Yeah, that's right, WE ARE!!!!!
The following is a copy of an article I submitted to the Jersey County Journal AND to the Jersey County Star [now online]. My next step - and if you want to help, please let me know - is to send SEVERAL pictures of our teams to these papers, too. As you will read, we are doing several things right. Let's toot our own horn for a while. We all know that not all athletic programs in this town can claim this level of consistent performance. Happy reading . . . .
Success Equals The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club
By Brad Kimble
One of the beautiful things about the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club is the fact that it is still alive and growing. The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club was established in 1991 as an opportunity to allow youth in our community to learn the game. Soccer is used as a tool to foster the character growth and development of its players and through this game, coaches can encourage players to develop the skills necessary to work with others, persevere through tough times, celebrate success, and control emotions. These principles provide the foundation for this organization and its efforts to remain active and growing in this community. While, at times, it seemed as though the obstacles outweighed the opportunities, Jerseyville Strykers is, in fact, growing. There are now five committed coaches that are focused on developing the best players in the Jerseyville area: Brad Kimble, coordinator and coach for the U-12 girls team; Ryan Arter, coach for the U-14 boys team; Robb Ridenhour, coach for the U-12 boys team; and, Brady Dabbs and Rusty Kallal, coaches for the two U-10 boys teams.
In the past year, Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club has been very active. Through its participation in indoor competitive leagues, hosting a 3V3 tournament, running concessions at the Jerseyville Legion during Little League baseball games, hosting a very successful youth camp, inviting Jami Swanner of the St. Louis Illusion and CORE Soccer Training to train our players, and winning championship titles with each of the boys’ teams, Strykers has developed a consistent reputation for excellence. Our neighboring towns acknowledge this, too. Coaches consistently compliment our players for their level of skill, unselfish play, and sportsmanship. The Strykers’ reputation is even to the point that a nearby club team encourages our players to consider joining their program – even though we beat them in a friendly exhibition game.
Of course, the success of the Strykers is largely dependent upon its financial supporters. Not only do parents foot the bill for uniforms and tournaments, but local businesses and philanthropists help the organization offset the costs of tournaments, supplies, shipping costs, and advertisements. The number of financial supporters has more than doubled in the past three years. This has allowed the Strykers program to increase its numbers of players from approximately 18 for most of its existence to nearly 80 for the past three years. It is with a deep sense of gratitude that the Strykers would like to say “Thank you” to those supporters. One way we express our thanks is to include the list of sponsors on our summer camp T-shirts, which is approximately 170 shirts. The following is a list of those sponsors:
The Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club would like to recognize and thank our sponsors for the 2009-2010 seasons: [In a really messed up order]
Alfonso’s Pizza
Plaza Cleaners & Laundry
Alton Physical Therapy
Prescription Shop
Arter & Sons Const.
Sackman Gas Co. Inc.
Bishop Family Eye Care
Schell Insurance
Heneghan and Associates, P. C.
State Street Antiques
IMA – Dr. John Palcheff Strang and Parish, LTD
Colonial Title & Escrow
Jerseyville Banking Center
Strauss Concrete Concepts
Lacy Ice Cream Distributing
The Homeridge
McDonalds
Turner’s Tumbling
Norman Brothers Inc.
We Be Ink
Phone Masters LTD
WJBM
