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St. Paul Blackhawks Soccer Club Newsletter
U16 Scandinavian Adventure
Each year since 1993, St. Paul Blackhawks teams have worked hard to raise money to travel to Scandanavia to play in some of the most prestigious youth soccer tournaments in the world. The preparation and fundraising begins more than a year in advance of the trip.
This year, the Boys U16 Premier and Girls U16 Premier teams traveled to Sweden to play in the Gothia Cup and to Denmark to play in the Denmark Soccer Festival. The Gothia Cup is the largest youth soccer tournament in the world and is considered the world youth cup. This year, there were nearly 1600 teams and 33,000 participants from dozens of countries. The Denmark Soccer Festival hosts 170 teams from as far as Brazil.
In the Gothia Cup, the Girls U16 team finished first in their group and advanced to the "Swede Sixteen" out of 116 teams in its bracket, eventually losing in a shootout to a team from Denmark. The girls were absolutely brilliant in the Denmark Soccer Festival, going undefeated and winning their age group against teams from Brazil, Denmark, Norway, UK, and Sweden.
The Blackhawks U16 Boys played 11 games against 8 different countries during their 12-day tour of Sweden and Denmark. Our boys were solidly competitive against teams from Brazil, England, Czech Republic, Hungary, and many more. In the Gothia Cup, the Boys U16 team finished third in its group and won its first playoff game against a Brazilian team in a shootout, only to lose its second playoff game in a shootout to another Brazilian team. In the Denmark Soccer Festival, the boys finished first in their group, but finished second in the semi-final group and did not advance further (but ended the tournament by avenging their Gothia Cup shootout loss to the team from Brazil from Sweden.)
Between the ample helpings of soccer there was plenty of time for the beach, the disco, an amazing match between Brøndby and Juventus, and just plain hanging out. Both teams had a fantastic soccer experience and an even better life experience. They made friends from around the world, navigated their way through Gothenberg and Copenhagen, and got a chance to seize the opportunity of a lifetime.
Special thanks to coaches John Sylvester and Keaton Peterson for their leadership, Shannon Norton for her care and keeping of our players for 2 weeks, and to Bo Conroy for planning the logistics of this unforgettable journey!
BHK/FAY Picnic
On a glorious Sunday evening (July 13th) the Blackhawks and the FAY program sponsored an end-of-the-season picnic/celebration at the Orchard street facility for the developmental age group players and their families. Over 150 people attended. Families were encouraged to share dishes from their ethnic backgrounds-- amazing treats for the palate! There were unusual salsa's, breads, vegetarian dishes, salads, delicious desserts and of course, hot dogs and watermelon! Players participated in a mini-tournament while parents, coaches and managers enjoyed the food and conversation.
The picnic also gave the Blackhawks organization and the FAY program the opportunity to recognize volunteers who have made "above and beyond" contributions. Listed below are those volunteers who were recognized by FAY: Tedd James, Marta Kitle, Menon Assefa, Tracey and Mike Inskeep, Thom Gilligan, and Oscar Cruz. Many thanks to these individuals for their generous contributions of time and energy! The FAY steering committee also recognized Ted Kroeten and Hal Clapp for their dedicated efforts to the FAY project. More about FAY.
Eto'o Visit
FC Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o arrived in the Twin Cities Monday for the opening ceremonies at the USA Cup. He ran a clinic at NSC on Tuesday. Blackhawks coaching directors met Eto'o and told him that we have a life size picture of him on the wall of the Blackhawks Soccer Center. Eto'o graciously thanked Blackhawks for their support. He signed a few items and posed for a photo with our directors.
Little Hawks League Launched
Despite an overcast sky, spirits were high today at Orchard as Blackhawks launched its new Little Hawks League. Solid organization, creative games, colorful tees, and positive energy from volunteers and parents all combined to create a fun, supportive learning environment for 200+ league participants ages 5-8. More about Little Hawks.
