Kumba Sez

When you're in preseason and it's summertime you need to eat your fruities. Be like Kumba Frank and make your coach proud of you.

Preseason begins

The year has begun and a good start it has been. After a summer of spectacular heat, the first days of training camp have seen temperatures in the 70's with no real heat in sight. I just almost laughed myself sick in the assistants' office listening to the antics of the new/old women's coach as we discussed drug use and the rabbit used by the magician who came to our department retreat---don't ask, you hadda be there.

On a serious positive note, the team averaged level 15 on the beep test, establishing a new high mark. Firstyear Jacob Ebbs (who spent his summer in Bolivia at 12,000 feet altitude) got to level 17:3 for the individual record. I'll attach photos of our new area soon so you see the basic new layout here. 32 on the roster right now.

An early meeting at the field near the cemetery which now serves as a practice area.

We're still working with the resistance bands and getting good results.



Kumba, Tiqi Brown, Mussa Ibrahim, Shvan, Mike N, Corey

Advent of Preseason and Spiderus Giganticus Brownus

Summer travel and all my little vacations are over and we're on the downhill road to my 32nd preseason at Earlham. So much has changed that it'll take more than this post to describe.

Foremost, we have a new assistant men's coach, Tommy Crabill. Tommy's an OWU grad who has been an assistant at Baldwin Wallace and Alma recently. Also a Cincinnati native (Sycamore HS), Tom has already joined us and is helping us prepare for the coming year.

Our old boy Rob Richardson has moved on to Brevard College in North Carolina where he will assist a Div II men's program. We wish him well.

Before Rob left we (mostly he) had to clean out the "tin barn" in back of the former game field (I'll explain later) near the cemetery. As I drew the door down for Rob to exit in one of the green gators, a spider plopped down from above somewhere. It was big (for a spider), maybe about a half dollar size body, dull brown with blue (?) spots on its back. It lasted only a second or two as Rob ran right over it with the gator, completely squashing it.

I know what you're thinking..."Roy was a teenager in the 60's, wasn't he ?". But NO, I really saw it and for the purpose of establishing a scientific record I have named the beast Spiderus Giganticus Brownus. Now we'll have to return to the barn to get out our gear for the season. Not only that, but we have to get the goals and more out of the wood barn (old horse barn) behind it. What really lives in that hole about halfway in on the left ? Sounds like the perfect job for the new assistant and the firstyears to me.

You may have noticed that I labeled the field near the cemetery as the former game field. Indeed it is. We are moving to the former field hockey game field area where we last played sometime in the 90's. Field Hockey moves to the stadium field which will be artificial turf this fall. There are more changes than this afoot and a later post will tell about them.


PS: this late thought: do I resemble John Goodman (star of the movie Arachnophobia) a little ?

Over the past week, our old boy Omar Dreidi dropped by with his friend Ahmad Shami, a friend from Palestine who is in graduate school in DC and Ameer Yusuf from the current team. We enjoyed dinner at the Firehouse in Richmond and remembered old times and teammates. One special topic of discussion was yellow cards,a topic Omar and Ameer know something about. Omar has completed his graduate program and is considering his next step, some of which opportunities will be pretty exciting.

Passing Through

The wedding of Jamie Pettengill in Indianapolis brought several of his team mates through town in February. We spent an hour or so in Tim Hortons remembering old days and telling stories that were at least partially true according to our memories. I updated them on the team and soccer program as it is today and I heard from them stories of medical school and practice, trips to China and Brazil and life after EC in general. I did make a promise regarding honors for the team they played on---details to come. Histories like theirs make me more confident speaking to prospectives today.

Rubber Bands and Craig Bellamy

The latest thing in warmups and workouts seems to be the use of elastic bands. For a chuckle, look up Craig Bellamy's warmup on YouTube. Well, we're under way with our own program, developed by Rob Richardson with an eye toward reducing the number of muscle injuries (largely groin and hamstring) that afflicted us last year.


Along with some running and more routine pushup and situp sets, the guys go twice a week at this point.

Participation is voluntary but just about everyone has been active.

I'm sure the guys in London (who I'm visiting soon) will be quick to copy

The spring non traditional season will begin after break and we hope the mild weather continues
into the spring

We had a solid edge in fitness this past season and we intend to build on it.

Winter Term

Well Term II has started with the usual issues---All the juniors are gone off campus: Chris Marshall, Felipe Buitrago and Mike Carroll in London, Evan Elko in Freiburg, Germany, Iqbal Banwal and Shvan Husseini in Philadelphia. The London group were in attendance at the Arsenal/Leeds cup match to see Thierry Henry score that goal.

We had a boatload of propectives on campus for the MLK Day Preview Day: from CA, TX, MI, NJ (2), IN and OH. Good players all and our sophomore class did a great job as hosts---possibly the best large visit day we've ever had. Although I can't share names or details, I suspect you'll hear from these guys as soon as next year.

Spare a moment to console a Real Madrid supporter if you know one. About 6 of us went to El Rodeo to see the Copa del Rey match this week and watched Barca prove again that they are without equal on this planet. Is it me or is it nuts that Barca always come through midfield passing to men who are standing still ? So much of what they do is really simple technically until they're in sight of goal and Messi plays a pass like he did to Abidal for the winner.

Intramurals, the really serious soccer season on campus, begins soon and the wheeling and dealing for players puts the EPL to shame. Hopefully no injuries, international incidents, etc. I'll keep you updated. Spring soccer begins in March after my anticipated visit to the UK with stops in London, Liverpool and possibly a Thai restaurant in York. Details later.

Enjoy the winter wherever you are---it's been remarkably mild here, and I'll do a recruiting update soon.