Adult Soccer Chronicles November 2012

NOVEMBER 2012 // VOLUME FOUR

BTrheewhouse FC

A Drinking Club with a
Football Problem

FITNESS GEORGIA SOCCER PARK LITTLE BIG TIME

Programming Workouts for The wheels are still in motion with Robin Thirsk may be small in stature,
Coaches one of Georgia’s premier soccer but her love for soccer is nothing
parks but large

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NOVEMBER // 2012

CONTRIBUTORS

Editor Hagan Robinson
Creative Director Michelle Manfre
Chiropractic Stephanie Smith, DC, MS, CCEP
Programming Workouts for Coaches Wes Perry
The Georgia Soccer Park Eddie Childs
The Brewhouse FC Eddie Childs
Little Big Time Brian A. Lee

LAST ISSUE?MISSED OUR

CHCRAHODENUCILCTKLSEOISTC.CCOOEURMT!

CONTENT

6. 10 . TOP
STORY
CHIROPRACTIC FITNESS
How chiropractic benefits Programming workouts for 16.
soccer players coaches
THE BREWHOUSE FC
12. 16.
A drinking club with a
THE GEORGIA SOCCER PARK THE BREWHOUSE FC football problem
The wheels are still in motion A drinking club with a football
with one of Georgia’s premier problem
soccer parks

20. 24.

LITTLE BIG TIME PHOTOS
Robin Thirsk may be small in
stature, but her love for soc-
cer is nothing but large

28.

STANDINGS
2012 - 2013 League standings
for ADASL & CASL

ADULTSOCCERCHRONICLES.COM

CHIROPRACTIC // 6

HOW

C+HIROPRACTICBENEFITS SOCCER PLAYERS

WRITTEN BY Stephanie Smith, DC, MS, CCEP

thletes endure many can benefit and enhance their perfor-
hours of rigorous train- mance.
ing day in and day out The sport of soccer requires a lot of
involvement of the lower extremities:
Awith soccer players be- our legs and feet. Due to this nature,
ing no exception to that it is only appropriate that most injuries
rule. Having played soccer at one of are inflicted upon the lower extremity,
the highest levels, fitness require- with ankles being the most common
ments were not only challenging and and knees being the most severe.
demanding but needed to possess Regular chiropractic care can help
a fine balance between anaerobic avoid these common injuries because
and aerobic fitness. Being able to what most don’t understand is that
sprint 10 - 40 yards on a consistent some injuries are the result of dys-
basis with the “rest” being a hard function either in the spine or some-
job in between sprints is one of the place else away from the site of pain.
reasons why this sport is extremely
physically and mentally demanding. total practice days lost
In order to endure, manage, and over- decreased by 43%,
come these fitness challenges, it is use of medicines
important that our bodies are built decreased 70%, and
and ready to take on the demands of player injuries dropped
the game. Today, many athletes are by two-thirds.
turning to chiropractic care for such
accomplishments. Soccer requires repetitive twisting
Typically most associate chiropractic and stretching of our lower back, hips,
with back pain, neck pain, and even legs, and feet as we run and kick
headache issues. What you may not the ball in all sorts of directions. This
know is that chiropractic care can continuous torsion can lead to mis-
address several other concerns and alignments (also referred to as sublux-
ailments, especially those found in ations) of our spine and pelvis, which
sporting activities. In fact, all but one can cause low back, hip, knee, and/
of the 32 National Football League or ankle pain. Even more astound-
(NFL) teams implement regular ing, these misalignments can cause
chiropractor care for their athletes. asymptotic or “dormant” dysfunctions
More applicably, the well known within our body, which are “awoken”
AC Milan professional soccer team, during that moment when an injury
one of the highest ranked men’s pro occurs from an event that seemed
teams in the European soccer league, “normal” and “usual” to you.
introduced chiropractic care to their In other words, even though you
program in 2002. Since then, their may not feel pain today, tomorrow,
athlete’s health improvements were or weeks from now as you perform
astounding: total practice days lost your usual style of play, that “silent”
decreased by 43%, use of medicines dysfunction may become known dur-
decreased 70%, and player injuries ing a task or movement pattern that
dropped by two-thirds.
As a result from these high-profiled ADULTSOCCERCHRONICLES.COM
sporting teams utilizing chiropractic
care, many other professional sports,
collegiate, and even high school
athletic programs are starting to
utilize chiropractic care, so they too

CHIROPRACTIC // 8

is routine to you. To help avoid such inju- +
ries and dysfunction, locating the spinal
subluxations can be done by a thorough
examination from a chiropractor.
A chiropractor, especially those that spe-
cialize in sports medicine, understands
the physical demands required for a
soccer player. That doctor can devise an
injury prevention/performance enhance-
ment program that includes assessments
of the spine and musculoskeletal system
in order to address the athlete as func-
tionally and specialized as possible. This
thorough analysis and treatment plan will
help ensure that the soccer player is per-
forming during their games and practices
at their most optimal level.

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PROGRAMMING WORKOUTS FOR COACHES // 10

ASC

WORKOUT

NO.3

PROGRAMMING

WORKOUTS
FOR
COACHES

By: Wes Perry

ne of the most com- TIPS FOR PROGRAM
mon areas where soccer
coaches fall short when When designing workout programs, you
always want them to be varied and in-
O constructing a practice clusive. A lot of people mistake “varied”
and player development for “random”, but in the fitness world,
program, is strength training. I’m not these two words mean very different
sure if it is because coaches feel that things. When we say varied we mean
they can’t spare the valuable field time, highly differentiated movements that
they don’t see the value in strength don’t allow your body to build a physi-
training for soccer, or because they are cal tolerance to the exercise (and allow
intimidated or uncomfortable program- for a plateau in progress).Ever wonder
ming workouts for their teams. The why tank-top man spends SO much
truth is that it probably is a combina- time doing those bicep curls? His body
tion of things. got used to doing them, so each day he
has to spend an extra hour on them for
DEBUNK REASONS FOR NOT his muscles to get the same quality of
IMPLEMENTING workout as before. (Plus, he really likes
looking at himself in the mirror in that
In the following article, I am going to sexy tank top.) And when we say inclu-
show you how you can create a very sive, we mean encompassing the whole
efficient, soccer-relevant, and effective body. Don’t fall into routines, such as
strength training framework. First of all, legs and abs Wednesday and back Fri-
if you have been following us, you know day. Consider the types of movements
we tend to prefer movements that mimic that are relevant to soccer, and what we
real life actions and include multiple want to improve. I am a big fan of box
body parts, i.e. power cleans, squats, jumps and burpees for soccer players,
and box jumps. Well, the same goes for because those two movements greatly
the duration of our workouts. How often engage the hip flexors and build specific
do we actually spend exactly an hour, muscles that increase the power and
three times a week, at 6:00p.m. doing control of your strikes.
extremely physical work? Right, never.
So then why would we build a training SAMPLE PROGRAMS
program that way? We are going to build
workouts that vary in length from 2-3 Be creative when programming work-
minutes to 15-20+ minutes on the long outs. If something sounds good, try it.
end. Hopefully if you are reading this, you Use your surroundings as equipment.
are already a believer in strength training Use bleachers or picnic tables for box
for soccer, but just in case you aren’t… It jumps, playground structures for pull-
helps. As far as being intimidated about ups, etc… There are literally endless
designing a training program… don’t be. movements you can do at any park.
Strength training is something that can
be as complicated or as simple as you CALL TO ACTION
want it to be. You can buy some $3,000
contraption with levers and pulleys and It is important to add a strength ele-
weights, or you can make your team ment to training on a weekly basis. If
report 30 minutes before practice and your team practices 3 times a week,
have them do 3 rounds for time of box add 2 strength workouts to your weekly
jumps, 20 push ups, and a 400 meter regimen. Also, switch up when you do
run. There is definitely value in weights them, before during, or directly after
and equipment that you find in a gym, practice. It is good expose players to
but just because you don’t have access this type of work at varied levels of
to bumper plates doesn’t mean you can’t fatigue.
create a very effective workout.
ADULTSOCCERCHRONICLES.COM

THE GEORGIA SOCCER PARK // 12

GTHE EORGIA
SOCCER
PARK

The wheels are still in motion with one
of Georgia’s premier soccer parks

By Eddie Childs

lthough it’s renowned for “Anybody can use it, and we do have a
having some of the nicest lot of those same people in the Geor-
fields in the Atlanta area, gia State Soccer Association using it,”
he says. “The Cobb FC (now South-
A the Georgia Soccer Park ern Soccer Academy) uses it for their
is nonetheless a work in youth tournament in February every
progress. And Executive Director Tom year and the Gwinnett Soccer Associa-
Deaver would like nothing more than to tion uses it for their big tournament
finish it. in December every year. There are
also a lot of local groups that use it
“It’s a cool place right now and we have on a weekly basis that are part of the
great fields, but it’s really got a lot of State Soccer Association. And one of
potential to be just an amazing place,” our biggest tenants is a local Hispanic
says Deaver, who spearheads efforts league for youth and adults that’s out
to develop and maintain the non-profit there probably 50 weeks a year.”
park. “We have high-quality natural
grass fields and we’re right by one of The immaculately maintained fields,
the best airports in the world. We could however, ultimately remain the park’s
host all kinds of regional, national, and primary point of attraction for athletes
international events, and it would prob- from across the city. But therein lies
ably be the easiest place in the world to the rub — by Deaver’s own admission,
do that. So that’s kind of our vision: to part of the challenge lies in finding a
develop the park into its potential.” balance between allowing more ten-
ants to play on the fields and limiting
According to Deaver, the park seem- their usage to preserve quality.
ingly hosts a tournament just about
every other weekend. Although it “We actually come up short every
hosts many other sports including year, because we have to limit the
rugby, lacrosse, cricket, kickball, vol- amount of wear we put on the fields
leyball, ultimate Frisbee, and more — to keep them nice,” he says “You
most of the park’s “tenants” are still need a good field to play the game
soccer teams, including several youth the right way, you know. You need a
soccer leagues. “Some of the best nice smooth surface. A big part of it is
soccer we have there is youth soccer maintaining it correctly.”
from the national development acad-
emy,” he explains. “Last weekend, Maintaining the fields correctly, of
the IMG academy was here playing course, requires a great deal of time
Concorde, and the day before it was and effort. For instance, the soccer
the Clearwater Chargers. They play park’s crews aerate the fields approxi-
a pretty exciting brand of soccer. You mate 8 times during the summer, the
know, the guys are all 16 to 18 years grass is cut two or three times a week,
old and looking to go to college, and and the crews constantly fertilize them
I guess some of them are looking to with all different kinds of fertilizers.
go pro. There’s some of them that are
on the regional and national teams as “We’re basically doing the best main-
well, so that’s kind of exciting when tenance program that you can do,”
they’re there.” explains Deaver. “The other thing we
do differently is the way we manage
While Deaver says Concorde tends it — with the people that use it, we
to have first rights when it comes to don’t let them practice in the same ar-
scheduling, he emphasizes that the eas over and over. We don’t let people
park has a dynamic scheduling sys- practice in the goal mouths, and we
tem filled with open times for other rotate the fields we use for different
leagues and organizations as well.
ADULTSOCCERCHRONICLES.COM

THE GEORGIA SOCCER PARK // 14

groups so that we don’t wear out cer- the partnership will allow the Georgia
tain areas over and over. If something Soccer Park to begin development on
gets a lot of traffic, then we’ll rest it.” some of its long-delayed projects.
Though the park’s fields are only avail- “We’ve got all kinds of stuff we can
able by reservation, Deaver says it still do,” he admits. “We opened in
really doesn’t have to turn people away, 2007 with a piece of land that, in 2006,
so long as they respect the fields. was worth quite a bit of money. It was
“We’ve had a couple groups that, you supposed to be sold, developed and
know, wouldn’t anchor the goals, which the construction loan paid, but the
is dangerous, or they would have fans way that the real estate market went,
that would continuously practice in that land ended up not being nearly as
the goal mouths at half time or after valuable when it came time to pay the
the games. But we’ve got a really nice bank back, so we’ve just kind of been
hybrid Bermuda grass that’s probably treading water, waiting to finish devel-
the toughest grass in the world, and it opment and raise some more funds.”
grows like wildfire, so the fields repair Ultimately, Deaver says he hopes that
themselves pretty quickly. As long the non-profit organization will soon be
as we get some rain and some good able to secure more funding to complete
weather to help things roll along.” its projects. “We’ve got 6 of the 16 fields
The Atlanta District Amateur Soccer built; we’ve got the land to build 10 more,
League (ADASL) also recently became and there are a lot of other things that
partners with the park, allowing the we need to do to finish the facility too,”
league to get the first rights to the he adds. “One of the main things that
scheduling so it can schedule games we don’t have is a classroom where we
whenever it wants. The ADASL also could do some educational stuff off the
gets a discount where they pay the field.”
partner rate. Deaver anticipates that

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THE BREWHOUSE FC // 16

THE BREWHOUSE FC

A DRINKING CLUB WITH A FOOTBALL PROBLEM By: Eddie Childs

y its members’ own admis- very familiar with what I was doing
sion, the Brewhouse FC with the youth club,” says Orsan. “I’d
is a drinking club with a held some breakfast clubs there where
we brought the kids over during the
B football problem. But don’t premiership games, since there was
judge them — after all, the no drinking on Sunday mornings. So
team’s members put their habit to we said ‘why don’t you guys sponsor
good use, spending most of their free us for a certain portion of the fees that
time showing kids how to excel on the we’re going to require? And then we’ll
soccer field. still charge the guys who are playing.’
“We definitely have a football prob- So we came up with this idea where
lem, because everybody on the team we’d do some halftime show and some
loves football. It’s a passion for them,” raffles that involved the kids too.”
says Brewhouse FC Team Captain
Serkan “Turkish” Orsan, who’s also After successfully gain-
the Director of Academy at the Atlanta ing sponsorship and
Youth Soccer Association (AYSA). “Six playing through a full
or seven of my teammates coach season, Brewhouse FC
with me [at AYSA], and I really think has now expanded to
that’s something we’re giving back to two teams
the community; they’re all out there
coaching the kids with the passion After successfully gaining sponsorship
that they already have for the game.” and playing through a full season, Bre-
Although the 2011-2012 season was whouse FC has now expanded to two
the club’s first, Brewhouse FC’s ori- teams — one in the second division
gins lie in Orsan’s work with the AYSA and one in the third division of the
and in the ADASL, where many of ADASL. Seventeen players are listed
the team’s members have played for on the roster for each team, with a
various teams. “I knew several play- total of 34 members currently playing
ers who had been playing in different for the club. Significantly, this arrange-
areas and in different clubs,” explains ment not only allows the team to have
Orsan. “And some of these guys I more depth than most of Atlanta’s
hired to coach with me, and once we adult soccer teams, but it also allows
started getting to know each other, we the club to run regular practices and
pretty much figured out that we get scrimmages.
along very well on the field as coaches
and off the field about the curriculum, “Since before the season started, we
so we came up with the idea to do a got together every Thursday for small-
club ourselves.” sided games and practice sessions,
Once the decision to form the club and within the past four or five Sunday
had been made, however, a few con- nights, we got together to scrimmage
siderations remained — not the least each other,” says Orsan. “We used the
of which were fees for registration, training time to figure out positional
field, referees and equipment. Orsan decisions, such as, who’s going to be
took matters into his own hands and better at where; also, we could decide
decided it was time to seek out some which players were going to play second
sponsorship, so he approached the division or third division. And we opted
Brewhouse in Little Five Points.
“It’s where we usually watch all the ADULTSOCCERCHRONICLES.COM
games, and the owners were already

THE BREWHOUSE FC // 18

to pull it together with a combination of that position sometimes, because as a
youth and experience.” mid-fielder, that’s the where you have
to run the most,” he says. “I always
While Brewhouse FC can maintain an liked left-back a lot because of the over-
edge simply through its depth, Orsan laps and additional attacking options
and his cohorts use their skills as a that you could provide. But being 40+,
soccer coaches to help other members it’s very hard to maximize that during
develop their games as well. “We run a 90-minute game with these second-
practice sessions sometimes that I division guys.”
utilize with my youth club, and some- According to Orsan, though, the real
times they’re even harder for secret to winning lies in having a solid
defense. “Of course you always need a
‘You’re going to lose good defense behind you, because you
games, you’re going to have to be able to sacrifice sometimes
win games, you’re going and you might lose it. But if you have
to tie games. The end that good defense and a good goalkeep-
result is what you get er, then you can provide deep passes
from these games. Did to the forward and he can make those
you learn something? runs and finish properly. And that’s re-
Did you enjoy it? Did you ally why I think we have a good team.”
lose a game, but you In the end, the Turkish-born captain
know you played well?’” says the team’s philosophy is really
very simple — if you have the passion
our players,” Orsan explains. “There are and you have a smile on your face, he
some players that need fundamentals, insists that love of the game is conta-
and there are some players who need gious. “It is a game and we’re going
the fitness, so we try to combine both to lose some,” says Orsan. “I always
as much as we can. That being said, of tell my players, ‘You’re going to lose
course, we try to maximize fundamen- games, you’re going to win games,
tals as much as we can and small-side you’re going to tie games. The end re-
it, and then go to big fields where we sult is what you get from these games.
can scrimmage each other and be able Did you learn something? Did you enjoy
to do more game-type situations.” it? Did you lose a game, but you know
you played well?’”
As for Orsan’s own role with the team — And of course, after the game is over,
although he says his traditional position the team can be found at the Brew-
has always been attacking center-mid, house, reliving its triumphs and tribula-
he spent most of last year playing left- tions on the field over a couple brews.
mid and left-back. “I’m a little older than “You know for older players like us,
most of these kids, so it’s hard to play what better than to have a beer and
discuss [the game] like that?” he says.
“Talking about the little maneuvers that
we made and some silly shots that we
took, laughing over it. I think that makes
the Monday morning commute so much
less mundane than it would be.”



LITTLE BIG TIME // 20

SPOTLIGHT :

BIGLITTLE TIME

Robin Thirsk may be small in
stature, but her love for soccer
is nothing but large.

Brian A. Lee