want our teams to succeed and we all play a role in that success.

Enjoy The Playoffs!

We knew this fall would be special. Our senior class is one of our most athletic ever and now that leadership is really paying off on the fields, courts, and trails. 34 seniors are playing a varsity sport and the impact is noticeable:

• Our varsity boys’ soccer team is 10-0, in first place and has beaten every team in the league at least once;
• Our varsity girls’ soccer team is 10-1 overall, with the only loss coming to defending state-champion Seattle Academy at their place;
• Our varsity volleyball team is 7-3 and has won six in a row;
• Our varsity boys & girls cross country teams are not only the biggest xc squads we’ve ever had (24 and 13 respectively) but they continue to have runners break their PR’s on a regular basis.   

With “senior nights” fast approaching, come out and tip your hat to some great athletes and – chances are - you’ll probably see some of the best teams we’ve ever offered.

A first hand account is usually the best way to understand what happened in life, especially if it comes from someone who has seen a lot. The following excerpt comes directly off of a “Game Report”, a new tool I am using this year to get ‘the straight scoop’ from coaches. Though there are up to 37 questions which coaches can answer about their latest contest, it is the last Game Notes (concerns or highlights) for AD which really gives me an idea of the game from our coach’s side. This Game Report comes from JV Girls Soccer Coach Bill Armstrong, a man who has seen many soccer contests, teams, and opponents during his tenure at Overlake:  

There were two lightening delays. The first occurred during halftime. We went up into the stands at Pop Keeney. Having left our bags on the other side of the field, we bunched together and waited for twenty minutes. The Cedar Park players, recognizing that we were cold and wet, brought our players blankets and sweatshirts–and they stayed and visited with our girls. After the game was halted and called because of a second lightening episode early in the second half, both teams cheered for each other. When we boarded our bus, two of their players came over and said good-bye. Despite the score, the wet and the cold, we left with a very positive feeling toward our opponent.

Stories like this remind us of what athletics can be and the memories they can create. Thank You Cedar Park Christian, you made a lot of cold and wet high school girls feel great inside because of your hospitality and sportsmanship.  

Overlake has been a strong soccer school since the days of the 70′s when this campus first opened. We became very competitive when Bob Bristol’s varsity captured the school’s first state championship in 1993 with a shoot-out victory over Bellevue Christian. At about the same time, Bill Armstrong was leading the varsity girls to 13 straight trips to the state tournament. This season two of potentially our best ever varsities are playing so well that new standards could be set. Our varsity boys have given up only three goals in their 5-0 start, scoring at a record pace. On the girls’ side, their 6-0 start may not have the one-sided effect of the boys’ game, yet it has been just as eye-opening. So come out and set your eyes on some great soccer this fall, chances are The Owls will make you drive home happy.

Sports at Overlake need to be both competitive and inclusive. We want the “select” athlete, but we also want the athlete who gave up on sports at an early age or maybe never tried them. We believe both types – and all of those athletes in between – have something to learn through playing sports at Overlake.

This season at our middle school level we are introducing a new practice schedule for three main reasons:    1) Our new daily schedule requires middle school practices start no earlier than 3:15; 2) We need to be both competitive and inclusive; 3) We want to gradually increase our level of practice time as our athletes get older, with the goal of even more students playing Overlake sports throughout their time here.

Add the fact that our facilities are packed every day (soccer alone has 180+ kids playing) and you can see the challenge.

This year we have two different practice formats in soccer and volleyball which allow our (generally) younger teams (gold, white) to three practices a week at an hour each and our green teams (usually a majority of eighth graders) 30 minutes more per day (soccer) or an additional day of practice (volleyball).

This format allows us to meet the range of our students’  athletic needs, add more time to their commitment as they get older (starting with 60 minute practices, then 90 minutes, finally 120 minutes in high school), and we can facilitate it even on our busy fields and courts. This change will introduce even more of our students to Overlake Athletics, develop our kids as they grow, and also meet the needs of the students to whom sports are a very important part of their lives.

Owl Kingdom: The start is always great to a school year and our athletic department is looking at this fall season very optimistically, especially after our fall turnouts yielded 274 students. That great number, combined with the promise of many of our teams including our talented varsities, will make this fall one for the ages at ‘The School on the Hill.’

There are a lot of changes this year at Overlake, the new daily schedule being the biggest. The athletic department has moved it’s practice schedules accordingly so stay tuned to this blog to read about these changes and the rationale which went into those decisions from our end. We believe the changes will make the experience of Athletics at Overlake even better. Go Owls!!!