Thank You & Happy New Year 2008 - Posted Saturday, December 29th, 2007
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Looking back on 2007, it really is amazing how much has happened in just this calendar year.  When the year started we were a Tier 4 community team who had just come off of our third consecutive Polar Cup gold medal with our sights set firmly on advancing to our third Provincials in just four seasons.  That dream appeared to die with a stunning upset to an incredibly well prepared Spruce Grove squad but fate intervened and a spot opened up for us which saw us advance all the way to the Provincial Gold Medal match.
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That medal spelled the end of our community days and we were forced into the Tier 3 club division for the outdoor season.  While many expected our collapse, the little community team thrived and shot past our own zone's 2 selects teams to claim Edmonton's spot at Tier 3 Provincials and finish 7th in Alberta.
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Of course there is always a price to pay when you take to the field and defeat those who hold political power over you, and what should have been seen as a great success for the system actually brought about the petty back room politics which saw our "never officially announced" dismissal and short notice relocation to a new league and new club.
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This current season saw our birth as a Tier 2 club team and it is truly the biggest challenge we have ever faced.  Minus some of our traditional leaders, and facing a front stacked schedule against the best competition there is, it has been a tough season, with a huge learning curve, but the growth in most of our players is unmistakable.  Tough lessons have been learned but we know and believe in the character of these boys and we have great optimism about what we will see in 2008.
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Over 12 months we played in some 55 games and scored around 320 goals  We won a Slush Cup gold medal, a City Championship bronze medal, two Tier 3 tournament silver medals, a Tier 3 City silver medal, advanced to two Provincial Championships (claiming one Provincial silver medal), and moved from Tier 4, to Tier 3, to Tier 2.  Sadly, we also said good-bye to some very dear and longtime friends to whom we will always feel a sense of gratitude for all they meant to us.  With the bad came some good though and we were very fortunate to welcome aboard some great young men and their families.
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Indeed it has been a turbulent year, almost larger than life for what is, after all, just a group of boys playing a game.  Through the ups and downs it has been nothing but a privilege to be allowed to coach this remarkable group and we would like to thank everyone, players and parents, both past and present, for all of your hard work, dedication and support.  Thank you for everything in 2007 and please accept our sincere best wishes for a safe and happy New Year, and all the very best in 2008.

Polar Cup & Pre-Christmas Merchandise Day- Posted Friday, November 30th, 2007
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Vipers, make sure your parents have this information!
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Pre-Christmas Merchandise Day: The Juventus Soccer Club will be having a merchandise session for anyone who may want to pick up some Juventus gear as possible Christmas gifts.  A lot of money had just  flown out of our pockets at the time of the first merchandise day so this is a chance to pick up the bag, toque or shirt your son may have wanted that day and make it a Christmas gift!  The session will take place on Sunday, December 9th, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM, at the Juventus Clubhouse, and you can drop by at any time.
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2007 Polar Cup: Our entry into the 2007 Polar Cup has now been confirmed.  There is no schedule yet, but the tournament will take place from December 27th-30th.  At this time we need to confirm our numbers (and consider the possibility of guest players) so we would ask that each player confirm for us whether or not they will be there.  If you will be away for any or all of the games we need to know as soon as possible.
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Player Question:  Our player question for this week, to be answered at Sunday's practice (9:00-10:30AM, King's College), can be found HERE.

Player Meeting & Volunteer Cheques - Posted Monday, November 5th, 2007
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We will be having a very important player meeting/classroom session this Thursday (Nov. 8th) at Grace Martin School, from 6:30 - 7:45PM.  The school is located at 36th Ave & Mill Woods Rd (click HERE for a map).  We will meet at the front entrance of the school and it is very important that no one be late because once we move to the classroom the door will remain locked and you will not be able to get in.  PLEASE BE EARLY!
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Earlier this season you all wrote $75 dollar cheques to Juventus and you will recall they came with the three options to work a bingo (and have your cheque ripped up), work an Oilers concession (and have your cheque ripped up), or let Juventus cash the cheque and do not work a fundraiser at all.  Cheryl (Nik's mom) will be handling this for our team and she will be calling around to everyone to see what you want to do.  In terms of volunteering and having your cheque ripped up (saving you $75) there are a number of volunteer options she will be discussing with you which you can read more about HERE. 
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Since we didn't have a chance to get to it at last practice, we will keep the same player question for the boys, and you can still find both the question and answers HERE.

Practice Times & First Game SATURDAY - Posted Tuesday, October 30th, 2007
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Now that schedules have finally been released, Juventus will be taking another look at practice times and will try to reassign them accordingly.  For this week, however, we will keep with our regular Saturday morning practice (9:30-10:45) at Commonwealth.

It will be a light workout only, we don't want to tire the boys out before their debut game later in the afternoon, and we will not be transporting players back to the southside for additional field time.  Practice will be over at 10:45 AM and then we'll see everyone at the Karl Weidle Centre in the afternoon, 30 minutes before game time.  The building is part of the Victoria Soccer Club, which is located on the northwest corner of 137th Ave & 142nd Street (near St. Albert Trail).  It is on the same road as the Northside ESA Complex we have played at several times in the past.  For a map, click HERE.
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Once again we have a player question for the boys, and you can find both the question and answers HERE.

New Schedule - Posted Tuesday, October 30th, 2007
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Our 2007/2008 7v7 Schedule was released tonight and has now been posted on this site.  The 14 game season begins this Saturday with a match against the Edmonton Strikers and continues right through until March 1st.  To see the schedule, click HERE.
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A reminder that there will be a one hour practice this Thursday at 5:30.  Once again we have a player question for the boys, and you can find both the question and answers HERE.

Miscellaneous Information - Posted Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
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Saturday Practice: Once again, we will have an early Saturday practice at Commonwealth (9:30am to 10:45 am) and, like last week, we are asking two parents to help us transport all of the boys back to the southside, to Meyonohk this time, where we'll continue with the boys until 12:00 Noon, including a possible team picture (so bring your black Juventus shorts and white socks), and then everyone can be picked up from there. One parent has already signed up so if we can get one more parent volunteer it would be greatly appreciated.
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Player Cards (Update): Pictures for player cards will be taken at this Saturday's practice at Commonwealth gymnasium.  This will be the ONLY "off-hours" chance to get them done and if you are unable to be there, you will be responsible for getting your player card done during normal EIYSA hours (which resume next week, Mon-Fri, 8:00am-4:00pm) prior to the start of the 7v7 season on November 3rd.
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Income Tax Receipts: A few parents have asked me about receipts for registration (now that it can be claimed on your income tax) and I have been in touch with Tony Mayall, the Juventus Registrar, who has informed me that receipts will be issued shortly, once all registrations are completed and all cheques have cleared.
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Player Information Forms: A reminder that I need player information forms from everyone who hasn't turned them in yet, so please get them to me at Saturday's practice.  If you haven't downloaded the form yet you may do so HERE and if you can't print the form for some reason, please get a copy from me on Saturday.
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Team Fee Cheques: A reminder also to please get your $50 team fee cheques to myself or Wendi as soon as possible so we can get going on our tournament entries, field rentals, and other miscellaneous team expenses.
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Player Question: To encourage our players to become more diligent at checking the website regularly, we let them know at the last practice that there would be a question posted here to which they would be required to know the answer.  Rather than make it as easy as asking a teammate what the answer is, we will ask a question to which each player is required to have a different answer.  The question and answers are HERE.

EIYSA Player Cards - Posted Monday, October 22nd, 2007
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For everyone who is concerned about how to get player cards done with the EIYSA office closed this week (and very limited office hours otherwise), I have made arrangements so that the whole team will be able to get their pictures done at once.  I will let you know the exact details (time and location) in the next day or two, so please check back

Merchandise Day (Thanks) - Posted Saturday, October 20th, 2007
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I just want to thank everyone for their time and patience today, and I'd like to extend a very special thank you to Cheryl and Haidi for helping us transport all of the boys back to the Juventus field.  The early morning practice at the Commonwealth gym actually went really well, the drive wasn't as bad as I'd thought, and the merchandise session wasn't too bad either.  Like all of you, we're new to this so there was bound to be some confusion but we got through it.  Just to confirm a few details...
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1. Regarding Team fees/ Fundraising:  It was agreed that we will take a partial team fee of $50 and then try to organize fundraising for whatever we will need later this season, and beyond.  Please make cheques payable to "Lakewood Vipers".  If you need to date your cheque for the end of the month, that is fine.

2. Regarding tracksuits:  We had originally said that we would not do numbers on track suits but we were convinced otherwise once we got inside.  They pointed out, quite correctly, that it will be hard to tell them apart in change rooms without the numbers, and they also assured us that returning players will keep the same numbers from season to season.  Once we have distributed jerseys, I will provide the names and numbers to Rob Mosele and when the suits that were ordered today arrive they will have the boys' numbers on them.
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3. Regarding socks: I took away 28 pairs of white socks and I will hand them out to the boys at the end of this Tuesday's practice.
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As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me.  Again, thanks for today.

Practice At Commonwealth - Posted Thursday, October 17th, 2007
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Saturday is going to be a bit hectic but we promise it won't become a regular thing. Vipers, make sure your parents have this information!
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We have been given our first officially scheduled practice time and it is going to take place Saturday morning from 9:30-10:45 at the Commonwealth Stadium gymnasium.
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The easiest way to get there is to just head north up 66th street (which becomes 75th) onto Gretzky Drive (Capilano Freeway).  Cross the river, exit onto the 112th Avenue overpass and head west.  Continue on 112 until you cross the train tracks just before Commonwealth and then turn left onto Stadium Road.   Drive just past the Stadium and turn right into the parking lot at the south end of the Stadium.  For a map, click HERE.
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Because of the drive involved, we're not going to ask all of the parents to hang around, or to come all the way back 75 minutes later.  Instead, what we will do is get two parents to help us transport all of the boys back to the Juventus Clubhouse field where we'll have the boys just scrimmage until parents arrive for the parent meeting at 12:10, just before our team's merchandise session which starts at 12:30 (see below).

NOTE: If you will need a ride getting to Commonwealth Stadium, please arrange one or let us know as soon as possible.

Important Information - Posted Monday, October 15th, 2007
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(Vipers, your parents need to read this)
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Merchandise Day: Juventus Merchandise Day will be this Saturday, October 20th, at the Juventus Clubhouse (click HERE for map).  Our team is booked for 12:30 slot, and it is very important that everyone attend (on time) as this will be the time when the boys are fitted for their Juventus shorts & socks.  As you are aware, the shorts and socks are included in the registration fee, you don't pay extra for them, but if you want extra sets the cost is on the merchandise sheet I handed out at the last parents meeting.
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This is also the chance to see the other merchandise in person and possibly order some if you're interested.  We will also fit the boys for track suits although we are uncertain how we will proceed with those because we don't want a situation where some can afford them and some can't, and we are unclear what we'll be able to do with regard to fundraising.  If you do make any purchases, please be advised that payment is by cash or cheque only.
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There will be very brief parents meeting at 12:10, just before the session begins.
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Player Carding: To play in any EIYSA games, all players must be player carded (our EMSA cards are not valid) as soon as possible, prior to season start.  Carding is done, free of charge, at the EIYSA office located at 4306 - 97th Street, Building #6.  To get there, follow 99th Street, turn east onto 45th Avenue, turn right at west end of building #4, and then south on the parking area to building #6.  Office hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00AM to 4:00PM.  Please be advised that the office will be closed next week (Oct. 22-26) and will reopen on October 29th.  We are hoping there will be another evening where they are open late, but nothing is confirmed at this time.
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Season Start: At this time it appears as though the 7v7 season will begin on November 3rd so we expect to be playing on Saturday the 3rd or Sunday the 4th.  I expect to get the official schedule at a coaches meeting on October 30th and the schedule would then be posted on this site later that evening.
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Volunteer Cheques: Regarding the $75 volunteer cheques you wrote to Juventus, the cheque will not be cashed if you work some volunteer time and there will be three options available to you this season.
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1. Work a Bingo (and your cheque will be ripped up).
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2. Work an Oilers concession (and your cheque will be ripped up).
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3. Let the cheque be cashed and do not work a fundraiser.

If you would like more information about volunteering, please contact me.

Indoor Centre - Posted Sunday, September 30th, 2007
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Earlier this evening Phil and I went to watch some U14 Tier 1 soccer at the Karl Weidle Indoor Center where we will be playing 7v7 this season.  Seeing it in person gave us a much better idea of just how large the field is and how much area there will be to cover for the six players forward of the keeper.  If you'd like a look, I've stitched together three pictures to make a panoramic image of the centre which you can see HERE.
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A reminder that our next practice goes this Tuesday (Oct. 2nd) from 5:30 to 7:30PM at our OLD field.  We have an awful lot to get done before the season starts so please be there early enough that you can be suited up and ready to begin practice right at 5:30.  Every time we have to start late it costs us a very valuable drill or two and we have a lot planned.

Miscellaneous Information - Posted Thursday, September 27th, 2007
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As you can see we've done an interim update on the site just to bring it in line with recent events.  More work will be done later once the more pressing details of our short notice relocation are behind us.  Included in the update are a few new video clips which can be accessed from the "Links" page.
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This Saturday's practice will run for two and a half hours and will take place at our old field, NOT at the clubhouse.  Practice will start at 12:00 noon sharp.
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A large portion of Tuesday's practice was dedicated to evaluating the conditioning of each player, with a few unexpected results.  If you would like to know how your son made out, feel free to call me or ask me when you see me next.
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All of our players will have to be player carded and we will let you know as soon as possible when that session will take place.
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If you have any questions about anything that is going on, or any concerns at all, please feel free to contact us.