“Just a quick note about your camp. My son attended your camp as a 12 year old in 1999 at St. Paul’s School, Covington, Louisiana. His coach (who is probably not with you any longer), Andros Kattides put on his evaluation “If you keep up the hard work and with the attitude you have towards soccer, I can see you playing Division 1 soccer in college.” My son’s name is John Tilghman and he signed in February to play for Penn State University-Division 1 with Barry Gorman!”
Dale Burke, Former Executive Director, TN YSA & LA YSA and current Director of Operations, Florida Youth Soccer Association
“Well let me start by saying…. I NEED MORE CAMP BROCHURES!!! There are a lot of parents that I have talked to about Eurotech® as well as coaches and after last year I know I’ll have more kids coming to Wisconsin. I am also writing to thank you. Joerg had invited JT (Joey) to come to Germany and play for him at Allamenia-Aachen while attending camp at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Wisconsin this past summer. Well, we leave on March 4th and JT is staying for 4 weeks. This has been his dream ever since he found out people can actually make a living playing soccer!! (before that he wanted to be a soccer coach!!) None of this would have been possible without Andy Dallas showing up at a tournament in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin! He was demonstrating a “skill trainer” ball and was having fun with all the kids. I talked to him between games and immediately thought, what a class act. Well, I grabbed a brochure for Eurotech® and the rest as they say is history. He as well as Joerg, Renaldo and the rest of your staff are a true testament to why you are so successful with Eurotech®. Well, I just needed to let you know about my son and also the incredible help I’ve been getting from Joerg via e-mail and phone, he has gone to great lengths to make this trip happen - there is nothing I could ever do to fully repay his kindness. Drop me a line when you get a chance and I hope all is well with you and your family. Thanks again Jim!!”
Brian Tennyson, Parent, Croatian Eagles FC, Wisconsin
“Thank you very much for the personal note about camp at Lake Forest College on July 13th. However, I will not be able to attend this year. I am very excited to share my good news. I learned so much at your camp last year. I improved myself and as I finished my Senior year in Varsity soccer, I was named the MVP for my team and All-Conference. It was the best year I have ever had as a goalie and I saw in myself a great deal of self improvement in my skills. For that I want to thank you for a great camp. By taking the goalies out of the group and focusing on our skills and strategies, I felt that I had been given the opportunity to truly challenge myself. The best news of all is that because of my increased knowledge and skills, I have been drafted by Lake Forest College to be their varsity goalie for the next four years and now have the opportunity of a life long dream—to play at the college level. Thank you. I hope you have a great turn out. Your camp is terrific!”
Kristyne Operzedek, Division 3 Lake Forest College, Varsity Goalie, Illinois
“Thanks for the info on summer camps. I will send it on to our girls teams. I know that these camps are great because my daughter participated two years ago and learned a lot. She is presently a player for the women’s team at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL. She had an outstanding year—broke lots of records for the school! Your camp was the best she attended locally in her long career. Have fun---it’s spring soccer.”
Parent, Pegasus SC, Illinois
“I greatly appreciate the Kelme boots. They are a great graduation gift; a new pair of boots is just the way to celebrate what has been completed and what is to come. I also like to thank you for giving me a first class soccer education. With what I learned at the first Performance camp I went to at Illinois State University really changed my soccer career around for the better. Your camp challenged me mentally and physically to become a better soccer player and that’s why I’m here at Alma doing what I like most, playing soccer. Jim, thank you again for the boots, the soccer education, the encouragement, and for being such a great person and showing such passion for the game.”
Bryan D. Less, Former Camper & Alma College (Michigan) Player, Illinois
“This is Curtis Maier from Natchez Mississippi, I attended the St. Paul’s School camp three times and the Nicholls State University camp last summer. I wanted to send you an email thanking you for all the help from Eurotech® - it has made me a better soccer player physically and mentally. I am now currently playing soccer for Co-Lin Wesson Community College as a center right defender or as a defensive sweeper. I have had an injury with my back (a herniated disk in my lower back) but besides being out for two game because of that I have started every game for them that I could. The skills I have aquired from your camp show in the juco level (junior college). Juco is still a big difference from the high school level, but I would never have been able to get a scholarship playing soccer without the help from your camps. Even after I had an ACL replacement surgery during my sophmore year, your camp helped me recover my skills I had not been using while sitting out that year. Our current record is 3-5 overall and 3-3 in conference. We are about halfway through our season and hope to get more wins, ha, but we will see, we have a lot of injuries. Thanks for the training!”
Curtis Maier, Former Camper & Co-Lin Wesson Community College Player, Mississippi
“How are you guys doing? Well, I hope. If you’ve forgotten me, I’m the coach of the Chesapeake Mariners that you did the camp for this past August. I just wanted to tell you how well my girls are doing. The girls are all U-12 and U-13 players and we’ve moved into a U-14 league this year at Virginia Beach Soccer Club. I was anticipating that we would not do as well with the age difference, but so far they have exceeded all of my expectations. Here’s what they have done since camp - In late August they entered the Busch Gardens-Colonial FC Summer Classic in Williamsburg. I was on vacation so Mark and Andy (Chelsea’s dad) took them to the tournament. They were playing against U-11, U12 and U13 select teams and to my surprise won the tournament. As a kick-off to our regular season, VBSC held a fun fours tournament on September 7th. We broke our girls into three squads and competed in two divisions of U14 Girls. We won both divisions, the entire U14 Girls competition, with two undefeated squads. Last Saturday, Sept. 14th, we played our first regular season game on our full size field and the girls played awesome. It was the largest field we have ever played on for the past couple years. They played with width, moved the ball around well to open players, and even switched the field effectively. On defense, they smothered the other team, winning nearly every 50-50 ball. I don’t think the other team crossed midfield but twice during the entire first half. They won 7-0 and we were switching positions on the field to keep the score down. I was real proud of them and I’m sure you would have been also. I’m not going to give you all the credit for their success, but I’m sure the camp had a great influence on the girls. We refer to things your staff taught us nearly every practice and we’ll be looking forward to our next Eurotech® experience. I hope you get this and stay in touch. We’ll be playing every Saturday until November 19th except for Columbus Day weekend. If you’re going to be in the area, let me know and I’ll give you our schedule. The girls would love to see you.” Alan Johnson, Coach, Chesapeake Select SC Mariners, Virginia
“Something my wife and I found interesting is that Stanton made it as a field player and not a goalkeeper. Over the last two years ½ his time has been spent between the posts and only ¼ to a 1/3 of his time in the field. Stanton was already an exceptional student, athlete and human being in every way. Eurotech® took our son, and in one week, sharpened his focus, gave him positive direction and helped him define specific goals (no pun intended!). Stanton came home with a new sense of person, accomplishment and a winning attitude. I want to thank you and your staff for offering such a successful program where kids not only learn soccer, but they learn about life and success as well. Stanton had nothing but good things to say of all his coaches. None more so than Eddie (didn’t get his last name) from the GK Performance Center. I had the pleasure of speaking with Eddie for some time - a very interesting and engaging gentleman. Please pass along to him that I don’t think Stanton will ever forget Eddie’s leadership, friendship and obvious love for the game. Jim/Andy, I will be glad to help you in any way I can with relations between Eurotech®, Botetourt County and the surrounding area. Hopefully our club, Botetourt United Youth Soccer, will be seeking out Eurotech® regarding Team Performance Camps next year. If you or any of your staff are ever in the Roanoke area please look us up. You have my contact info.”
Joel Coman, Parent, Botetourt United Soccer Club, Virginia
“Thanks for your note. Jaime is still at Wofford, the D-I school and playing outside mid, but wishing she was more up front making goals, but the team does not have outside mids who can run the whole game, so she is stuck playing this position even though her ball skills, etc. are far superior to the front line people! Jenna is at NYACK, A D-II college in NY, and playing on the front line. As a freshman she had a good year, but had tons of pressure as the top scorer with 20 some goals from last season, broke her foot early in the season and Jenna really needed someone like her to get through some tough defenses. We watched both girls play some college soccer for the first time and witnessed some beautiful goals by both. Jenna gets here in a few hours from NY and Jaime arrives tomorrow, so we are looking forward to some time together before we leave for Papua. We are in Gainesville, GA till we depart. What is the best # to catch you at? Wishing you a Blessed Christmas, and may your 2003 be the best year ever!! Let us know If you ever want to do a clinic in the jungle! Some huge fans of EUROTECH!!!!”
The Cutts Clan, Parents, Louisiana
“We had a terrific week at the recent residential camp at Christchurch School. The organization was solid, the instruction was excellent, and most importantly, the camp facilities were generally good. (Food was decent, lodging for the girls was good and the athletic facilities were excellent.) I would like to extend my appreciation to all for supporting this wonderful opportunity.
Training and instruction was excellent – The girls drew Londoner Matt King as their primary instructor for the week. Matt had a well organized training program appropriate for the age level and based on a critique I had provided on the team when we registered. Matt adjusted the training sessions based upon his own observations and analysis, and adjusted the sessions throughout the week based upon the response of the girls. The result was a fun and effective week-long training program. Matt is a professional coach and athletic instructor/teacher in England. His experience as an instructor was particularly valuable in maintaining the attention of the 13 pre-teens for 5, 8-hour days of soccer.
Team building – From the perspective of team training and on-the-field team building the camp was a success and a good spring board to the season. By the end of the week the girls were better organized on the pitch, communicating better with voice and body language, and playing more exciting and effective soccer than we were at the end of last season. Sam easily transitioned to her new team, Emily has quickly found her way back. So much so that by the end of the week I was once occasionally again calling her “Lisa”. While still adjusting to her new team from a social perspective, Rhyann made an easy transition to the Galaxy style of play and showed versatility that I think even surprised her.
From my perspective and listening to the camp coordinators, trainers and other coaches (my roommates) the Galaxy players were some of the top students at the camp. They were consistently early to training sessions; wonderfully attentive, responsive and respectful to Matt during the training sessions; and at generally the same level in their technical, tactival and athletic abilities allowing Matt to move forward with the group without having to take a lot of time out to bring individual players up to speed with the rest of the group. Despite having a series of injuries ranging from slight muscle pulls to some foot abrasions Julia ended up easily winning the 12-and-under juggling contest against approximately 130 other campers in our age group. She also won the week-long Galaxy 1v1 competition followed closely by Alex, Lisa and Heather. Lisa and Morgan tied in the finals of the Galaxy shooting competition. In the 18-team 3v3 competition made up of the Galaxy players and the 13 to 18 age groups we had two teams make the semi-finals, Lisa, Heather and Morgan, and Alex, Jennifer, Julie and Ali. The team of Lisa, Heather and Morgan advanced to the finals where they lost in a shootout to a group of 15-year-olds.
Within this very attentive group of Galaxy players, Tina, Lauren, Ali and Emily get extra high marks for focus, attention and hard work through out the entire session. Several players were recognized by trainers other than Matt in the a.m. wake-up session (7:15 start time!). Tina was asked to demonstrate specific dribbling techniques for a group of about 40 campers during the 7:15a.m. foot skills session on Monday morning. Sara received “hoots” of joy from a group of otherwise quiet trainers for her step-over-turn during the early morning small-sided games.
Evaluations
At the end of the week Matt provided each of the girls with an evaluation form. Coach Matt also provided an overall team evaluation that he shared with the girls at the end of the camp. He emphasized five areas that need focused attention:
Communication (organizing and information sharing)
Transition
Recognizing situations on the pitch
Changing the point of attack
Heading and chesting in open play
Bob Fithian, Coach, Springfield YSC Galaxy, Virginia
"Jim, thanks so much for the card at the end of camp. The girls loved the camp at Belhaven College. Several of them have asked if we are going back next year because it was so much fun - I hear them talk about it all the time. They can’t wait to get started this year! We start conditioning in mid-September and can’t touch a ball until mid-October but they are already jumping at the bit to get out there with each other again. I cannot say thank you enough for the team chemistry your camp produced! I have handed out camp brochures to several local coaches and told them what a great experience it was for our girls. I hope that we will be able to come back again next year. We are in the process of raising money for a practice field right now and as soon as we are done with that we will begin raising money for camp. I will keep you updated on our season. Again, thank you so much for all that you and your coaching staff did for our girls!" Brooke Lincoln, Head Girls Coach, Terry High School, Mississippi
"My son just attended one of the camps in Harrodsburg, KY. I am writing this letter to express my sincere appreciation for the way one of your staff members communicated the game of soccer. My son has played competitive soccer for several years and is playing on his middle school team. Colm Muldoon really expanded my son’s knowledge of the game and how to work as a team. Everything was communicated in a very positive way. His energy and passion for the game is extraordinary. My son said that he made the camp fun and gave good communication during drills to understand why he was doing the drills. I am looking forward to sending my son to future Eurotech® Camps. Thanks for the positive experience for my son."
Tom Hartlage, Parent, Mercer Youth Soccer Association, Kentucky
"I know that I have already told you, but I’ll tell you again so you can pass the word along. We had the best camp, and the kids loved Neil and Maurice! I could really tell a difference at the end of the week in the kids and their skills. I can’t thank you all enough for helping us out and giving us the opportunity to meet and have this kind of a program for our town. Our soccer program started about 4 years ago and went from 80 kids to 420 this past spring. I’m sure that we will continue to grow. Our town has always hasd this wonderful baseball team and prided themselves on that program...well our soccer program has far supassed that baseball program! They have NEVER offered such a great and awesome experience as Eurotech® has allowed us to offer! I feel like we have even passed our sister city, Greensboro, in that they haven’t offered such a program either. We will definitely have another camp next year and our goal will be to have twice as many kids. Thanks again for a SUPER JOB! You work for a wonderful company and we here in Pleasant Garden, NC will spread the word! In the next two weeks there will be a big Fox TV sports presentation on our camp, telling about Eurotech®. We can’t wait to see it. It was also on TV Friday evening, but just a small piece. Keep up the super work!! Keep those wonderful fellows coming back! Or as Neil say "mates." Hope you have a great day!"
Cheryl Stone, Camp Coordinator, Pleasant Garden Soccer, North Carolina
"As Camp Coordinator, Kelly Cassidy of the Marshfield Parks & Recreation Department deserves a big pat on the back for taking care of the administration of the camp. There were many, many details that needed to be worked out in order to make this happen. As we evaluated where we go from here, the opinion of the participants is very important. I was given only very positive feedback from the kids and parents that I talked with. The consensus seemed to be that we need to bring Eurotech® back again next year. Thanks for a great week!"
Howard Hoffman, Coach, City of Marshfield, Wisconsin
"Petr worked with the U12 academy boys and part of the U13 Athena girls’ team. He also conducted a goalkeeping instructional session for Titans’ netminders. He stayed with the Currys. We have loved having Petr stay with us. He has been a blessing. Petr is excited and fulfills a lifelong dream to come to America and see it first hand. He is looking forward to the opportunity to come back to the US again in the future, maybe as a student or on a job with a soccer related field. He loves everything about US and has found Americans to be a basically happy people. With all the changes in Czech Republic since the wall came down, there are still adjustments being made to true freedom. The younger generation has embraced the change although the older generation is still finding it difficult to accept and adjust to. He came initially to improve and work on his English skills. He has taught himself 3 other languages as well. He has a 14 year old son who loves and is a skilled hockey player."
The Currys, Host Family, Report from Troup Titans Soccer Club, Georgia
"Fokko worked with the ’91 Titans 9U16 boys team) and stayed with the Piestraks. Fokko was great. He really became like a part of the family. We are still finding little things he left or did while he was here. An interesting story, getting out of the shower one morning, a family discovered someone had written "Fokko is cool" on the mirror in the steam. Of course you can only see it when the mirror is steamed up. We all talked about it and that was that. Saturday after Fokko had left, Matt hollered for me to come to the bathroom right away, I heard the shower running and was somewhat apprehensive. Matt opened the door very quickly, pulled me in and closed the door again. Written on the mirror now was "Thanks for everything, Fokko." We have a thank you note that is encrypted in steam. Later that evening I was changing the sheets in the room Fokko used, Donald came and noticed Fokko had left a practice device, ball with a string you put around your waist for the boys. We discussed so many things and he was very honest with Matt about his skills and abilities. He shared things he needed to improve. He laughed, talked and really seemed to enjoy being in a home sharing an American family, including the craziness. We were extremely fortunate with the support from the other members of the U16 families. They basically handled the lunch break for Fokko daily. It was a huge help. Understanding the youth soccer system in Europe helps me understand the vast difference in level of play between US and European players. The entire process was culturally and emotionally enriching."
Laura, Matt, Donald and Lala Piestraks, Host Family, Report from Troup Titans Soccer Club, Georgia
"Nucu worked with the ’90 Titans (U17 boys team) and stayed with the Luebbers. I just wanted to let you know of a few of the experiences we had with Nucu. We watched him have some new experiences like going to Wal-Mart. His first comment was "You could live in here!" We shopped for his children (clothes) and it was fun to watch him try to pick out the perfect outfits for them. We took him out to dinner twice, first at Cisco’s Mexican Restaurant. The second restaurant was Bonzi the Japanese Steak House. Bran and Fokko joined us there. We put the three of them front and center of the chef. They were all smiles and laughed the entire time. They acted just like kids again. The last night we had him with us we took him on the Yate’s ski boat. He tried to wake board but could not manage it. Afterward he said he just did it to try to cheer Eric up after his accident before we took him to the hospital. That is the kind of guy he is, he really is a very caring man and became attached to Eric. Again Bran and Fokko joined us. It was the first time they had ever been on such a fast boat and been pulled on a tube. Fokko said, "We have to do a camp here next year!""
The Luebbers, Host Family, Report from Troup Titans Soccer Club, Georgia
"Leon worked with the evening recreational campers as well as girls from the U13 and U16 Athena teams. He stayed with the Martins. Not knowing the exact day our Eurotech® guest would be arriving, I made the statement last week that “someone, from somewhere, is coming sometime, to stay with us for a week", being an “owner” of a global heart, Eurotech® hosting provided a wonderful opportunity to connect with a global neighbor! Coach from Holland, represented his family, his country, and the game of soccer so very well! He told many stories of his life both on and off the field. Growing up in Holland, English is taught as a 10 year old. Then, as a 13 year old, German is added, then French. He continued in his study of English and German throughout school. Today, his love of coaching and teaching others the sport he loves, along with his foreign language and athletic skills, have given him job opportunities many would dream of. Five months of the year he’s a ski director/instructor in Austria. Two months of the year he coaches soccer in the U.S. with Eurotech®. Two months of the year coaching in Norway. One month of the year coaching in Holland and then two months vacation! The coaches, with a variety of fun, disciplined and challenging activities, have raised the bar for the individuals who participated in Eurotech®Camp. The coaches, with their skills and their love and understanding of the game, have stretched our boys in their skills and love and understanding of the game."
The Martins, Host Family, Report from Troup Titans Soccer Club, Georgia
"Anjo was the “head coach” of the Eurotech® coaching contingent. He stayed with the Huttons. Anjo trained the U14 Titans’ boys and U16 Titans’ girls. Anjo was from Holland and what we enjoyed was understanding the cultural differences between the US and
Holland. They are primarily a meat and potatoes culture with very little rice eaten during meals. Breakfast consists of whole grain breads and lunch meats. They eat a lot of peanut butter also and enjoy a chocolate spread on their bread versus jelly. Organized religion, while a majority of the people profess to belong to a church, is not growing. They have gone back to more of a strict worship, more classical, and this is driving the young people away. Anjo really enjoyed seeing a traditional southern Baptist worship service and how it was more laid back compared to his church. While they have cars over in Holland, they are a lot smaller than what we have here in the U.S.. Anjo drives a Ford Escort Station wagon and pays nearly eight dollars a gallon for gas. Most young adults will ride their bikes to and from clubs and to school. Most of their driving is within 5 to 10 miles from their home. Anjo first came to the U.S. four years ago and he liked seeing all the things that he had grown up seeing on television about the U.S.. Everything is so much bigger and better than what he imagined. He likes seeing the small town America like you would see in the movies and television shows. Anjo was able to experience riding a jet ski for the first time and going to Dairy Queen for the first time. He has come to enjoy Gold Fish (the food) and Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. Both of those he can not readily get over in Holland."
The Huttons, Host Family, Report from Troup Titans Soccer Club, Georgia
"Bram stayed with the Monleys and trained the ’94 Titans (U13 boys’ team) It was fun to take Bram, Fokko, and Nucu to Bonzai (our local Japanese steak house. They said they have never been to a restaurant like that (they laughed like our kids used to before they knew the show by heart). Bram really enjoyed going out on the lake on Friday night with the Luebbers, McCrary’s. and Yates’. We were going to rent jet skis on Saturday, but they ended up leaving early. I wish we had more time to take him sightseeing. Although Bram spoke very good English, there were a few times when you could tell he either did not understand or did not know the words to convey what he meant. He was very well mannered and very appreciative of everything. His soccer background was kinda sad. He was on track to become a professional soccer player, but tore his ACL (this was one of the things we could not be absolutely sure of because of translation), took a year off to recover, and then was told he could never catch up. He left home at age 15 to go to three year boarding school to become a soccer coach. He is now 21, so he has quite a lot of experience coaching kids. He will start school in the fall to become a school teacher, since the professional soccer dream did not work out. He is still in a semi-pro soccer club, and will start back with that as soon as he gets back to Holland. He was here a bit by chance. His girlfriend broke up with him in March. I asked him if he would have done Eurotech® if they had still been dating, and he said definitely not. He talked about coming back next summer. He likes to watch movies and listen to music. He was very dedicated to his sport (did not smoke, very little drinking, good nutrition). I tried to ask him about his training at home, but the language barrier did not allow for much elaboration on this. His father grows tulips in Holland, and he showed us a picture of his crop (beautiful!).
The Monleys, Host Family, Report from Troup Titans Soccer Club, Georgia
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