Join us as we celebtrate both the end of the Extra Mile campaign and honor our the 2008 senior class on Senior Day. We will be hosting a special pancake breakfast on November 2, 2008 at 10:00am, and we hope you will join us.
Please RSVP to Coach Mike Avery at mike.avery@valpo.edu by Monday, October 27. There will be no charge for this breakfast, but there will be a donation box available for those interested to help offset the cost of the meal.
Hope to see you there!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Beautiful day...
In the words of one of my generation's greatest poets, Bono...
It's a Beautiful Day
You might read the papers and learn of economic downturns and dirty politics, and then find that sentiment hard to believe, but let me assure you, that it is, in fact, a beautiful day here in Valparaiso.
I realize I vowed not to post again on game day, but unfortunately for you, I can't help myself today. I have some time alone this morning before this afternoon's match with Milwaukee, and I felt the need to connect with you all again - even so soon after updating you yesterday on the Extra Mile. I think we are ready for the game today, and we'll find out soon enough. This post is about other things...
The fall in the Midwest may be the nicest season anywhere I have lived. The sun is shining, green is the dominant color with just a hint of yellows and reds starting to show up in the trees, and you can still get by in shorts during the day and just a sweatshirt at night.
Carin, my wife, and her volleyball team left last night for a road trip to Wisconsin to play two important games tonight (UWGB) and tomorrow (UWM). This is a big weekend for her and her girls, so send some positive vibes their way if you think about it.
Because I am home for two this weekend, what this means at my house is that for the next few days it is "just the boys". Me, A-Rod, and a lot of loving help from Unka John while I coach this afternoon, rule the roost this weekend. No baths, eat your ice cream before your dinner, stay up too late, sleep in your clothes, use your toys as a pillow and blanket, don't match in the morning when you dress for school... in a few short hours it transformed into a real swinging bachelor pad around here!
Joking aside, A-Rod (Alex Roddy Avery is almost 5 and named after his two grandfathers), and I do miss his mom while she is away, but we also try to enjoy the special time we get to spend alone together. I am admittedly biased, but my kid is a pretty cool little dude. He is bright, sharp-witted, funny, and has an irresistible twinkle in his eyes that lets him get away with most of the trouble he is prone to find. He is also sweet and caring - he genuinely feels bad after he bops another boy on the playground! He looks like his mom (thank goodness!), but he has a lot of his dad in him too. I have enjoyed watching him grow up, but I already miss the moments we have had while he is in this precious and precocious age.
Moments like this morning...
As we walked down the paths that wind through the neighborhood toward his school this morning, A-Rod was in very good spirits. You might say he was unusually happy, but for him, there is nothing unusual about his peppy attitude. Still, I asked him why he was so happy today, and he went on for the next fifteen minutes of the walk pointing out everything he could think of that makes him happy.
"The sun makes me happy, and that cloud right there. Hey dad, hey dad, hey dad... you know what else makes me happy? That squirrel makes me happy. Hey dad, that red car makes me happy too. Wanna know what else? That blue house makes me happy. Hey dad, let me tell you something... that tree makes me happy. And the birds. And airplanes. Grandpa Roddy was on that plane yesterday going to California... that makes me happy. And Target makes me happy because I get toys there! Hey dad, know what else? Cartoons make me very happy. And my friends at school. Hey dad, hey dad, hey dad... know what else... let me tell you something..."
I couldn't get a word in during our short mile walk to his day care. Finally, when we reached the front door, I said, "Wow bud, a lot of things make you happy. You must be a lucky boy."
He just smiled, gave a quick nod of his head and a high five while saying, "I already know that!"
With that, he raced off to join his class.
As I ran back toward home, I couldn't help but play along - ticking off the little things in my world that make me happy. Starting, of course, with Alex.
The Happy Game is a great exercise for us all. You should really try it sometime.
Doesn't it seem that we all spend more time worrying or complaining about the things that bother us? Shouldn't we instead focus on the things that bring us joy? Aren't our thoughts our own? Don't we have the power to choose them?
Win or lose today, it is still a beautiful day. I am proud to hang out with a group of dedicated and motivated people who are trying to make a difference in our small corner of the world. I am also honored that we have you as a part of that journey.
I am a lucky boy too, and I know it.
Have a great day!
Mike
Thursday, September 25, 2008
VU MSO Extra Mile Update & Pancake Party Invite
I hope you are all doing well. I wanted to give you an update on the "Extra Mile", which I will, but am also excited to announce an event to coincide with the final day of running on November 2, 2008.
The educator in me understands that you should emphasize the most important points both first and last because most people stop listening to you during the middle. So, let me then give you the specifics first of what we are planning to celebrate the end of the campaign.
November 2, 2008 is a significant day for us for two distinct reasons. First, as I alluded to, this is the last day I have to add mileage to the Extra Mile total. I am all for celebrating that! We will hopefully hit the 1000 mile total on that day and I want to share that excitement with as many of our supporters that are able to attend.
November 2, 2008 is especially significant for us, though, because it is the date of our last regular season match of the year. Being our last home match, November 2 then also becomes our chance to honor our seniors on Senior Day.
I always worry about this day because the November weather here is a bit dodgy. To plan a celebration on the field then becomes risky. It could be another beautiful fall day, it could be snowing, raining, virtually anything between or maybe even a combination of them all. Because I am so proud of what this special group of guys has contributed to our growing program, what we have decided to do is to combine the Extra Mile celebration and Senior Day celebration into one event, which all of you are invited to attend.
On November 2, 2008 at 10:00am we hope you will join us for the 2008 VU MSO Pre-Game Pancake Party to honor our 2008 senior class, and to celebrate the final steps of the 1000 mile run. The pancake breakfast will be held in the Hilltop Gym of the Athletics Recreation Center. The meal will be the team's pregame meal prior to our 1:00pm match with Detroit, but it will also give us the chance to be together. I anticipate we will be out of there by 11:00am and then preparing for the match. I hope you can attend both the breakfast and the game that follows.
I need to get a semi-accurate count for the breakfast, so if you could respond to me directly via email at mike.avery@valpo.edu, I would appreciate it. I'd like to give the caterer a count by Monday, October 27, 2008, so please RSVP by that date. We will not be charging for this as many of you have pledged or donated to the Extra Mile, but we will have a donation box present if you want to help offset the cost of the meal.
Now to the running....
September has been a little off the pace, to be quite honest. I told you in the last update that I need to average just over 6 miles per day to reach my goal of 1000, but so far I have only been able to hit 5.3 miles per day this month. This is more of an issue of time than fitness. If I could count the hours spent on the bus, then we'd be closer to 2000 miles! We have traveled a lot in the early part of the season, but this is still no excuse. I need to up the ante in the final month, and I will.
I also have two substitutions to work in for September. Instead of going to the bench early this month, though, I am going to wait and make my changes later in the game. I have several good options so far to choose from, and I will wait for a few days to see which ones I will use for this month. If you have a long run that you have not yet informed me about, please let me know.
Here is what September has looked like so far:
9/1 10
9/2 5
9/3 4
9/4 6
9/5 3
9/6 7
9/7 6
9/8 8
9/9 6
9/10 4
9/11 4
9/12 6
9/13 7
9/14 4
9/15 10
9/16 5
9/17 3
9/18 5
9/19 OFF
9/20 OFF
9/21 6
9/22 8
9/23 6
9/24 6
I am heading for a run as soon as this post is posted, and as we are home this weekend I am hopeful I can hit the road for a strong showing to end the month.
As of this moment, we have 754.30 miles in the bank, and 245.70 miles yet to run. 39 days left, two subs per month for September and October. I think we're going to actually do this thing! There is still time for donations and pledges, so as we focus on the final steps of the run, let's not forget to focus on a few final additions to the pledge pool. We have raised a significant amount of pledged money, and I think when the final total is announced we are going to surprise a lot of people.
That is what we are all about here as a soccer program... we are literally trying every day to achieve things that nobody ever thought before possible. Reaching milestones and making history. I am thrilled that you are along for the ride because we know that we could not do it without you.
Big games this weekend, so stay tuned for those results.
When: November 2, 2008 10:00am
Where: Hilltop Gym in the ARC
What: VU MSO Pre Game Pancake Party
Why: To Honor the 2008 Senior Class & to Celebrate the Last Steps of the Extra Mile
Who: You (come on... everyone's doing it!)
RSVP: mike.avery@valpo.edu by 10/27/2008
Gotta Run,
Mike
The educator in me understands that you should emphasize the most important points both first and last because most people stop listening to you during the middle. So, let me then give you the specifics first of what we are planning to celebrate the end of the campaign.
November 2, 2008 is a significant day for us for two distinct reasons. First, as I alluded to, this is the last day I have to add mileage to the Extra Mile total. I am all for celebrating that! We will hopefully hit the 1000 mile total on that day and I want to share that excitement with as many of our supporters that are able to attend.
November 2, 2008 is especially significant for us, though, because it is the date of our last regular season match of the year. Being our last home match, November 2 then also becomes our chance to honor our seniors on Senior Day.
I always worry about this day because the November weather here is a bit dodgy. To plan a celebration on the field then becomes risky. It could be another beautiful fall day, it could be snowing, raining, virtually anything between or maybe even a combination of them all. Because I am so proud of what this special group of guys has contributed to our growing program, what we have decided to do is to combine the Extra Mile celebration and Senior Day celebration into one event, which all of you are invited to attend.
On November 2, 2008 at 10:00am we hope you will join us for the 2008 VU MSO Pre-Game Pancake Party to honor our 2008 senior class, and to celebrate the final steps of the 1000 mile run. The pancake breakfast will be held in the Hilltop Gym of the Athletics Recreation Center. The meal will be the team's pregame meal prior to our 1:00pm match with Detroit, but it will also give us the chance to be together. I anticipate we will be out of there by 11:00am and then preparing for the match. I hope you can attend both the breakfast and the game that follows.
I need to get a semi-accurate count for the breakfast, so if you could respond to me directly via email at mike.avery@valpo.edu, I would appreciate it. I'd like to give the caterer a count by Monday, October 27, 2008, so please RSVP by that date. We will not be charging for this as many of you have pledged or donated to the Extra Mile, but we will have a donation box present if you want to help offset the cost of the meal.
Now to the running....
September has been a little off the pace, to be quite honest. I told you in the last update that I need to average just over 6 miles per day to reach my goal of 1000, but so far I have only been able to hit 5.3 miles per day this month. This is more of an issue of time than fitness. If I could count the hours spent on the bus, then we'd be closer to 2000 miles! We have traveled a lot in the early part of the season, but this is still no excuse. I need to up the ante in the final month, and I will.
I also have two substitutions to work in for September. Instead of going to the bench early this month, though, I am going to wait and make my changes later in the game. I have several good options so far to choose from, and I will wait for a few days to see which ones I will use for this month. If you have a long run that you have not yet informed me about, please let me know.
Here is what September has looked like so far:
9/1 10
9/2 5
9/3 4
9/4 6
9/5 3
9/6 7
9/7 6
9/8 8
9/9 6
9/10 4
9/11 4
9/12 6
9/13 7
9/14 4
9/15 10
9/16 5
9/17 3
9/18 5
9/19 OFF
9/20 OFF
9/21 6
9/22 8
9/23 6
9/24 6
I am heading for a run as soon as this post is posted, and as we are home this weekend I am hopeful I can hit the road for a strong showing to end the month.
As of this moment, we have 754.30 miles in the bank, and 245.70 miles yet to run. 39 days left, two subs per month for September and October. I think we're going to actually do this thing! There is still time for donations and pledges, so as we focus on the final steps of the run, let's not forget to focus on a few final additions to the pledge pool. We have raised a significant amount of pledged money, and I think when the final total is announced we are going to surprise a lot of people.
That is what we are all about here as a soccer program... we are literally trying every day to achieve things that nobody ever thought before possible. Reaching milestones and making history. I am thrilled that you are along for the ride because we know that we could not do it without you.
Big games this weekend, so stay tuned for those results.
When: November 2, 2008 10:00am
Where: Hilltop Gym in the ARC
What: VU MSO Pre Game Pancake Party
Why: To Honor the 2008 Senior Class & to Celebrate the Last Steps of the Extra Mile
Who: You (come on... everyone's doing it!)
RSVP: mike.avery@valpo.edu by 10/27/2008
Gotta Run,
Mike
Thursday, September 11, 2008
9/10/08 Update: Belated August Report
I wrote this August update a week ago and then forgot to post it! Someone emailed me and asked when I was going to update the blog, and while I was thinking “I just did last week”, I checked and realized that I hadn’t.
Here you go:
I have taken to doing a portion of my mileage on machines at the Valpo Athletic Club near my house. Jumping back and forth between the elliptical machine and the treadmill has allowed me to sustain my mileage without some of the pounding that wore me down in July. I am one week shy of forty, and I have to admit that there are days when I feel every bit of that. The machines have kept me moving toward the goal of 1000, though, and now when I mix in two or three road runs a week I feel much better.
My routine now that regular classes have started looks something like this:
5:00am Wake Up / shower / breakfast
6:30am Team Training
9:00 – 2:00pm Office
2:30 – 4:30pm Workout / run
4:45pm Pick up the little boss at school
5:30pm – 9:00pm Family time at home / dinner / recruiting calls
9:30pm Fall asleep with Alex to the cartoon / book of his choice
Game days or travel may throw a wrench in that schedule, but it does seem to work pretty well for now. My second favorite part of the day is with the team in training, so I am always excited to get up and get going. My least favorite part of the day is in the office, so just when that starts to drag, I sneak out and hit the road or the club for a sweat.
My absolute favorite part of the day is the end when I have my son draped on top of me as we watch a video or read a book before I pass out. I inevitably fall asleep faster than he does, and he tries a few times to wake me before he finally lets me go and falls asleep himself. I usually get tired of him snoring in my ear and wake up an hour or so later to get him situated in bed before I mumble a few good nights to Carin and turn in for good.
That’s it – the glamorous life of the family with two D1 head coaches and a soon-to-be five year old son. If Carin and I didn’t work down the hall from one another, I am not sure we could pull this off. Her team practices in the late afternoon and mine goes in the early morning so we can trade off with A-Rod. The ability to see each other in the copy room or grab lunch together at least keeps us connected – she doesn’t like the mornings and I am not much for conversation later at night. It is a life the “normal” families of the community don’t quite get, but we love it and are thankful for the chance to each pursue our passions in coaching. If our version of “date night” is a Jimmy John’s sandwich at an athletic department meeting we have to attend, so be it.
As for the running, August came and went with a grand total of 219.8 miles.
Here was the August breakdown:
8/1 6
8/2 10
8/3 off
8/4 7
8/5 6
8/6 6
8/7 7
8/8 7
8/9 10
8/10 13.1 donation from Misty Knestrict
8/11 6
8/12 6
8/13 41.7 donation from VU MSO players
8/14 4
8/15 6
8/16 6
8/17 6
8/18 4
8/19 off
8/20 6
8/21 12
8/22 4
8/23 5
8/24 off
8/25 6
8/26 6
8/27 6
8/28 6
8/29 6
8/30 8
8/31 3
So, here we are… after three months we have reached 626.30 miles and are tantalizingly close to the goal of 1000 miles by November 2, 2008.
It gets harder now, though.
The season, as you know, is in full swing. We spend a lot of hours in the bus, and my routine gets thrown out of whack. Time seems even more precious now with the pressure of matches and results. The good news is that I need the running now more than ever, if for no other reason than to relieve stress.
I’ve got September and October, plus two days in November, to knock out 373.8 miles. That is about 6 miles per day for 63 days. Barring injury or some other speed bump, I am confident we’ll make it.
Much of that confidence has to do with some big mileage donations I know will be coming my way. The Chicago Marathon could be a big day for us, as are some of the training runs many of you are putting in now to prepare for that race.
It is also time to make a final push for pledges. We have had a very generous showing of support so far, and I think we can still do even more. Who do we know that may want to get involved that we haven’t asked yet? I will start drumming up support from my end, and I hope that you do the same. In a campaign like this one, a little bit goes a long, long way. Can you find someone to commit to a penny a mile? If we get one hundred people more committed at that level, we’ve added another 1,000 dollars to our efforts. The accumulation of little things is no longer a little thing. In our environment here, every dollar will find a use that helps us to continue to affect positive changes. We’ve come a long way already with this program, but we still have a ways to go.
I look forward to keeping you updated through the remaining two months. Your support means so much to us, and we talk about it as a team all the time. We realize we are playing now for a network of fans, family, alumni, and friends that are all turning Valparaiso Soccer into something very special.
Thank you.
I can’t be late for the bus for Evansville… gotta run.
Mike
Here you go:
I have taken to doing a portion of my mileage on machines at the Valpo Athletic Club near my house. Jumping back and forth between the elliptical machine and the treadmill has allowed me to sustain my mileage without some of the pounding that wore me down in July. I am one week shy of forty, and I have to admit that there are days when I feel every bit of that. The machines have kept me moving toward the goal of 1000, though, and now when I mix in two or three road runs a week I feel much better.
My routine now that regular classes have started looks something like this:
5:00am Wake Up / shower / breakfast
6:30am Team Training
9:00 – 2:00pm Office
2:30 – 4:30pm Workout / run
4:45pm Pick up the little boss at school
5:30pm – 9:00pm Family time at home / dinner / recruiting calls
9:30pm Fall asleep with Alex to the cartoon / book of his choice
Game days or travel may throw a wrench in that schedule, but it does seem to work pretty well for now. My second favorite part of the day is with the team in training, so I am always excited to get up and get going. My least favorite part of the day is in the office, so just when that starts to drag, I sneak out and hit the road or the club for a sweat.
My absolute favorite part of the day is the end when I have my son draped on top of me as we watch a video or read a book before I pass out. I inevitably fall asleep faster than he does, and he tries a few times to wake me before he finally lets me go and falls asleep himself. I usually get tired of him snoring in my ear and wake up an hour or so later to get him situated in bed before I mumble a few good nights to Carin and turn in for good.
That’s it – the glamorous life of the family with two D1 head coaches and a soon-to-be five year old son. If Carin and I didn’t work down the hall from one another, I am not sure we could pull this off. Her team practices in the late afternoon and mine goes in the early morning so we can trade off with A-Rod. The ability to see each other in the copy room or grab lunch together at least keeps us connected – she doesn’t like the mornings and I am not much for conversation later at night. It is a life the “normal” families of the community don’t quite get, but we love it and are thankful for the chance to each pursue our passions in coaching. If our version of “date night” is a Jimmy John’s sandwich at an athletic department meeting we have to attend, so be it.
As for the running, August came and went with a grand total of 219.8 miles.
Here was the August breakdown:
8/1 6
8/2 10
8/3 off
8/4 7
8/5 6
8/6 6
8/7 7
8/8 7
8/9 10
8/10 13.1 donation from Misty Knestrict
8/11 6
8/12 6
8/13 41.7 donation from VU MSO players
8/14 4
8/15 6
8/16 6
8/17 6
8/18 4
8/19 off
8/20 6
8/21 12
8/22 4
8/23 5
8/24 off
8/25 6
8/26 6
8/27 6
8/28 6
8/29 6
8/30 8
8/31 3
So, here we are… after three months we have reached 626.30 miles and are tantalizingly close to the goal of 1000 miles by November 2, 2008.
It gets harder now, though.
The season, as you know, is in full swing. We spend a lot of hours in the bus, and my routine gets thrown out of whack. Time seems even more precious now with the pressure of matches and results. The good news is that I need the running now more than ever, if for no other reason than to relieve stress.
I’ve got September and October, plus two days in November, to knock out 373.8 miles. That is about 6 miles per day for 63 days. Barring injury or some other speed bump, I am confident we’ll make it.
Much of that confidence has to do with some big mileage donations I know will be coming my way. The Chicago Marathon could be a big day for us, as are some of the training runs many of you are putting in now to prepare for that race.
It is also time to make a final push for pledges. We have had a very generous showing of support so far, and I think we can still do even more. Who do we know that may want to get involved that we haven’t asked yet? I will start drumming up support from my end, and I hope that you do the same. In a campaign like this one, a little bit goes a long, long way. Can you find someone to commit to a penny a mile? If we get one hundred people more committed at that level, we’ve added another 1,000 dollars to our efforts. The accumulation of little things is no longer a little thing. In our environment here, every dollar will find a use that helps us to continue to affect positive changes. We’ve come a long way already with this program, but we still have a ways to go.
I look forward to keeping you updated through the remaining two months. Your support means so much to us, and we talk about it as a team all the time. We realize we are playing now for a network of fans, family, alumni, and friends that are all turning Valparaiso Soccer into something very special.
Thank you.
I can’t be late for the bus for Evansville… gotta run.
Mike
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