The first day of games for the Spring 2008 season will be Saturday, April 5.

There is a lot to do until then to get ready! Please check the calendar in coming days and weeks for key dates on coaching clinics, open registration days, etc.

Thanks for all the hard work of the volunteers who make Nampa KID Soccer great!

On behalf of the board, I would like to thank every family that voted in our Fall officer elections, in addition to everyone who contributes to this league to make it work and make it better. This includes my fellow board members, coordinators, coaches, referees, team parents, and other volunteers who contribute their time, expertise, and enthusiasm for the sake of our KIDS. The league could not function without a great deal of personal commitment on the part of everyone.

David Trussell has chosen to remove his name from consideration, given the fact that Bob Shultz was willing to put his name on the ballot again for another term.

Bob Shultz will remain President of Nampa KID Soccer going into the 2008 season, as will Jean Barney as Registrar, and myself as Secretary.

Stay tuned for more opportunities to serve our KIDS next season!

God bless,

Kevin Harper
Secretary

P.s. - Thanks also to those who provided feedback to the board on how the league can be improved. All suggestions are given serious consideration as we plan for Spring 2008.

Last day for voting is Monday

1. You may return a postcard with your vote on it to our annual meeting, scheduled for Monday, November 12 at the Mercy Medical Winter Room. Our normal board meeting will start at 6:30, and the annual meeting will start at 7:30.
2. Online voting will end at Monday evening, November 12. You may vote online here.
3. Write-ins are acceptable, both on the postcard, and online.
   

Frequently asked questions

1. Who is eligible to vote?
   Families who had at least one player in the Nampa KIDS Soccer program in Fall 2007, or who will have at least one player in the program in Spring 2008.
2. Do we get one vote for each player or one for each family?
   You can vote once per family.
3. Where is the link for the online voting?
   It will be a link in the top left menu of the website.
4. Who can I vote for in the election?
   
   • President
     Bob Shultz, our current President, has opted to place his name on the ballot.
   • Registrar
     Jean Barney is our current Registrar.
   • Secretary
     Kevin Harper is our current Secretary

It is time to provide feedback to the league to help us overcome our weaknesses and build on our strengths!

We extend a formal invitation to the league to participate in our end-of-season wrap-up meeting this Thursday November 1st at Skyview High School's cafeteria from 7:00 to 8:30.

This is an opportunity for coaches to return their equipment bags if they don't want to hold onto them during the winter-off season. It is also an opportunity for everyone in the organization to give the Board input on things that were successful during the season and areas where we can improve.

We plan to invite all our vendors and all our families to participate in this open, constructive forum.

It is through your feedback and comments that our leagues strengths and weaknesses can be identified and heard. Your support in this endeavor is a stepping stone to our leagues success.

Your feed back can also be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sincerely,

Nampa Kids Soccer Board

P.s. - Communication is key to making our volunteer-run organization work. Help us improve the flow of information by signing up for one of our new newsletters: Parents, Coaches, or Referees.

Uniforms

We are hoping by the time you read this, that the uniforms have been received by all players. Early in the summer, the committee decided to make a move to support the local economy and started the process to order the older boy’s uniforms through a Nampa company. Several months and many frustrations later, everyone has their uniforms! (If you don’t have it, see Katrice today!) After all this effort on our part, please be sure the players of every age wear the entire uniform each week. Players must wear plain, same color shorts as the rest of the team. (A few yxxs shorts are available in black at the MMC booth if yours are just too big.) We have some extra of most of the socks and shorts colors if you lose yours or the dryer eats a sock. Be sure your socks cover the shin guards. If it is cold, you can wear long pants and a sweatshirt UNDER the uniform to play.

Coaches

we are missing over half of the lists of player uniform numbers. Please turn them in today.

Parents, please support our wonderful volunteer coaches and assistants by making sure your child's team has a "Team Parent".  If you would like more information about this job, please contact our volunteer coordinator.

Team Parent Responsibilities

• Before your child's game, please pick up your team's packet at the communication booth.
• Pass out the paperwork to the parents and give the coaches their paperwork. This is a great way to get to know the other parents on the team!
• After the game,  please return the referee comment card to the communication booth (after the coach fills it out).
• Remind parents about their picture day.
• Remind parents about their snack day.
• Make sure there is someone scheduled for snack and a drink after each game for the team.
• Talk to the coaches about a party to end the season.
• Confirm the date, time and location. Let everyone know what it is in writing...including the coaches. It can be as simple as meeting at a restaurant during the last practice. (Make sure your coaches can be there!)
• Arrange a "Thank you!" for your coaches. Usually it is presented at the party. It can be as simple as a card signed by everyone. It is also okay to suggest a gift idea to the other parents and request small donations toward a common gift. (Ideas: gift certificate for dinner, plaque or trophy, framed photo someone took during the season).

Welcome to the Spring 2007 season, we are off to a great start with the fantastic Opening Day we had this past Saturday. The Board ap-preciates all the hard work and long hours our many volunteers devoted to getting the pre-season work done. We have another record number of players and teams in the program this season: 1650 players on 205 teams!

We will be holding an Open House at Liberty Park on April 2nd and 3rd from 5:00-8:00 pm to answer any questions from parents before the seasons gets into full swing. There will be an informal Parent Orientation during this time starting at 6:30 to let new soccer parents know what to expect.

Come learn the "Top Ten Things a Soccer Parent Needs to Know!"

Game schedules and uniforms can be picked up by coaches during this time as well.

See you there!