The team's sixth, and final, player development session which is scheduled for Monday, March 1st at Junior Diggins. Following are the assigned time slots:
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Robbie Maxfield & Ryan Tannebaum
7:15 - 8:15 pm
Paco Lauciello, Jim Robley, Ryan Novak
8:30 - 9:30 pm
Tim Prendergast, C.J. Brucki, Sam Marc & Jack Lebert
2011 Chicagoland Tournament Champions & 2011 Lombard Tournament Champions!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Warriors Add Palos to Tournament Schedule
The Warriors added a third tournament to its schedule. In addition to the Memorial Weekend and Lombard tournaments, the Warriors will now participate in the Palos July Rumble tournament. The Palos tournament will begin on Wednesday, July 14th and continue through Monday, July 19th. This tournament will conclude the Warriors' 2010 season.
The Warriors are attempting to schedule one more tournament earlier in the summer. One possibility is to return to the Oak Lawn Westside tournament in late June. However, before committing to this tournament again, we are awaiting announcements from Frankfort, New Lenox and Worth on its tournament dates.
The Warriors are attempting to schedule one more tournament earlier in the summer. One possibility is to return to the Oak Lawn Westside tournament in late June. However, before committing to this tournament again, we are awaiting announcements from Frankfort, New Lenox and Worth on its tournament dates.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
One Last Registration Fee to Go
Thanks to everyone for getting the second installment of the registration fee to me on a timely basis. Now, there's just one final installment left.
The third and final installment of the registration fee represents the amount due to the OYA Pony League for recreational play. That amount is $205 and is due on Saturday, February 27th.
If a player makes his High School baseball team, we will refund the third installment as well as half of the second installment of the registration fee.
The third and final installment of the registration fee represents the amount due to the OYA Pony League for recreational play. That amount is $205 and is due on Saturday, February 27th.
If a player makes his High School baseball team, we will refund the third installment as well as half of the second installment of the registration fee.
Shoes
OYA has negotiated a discounted price for matching baseball shoes with SportsStation. I received the following message this morning:
"Rather than having everyone go to Dicks and buying mismatched shoes, we've arranged for special pricing at SportsStation. Fitting will be all day Feb 13 and 14 at SportsStation. All the spiritwear will also be on display and availble for purchase. There will be two types of Mizuno shoes available: a low top shoe for $28 and a mid top shoe for $32."
If you need new shoes and haven't yet purchased them for the upcoming season, you might want to take advantage of this offer.
"Rather than having everyone go to Dicks and buying mismatched shoes, we've arranged for special pricing at SportsStation. Fitting will be all day Feb 13 and 14 at SportsStation. All the spiritwear will also be on display and availble for purchase. There will be two types of Mizuno shoes available: a low top shoe for $28 and a mid top shoe for $32."
If you need new shoes and haven't yet purchased them for the upcoming season, you might want to take advantage of this offer.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Warriors to Travel to Lombard
The Warriors will travel to Lombard to participate in the Lombard Baseball Tournament from Friday, July 2nd through Sunday, July 4th. This will be the first time that the Warriors will play in Lombard.
My hope was to return to the Hickory Hills Tournament during this time frame--the site of our 2008 tournament championship. But, Hickory Hills has just one Pony field without lights--which causes its tournament to span over ten days. If our team were to block out ten days of prime tournament dates to participate in a three game tournament--we would lose all flexibility to participate in a host of other tournaments and likely lost at least four of five games from our overall schedule. So, Lombard it is!
We are still seeking two more tournaments. Another distant tournament looks interesting (four game guarantee for our final tournament): Wheaton runs from July 15th through the 18th. Also, we are waiting for announcements from Palos, Frankfort and Worth on their tournament dates. Information will be posted on this site as soon as it becomes available.
My hope was to return to the Hickory Hills Tournament during this time frame--the site of our 2008 tournament championship. But, Hickory Hills has just one Pony field without lights--which causes its tournament to span over ten days. If our team were to block out ten days of prime tournament dates to participate in a three game tournament--we would lose all flexibility to participate in a host of other tournaments and likely lost at least four of five games from our overall schedule. So, Lombard it is!
We are still seeking two more tournaments. Another distant tournament looks interesting (four game guarantee for our final tournament): Wheaton runs from July 15th through the 18th. Also, we are waiting for announcements from Palos, Frankfort and Worth on their tournament dates. Information will be posted on this site as soon as it becomes available.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Tournament Update
The Warriors will participate in its first tournament of the 2010 season on May 28th through May 31st. This is the Chicagoland Metro League 14U tournament. The site has not yet been announced, but past locations have included Midlothian and Frankfort.
Hickory Hills announced its tournament dates as June 29th through July 7th. I have not yet registered our team for that tournament. Hickory Hills has just one Pony field without lights, so the tournament extends over several days. If a team does not proceed through pool play, it will be idle for a week in July (prime tournament season). Lombard is also hosting a tournament within this time frame--and that tournament looks very promising.
After two decades, Orland Park stopped hosting a tournament last season. Now, two other towns that hosted some of my favorite tournaments over the past several years have decided not to continue: Oak Lawn Baseball for Boys and Homer Athletic Club. They point towards the decimation of their recreational in-house programs from full-time travel baseball as the reason for ending their tournament involvement. I talked with the tournament director from Homer and he pointed out that it didn't make sense to coordinate a tournament in which the host town does not have a team participating!
Now, I'm searching for replacement tournaments. I've called the Chicagoland Metro League director for assistance. Most towns will not announce tournaments until March. I'm expecting to see Lockport, Palos and New Lenox host tournaments--just to name a few. I've also placed a call to an OYA Board member to see if it's possible for us to host a 14U eight team tournament at Centennial Park. If that happens, I'll be looking for some volunteers to help me run it.
Another strong possibility is that our Warriors team will end up playing in at least one tournament with full-time travel teams. Tournaments with full-time travel teams will generally be more competitive--and the field dimensions increase (to 90 feet bases and 60' 6" pitching). Maybe that's a good thing as it would really stretch our players and force us to step up our level of play to remain competitive. Until our tournament schedule is set, I plan to practice the team at both the 80 and 90 feet field dimensions.
Please contact me with any questions or comments.
Hickory Hills announced its tournament dates as June 29th through July 7th. I have not yet registered our team for that tournament. Hickory Hills has just one Pony field without lights, so the tournament extends over several days. If a team does not proceed through pool play, it will be idle for a week in July (prime tournament season). Lombard is also hosting a tournament within this time frame--and that tournament looks very promising.
After two decades, Orland Park stopped hosting a tournament last season. Now, two other towns that hosted some of my favorite tournaments over the past several years have decided not to continue: Oak Lawn Baseball for Boys and Homer Athletic Club. They point towards the decimation of their recreational in-house programs from full-time travel baseball as the reason for ending their tournament involvement. I talked with the tournament director from Homer and he pointed out that it didn't make sense to coordinate a tournament in which the host town does not have a team participating!
Now, I'm searching for replacement tournaments. I've called the Chicagoland Metro League director for assistance. Most towns will not announce tournaments until March. I'm expecting to see Lockport, Palos and New Lenox host tournaments--just to name a few. I've also placed a call to an OYA Board member to see if it's possible for us to host a 14U eight team tournament at Centennial Park. If that happens, I'll be looking for some volunteers to help me run it.
Another strong possibility is that our Warriors team will end up playing in at least one tournament with full-time travel teams. Tournaments with full-time travel teams will generally be more competitive--and the field dimensions increase (to 90 feet bases and 60' 6" pitching). Maybe that's a good thing as it would really stretch our players and force us to step up our level of play to remain competitive. Until our tournament schedule is set, I plan to practice the team at both the 80 and 90 feet field dimensions.
Please contact me with any questions or comments.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Jim Robley Wins Fielding Competition
For the second consecutive week, Jim Robley was the last player standing in the team's ground ball fielding elimination contest at the Megaplex. This morning, Jim beat Jason Waner in the finals. Last time, Jack Lebert was the runner-up. Winning this competition requires making some outstanding plays and consistently accurate throws.
Monday, January 11, 2010
For the Love of the Game: Andre Dawson
Major League Baseball recently announced that Andre "The Hawk" Dawson will be the next player to enter the Hall of Fame. Dawson was just one of three players in baseball history to record over 400 homers while stealing over 300 bases (along with Willie Mays and Barry Bonds). People sometimes wonder how great Dawson might have been if it wasn't for his bad knees. He had 11 knee surgeries and two knee replacements. For years, he played in constant pain.
Dawson believed that getting away from the articifical turf in Montreal would prolong his career. He always had a desire to play for the Chicago Cubs. After the 1986 season, Dawson became a free agent and expressed his desire to play for the Cubs. Dallas Green, the Cubs' General Manager, did not wish to spend the money on Dawson--thinking that it was going to take a lot more than an expensive free agent signing to turn the Cubs around (the team had lost 91 games in 1986).
So, Dawson did something very unusual to make his wish to play for the Cubs come true. He handed the Cubs a blank contract--and asked the Cubs to fill in the amount! Eventually, the Cubs decided to pay Dawson $500k--an amount far below market value for the future Hall of Famer. Dawson went on to win a MVP with the Cubs--but the team still finished last that season.
Dawson declared that he loved the game so much that a major league team would have to "tear the uniform from his body" before he would quit. But, increasing pain from his knees forced him to reconsider while he was with the Boston Red Sox. Dawson said, "It's best that I walk away from the game while I can still walk myself."
Coaching Clinic with Sandburg Coaches
I was fortunate enough to attend a baseball clinic conducted by the Sandburg coaching staff earlier this evening. The Sandburg coaches did an outstanding job presenting the materials and were very patient in answering questions. They were more than willing to respond to all of my questions afterwards as well. I greatly appreciate that the Sandburg coaches volunteered to spend a couple of hours interacting with coaches from all of the OYA Warriors teams.
Despite having coached for a long time now, I almost always walk away from a baseball clinic having learned some new things. Even when familiar concepts are explained during a clinic, often times these concepts are communicated in a different way--using different terms--which can be very useful when trying to determine the best way of teaching the idea to a variety of players who have different learning styles.
I found it very interesting that much of the pitching fundamentals originate from Tom House--one of the premiere pitching coaches in the Major Leagues who worked closely with Nolan Ryan for a number of years. In the early 1990's, House conducted a similar clinic for the league that I was coaching in back then. And, most everything that I know about pitching originates from House's teachings.
After the clinic, I thought once again about the value of education. When one isn't educated, things tends to be viewed in black & white. That is, things can be usually be explained simply and easily. Baseball is particularly susceptible to this--as nearly every American man assumes that he is an expert in all aspects of the national past-time. Yet, those that make their living coaching the game have a greater appreciation for its complexity--and soon begin to specialize in just one aspect (pitching, hitting, etc.) as assuming much more than that becomes overwhelming!
The value of education isn't so much what we learn. It's real value is teaching us how much we don't yet understand--and still need to learn! And, that realization is what then prompts us to seek more knowledge--which leads to development.
"Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know." -- Daniel Boorstin, Historian
"Education is the progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -- Will Durant, Author
Despite having coached for a long time now, I almost always walk away from a baseball clinic having learned some new things. Even when familiar concepts are explained during a clinic, often times these concepts are communicated in a different way--using different terms--which can be very useful when trying to determine the best way of teaching the idea to a variety of players who have different learning styles.
I found it very interesting that much of the pitching fundamentals originate from Tom House--one of the premiere pitching coaches in the Major Leagues who worked closely with Nolan Ryan for a number of years. In the early 1990's, House conducted a similar clinic for the league that I was coaching in back then. And, most everything that I know about pitching originates from House's teachings.
After the clinic, I thought once again about the value of education. When one isn't educated, things tends to be viewed in black & white. That is, things can be usually be explained simply and easily. Baseball is particularly susceptible to this--as nearly every American man assumes that he is an expert in all aspects of the national past-time. Yet, those that make their living coaching the game have a greater appreciation for its complexity--and soon begin to specialize in just one aspect (pitching, hitting, etc.) as assuming much more than that becomes overwhelming!
The value of education isn't so much what we learn. It's real value is teaching us how much we don't yet understand--and still need to learn! And, that realization is what then prompts us to seek more knowledge--which leads to development.
"Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know." -- Daniel Boorstin, Historian
"Education is the progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -- Will Durant, Author
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Season's Greetings from C5
Happy Holidays to all the Warriors players and their families.
Image captured from rightfield of Centennial #5:
Image captured from rightfield of Centennial #5:
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Warriors Announce Megaplex Workout Schedule
The Warriors 2010 Megaplex workout schedule is now available for viewing. CLICK HERE or click on the "Schedule" link located on the right portion of the team's website to access the schedule. Please continue to monitor this site as the schedule is subject to change.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Warrior "Summit"
Here's a recent message from OYA President, Brian Gaspardo:
Hi Everyone,
The practice shirts and hats are finally in, and it's time to have our first summit of all the Warrior teams! All players along with at least one parent are asked to attend a meeting next FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27th AT 4 PM to receive the practice gear, meet the Board, discuss questions and plans for the upcoming season, and purchase Warrior gear for the coming season! The meeting will be at the Orland Park Civic Center adjacent to the Village Hall.
If you have a conflict and cannot attend, please let your coach know. If you have any specific questions in advance, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at oyawarriorsbg@gmail.com. We expect the meeting to last approximately an hour, and we will be covering a lot of ground, so please arrive at 4 PM sharp!
Thank you.
Hi Everyone,
The practice shirts and hats are finally in, and it's time to have our first summit of all the Warrior teams! All players along with at least one parent are asked to attend a meeting next FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27th AT 4 PM to receive the practice gear, meet the Board, discuss questions and plans for the upcoming season, and purchase Warrior gear for the coming season! The meeting will be at the Orland Park Civic Center adjacent to the Village Hall.
If you have a conflict and cannot attend, please let your coach know. If you have any specific questions in advance, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at oyawarriorsbg@gmail.com. We expect the meeting to last approximately an hour, and we will be covering a lot of ground, so please arrive at 4 PM sharp!
Thank you.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Remembering Walter Payton
November 1, 2009 marked ten years since the great Walter Payton passed away. So, why am I am I posting something about a football player on a baseball team's website? I think our players (or anyone for that matter) can learn much from how Walter Payton defined a winner:
“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner…a winner is somebody who gave his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can…who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed. It means they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner." – Walter Payton
As a tribute to Payton, the Chicago Bears prepared a video which you may view by clicking HERE. The extraordinary effort that Payton gave on the field is evident in many of these highlights.
“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner…a winner is somebody who gave his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can…who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed. It means they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner." – Walter Payton
As a tribute to Payton, the Chicago Bears prepared a video which you may view by clicking HERE. The extraordinary effort that Payton gave on the field is evident in many of these highlights.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Warriors Announce Preliminary Off-Season Schedule
The Warriors have 21 off-season events scheduled at this time. Please CLICK HERE or click on the "Schedule" link located on the right portion of this website to access the current schedule.
This schedule is preliminary and subject to change. As always, please be sure to check the website on a regular basis for revisions to the schedule.
The off-season events are optional. If a player experiences a conflict (e.g., other sports, school activities, homework assignments, etc.), he is expected to prioritize those things over these workouts. However, players are expected to notify me if they are unable to participate in a team event.
Please note that the registration fees will be collected in three installments. The first installment ($200) is due by Friday, November 20th. Checks should be made payable to "Orland Youth Association."
This schedule is preliminary and subject to change. As always, please be sure to check the website on a regular basis for revisions to the schedule.
The off-season events are optional. If a player experiences a conflict (e.g., other sports, school activities, homework assignments, etc.), he is expected to prioritize those things over these workouts. However, players are expected to notify me if they are unable to participate in a team event.
Please note that the registration fees will be collected in three installments. The first installment ($200) is due by Friday, November 20th. Checks should be made payable to "Orland Youth Association."
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Parents' Meeting
Our team's parents meeting will be held on November 20th at the Leberts house. You have probably already received an invitation from Anne Lebert to attend a team gathering at her home for that night. The gathering will start at 7:00 pm.
As long as we will have most of the parents together that night, I would like to gather at 7:30 pm for a brief (15 or 20 minutes) meeting to get everyone's input on some open matters. If you are unable to make the meeting, please be sure to call me so that we can discuss the items outside of the meeting.
As long as we will have most of the parents together that night, I would like to gather at 7:30 pm for a brief (15 or 20 minutes) meeting to get everyone's input on some open matters. If you are unable to make the meeting, please be sure to call me so that we can discuss the items outside of the meeting.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Roster Change
The Warriors have made an adjustment to its 2010 roster. James Ullrich has left the team to play for his hometown Orland Hills Timberwolves. C.J. Brucki will return to the Warriors to fill that open roster spot.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Grant Lewis
I had the pleaure of watching Grant Lewis pitch for the Orland Park Magic at Bremen High School in Midlothian this afternoon. Grant played two (2007 and 2008) seasons with the Warriors. He led the 2008 team in batting average, on-base % and runs batted in. Grant also led the pitching staff that season in earned run average as well as WHIP (walk and hits per inning pitched). More importantly, he was one of our team leaders and was always a positive influence for the team.
Grant continues to make significant progress as a baseball player. His performance this afternoon was impressive as he held High School players (including Seniors) scoreless in this outing. The Warriors are proud of Grant Lewis and wish him the best of luck in the upcoming seasons. Click on any photo for an enlarged view:
Grant continues to make significant progress as a baseball player. His performance this afternoon was impressive as he held High School players (including Seniors) scoreless in this outing. The Warriors are proud of Grant Lewis and wish him the best of luck in the upcoming seasons. Click on any photo for an enlarged view:
Friday, September 18, 2009
Baseball's Hall of Fame
My father and I visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York last week. This was my first visit to Cooperstown. You may CLICK HERE to view my photos from the trip. You can also click on any of the photos below to view an enlarged image.
I captured this photo of Doubleday Field. Legend has it that baseball was invented on or near this site.
I captured this photo of Doubleday Field. Legend has it that baseball was invented on or near this site.
The Hall of Fame is a "shrine" to baseball. Hopefully, this photo conveys the almost church-like environment inside the building:
Finally, I spent quite a bit of time reading the plaques for the individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame. CLICK HERE to view photos of some of my favorite individual plaques--including the First Class (the first five players inducted into the Hall of Fame): Babe Ruth, Christy Mattewson, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. I also included photos of the plaques of three of the players who we discuss often during practices: Fergie Jenkins, Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson. I pulled three of the plaques from the Chicago Cubs' famous double play combination and combined it with a popular poem from the times into Photoshop to create this poster:
A Visit to PNC Park
On September 8th, I visited PNC Park in Pittsburgh to watch the Chicago Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The following photo captured the first pitch of the game. You may click within the photo to see a larger version.
The Cubs lead off hitter, Ryan Theriot, started the game with a base hit. Then, the next seven Cubs batters also reached base safely on hits before the ninth batter of the inning, Ryan Dempster, was retired on a sacrifice bunt. The Cubs tied a Major League record with eight consecutive hits to start a game!
The Cubs lead off hitter, Ryan Theriot, started the game with a base hit. Then, the next seven Cubs batters also reached base safely on hits before the ninth batter of the inning, Ryan Dempster, was retired on a sacrifice bunt. The Cubs tied a Major League record with eight consecutive hits to start a game!
CLICK HERE to if you would like to view the rest of my photos from Pittsburgh from that day.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Warriors Announce Roster for 2010!
The rosters have been finalized for the 2010 season. We’ve decided to go with two Metro teams—both of which will have a mix of 13 and 14 year old players.
Tim Swiontek has already confirmed commitments from each of his 13 players. Please contact me at gnagel60@comcast.net or 708-846-1466 (cell) to confirm your commitment to next year’s Warriors team. Note that we are going with a reduced roster size this season to allow for fewer deactivations. All players will hold full-time roster spots with the exception of Jim Robley who once again prefers the part-time option this season. As I mentioned in some earlier blog postings, the registration costs for the travel team will increase somewhat (from $415 last year to approximately $500 this season). That increase will be dedicated to more playing time (fewer players on the roster) as well as more indoor professional development sessions this winter. Like last year, players will also incur the regular OYA Pony League registration fee.
The creation of this second team was very important as it allowed for more players to play baseball—and it allowed for us to allocate most (all but one) of the returning Warriors to one team. If only one team had survived, 13 less players would play baseball and at least four of the returning Warriors would have been replaced with new players based upon the independent tryout evaluations. But, the creation of the second team was a challenge. First, there was the issue of identifying a qualified coach. Then, the roster needed to be populated with enough quality players—even after some of the top performing players at the tryouts were approached by other full-time travel teams.
The first two steps of this process went forward with relative ease. Then, we were faced with a barrier. Tim Swiontek was unable to identify an assistant coach to help with the team! As you know, having success with one of these travel teams takes considerable time—and this requires assistance from other qualified coaches. After calling the parents of each of the 13 players, the team still only had one coach! This lack of an assistant coach was going to be a deal-breaker for forming the second team.
I approached Dennis Bresingham (the coach) to see if he would be willing to assist Tim with the other Warriors’ team. Dennis has the coaching experience—and more importantly a shared philosophy regarding coaching youth sports—to be a valuable addition to that team. More significantly, Dennis then had to ask his son if he would be willing to move to the other team for the benefit of both Warriors teams.
As most of you would agree, last year’s season was a very special one for the Warriors. As a second-year Warrior, Dennis Bresingham was an important part of that. At considerable sacrifice, Dennis has agreed to move from our team to play with the new team. His sacrifice (along with his father’s willingness to coach) resulted in the creation of this second team, keeping the remainder of Warriors playing together, and allowing us to keep our existing coaching staff (Jim Waner, Paul Lebert and Rich Tannebaum) in place. Please join me in expressing appreciation to Dennis for his decision.
I’m really looking forward to coaching this group of players for another season. I’ll be in touch soon regarding an optional Fall workout/scrimmage session for our Warriors!
Here are the rosters:
13/14U Warriors- Tim Swiontek
Bresingham, Dennis
Davis, Justin
Dempsey, Tyler
Giron, A.J.
Gurgone, Matt
Guitierrez, Julian
LeVigne, Matt
McHale, Shawn
Murphy, Matt
O’Connor, Patrick
Sichelski, Trent
Struzik, Zach
Swiontek, Scott
13/14U Warriors- Glenn Nagel
Cardinal, Lance
Knightly, Ryan
Lauciello, Anthony
Lebert, Jack
Marc, Sam
Maxfield, Robbie
Novak, Ryan
Prendergast, Tim
Robley, Jim (part-time)
Tannebaum, Ryan
Ullrich, James
Waner, Jason
Please do not hesitate to contact me at 708-846-1466 (cell) with any questions or comments.
Tim Swiontek has already confirmed commitments from each of his 13 players. Please contact me at gnagel60@comcast.net or 708-846-1466 (cell) to confirm your commitment to next year’s Warriors team. Note that we are going with a reduced roster size this season to allow for fewer deactivations. All players will hold full-time roster spots with the exception of Jim Robley who once again prefers the part-time option this season. As I mentioned in some earlier blog postings, the registration costs for the travel team will increase somewhat (from $415 last year to approximately $500 this season). That increase will be dedicated to more playing time (fewer players on the roster) as well as more indoor professional development sessions this winter. Like last year, players will also incur the regular OYA Pony League registration fee.
The creation of this second team was very important as it allowed for more players to play baseball—and it allowed for us to allocate most (all but one) of the returning Warriors to one team. If only one team had survived, 13 less players would play baseball and at least four of the returning Warriors would have been replaced with new players based upon the independent tryout evaluations. But, the creation of the second team was a challenge. First, there was the issue of identifying a qualified coach. Then, the roster needed to be populated with enough quality players—even after some of the top performing players at the tryouts were approached by other full-time travel teams.
The first two steps of this process went forward with relative ease. Then, we were faced with a barrier. Tim Swiontek was unable to identify an assistant coach to help with the team! As you know, having success with one of these travel teams takes considerable time—and this requires assistance from other qualified coaches. After calling the parents of each of the 13 players, the team still only had one coach! This lack of an assistant coach was going to be a deal-breaker for forming the second team.
I approached Dennis Bresingham (the coach) to see if he would be willing to assist Tim with the other Warriors’ team. Dennis has the coaching experience—and more importantly a shared philosophy regarding coaching youth sports—to be a valuable addition to that team. More significantly, Dennis then had to ask his son if he would be willing to move to the other team for the benefit of both Warriors teams.
As most of you would agree, last year’s season was a very special one for the Warriors. As a second-year Warrior, Dennis Bresingham was an important part of that. At considerable sacrifice, Dennis has agreed to move from our team to play with the new team. His sacrifice (along with his father’s willingness to coach) resulted in the creation of this second team, keeping the remainder of Warriors playing together, and allowing us to keep our existing coaching staff (Jim Waner, Paul Lebert and Rich Tannebaum) in place. Please join me in expressing appreciation to Dennis for his decision.
I’m really looking forward to coaching this group of players for another season. I’ll be in touch soon regarding an optional Fall workout/scrimmage session for our Warriors!
Here are the rosters:
13/14U Warriors- Tim Swiontek
Bresingham, Dennis
Davis, Justin
Dempsey, Tyler
Giron, A.J.
Gurgone, Matt
Guitierrez, Julian
LeVigne, Matt
McHale, Shawn
Murphy, Matt
O’Connor, Patrick
Sichelski, Trent
Struzik, Zach
Swiontek, Scott
13/14U Warriors- Glenn Nagel
Cardinal, Lance
Knightly, Ryan
Lauciello, Anthony
Lebert, Jack
Marc, Sam
Maxfield, Robbie
Novak, Ryan
Prendergast, Tim
Robley, Jim (part-time)
Tannebaum, Ryan
Ullrich, James
Waner, Jason
Please do not hesitate to contact me at 708-846-1466 (cell) with any questions or comments.
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