CREATING EVERLASTING MEMORIES

U17 Boys
We returned from our Tour 2 days ago but I think I speak for everyone in our group when I say that our Hearts and Minds are still on the trip. It is of course Human Nature to try and to create a mental concept of how things will be in the months leading up to departure. However, even our wildest dreams could’ve never prepared us for the remarkable adventure we experienced. To illustrate what an impression it had on our group of 25 travelers, I would conservatively estimate that collectively we took somewhere in the neighborhood of 6500 photographs, not to mention an additional 15 DVD cartridges of ‘film’. If I were to attempt to give you complete written account of everything that transpired, the resulting report would represent my first ‘Book’. As you may recall, traveling to ‘England’ and competing has been one of our team’s career goals for 7 years.
 
Good Fortune has been our companion for many years. Having Paul Fawbert as our Challenger Group Leader was no exception. As our tour guide he executed our busy itinerary with precision and professionalism. Additionally, once our Head Coach (an accomplished Coach in his own right) was able to ascertain Paul’s Soccer ‘credentials’ he immediately encouraged him to become our personal Coaching ‘consultant’. Donning his Rome Arsenal Cap that we provided him, he made a tremendous contribution to the Coaching effort sharing the insight that we lacked, and through the positive rapport that he established with each and every member of our team, was a driving factor in the quantum leap we achieved in just 5 short days. By the time we distributed our hard earned Medals on the Final day he was truly a member of our Side and received one as such. When we parted ways at Gatwick, we felt like we were leaving one of our own behind. Our Driver John was in a word, delightful. He obviously took great Pride in his work, delivered us punctually to ever destination, and made a conscientious effort to ensure our constant safe passage. Always smiling, courteous, and a walking dictionary of all things CYMRU, he made us appreciate the Welsh.

The sights and scenes were incredible, the competition was tremendous, and there wasn’t a single occurrence on the whole trip that in retrospect doesn’t illicit a smile. Our guys gave a good accounting of themselves on the Pitch, even when we were, in a way, ‘schooled’ by Ulster Schools. We worked extremely hard in preparation for our trip and our level of Fitness was a major contributing factor in our level of competitiveness. From a developmental standpoint I’d say we probably advanced more in 5 days than we would have in 2 years playing in our normal Division.

The Cultural exposure was really enlightening and entertaining. Our guys readily made friends with males and female competitors alike, from Scotland, Ireland, Mexico, Wales and Brazil, all in the great melting pot of the tournament environment and experience. From the shuttle bus, to the Dining Hall, to the Campus and in town, the ‘Americans’ were heartily and respectfully received as well as curiously.

Finally; I guess in retrospect that the Single greatest occurrence that to me was somewhat unexpected was the bond that was forged between the Members of our own Squad. Some of which had known each other since 1st grade. My final comment to them was, “The word ‘TeamMate’ is obviously of British origin. We may never compete as a Team again, but because of the great adventure that we all shared, we will forever be Mates. Cheers Mates!”

Best Wishes,
Steve Adkins - Rome Arsenal U17 Boys


U12 Boys
I just wanted to say thank you to you and Challenger Sports for coordinating a memorable trip for the U12 YMS Xplosion. Our goal for the trip was to better educate the players (and parents) on the history of the game of "football", see the passion for the game when it is the number one sport in your country, play against high caliber opponents to compare our level of play to youth academy teams in England, and most of all to have fun. The itinerary that you put together for this trip accomplished all of these goals. There were many highlights on the trip, including, watching the players (and their coaches) experience the atmosphere of a Premier level professional game for the first time (Blackburn vs Wolves) and personally meeting goal keeper Brad Friedel after the game for a chat, pictures and autographs. The trips to Anfield and Old Trafford to see the history of Liverpool FC and Manchester United and tour the stadium was an awesome experience. The team also had a great training session with the coach from the Liverpool Academy. The games between Blackpool, Sheffield and Tranmere was an eye opening experience for the players, parents and coaches. The Xplosion team finished as state finalists last year so we are considered one of the top teams in the area for our age group. I could not believe the difference in play at the same age group between our team and the academy teams. We left England realizing that we need to continue to focus on the basic skill level of our players instead of concentrating so much on tactical play. The academy teams played a simple game of receiving a ball, passing and moving. The primary difference was that just about every ball that was played to their feet was controlled effortlessly and they looked for their next option. Many of our passes were received not under such control and the defense would be ready to pounce on us as soon as we made a mistake. The way that the players communicate with each other was also very impressive. I have a few players who left their egos in the UK and are ready to come home and work on their skills. Last year in our fall league we conceded 3 goals all year. In the Tranmere game we conceded 10 goals in 75 minutes. It was truly an amazing learning experience for us all.

The Hotel Sachas was an excellent choice for us, as it was in the middle of Manchester and close to shops, etc.. The people at the Sachas were very accomodating to our schedule and continually went out of their way to have dinner ready (special requests for the players as well) for us at whatever time we requested (including 11:00pm pizza when we returned from Sheffield). Neil the bus driver became part of the trip for us all. He scheduled a lunch for us at an authentic English pub one day prior to one of our games.

Finally, Chris Brennan was an excellent representative for Challenger Sports. From the minute he met us at the airport to the time we all left, Chris was part of the Xplosion family and made sure that the trip was enjoyable and memorable for everyone. He was patient with the group, flexible with our schedules and assisted the coaches with pre and post game discussions. Many of the boys got up early the last day just so that they could see him off.

Thanks for all of your hard work and patience with us during the planning process. I can not wait to provide a trip presentation to all of the other YMS coaches at our next monthly coaches meeting. I would expect that you will be hearing from some of them shortly.

Sincerely,
Jim Powers - YMS Xplosion


U14 Girls
Simon was phenomenal! The girls loved him. He was very flexible which is critical with a group our size. I can't imagine that you have a better tour operator in your company. His soccer coaching ability is also fantastic based on one training session we had in Hyde Park in London getting us started in Chester one day when Evo was a little late from traffic. I would recommend him highly for any position you may have within your company.

Mark's (Evo) coaching ability is incredible. I feel very fortunate that it worked out that he could do our training sessions for the week in Chester. I had communicated with him by e-mail before our arrival about the types of problems we had as a team and what we were hoping to accomplish and he made it happen. He varied his sessions based on how we progressed and how we performed in the mid-week friendly match. We are way ahead as a team from where we were at the beginning of the week.

The other family members always felt important on the tour and were included in activities or had other activities planned.

Probably the best part of the tour was the opportunity for our girls to interact with the girls from the other teams after the matches. They laughed, talked, and shared e-mail addresses. That is the type of thing you would never get on a regular vacation.

I'll go back through my journal and share more from our tour with you later when I have more time. Just one last thing. . . there was no way to know until we got there whether we had made a wise decision going with Challenger Sports for our tour. The planning leading up to the trip had gone well, but you can never be entirely sure you have made a wise choice until you get there. Well, we feel we made a very wise choice and if we ever do something like this again, we will be sure to give you a call.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity tat every kid should have a chance to experience.

Thanks again.
Ray King  - Jackson Heat U14 Girls, Michigan