National Sports Center Blog

Tinklenberg video talks about creation of the NSC

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

You find the most interesting things on YouTube.

I was checking that popular video-posting website today to make sure our most recent edition of NSCtv was posted correctly. (We're posting NSCtv both on the NSC's website and also on YouTube. So yes, it was work related!)

As any YouTube addict knows, one of the powerful and intriguing things about YouTube is the list of "Related Videos" that pops up just to the right of the video you're viewing. If you click on the April 17 edition of NSCtv, you'll find a related video that shows Elwyn Tinklenberg reminiscing about the creation of the National Sports Center in 1990. Tinklenberg was the mayor of Blaine at the time the NSC was built, and he is currently running for U.S. Congress from Minnesota's 6th district. This video was posted on his campaign website. El lives just a couple miles from the NSC, and he's still a frequent visitor to our campus for various different events.

It's a nice little video, only 2:17 long, with some interesting historical context, and also some talk about what Schwan's USA CUP meant to a city that back then didn't see many international visitors. Check it out by clicking here.

El has always been a big supporter of the NSC, and this video shows his pride in the leadership role he took to help facilitate our original construction.

Spring is here, so field rebuilding underway

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

If you're reading this from warmer climes that Minnesota, this has been the winter that seemingly will never end. And if you live in Minnesota, you know what I'm talking about. Every time we think spring is here, the temperatures drop and the snow flies again. In fact, just a week ago, we were facing blizzard warnings. In the end, the storm tracked just to the north of the NSC, but we did get two days of slushy snow, wind and below-freezing temperatures.

But four days ago, suddenly, the temperatures climbed into the 50's, then 60's, and now we think that, finally, spring has sprung.

With the ground thawing, it means is that we now can begin to work on conditioning our outdoor turf fields in earnest. This year we will be rehabilitating four fields on the north side of our campus -- M1, M2, I1 and I3. Two days ago we started regrading the fields. Irrigation will be added, soil correction made to eliminate holes and crevices, and new seed planted and sod layed.

Photo: Graders are moving dirt as part of the rebuilding project on fields M1, M2, I1 and I3.

"This year we are trying to be more proactive about turf care, doing all the little things to make our fields as safe as possible," said the NSC's Director of Turf Maintenance Neil Ladd. "In addition to the four fields under major reconstruction, we're working hard on all our other fields, doing what we call 'cultural practices' -- fertilizing, top-dressing, airification, and overseeding."

Ladd expects the four rebuilt fields will be ready for play by Schwan's USA CUP, July 11.

New book profiles U.S. Women's National Soccer Team

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

Paul Phillips (photo right) is a Minneapolis-based freelance sports photographer who has covered many events at the NSC -- National Team soccer games, Minnesota Thunder games, velodrome races, among others. At our request once, Paul even donated his time to the NSC to shoot aerial photos of our campus from a helicopter. You can check out Paul's photo work at his website.

Yesterday we received an advance copy of a new book Paul has photographed, with author Gail Stewart. Portrait of Passion is narrowly a book about the U.S. Women's National Team, focusing on their journey through the 2007 World Cup in China. In a broader sense though, the book is about the love of soccer, growing up in the sport, the beauty of teamwork, and ultimately, about moving on to different things.

The book is strikingly photographed, beautifully designed, and would be a treasured read for any fans who've enjoyed one of the many games the Women's National Team has played at the NSC Stadium over the years.

There's one photo in the book that wasn't shot by Paul, however. We are honored that Paul picked a photo taken by one of our talented Schwan's USA CUP photo interns Dillon Berntson. Dillon's photo of Julie Foudy accompanies Foudy's forward to the book. The picture was taken in the NSC press box before Foudy went on the air as color commentator for ESPN's coverage of the USA vs. Sweden game at the '06 Schwan's USA CUP.

The book can be ordered through portraitofpassion.com. We are also talking to Paul about autographing books at Schwan's USA CUP this July, or at other NSC soccer events this year. So stayed tuned.

USA CUP is Window to the World

By Colleen Bourdon, Recruiting Director

When I go out to meet teams, parents and players I always tell them that Schwan's USA CUP creates opportunities to meet people, make new friends and sometimes to travel halfway around the world for that reciprocal soccer experience.

In July, 2006 we had a team from Northern Ireland playing in USA CUP. This group brought along Leslie Lynas, who said he wanted to volunteer at USA CUP and that he planned to bring his team to the tournament in 2008 (that is about the right timeline for fundraising for an international team).

Well, it's 2008 and good to his word, Leslie is back. He has registered his team for USA CUP Weekend and Week. Leslie made some friends while he was in Minnesota and has set up a homestay arrangement for his team in Coon Rapids with those contacts.

Here are Leslie's comments about his original visit to USA CUP, the plan for his team and the teams from Coon Rapids....

"In July 2006 I travelled to Minneapolis as a volunteer for USA CUP. My goal was to check out why teams from all over the world would travel to this midwest city to participate in one of the world's largest soccer tournaments. What I found was an event so well organized that every eventuality was catered for. I arrived three days before the tournament was to start and although there was very little happening outside on the pitches, the USA CUP office was buzzing with comings and goings. I was given a tour by tournament director Teri Vogt. Teri told me the history of USA CUP and also took time out to drive me around the NSC pointing out places of interest and giving me a little history about the tournament. I spent the next two days helping around the NSC putting up sponsor banners and helping at gift packing, and on registration day helped out at the team activities station. For the tournaments I was field manager and had a fantastic time watching some very talented boys and girls showing off their soccer skills. The sportsmanship and friendliness of everyone was a delight to watch. I was particularly impressed with the parents of many soccer teams and their sporting appreciation for both teams. To see supporters unpacking their seats and placing them 5-6 feet from the side line was something I had never seen before.

I was equally impressed with the quality of the refereeing, and the professional way they set about officiating each match. I witnessed on a number of occasions more experienced referees explaining to younger, less experienced referees why they made certain decisions on the pitch. It was also interesting to listen to the assessors asking questions about decisions they made during the course of a game.

One of the highlights of my time there was watching the opening ceremony. It was fantastic watching the teams entering the arena wearing their team colours and carrying their flags and banners from their home Countries, states, and soccer clubs. As the evening wore on and the music echoed around the NSC I watched as kids exchanged pins and made the longest samba line I have ever seen.

Armagh City U13 Boys

One of the questions I was asked the most was “why did you come here” and my reply was always the same. “I want to go back to N.Ireland and arrange to bring my team, Armagh City Youth, to America to take part in USA CUP.” So in May 2007 the parents of Armagh city U13s got together to hear me announce that I wanted to take the team over to America to play in one of the world's largest youth soccer tournaments. After showing a DVD and giving the parents as much information as I could they agreed to let the kids attend.

So, on June 29, thirty-five American boys and girls accompanied by about 15 adults will be visiting Armagh as part of an exchange visit with teams from Armagh City Youth F.C.  The Americans consisting of two football teams, one boys and one girls team, are from Coon Rapids Soccer Club, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The decision to come to Armagh for their European trip was made following several phone calls and emails between Leslie Lynas and Ian McCallum, Coaching Director for Coon Rapids Youth Soccer Club.  Leslie convinced Ian of the attributes Armagh City and Northern Ireland had to offer, great soccer matches, quality coaches, sightseeing and wonderful people.

During the trip Coon Rapids players stay in Armagh they will be involved in a number of activities in and around the Armagh area.  They will also visit Dublin, Belfast and the north coast taking in the Giants Causeway and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge.

On Tuesday July 8, 60 happy Americans will head back to the US.  They will be accompanied by thirty-fvie kids and adults from Armagh City Youth FC. All will be playing in Schwan's USA CUP.

The team  from Armagh City consist of boys from in and around the Armagh area. They have been playing together for four years and have made friendships that will last a lifetime. Armagh City Youth is a relativity young soccer club and its emphasis is on cross-community and multicultural. The team travelling to the US will probably be younger than most of the teams taking part. There is only one 1993 boy in the team, and five 1995 boys. The youngest member of the squad, Robbie was born in 1996. he is presently attending the local Manchester Utd. School of excellence at his own age group. The team also has three of the boys attending County Armagh School of Excellence.

It is likely the Armagh FC team will face opposition from some of the many countries that participate in USA CUP. Friends and families back home can also keep up with daily scores and find out about the tournament with the daily video show, KickTV."

This proves that USA CUP provides many opportunities, don't forget to sign up now and create your team's memories.

Catching the Schwan's USA CUP "bug," Mike Rolfes style

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

Last month, we posted a blog written by Garry Frankel, a long-time Schwan's USA CUP parent and volunteer. In that essay, Garry described USA CUP as an "addiction," a good addiction, that had affected his family for the past six years.

In response we got another fun testamonial from Mike Rolfes, a Schwan's USA CUP volunteer for "every year but the first." Not all of you know Mike by name, but if you've been to the tournament, you would likely recognize him if he walked into the room. He's everywhere on the campus, every day of the tournament, from dawn until well past dark. Few have such passion for the event, a passion he calls "the bug."

Mike says: "I welcome first-time attendees with the warning, 'You are likely to infected by the USA CUP bug, and there is no known cure." And Mike's annual volunteer commitment is evidence that he's caught the bug.

Mike's great joy is to meet old referee friends, who return to the tournament year after year.

"In the early years of USA CUP, I volunteered as a field manager," Mike says. "I would be in the tent making sure the teams and refs showed up. My friendships with referees began in those tents. Now, when flight 43 lands at the airport on Wednesday and a planeload of UK referees get off, I'm there to welcome my old friends."

Mike tells another referee story:

"I was a field manager at a championship game, years ago. It was a younger division, girls. The center ref was a FIFA ref. After the match, both teams, the parents and the refs spent about an hour visiting and taking pictures. (Back then, the field manager passed out medals, and all of that was done at the field.) Back in my field manager tent the AR (assistant referee) asked the center why he, a FIFA ref, had accepted a young division game, when he clearly could have worked one of the older divisions on the stadium field. The older and wiser FIFA ref looked out -- both teams were still gathered -- and said something like, 'Lad, as you look out and see both teams talking, like this was the best day of their lives, everyone content and happy, well you'll never see that with an older team. This is the type of soccer I want to be associated with.'

"My bet is the young ref's view of officiating changed at that moment."

Many of us on staff know that early morning at USA CUP is a special time, and Mike obviously shares that:

"In the early morning, on a clear and sunny day, before the crowds converge on the NSC, sometimes a group of us volunteers go to the top of the stadium to admire the grounds," he writes. "Fifty fields are set for the day, corner flags are out, garbage picked up, sponsor banners flying and lines freshly painted. At the moment, the world is good, we are content, and I'm proud to be a USA CUP volunteer."

NGB Frustration

by Teri Vogt, Tournament Director

International events, like the soccer tournaments the NSC organizes, require sanctioning by many soccer governing bodies. For NSC soccer tournaments we sanction through Minnesota Youth Soccer, US Soccer and FIFA - Federation Internationale de Football.

Changes in leadership regularly result in changes of procedures and as a tournament director you often feel whipped around by these governing bodies changing interpretation of rules.

One that is affecting the NSC this year is a change at FIFA.  For 23 years Schwan's USA CUP has been sanctioned by FIFA and the timeline has been to submit our paperwork about one year in advance of the event. FIFA approves the rules, sends the "okey-dokey" back to US Soccer and US Soccer issues us a "Permission to Host" form. Each team needs to present this form to their state or international governing body in order to obtain permission to travel.

This year FIFA has changed and is apparently not willing to process paperwork more than 60 days in advance of an event. They have told US Soccer, according to a contact there, not to even send paperwork that is more than 60 days out from an event.  Maybe that timeline works for an international friendly between two national teams, but it's a pretty tight timeline for and event like USA CUP with 1009 teams from 20 different countries. At best, teams will just have a few weeks once USA CUP posts the US Soccer Permission to Host form to obtain permission to travel.

My experience tells me this procedure will be short lived, but my hope is that teams will be patient this year as NSC waits for the Permission to Host forms for its events.

Description of an Addiction

By Colleen Bourdon, Recruiting Director

It's always fun to hear the background stories of how people get involved with Schwan's USA CUP and the impact it has on their life. I asked Garry Finkel, a volunteer photographer from Winnipeg to tell us about how USA CUP became such a big part of his life. Here are his words:

(Garry in action shooting the Kick TV show last summer. l-r, Tara Durheim, Garry Finkel, Mike Woodley, Taylor Kruse)

Like any other addiction, the Schwan’s USA Cup presented by Puma starts innocently enough. You get a “taste” but then things start to take over.

For the Frankel family it started 5 or 6 seasons ago. An innocent little trip by our older son’s U16 soccer team from Winnipeg to the Twin Cities area. They were going into some big soccer tournament at some place called the National Sports Center. Given that most Winnipeggers view Minneapolis as our “big sister” city, we all signed on for the journey.

But what to do with our younger son Jonathan ? Four years younger than his big brother, Joshua, we were concerned that he would have nothing to do. So a quick check of the rather excellent USA Cup web site, and we had discovered the “guest player” registry. So we signed him up and hoped that he could home stay with a local Minnesota team. As luck would have it, he was picked up by Westside FC in Minneapolis and they arranged a nice team family for him to stay with.

We booked in with Josh’s team at a hotel in the north side of town, and we were asked if we could take on a room mate, a guest player from New Orleans !! Yep, a young lad from Louisiana coming all the way to Minnesota, to guest play with a team from Canada.

This first year’s experience at “The Cup” was very hectic. My wife and I and two strapping teen aged lads in a hotel room for a week, parents partying in the lounge every night, running back and forth to Blaine twice a day to catch both sons’ games, and the occasional journey down I35 to visit with Jonathan and his host family.

When it came time to leave, Jonathan did not want to part with his host family. All the way on the 7 hour drive back to Winnipeg he kept asking what a “green card” was and how he could get one. So the hook was now in place but not yet set !!

Late that winter, the subject of USA Cup came up again. As a coach, I would get mailings from NSC promoting the events there. Josh was now with a different team that was not planning any journeys. He had just qualified, however, as a senior referee and had approached other Winnipeg referees that he had seen at USA Cup the season before about the situation. At the same time, Jonathan had kept in touch with his new pals at Westside FC. By March, the die was cast.

Year two at USA Cup had Josh going down with an older senior referee (who had agreed to play in loco parentis for the dorms at NSC) and once again Jonathan had been invited back to spend a week with a host family from their team. So my wife Debbie and I found a place of our own. This time we parked on the south side of town near the world famous Mall. Almost a second honeymoon, as we got to see the boys each day and then get rid of them each evening !! We were, however, becoming regulars on the twisty route of I35.

Each day we could catch Jonathan’s game and search around to find where Josh was doing the ref thing. It was funny, because folks from the two competing teams would ask us which team we were cheering for. When we told them we came to cheer for the ref, it would get a big laugh. Josh was also making a lot of friends amongst the officials, many of whom were from far away foreign lands. One in particular, a young ref from England named Ezra who was there with his dad and the “British Contingent”, was fast becoming good mates with Josh. This would become significant in years to come.

We finish up year two at USA Cup as seasoned veterans. Once again Jonathan did not want to leave Minnesota, and by now he knew what a green card was. Josh had made many new pals from around the world while officiating at the event. Debbie and I had a lot of fun. The hook was now firmly set. We already knew we would be returning. The addiction was taking hold.

Going into our third year at USA Cup was a given. We had booked the same hotel long before. Josh had kept in touch with some of the younger referees, especially Ezra, and because he was now 18, no longer needed a sponsor. In fact, the boys had planned for Ezra to come back to Winnipeg with us after the tournament to spend some quality time in Canada (we share the same Queen !!). The only catch, Jonathan’s old pals were not going to be able to use him this time. So back to the guest registry.

Jonathan got selected by another area team, this time from North East Soccer across town. Once again he had a super host family to stay with. By this time we were all USA Cup pros. We knew all the short cuts, where the traffic snarls would be, how to snag a good parking spot, and we still had our love/hate relationship with I35. I was ready to settle into another week of no responsibility.

“Best laid plans” as the saying goes, the host team does not have an assistant coach for The Cup, and as I am a qualified and experienced competitive coach at home, I am drafted into the job (well I guess I sort of volunteered). Early into the tournament the coach had some employment related difficulties, so suddenly I had gone from a week with my feet up, to running a team in the cup.

This year the journey back home was more interesting, as now we would be hosting a visitor from the UK. Jonathan had extended his network of contacts, Debbie had dragged me to IKEA, and I had notched another team as a coach. If there had been any hope of the Frankel family loosing our addiction to this strange week in July, it was gone. We were now engaged, hook, line, and sinker.

When we first started on this madness the Canadian Dollar was around 68 % of the American Dollar (punishing). And gasoline was well under $1.00 US per gallon. Now the Canadian Dollar was creeping closer to the US, but gasoline had risen to well over $1.00 per gallon. So when we began making our plans for the next USA Cup, I started searching for lodging a little closer to Blaine. With the improving exchange rate I figured we could afford a little more for lodging if we save some on gas. As well, our little ‘nest’ on the south side kept raising the rates every year. My search paid off. I found a great place not far from NSC that was nicer and actually cheaper. Sorry folks, this will have to stay a secret !!! After my experience actually participating at USA Cup, I felt I wanted to be a little more involved. But what to do ? Coaching would be a little bit like a busman’s holiday, as I was still coaching at home.

I had recently resurrected my interest in photography and was involved as a volunteer with Special Olympics and all our local soccer organizations as a photographer. I applied to the Media Department to volunteer for the cup and was accepted into a very small, active group of folks pretty much as nutty as I am. So I was all the way into the very heart of the thing now.

Jonathan now had so many contacts there that after some e-mail blasts he was able to hook up with some old pals who were on new teams, and he was once again good to go. Josh was all set to rendezvous with Ezra again at the ref’s dorms. Ezra was planning his second trip to Manitoba for after the tournament. All was set up and I think even the US border guard was starting to recognize us.

For our boys, this season’s cup was pretty much business as usual. For me it was a huge new adventure. Now I was meeting new people, mostly young interns, and learning a whole new role there. The big surprise was just how much work goes into keeping the cup on people’s minds all around the world. And the role of getting pictures, interviews, and stories up on the web and into USA Cup publications. My addiction was almost becoming a religion. As we checked out of our hotel at the end of the week, I made sure to make the reservation for the next year before anyone else could discover our place.

Last years Cup seems almost routine. Our family’s life seemed to revolve around plans for the annual trip south in July. Once again I would be working with “the crew”, Jonathan’s network had found him another team/family for the week. Sadly, this year Josh would not be coming down as he was working on finishing his BSc at university. Ezra, on the other hand, substituted as our on site ref son, as he was back yet again, and once more would be making the trek north to what has become almost his second home.

For me, things were actually a bit more exciting as a Cup volunteer. I had a better idea of the structure of the whole event, I knew the people, and could try to make a bigger contribution. I also got to do some really cool photography. The helicopter ride, with me hanging out the door to do aerial shots, was probably the highlight of the season. This year’s new addition to the media crew was the daily online video story. It was great fun to watch all those talented young people put in many hours a day, just to make a 5 minute video. The strangest adaptation was I suddenly found myself referring to the army of people working there as “we” rather than “they”.

When weeks after the cup the tragedy befell the I35 bridge, we felt as though we knew the folks who had been affected. Every year that route and that bridge had become part of our lives as well. Although we live 600 miles away, it seemed as if it had happened to us and our neighbours.

A bit of a bonus this year was the fall visit to Winnipeg by the USA Cup’s own Colleen Bourdon and Vicki Barnes. So I grabbed a few cameras and made sure to document the fine work they do traveling like gypsies from city to city to promote ‘our’ Cup.

As USA Cup 2008 approaches, we find the Frankel’s once again making plans for what is now the annual visit south in July. Once again we have secured our secret hotel for Debbie and I. Josh hopes to be able to get down there again to ref. Jonathan has started to activate his “network”. This will be Jonathan’s last year as a youth player. No worries though, as he is also a senior referee and looks forward to changing his role after this year. I am hoping the good folks in media will have me back for the privilege of working with such a fine group. Once again Ezra will make the journey across the Atlantic and half way across this continent.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. This May, to celebrate the year of our 30th wedding anniversary, Debbie and I will be heading to the UK. Now we get to meet Ezra’s family. I am sure we will smuggle some USA Cup brochures to drop around the UK while we are there. We also hope that they will be able to come over here this summer and visit with us.

So I would caution all of you reading this too long tale. The USA Cup is a highly addictive, insidious event. Once it works it’s way into your system, it will never let go. You have been warned !!

What does USA CUP have to do with bull fighting?

by Teri Vogt, tournament director

You know the old saying "five degrees of separation?"  My new theory is that everything is somehow connected to USA CUP.  Recently I went to an event where my college friend, Michael Crouser, was releasing a photo book about bullfighting - Los Toros.  Even this event was connected to USA CUP!  Several years ago I ran into Mike at USA CUP. I was totally surprised to see him and asked him what he was doing at USA CUP? It was such a nice connection. When Mike was 25 he sponsored a boy from Ecuador through the Christian Children's Fund. He started sponsoring Diego Santiago Pila when he was 8 years old.  Mike met Diego in person four years later when he was in Quito shooting photos of bullfights.  Over the next three years, Mike visited Ecuador once a year during the Fiestas de Quito and his friendship with Diego and his family grew more special. Another contact of Mike's Carlos Montufar - director of the Quito Christian Children's Fund - organized a trip to USA CUP with a group of kids in 1997, and Diego, then 15, was invited to join the team. Knowing that Mike was here, comforted Deigo's family and helped them approve the trip.  Prior to this, no one from Diego's family had ever traveled outside of Ecuador, nor riden on an airplane. Diego stayed in a homestay with a family from Centennial Soccer Club, and Mike tagged along with the team all week. USA CUP was extraodinary week for them all. Mike has twice been back to Ecuador since, visiting Diego each time.  Next December Mike has plans to go there again.  Diego is now 25, the age that Mike was when he first sponsored the boy.  Diego works in Quito for a courier service and is doing well. Mike counts he and his family among the most special people he's ever known. Going to Mike's book release party made me again remember seeing him at USA CUP and how lucky we are to have this event in Minnesota and all the connections to the world it can create.   

  Los Toros Book Release Party at the Theater de la Juene Lune - Nov. 26, 2007 with colllege friend and photographer Michael Crouser.

Happy Thanksgiving

By Colleen Bourdon, Recruiting Director

To our friends in the United States we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends. To our friends that participated in 2007 from around the world we wish you a wonderful celebration on your current holiday..

Brazil - November 15 - Proclamation of the Republic Day

Mexico - November 20 - Mexican Revolution Day

Costa Rica - December 8 - Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

Canada - November 11 - Remembrance Day

Bermuda - November 11 - Remembrance Day

Japan - November 23 - Labour Thanksgiving Day

Ecuador - December 6 - Independence of Quito

Colombia - December 8 - Immaculate Conception Day

Guatemala - November 1 - All Saint's Day

Denmark - December 13 - Saint Lucy's Day

Finland - December 6 - Independence Day

Scotland - November 30 - St. Andrew's Day

France - November 11 - Armistice Day (no teams in 2007 and two wonderful French interns)

Tunisia - November 7 - New Era Day

Iceland, Sweden, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Estonia - List no holiday until Christmas, how can this be - smile!

A Short Visit to Colorado

By Colleen Bourdon, Recruiting Director

What is team relations? 

Basically, Vicki Barnes and I are the two people at the National Sports Center that have the privilege of going out and meeting with soccer coaches, parents and players (sometimes we even add a hockey team or two into our schedule). We fly around the US and Canada ( even going to France on vacation this fall I could not pass up the chance to talk to soccer coaches about USA CUP and the National Sports Center) to meet prospective USA CUP soccer teams.

We love the opportunity to do these meetings and find most people like the chance to talk soccer with us. It is amazing how much soccer can vary from one state to another and region to region. 

Vicki and I just completed our annual whirlwind trip to Denver, Colorado and the surrounding suburbs.  We completed 17 meetings (in three days) with clubs that have either been to USA CUP or have an interest in coming to the tournament.  (Way to organize a trip Vicki!!)

Soccer in Colorado is very good and it seems like every club has business offices and executive directors or directors of coaching that manage them. These clubs are truly striving to develop players and give them excellent opportunities to be seen by other teams and college coaches. Many of these leaders consider USA CUP to be one tournament that should be on a player's resume.

Thanks Colorado coaches for opening your doors and welcoming us in. Thanks for all the positive feedback about your experiences at USA CUP and for your continuing support. Thanks to the club that has already set up a meeting with our sponsor, Puma, it is fun to connect good people to make great relationships happen.

Thanks to Dan and Jerry for letting Vicki and I continue to have USA CUP and the National Sports Center play such a major role in our lives.