Hello RYSA Family,

As the current President of RYSA, I would like to take a few moments of your time to update everyone on the past 7 months of my term.  We have faced many challenges but also feel  that definite progress is being made.  Our number one goal was to open the lines of communication for the Rec players as well as the Select players.  We have strived to make things better  for everyone and correct past problems.  The changes that we have made and continue to make are only the beginning towards making RYSA a better Association.

The Board has been conducting interviews with applicants for the Director of Coaching position.  We want to assure everyone that this is not a decision that can be made with haste.  Finding the absolute best person for this job is vital to the success of RYSA.  Our goal is to have that person chosen and a contract signed before the end of March.

I would especially like to thank Amy Edwards and Dave Michaelson for their time and dedication to our program.  Together we have been able to put in place several individuals who were willing to offer their time toward the positive growth of RYSA.  The newly selected Coordinators  are Danna Seigle, Amber Patterson, Dwayne Stowe,  Ian Cunningham-U10b, Ivey Suber-U12b, Mark Kirkpatrick-U12g,  Don Miller-U14g, Marc Cranford-U14b.  These individuals will be will be your liason to the Board here at RYSA.  This will, in fact, help bring forth any problems or conflicts that arise, help get them solved and in turn ensure a stronger Rec. program.  In addition to helping with the concerns of the parents and players, they will be assisting in the All-Star Program and also overseeing the player ratings.  Volunteers like these are what make a successful and positive atmosphere for our children to play soccer.

Once again, as mentioned above, we will be having Rec. All-Star teams.  For the first time in about 10yrs we are adding this back to our program.  It was received positively by the Rec. players, parents, and coaches this past season.  As always, there is room for improvement and we welcome any feedback from anyone in the Association.  The first time was a success and any kinks that need fixing will be worked on this season.  We are also working on balancing out the indoor teams so that each team has an equal opportunity when playing.  Another project that we are working on for the future may be having a competitive youth league.  We have been receiving a lot of interest in this area.

We have implemented a new rule concerning the Select Program.  Select coaches may only coach a maximum of 2 teams, thus being able to provide the quality of coaching and time that each team deserves.  Also, I would like to announce that we are one coach away from all the Select coaches on staff obtaining their National D license.  This was an issue that I personally felt strongly about and I want to thank each coach that participated in this course.  I would like to recognize 2 Rec. coaches that took the course as well and received their State/National D License.  Ivey Suber and Mark Kirpatrick- congratulations.  There are 25 plus Rec parents and coaches that have registered to take, or have taken the F or G coaching course and I would personally like to thank them for their participation.  Our goal for the future is to have all Rec coaches obtain their coaching license.  Coaching courses will be available in the near future at no cost.

We have many things in the works for improvement of the complex.  We have some volunteers but need many more to assist in this area.  Online we have listed several things that we intend to fix or replace.  Any valid suggestions from you will be added to this list.  With that being said, the changes that can be made will depend on you.  The majority of the money that it will take to see these projects through will come from our fundraisers.  So, the more money we raise, the more we can do to improve our complex.  I encourage each and every member to strive to do their part in this area.

We have several positions on the Board open and need some people to form a few committees.  More information will be coming out regarding these openings.

Thank you for your time

For the love of the game,

Casey Black