Mandatory Power Soccer

I think that power soccer should be made mandatory for everyone who is able to play. Okay, maybe mandatory is the wrong way to do it because then you would have a bunch of people who really didn't want to play, and that would make the atmosphere much more miserable. However, it would be cool if it became more widespread. I think that more people would like to play if they actually knew what it was. I hadn't heard of it until I started playing, so I bet the same would apply to other people. Imagine how fun it would be though if power soccer did become mandatory. It would cause all school physical education departments to buy equipment, and everyone would have to learn how to play. At larger high schools, they could have their own team on the varsity level and compete with other large high schools. In smaller places like Vermont, there could be regional teams with 3, 4, or 5 high schools banding together to play. Imagine that this happened everywhere. We would have thousands of teams. Maybe it will never become mandatory, but let's shoot for those thousands of teams and see what we can really do.

Broken Down

So, some of you might think that I am sitting in my power soccer chair right now because I can't get enough of power soccer. You would be somewhat right. The real reason I'm in this chair right now is because my other one decided to break. We are not sure what went wrong, but it decided to die while I was going up the ramp. That normally wouldn't be a problem because you just shift my chair into manual and roll it in. However, the problem with that would be that the tire locked up and wouldn't turn at all. Of course, that didn't go well, but eventually I ended up inside, and then my chair ended up inside. That would be why I am in my other chair. I am going to end early today because I want you all to look at this story. Last night, the Vermont Chargers were featured on the Fox 44 news in Burlington. I wish I could find the video, but it was sweet.

Team Goals

Well, this snowstorm was not as bad as I feared, but it still was far from fun. Anyway, I would normally write what I want to do and improve at power soccer practice, but I am not going today, so I'm going to write for my teammates.
• Try to have a good time even though you will be without my incredibly exciting aura (read previous sentence with sarcasm). It might be difficult, but I'm sure you guys will somehow manage to have fun.
• Keep the spacing. I know that we are told this all the time, but a lot of times all of us, myself included, forget. It is easy to get into the game and just start following the ball which may lead to a double team. Luckily, I bet that I will commit fewer two on ones than any of you today, so I will be doing better than I normally do.
• Think ahead. Anticipate how the play might develop for a goal. For example, if it looks like the far side post is open, make it to that spot and be an option. Personally, I like scoring goals, and I like when my teammates do as well.

Deadline Deal

Knowing the fact there is a snow storm coming up from the south doesn't make me happy. However, today is going to be very warm, well very warm for winter, so that is happy. And it's Friday, so that is good as well. It is kind of interesting how the NBA trade deadline has been pretty active. Obviously, the Knicks were the big movers, but they have a lot of deals in general. The only thing I don't like about these giant deals in the NBA is that the rosters are not very large, so trading four or five players is almost trading half of the team. Nothing is technically wrong with this, but I would have to assume that it is hard to rebuild the team chemistry when half of the team is traded away. Obviously, it can be done because the NBA always seems to have one blockbuster deal in the middle of every season. All of this being said, I hope that all of the deals work out well for the teams involved, but I also think that Denver will regret this deadline. Carmelo was their star and franchise player, so I don't understand why they let him go regardless of cost.

Photo by Mike Saechang on Flickr

Going Viral

I can't believe that we are getting more snow tomorrow. I just thought that I would start off on that happy note. Anyway, I think that one of the most exciting things about growth is when it takes off virally. For those of you who haven't been in a business class for a while, it basically means that growth occurs exponentially by going from one person to another in a network. Facebook obviously makes this easier given its focus on networking, but many YouTube videos have gone viral just by being reposted on different websites and message boards. This is what I think is going to happen with power soccer and is already happening to some extent. For example, one person with a disability may see a video online and want to develop this team. After that team starts, it might be seen by someone else who wants to start a team. Even though only one person saw power soccer originally, with growth like this, now at least eight players are playing which is a lot more than one. Viral behavior is one of the most powerful things power soccer can do right now, so I hope we continue on that path because when something that is viral keeps growing, it grows faster the longer it goes on given its exponential behavior.

Social Media

I think social media is definitely becoming more popular in the power soccer world. I know that our team has joined the trend as well. It is incredibly convenient to be able to announce an event to everyone who really cares in one concise message. I know that I'm trying to keep our page updated with quotes or other bits of information so that there is a relatively consistent image of our team that appears on Facebook every few days. However, like I said before, our team is definitely not unique. The United States Power Soccer Association, Team USA, and many other individual clubs like us all have fan pages, so that makes it very easy for each individual player to be able to see what's going on with other teams around the country. There is an immense power in social media, but of course it needs to be harnessed and utilized properly. Even if you have a Facebook page, it will not do a lot of good if nobody knows about it. Therefore, there needs to be a commitment to outreach. Our team is doing well with this, and even though we are not one of the best teams in America, we have more fans than any individual team I've been able to find in the country, and worldwide it looks as if we are only bested by Aspire in England in terms of fans. Let's keep working on it!

Photo by marcopako  on Flickr