A Blueboy Discussion

Tomorrow is Parents' Day at Lake Forest College. There will be a breakfast for families in the morning, a F.A.N. Club tailgate prior to kickoff, and a men's game following ours. Of course, it would be great if all of those fun events resulted in two wins for the Foresters over the Blueboys/Lady Blues.

And this leads me to our topic of the day: sex-specific mascots. As a female athlete and now coach I have always resented such names (like the Lady Foresters) because it suggests that REAL Foresters are men and the women are a cheap knock-off version. However, there MAY be an exception with the Illinois College Blueboys.

The Blueboy is a reference to Union Soldiers, who wore blue (as opposed to the Confederate Greys). Now, while I am sure women could have fired a minie ball as accurately as men, the fact is that they didn't and BlueBoys were almost always exactly that--boys. [As a history teacher I feel obligated to note that WWI American soldier were referred to as "Doughboys" and WWII era soldiers were the more sex-neutral "G.I.s"--short for Government Issue, which was stamped on most of the Army's goods.] Anyway, in the case of Illinois College and their Blueboys is it okay that they are the "Lady Blues" or not? Should they still be Blueboys? Should we just treat a mascot like we treat the term "guys" and act as though they are all sex-neutral? Or is the problem the term "Lady" which tends to invoke images of tea and crumpets instead of sweat and aggressive play?

Home Again, Home Again

Whew! This has been a long week of travel and road games. Because this blog is hard to update from the soccer bus we are a little behind here...

Last Saturday we traveled to Mequon, WI outside Milwaukee to play the Falcons of Concordia-WI. Anya informed the coaching staff on the way there that it was referred to as "The 'Quon" by people in the know. It was a gorgeous warm day in The Quon and we opened the first half with The Bri Show by promptly giving up 4 breakaways. Bri was able to save a couple and convince the Concordia shooters to go wide on their other attempts, giving us a chance. Somehow we went into halftime up 1-0 and managed to win towards the end of the second overtime to go to 2-0 for the season.

On Monday we fought a little traffic (so did our poor fans) to get out to Lisle, IL and Benedictine College. We started the game at 7pm on a beautiful night under the lights with the moon hanging just over the bleachers. Unfortunately the moon was the prettiest thing about the night as we played some pretty ugly soccer. On the upside, some rookies were given the chance to get some playing time and we discovered that they were all more than able to hold their own. So we earned a loss and discovered some depth. Foresters go to 2-1.

Thursday we all piled back on the bus and traveled back north to America's Dairyland for our first conference game against the Beloit College Buccaneers. Here again we struggled to play the good-looking soccer that we are occasionally capable of, but after a tough battle with an undermanned Bucs squad, and giving up our second PK in two games, we eked out a win to lift our record to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the MWC. And as we tried to remind ourselves afterward, a win is a win.

Saturday it was back on the bus for our first "family" trip with the Men's team. It was long but successful as both teams posted convincing wins against the Red Devils (I refuse to say 'Lady Red Devils'). Mostly, for the women at least, the day was goofy, amusing, and a good reminder that sometimes the soccer doesn't matter--it's just nice to hang out in a cornfield with your buddies once in a while. I suspect none of us will see an aquarium mural again without remembering this day with a smile. And the word "Narnia" now has a very specific meaning for the Foresters.

After a long day on the bus the day before, the coaching staff woke up nervous on Sunday. We were hosting Carthage College at our home turf and expected them to be strong, fast, skilled, and aggressive. Carthage was all of those things but we manged to keep them off the scoreboard while we began to fight back, battle for 50/50 balls, possess the ball a little, move in support of our teammates, and remember how to play on our fast turf. Besides all of that, perhaps one of the most important things we did versus Carthage was to show heart. We had had a long weekend already, and yet when Carthage scored early in the second half we didn't fall apart. Instead we fought back and quickly tied the score again. The rest of the half we held our own and tried to allow our opponent as few good scoring opportunities as possible. Our forwards pressured, our midfield possessed, our defense dominated; and when all of those things fell just short, our goalkeeper made a save to pick us all back up. It was a geniune team effort that was rewarded with our second overtime victory of the year. If what Coach Bell said in the huddle is true, if OT really is "all about heart," then we certainly proved we have it. It was a fun win and a good weekend for us. We are 5-1 and hopefully beginning to discover our potential.

Foresters Chop Warriors

A convincing first win for our first game, our first home game, and the collegiate debut for our 8 rookies. Megan O'Connor's first collegiate goal opened up the season's scoring and we went from there.

Box score and full recap available here

Not much else too add, so here are a few photos from game day.


The Foresters are ready to run

Game time approaches...tick, tock, tick, tock

Warm ups begin

Our jerseys await

And we play!

Missing A Teammate

And keeping the Esrock family in our thoughts. Take care you guys. Hope to see you all soon.

Out of Hibernation

The Forester Soccer blog has been in hiding, saving our strength for the upcoming season. But as the team is emerging out of our off season slumber, as the rookies are learning the ropes and gaining confidence, and the returning players shake off the rest and find their game faces again, so the blog is rejoining the world.

First game Thursday at home against Wisconsin Lutheran. Stay tuned.


We have been working hard all week and staying hydrated

The rookies are all extremely enthusiastic


Game Face

A Very Coco Christmas

It seems that one of our freshmen, Courtney Garth, who picked up the nickname "Steamboat" during the season, is now also answering to "Coco." Is this, like the Steamboat name, a reference to her Colorado roots? Is it because she openly lusted after the Swiss Miss cocoa at the Forester White Elephant party? I'm not sure and perhaps it's okay if the coaches remain in the dark on this one...

This is the first of what I hope will be a continuing feature this offseason--a kind of meet-the-team spread. There is much more to us than the roster; there are personalities and stories and roommates and friends and activities that go far beyond a bunch of jersey numbers and hometowns. And the stat sheet, which reduces everything to minutes played and goals scored is far less than the big picture. So here, without further ado, a freshman midfielder from Steamboat Springs, Colorado...Courtney Garth!

Steamboat and her sisters in (wait for it) Steamboat, CO. Love the side-pony Boat. Hello to canines Oreo and Rosie and older sisters Casey and Mallory

What were you thinking when you got to school on the first day of preseason? Were you nervous?

Yes I was nervous entering preseason. I grew up in a small town playing with the same girls my whole soccer career. Now I was surrounded by new coaches and new teammates. Preseason was my chance to prove myself; to show my fitness level, my strength, and my talent on the field. Proving my abilities to the coaches was not the only thing on my mind. I had to prove myself to returning players and upperclassmen, I didn’t want to be seen as the little weak baby freshman. As the week went on though, my nervousness and anxiety turned to excitement and anticipation.

Was it hard to get to know the girls? Were the upperclassmen mean? Were you homesick?

The girls on the team were very friendly and easy to get to know. LA (Lisa Sorensen) was of course very friendly since I was her recruit the year before. There are always the upperclassmen on the team who seem more intimidating than others. For me, the two upperclassmen that instilled the most fear in me without saying a single word to me were Webs (Emily Weber), and believe it our not I actually thought Isabel had somewhat of an intimidation factor. Of course as the season went on my thoughts on these two players changed. They are both very fun, and friendly on and off the field. Since the girls on the team were so easy to get to know, I never really got homesick. The only time I got homesick was during the first two days after I arrived at school when I had to sleep in my room alone because my roommates hadn’t come to school yet.

Kate Fridholm and Boat

What thing do you have in your dorm room that you couldn't do without?

This was a difficult question. There are many items in my room that I wouldn’t want to do without, including my Spongebob Squarepants blanket. The one thing I couldn’t do without though is my guitar. I can’t say I’m a very good guitar player, but it does keep me company when my roommates are away for hockey games, and it provides my room with entertainment whenever Emily (one of my roommates) and I decide we want to sing a duet to our other roommate Maeve. My guitar is also a way for me to relieve my stress from school and soccer.

Do you live with a soccer player? Tell us about your roommate--or roommates in general.

Both of my roommates are hockey players. They are both from Boston, MA. I think I got very lucky with my roommate situation. I love both of my roommates; we all get along extremely well. I was nervous about rooming with them when I discovered that they were friends and had played on the same hockey team. I thought I was going to end up being the third wheel. I figured they would have inside jokes and want to do everything together and almost forget about me. It is the complete opposite. Often times we eat dinner together and lunch, and we also study together in the library. We always find each other on the weekends and make time to hang out. My roommates are great.

A roommate pic. One of these cute kids plays soccer. Can you guess which one?

Were you in good enough shape? Will you do things differently next summer to prepare?

For the most part, entering the season I felt like I was in pretty good shape. I was able to complete the 2 mile test, the shuttles, and most of the lifting tests. That being said, I think I could have come in in a little better shape. I could have been stronger in the weight room, and quicker with the shuttles. This summer I plan to pretty much follow the same routine that I did last summer, but I need to mentally push myself harder. I need to strictly follow the workout packet that coach gives us and I think if I do that, my fitness for next season will be great.


What was your favorite part about playing soccer? Your least favorite part?

My favorite part about playing soccer this season was the higher level of play that I encountered. For me I think my freshman season was one in which I really discovered what it takes to be a strong player at the division III level and for me to figure out how to adapt and adjust to the speed of play. The competitive factor at the collegiate level is also far different from high school and I embraced that as well. My least favorite part of the season was of course the end of our season when we lost in the conference tournament. Honestly I didn’t really have a least favorite part about soccer season, I loved every minute of it.

How were your classes? Was your schedule good for practice or would you arrange it differently? Were you ever completely overwhelmed by homework and road trips and practices?

For the most part my classes were good. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I was done with class by 11am and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I was done by 2:20pm. I always had time to finish my homework or talk to professors and I rarely missed class for away trips since I finished class in the morning most days. There were only a few times when I felt overwhelmed by homework and road trips, but it was because of my great ability to procrastinate. Honestly time management is key during soccer season.



You tried out for hockey but didn’t make the team. Will you try again? Will you miss it?

I was pretty disappointed in myself when I didn’t make the hockey team. I grew up in a ski town where most of my friends skied, but I played hockey. I love watching and playing hockey, so it was very disappointing when I didn’t make the team. My performance in try outs was not what is should have been. My nerves did get the best of me and I failed to prove that I could play at the collegiate level. With that said, I haven’t yet decided if I will try out again. I do miss playing, but it was also nice to have a break after the soccer season. My decision as to whether I try out again will come later in the spring.

I'm sure everyone in this huddle agrees that the hockey team is crazy for thinking that Steamboat couldn't help them. Well, everyone except Bri, she looks a little skeptical



Thanks to Courtney and her sisters for the thoughtful answers and good photos.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you from Maine to Arizona, from South Porcupine, Ontario to Santa Monica, California. Enjoy the holiday spirit, the extra sleep, and the time with your families.

Much love from the Foresters.

Woohoo!

Congrats LA! Named to second team All-Region! Only player from the Midwest Conference on the list. Very impressive.(Must be the headband)

Full release here

On soccer vacation and not getting much sleep

An eventful week here for your Foresters.

Sunday afternoon was our end of the season awards banquet and we learned that we are a pretty smart group. We had 15 upperclassmen eligible to receive an award for Academic All-Conference, 10 of them had won the honor with a GPA of 3.2 or above. Becky Esrock received the award for the Forester with the highest overall GPA last year. And outgoing captain Christine Sorensen, looking stressed out over having to finish 3 papers before Monday, is no doubt going to do incredibly well on each of them.

A quick but hearty congratulations to our MVP Emily Weber, our MIP Molly Shaw, and our newly christened captains Mira Trebilcock and Isabel Brown. I think we have already mentioned our first and second team all-conference athletes, but just in case: Emily Weber, BZ Greene, Becky Esrock and Lisa Sorensen were all selected by opposing coaches for that honor. Well done ladies.


The pile before we started selecting

Yesterday afternoon we had our annual team White Elephant gift exchange/team meeting. We held a gift exchange and most people seemed like they were satisfied. Suzi Milic came away with a new mug and some hot chocolate (with marshmallows!), Wisconsin-native Anya Moran escaped with her green and yellow Packer scarf*, Kate Fridholm secured a children's toy that is sure to give her hours of enjoyment, and Isabel Brown was spotted munching on the Nerds candy that came as part of her gift.

*Anya's family had 48 lbs of Turkey and 10 pies at their Thanksgiving celebration. I suspect if I were a member of the Moran family I would weigh 600lbs.

Of course, there is more to life to soccer, the soccer team, and soccer team meetings as Mira Trebilcock proved when she went dressed as Mario to a hockey team event. She's like Landon Donovan, we're okay with loaning her out once our season is over, just as long as she remembers who butters her bread.

Further evidence of smart kids: these outfits took only 15 minutes to assemble.


Last day of classes today for these kids. They are going to need all those smarts in their finals that begin on Friday. Fingers crossed they all keep doing incredibly well in their studies!

A Big Win and A Good Group

The US Women's National Team just beat Italy in a home-home series to get a bid to the Women's World Cup in Germany next summer. The draw for the 16-team tournament was held this afternoon. The Women's World Cup is set up just as the men's tournament is--with a round robin first round and the top two teams advancing to a single-elimination bracket.

The United States is in Group C with North Korea, Sweden, and Colombia.

Find the other 3 groups and the schedule for next summer here

The Offseason Came Too Soon

The Foresters are still in recovery mode after an extremely disappointing loss to eventual MWC Champion Lawrence University in the conference semifinal match.

Some of us appear to be in the throes of the grieving process and I'm hoping that the final stage of the process: Acceptance, is just around the corner. In the meantime it's hard to come up with anything fun, witty, informative, creative, or playful regarding our season. We had a good run and it ended too soon.

Congrats to Lawrence who beat us 4-3 and Carroll University 2-1, before falling to Wheaton (IL) College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

You can follow the DIII tournament here. The DI Women's Tournament bracket is here and their Final Four will be on ESPN2/U in a couple weeks.

In addition, the US Women's National Team experienced some rare and unexpected difficulty in regional World Cup qualifying when they lost to Mexico a couple weeks ago for the first time in their history. They recovered with a 5-0 rout of Costa Rica, but still need to beat Italy to advance to the World Cup in Germany next summer. The first of the two-game series is being played in Italy this Saturday, November 20. They will play at Toyota Park in Chicago on November 27. Should they beat Italy it will mean the #1 team in the world is the last to qualify for the 2011 World Cup. Follow the action on ESPN3.com.