May Newsletter

Congratulations on Boca Players' College Choices

As we complete one year and take stock of our work on and off the field, this is time to recognize the many accomplishments of our players in the classroom. Graduation is around the corner for our seniors and many of them are in the process of deciding where they want to study and their decisions in most cases include the factor of playing college soccer. Through our college advising program, BOCA attempts to give guidance to our athletes in the College Choice process. The biggest hurdle in this situation is that there are many myths and misconceptions about the role of soccer in acquiring funding for college. Only a few players will command outright college soccer scholarships but the general impression created by youth soccer clubs is that they can "get" soccer scholarships for more youngsters than is realistic. So our task is to educate our players and our parents that the realistic picture is a lot more complex than what is implied by those who repeatedly tell youngsters "come play for us and we will get you a college scholarship." Yet it is also true anyone that wants to get a college degree can do so but they need to evaluate their specific academic and athletic profiles and work to make a good fit with a college that will best serve their purposes. The range of universities and colleges includes those that can offer scholarships in soccer, ones that can give a combination of athletic and academic scholarships, ones that only give academic assistance based on qualifications, ones that only encourage need-based state and federal aid etc. Therefore, the general insistence by many that they want to go and play for a Division I school leaves out many other important considerations such as the size of the school, the difference in cost between public and private institutions, location of the school and most importantly whether the school of interest offers the field of study that a prospective student wants to pursue. We hope to provide additional seminars and hopefully bring people from universities and colleges to assist our athletes in this important process so that they can determine the schools that would fit their particular situation.

Many of our high school seniors are in the process of hearing from colleges and making choices of where to study and hopefully play soccer. Krista Mayes, the manager of our Boca Jrs 90 girls has just written in the summary below to inform us that all of the seniors on her team have been accepted to colleges and made the decisions of where they will matriculate! We also hope to hear from our U19 Boys and Girls managers and/or coaches when the seniors finish their process of deciding on colleges.

All of Boca Jrs 90 Senior Girls Placed in Colleges

(by Krista Mayes Boca 90 Girls Manager)

With graduation just around the corner and final exams and deadlines fast approaching every senior on the Boca Jrs 90 girls team has confirmed their admittance into top notch universities. It is with great pride that the CASA family can say that we have contributed to helping these young ladies distinguish themselves in the hugely competitive educational environment. It is the combination of high expectations on and off the field which have clearly given these student athletes an advantage in the opportunities presented to them in the college admission process. This graduating class of 2008 was challenged with unprecedented admission applications. The University Of California had the largest number of applicants in the university's history. In addition, state funding cuts, and over-enrollment the previous year at several campuses also limited the number of students admitted to their campuses. Other state and private institutions are reporting similar admission challenges for applicants. Many of these players had multiple distinguished offers and had difficulty in deciding which university to attend. Several of them had acceptances to every university to which they applied!

It is with great pride that we announce the following university placements:

• Elena Davert: Claremont McKenna University
• Brooke Harrison: University of Arizona
• Katie Kinney: Loyola Marymount University
• Sasha Lucyga: University of California, Santa Barbara
• Brittani Lum: University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Jennie Marshall: Brigham Young University, Utah
• Lizzy Mayes: University of California, San Diego

The first month of the Boca Skills Academy has been pleasant and inspiring in its third year. Each Monday the numbers have dramatically increased, especially with the Youth Academy. The first two Mondays in April we focused on dribbling and how to beat an opponent. In the month of May we will concentrate on passing and receiving the ball away from pressure.

I am really happy to be around so many little ones who are excited to play this game. As one stands on the levee access of Larchmont Park, you can hear a sea of yellow and blue Boca Shirts skipping and clapping in a rhythmic beat. Our coaches are very excited about the turnout and we encourage everyone to continue to attend the Skills Clinics in the month of May.

GO Boca!!!!

When: Saturday, May 10th 2008 (7:00 - 10:00 AM)

Where: Cal Expo

The Komen Race for the Cure is not just about running or walking. It's about fighting breast cancer. All proceeds fund breast cancer research, education, and screening programs in our community.

This is an important local event that we would like to support as a club. We feel that there is a lot our players can gain by taking part in community service and by working together to help others.

When we accepted the challenge to raise contributions to support the Komen Sacramento Race for the Cure, we outlined 2 goals: to raise $1000 and to get 50 people to walk together on race day.

We have already exceeded our first goal by raising $2045 so far. However, we are falling very short on our second goal. Currently we only have 14 people signed up for the race.

So I am asking all team managers and coaches to help Boca to achieve both of our goals. There are two ways to help:

1. Join the Boca Team by clicking on this link and registering for the race
2. Or by making a tax-deductible contribution that will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for communities in Sacramento Valley.

Please encourage your players and their families to get involved in this important event.

If anyone has specific questions please feel free to contact me.

Melissa Cavitt melissacavitt@sbcglobal.net (916) 396-9759

P.S. It is too late to "officially" join the Boca team for the Race for the Cure, but it is not too late to participate. Here's how: Register as an individual, send me your name and e-mail address, I'll send you info and instructions for race day. You are invited to our breakfast, be in the team picture, and walk/run with the Boca group.

Similar to the specialized skill training that players receive from the club throughout the year, BOCA's goalkeepers have access to position-specific training. In addition to their own team training, the club's goalkeepers put in extra time to fine-tune their skills in the following areas:

• Diving Technique
• Speed & Agility
• Distribution
• Communication
• Breakaway Training

The BOCA Goalkeeper Academy is just one of many unique benefits from the club, and we continue to see the results through individual goalkeeper accolades - but more importantly through team performances and development of players throughout the club.

We're excited to welcome the new players to the club, especially the goalkeepers who will join our weekly training. For more information on the training times and locations, visit the goalkeeper link from the club's web site.

GO BOCA!

Join us for a Boca family picnic at Larchmont on Sunday, June 8 from 10:00-2:00.

The coach v coach soccer game will be at 11:00.

The juggle-a-thon will be at 1:00. Get your sponsors and bring your ball. This is a great way to fundraise for your team.

Lunch will be served and the cost will be $5 per person.

We're looking into other fun games and activities. If you are interested in helping us plan for this fun filled day, please call us at the office, 489-2272.

We want to send off coach Juan Carlos Cortez with the best wishes of the Boca Family as he embarks in the next phase of his professional and academic pursuits! Juan Carlos has been a valuable member of the Boca Juniors Coaching staff and has worked with great enthusiasm and charisma in coaching his teams. Now he has decided to pursue his education and will be working on his Masters degree at National University! In order to manage the inevitable cost of that education he has to put in more hours into his current job and will not have time to continue coaching with us. While he will be missed and the club has to make adjustments in his absence, the reasons for Juan Carlos' temporary hiatus from coaching are so positive we have nothing but the best wishes for him. He has been one of our young bright coaches and the club has been encouraging him to go to coaching school and he recently took advantage of our tuition support to take his first course. We hope that after he is done with his graduate work, he will find time to continue coaching. We have suggested to him that he take advantage of vacations and breaks to further his coaching education by attending either the coaching courses offered by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America or the ones conducted by US Soccer. Along with his qualities such as great personality and enthusiasm these steps will further advance his growth as a coach. Capital Athletic Soccer Academy expresses a great deal of gratitude to Juan Carlos for his contributions to our coaching program and wishes him success and enjoyment as he furthers his academic life. We hope our paths will cross again in the future and that regardless of what he pursues as a profession, there will be opportunities for him to continue to contribute to our great game by coaching youngsters! JC, Thank You and Good Luck!

How long have you been involved with Boca? 2 years

What position do you play? forward

Who is your favorite player? Mia Hamm / David Beckham

Which professional team do you support? England / Boca

Do you have any nicknames? lightning

What is your favorite formation to play? Any, as long as I play forward

What are your strengths? speed

What are some of your favorite foods? chicken pot pie

If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your days, what would it be? Goal

If I looked at recorded shows on your DVR, I would see? Suite life of Zach and Cody

The movie is "my soccer career". What would be the best highlight? Scoring from half

How long have you been involved with Boca? 4 years

What position do you play? Forward / Midfield

Who is your favorite player? Zinadine Zidane

Which professional team do you support? Manchester United

Do you have any nicknames? Bro

What is your favorite formation to play? 4-4-2

What are your strengths? Passing and shooting

What are some of your favorite foods? Taco Bell

If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your days, what would it be? 300

If I looked at recorded shows on your DVR, I would see? South park

The movie is "my soccer career". What would be the best highlight? Scoring from kick off

How long have you been involved with Boca? 7 years

What position do you play? Defender

Who is your favorite player? Cesc Fabregas

Which professional team do you support? Arsenal

Do you have any nicknames? ribbi

What is your favorite formation to play? 4-3-3

What are your strengths? Going in on challenges

What are some of your favorite foods? pasta

If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your days, what would it be? Old School

If I looked at recorded shows on your DVR, I would see? Lots of reality TV

The movie is "my soccer career". What would be the best highlight? Playing for Clive Charles

Favorite Things for Mom Show Mom and CASA Just How Much You Care

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Last week, my son's team (BOCA Jrs 95) resumed their practice schedule at Larchmont Park.

His comment upon arriving at the field was "It's good to be back."

His comment upon leaving the field was "The mosquitoes are really bad this year." and that he needs to get the repellant back in his pack.

Given the number of players the club has on the field per week, perhaps CASA could request the Parks Department to spray Larchmont early this year for the comfort and safety of the players and parents.

In the mean time, we will tell our players to run faster.

Have a team meeting at a Mountain Mike's Pizza and help raise funds for CASA.