What an excellent end to the year that was filled with such hardship on the field. The man-child played his first soccer since the injury.

Heading to the Tampa SunBowl we were very nervous, full of anxiety, and anxious all at the same time. As parents our only hope was to get through the tournament without injury. A few minutes here and there were all we wanted. Well, everything went extremely well. Over 30 minutes a game with one game of 50 minutes. No injuries, no hesitation. Jordan and his TFC teammates played their hearts out.

Starting the tourney with three dominate wins they went into the fourth game only needing a tie to move into the playoffs. It was a very good game with us getting an early 1 goal lead. 2 minutes left in a tie match the college boys from clearwater scored a heartbreaking goal to knock us out of the tournament. Not bad for a bunch of boys still in high school playing an age group up!

Dreaded This Night!

Last night was the night we all dreaded, High School Soccer Banquet Night. It was a very hard year. We tried to stay supportive of the program but to sit and listen to everything about the season, awards, all conference, all region, etc. just sucks.

All those awards were supposed to be my sons', not someone else. He trained his ass off getting ready for this season only to have it all taken away. He loves his HS team and wanted to lead them to great things.

Jordan did a great job of helping the team despite his injury. He coached the younger guys, giving them tips, and getting on them when they were lazy. For this he was recognized by his coaches and teammates, he received the coaches award. I am very proud of him. Many athletes pack it in when faced with adversity, he rose to the occasion. It has made him a stronger man.

On the rehab front it looks like he has gained back most of the muscle mass he lost due to the injury. Everything is looking good for at least a brief appearance in the Tampa Sun Bowl.

The First Game

We had the first varsity soccer game since J's injury. Let me tell you, that was a lot harder than I though it would be. It was supposed to be his year. This would have been his 4th year on varsity. It was his year.

It has been quite some time since J's name was not announced in the starting lineup. I believe that is when it hit home for both Heather and myself. I never expected it to be quite so hard.

He's now on the long road to recovery. We'll hear his name announced again, I'm positive.

On a happier note. The batting cage will be here on Wednesday. Devan is chomping at the bit to get a crack at that badboy.

A precursor: Jordan attended the Ralph Lundy camp 2 weeks ago. It went great. Many colleges left impressed by my boy.

Next up was the University of Michigan camp. This is his first choice, the reason he has been training since he was five years old. The head of recruiting even sought him out before camp to discuss his future. The dream was coming true.

Camp started with a fitness test which of course he dominated. Next was the first scrimmage of the camp. Five minutes in it all came crashing down. Jordans' left knee blew apart. ACL-tore, meniscus and mcl-will know more after surgery.

Senior year leading Pinecrest to the state playoffs-gone, Region III with TFC-gone. An unbelievable turn of events for a kid that didn't deserve it. Hopes are now on salvaging a portion of club season. College soccer is a huge question mark now. What was a sure thing is anything but at this point.

How do you comfort a child that just had everything he has worked for taken away? I do not know the answer. We are staying positive, but it is very hard. The whole town is in a daze.

As his not so little brother Devan said, "How did this happen, that is Jordan, he's invincible". Jordan can't get hurt, he's "J HOW" for crying out loud.

He will be seen wednesday by Dr. Gates-Team Dr. for the Men's and Women's National Soccer Teams and Team Dr. for Duke University. I believe this really shows what kind of reputation my son has. People pulling strings to get him the best care and rehab.

He will be back, with a lot of prayers and hard work, we believe the Duke sports medicine machine will make him like new. He will play college ball.

been awhile

hey all, its been awhile. We have been very busy with the boys. Hockey, soccer, school. It has been non-stop. We have had tryouts, tournaments, games, etc. since I last posted. A quick update:

Jordan and his soccer team have made it to the state cup final four. They play next weekend and have a very good shot at winning the whole thing. He is playing at a unbelievable level right now, I believe he may just carry this team all the way to the championship. Hopefully he can continue at this level thru his soccer camps-Wingate and University of Michigan to name a couple.

Devan had a tryout for the east coast eagles Junior C team. He was one of the youngest players at the tryouts. The age cut-off is 20 yrs old. He played his heart out, but it was not meant to be yet. He had a good showing and we felt he had a legitimate chance to make the team, alas, he was cut. He was not that bummed, he knows he was pretty young for that level. He has AAA tryouts this weekend. The competition will be fierce, he will need to bring his best to make the team. I believe he will. We will keep everyone posted.

How about the Detroit teams-Pistons, Red Wings, Tigers, all playing very well. We may see a NBA championship, a Stanley Cup, and a World Series this year. How incredible would that be?

I know, I know

I know I promised to get back to the boys story. I will soon enough. It has been entirely to busy lately. The mighty Comets played in another inline tourney, taking the championship. Add another gold medal to Jordans' wall. The Sandhillls Thunder are enjoying a fine season. Undefeated and in 1st place with one game remaining. They should have a nice run at the State Cup.

Devan is gearing up for a slew of tryouts with a bit off fun mixed in. He will be playing in an iron man ice tourney. His team is the defending champs. It is a blast, a low stress weekend right before select tryouts. It will be fun.

I will get back to the story sometime this week. Stay tuned!

Back to our story-not so fast

We shall get back to our story very soon. Just got back from districts. We did manage to get a couple of days of some much needed r&r. The boys were able to watch their beloved Tigers play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jordan hobnobbed with Sheffield and got his autograph on a ball he got during batting practice. Devan did the same with the walrus Todd Jones. Jones tossed him a ball and then signed it. It was very cool. Now its back to the grind.

Sunny Florida

Well at least the weather is nice. First game of districts did not go so good. We had two breakaways in the first 2 minutes and couldn't score on either. The everblades scored on their first shot. It never got any better. Final 4-1. We now must win the remainder of our games and get a little help to get to the finals. We shall see. Devan had a strong game. He was hitting anything that moved, he was a beast. I never have to worry about him, he always brings his A-game. Time to get a tan.

Districts!

It has been awhile since I have posted anything. Have been very busy with the boys. We are heading to Districts in Florida Wednesday and just finished a full weekend of hockey/soccer. I will get back to the boys story just as soon as we get back from districts. I will try to update on the goings on in Florida. So until then, later.

Back To The Boys!

Ok, we had our first taste of travel sports and it tasted good. We had a pretty successful tourney in Raleigh and were ready for more. I knew the boys were good but they had to get better competition than what we had in the Sandhills Youth Inline Hockey League if we ever wanted to compete with the best.

Around the same time Jordan was asked to tryout for the Sandhills Youth Soccer Leagues' new U10 Classic team, The Sandhills Lightning. This team would be comprised of the best players in the SYSL recreation program. They would play teams from different cities and play some tournaments. Jordan needed this, there was very little competition for him in the rec league.

Tryouts went just as expected, Jordan and Coby Kavanaugh were clearly the top two, although a few others had good talent also. This was going to be a good team. My only concern at the time was the coaching, would the coaching be on par with the talent?

The team was chosen and practice began. Almost immediately the coach stepped down and a new one was named. I didn't have a clue about either guys so we just went with the flow. How good could this team be?

Busy Busy!

I have not had the opportunity to blog much the last week or so. The boys have been keeping us very busy. Devan just returned from a hockey trip to Maine and New Hampshire. They did pretty well only losing one game. Jordan and Murilo (our Brazilian, more on that later) have been busy with club soccer. Heather and myself have been busy with work and taxes. We will be leaving for New York in a few days for another hockey trip, then it's off to Florida for the district championships. Like I said busy busy.

I have also been working on another blog Forex For Profit. It is a description of my currency trading. I have designed a system (The Grail) that is proving to be quite profitable. Each day I put my trades on the blog for all to see, no cheating. Check it out. An

That's it for tonight, we are watching the MSU-UofM basketball game. It doesn't get any better than that. I will continue with the boys' saga tomorrow. Stay tuned. GO BLUE!