Return to Play! Specialized Programs, Welcome Donny Ribaudo, And More!
Return to Play! Specialized Programs, Welcome Donny Ribaudo, And More!

Folsom Lake Surf Newsletter | February 2021

Message from Fritz

Dear members,
Let the games begin! I have been waiting to write those words for a long time and I am sure you have all been waiting to read them!

With new State return to play guidelines going into effect this Friday, we are now asking teams to register for spring playing events organized by NorCal Premier Soccer. It looks like we can be playing in full contact matches as early as March 6th or the 13th depending on how fast NorCal can schedule these events.

With the opening up of play, our players can now start taking advantage of some of the great opportunities our affiliation to Surf has brought to our membership and we will introduce much of the unique programs we discussed before the shutdown. We will now also hold tryouts for Surf Futsal.

It is with great sincerity that I thank all of you for being such a great community this past year. Like in any relationship, we have had our “ups and downs” as we did our very best to interpret guidelines, establish protocols and to find ways to keep our players safely training... all while having to deliver bad news that frustrated us all. While we still have some important rules to follow, it appears now that the worst could be behind us.

Thank you and see you on the field!

Surf Specialized Training Programs are here!

Danny Cruz Striker Training
Heading into the spring, one area we are focusing on is bringing specialized training opportunities to our players. Up first on our calendar is a Striker Clinic with our very own Danny Cruz, which will take place the last two weeks of February on Fridays. Danny has a unique ability to break down technical and mental aspects of skill development for players of all ages. Throughout his career he has developed players now playing at the highest levels of US soccer. 

Keep an eye out for more programs and be sure to register early. Besides offering skills clinics, we are planning specialized programs working on college-level functional midfield training, principles of possession, fitness-agility training and programs designed to help players make the jump from recreation to competitive soccer. 

Surf Select West ID Camp

Surf Select West ID Camp
One of the benefits of Surf Nation is pulling together top players to build regional teams that can compete at the top levels across the nation and even internationally. This coming weekend Surf Nation will be hosting the Surf Select West ID Camp in San Diego. Many players from our club will be attending along with other players from NorCal Surf Nation. Good luck to all of them this weekend! Have fun and enjoy San Diego!
So much more to come with Surf Nation in addition to this!

Junior Academy Filling Up Fast

Junior Academy
In our last newsletter we asked for those interested in our club to register here. Thank you for the overwhelming interest! We are already in the process of reaching out to everyone individually. The Junior Academy (2013/2014 birth years) in particular received a ton of interest, and due to this the program is filling up fast to the point we will need to cap it soon. If you have interest for your child, you can reach out to our Junior Academy coaches listed below.

Welcome Coach Danny Ribaudo!

Welcome Danny Ribaudo!
We are proud to welcome Donny Ribaudo to our coaching staff. Donny is currently the Head Coach for the women’s program at Folsom Lake College, where he has established a nationally ranked powerhouse winning 5 conference titles, advancing to the playoffs each year, participating in two final fours and transferring over 40 student-athletes to the next level in his first 7 seasons.
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SURF Futsal Update

Thank you to everyone who has expressed interest in SURF Futsal and thank you for your patience; it has been a challenge for us to secure training venues and get training programs and tryouts organized due to COVID. With things looking like they are clearing up, it is full steam ahead! The Western Regional Champions Cup event date has been set for June 4-6 in Las Vegas. We will be posting tryout dates and location next week. We are partnering with Eastern Washington Surf and Sierra Surf to send regional teams in the following age groups: 2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13.
We look forward to launching this unique program and providing our members with more opportunities to participate in high quality events. More very soon and thank you again!! If you have questions, please email us at Futsal@folsomlakesurf.org.

Congratulations Fritz Libby!

Congrats Fritz!
I can't think of a better youth coach recognition than the Positive Coaching Alliance Double-Goal Coach Award. Every parent who has had a child attend Fritz's training knows how deserved this is. Congratulations on the award Fritz as well as to all the other coaches that have made a difference in players lives on and off the field!

Kaylee Gillespie Commits to William Jessup

Congratulations to Kaylee Gillespie on her commitment to William Jessup University! Kaylee is a true student athlete and home-grown talent having started playing at the age of 4 at the Folsom Soccer Club. Great job Kaylee of representing Folsom over the years! Click the button below to read and see more of Kaylee's soccer journey. Good luck at college Kaylee! We know you will crush it!
That makes 4 commits this season, you can view them all here.
Read More →

Learn the Basic Rules of the Game

Head Referee Hand Signals

Head Referee Signals

So you have a kid playing comp soccer? Then its time to invest in learning all the signals that referees use. You don't want to be that guy who doesn't know what the referee is signaling on the field. :)
In this article the 2009 Boys Premier team demonstrates the Head Referee hand signals. Next month we will cover the Assistant Referee hand signals. Click the button below and start your referee learning journey!
Learn the Hand Signals

Surf Talk with Matt Sheldon

Surf Talk with Matt Sheldon
Thank you to Matt Sheldon for being our first ever Surf Talk guest speaker. Matt currently plays professionally with FC Tulsa and is the founder of Become Elite. Last week he talked to our high school aged players about what it took him to make it to Division 1 level soccer with the UC Davis Aggies.
If you couldn't attend the call or aren't of high school age yet, don't worry, we recorded it! Just click the button below. 
Matt is a great resource to coaches and players a like. He runs a great Youtube channel and has a large Instagram following. Be sure to follow those!
Surf Talk with Matt Sheldon

UPCOMING SURF SOCCER CAMPS & CLINICS

March Camps & Clinics
These popular once a week, one-hour skills sessions are extremely popular so keep an eye out for registration details - February classes filled in less than a week! For more information, please email thehub@folsomlakesurf.org
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