Soccer Heaven in Louisiana

There are not many moments that are encountered in soccer that can exceed the experience I had this past Saturday night. The Lafayette Referee Association had the distinct honor of officiating the Division I boys soccer final, and I was chosen to have the whistle. Not a bad way to momentarily end my LA high school career. As far as interest is concerned, this is the King of the Mountain in Louisiana soccer. Premiere, college, professional or international exhibitions do not even come close...and this one had an unbeaten-94 game win streak on the line that was covered by ESPN.

When compared to other big games I had officiated within Louisiana, this might have been my proudest moment. The pressure of being in front of that many people (peers included) coupled with the championship title being on the line made the moment all-the-more special. Other than a few hiccups that I would take a do-over on, I believe we did a great job of keeping the game in check and letting the players decide the outcome. St Paul's dramatic comeback over the defending champions (Jesuit) was a thing of beauty, and anyone who witnessed the game can appreciate it for what it was...great theatre. After all, this is what High School soccer is all about, and it was great.

More pictures can be found here

Fleet Foxes

Going to see Fleet Foxes sometime in April. It was a late V-day present from my wife. Based on our last couple of concerts it looks as though we're leaning slightly towards the granola music (never thought I would say that), but it's just so uplifting.

Anyway, this is Ragged Wood live at Glastonbury

Looking to catch Arcade Fire shortly as well...

Game #2 with the big boys

I make a couple of brief cameos in the LA / Vancouver preseason game recap, courtesy on the Whitecaps. Largely a reserve side for both teams as the starters played yesterday. Yeah, I got the shaft in that regard, but definitely a very exciting experience.

Didn't know my Fox-40 sounded that good. I guess it's time to retire the Balilla.

Les Arbitres

A closer look at the lives of a couple of Euro 2008 referees. Waiting for this to be released with English subtitles...





Can you see why this is enjoyable?

"It defies description"

I don't even think Harkes could mess up this call...

Peace

It's amazing at how quickly all my worries were cast aside the moment I stepped out of the airport...

An Act of Class

Rarely do I get out to attend a soccer match with the sole purpose of being entertained as a spectator. The roles that are usually filled are those of player and official. Last Saturday I attended Lafayette High's first round playoff game against Pineville with a couple of friends of mine. Definitely not the match of the year, and we decided to hit the road after the 7th goal by the Lions. A regretful decision by us as we missed a moment that reportedly had every mother in the stands in tears. Fortunately it was caught on video...

Ross is a graduating senior at Pineville High, and anyone from Central Louisiana will tell you that he's the heart and soul of the team. Ross has Down Syndrome. The goal above was his first high school goal of his career (occurring in the last game of his career), courtesy of a Lafayette High soccer teams that showed some serious heart and class.

VW

In a year when the Super Bowl ads seemed a little watered down, Volkswagen took the prize of best ad...at least for me they did...

Ghost Towns

In case you were wondering what Karen's been doing, here's a couple of pics of her visiting some of the ghost towns outside Tucson. This semester has her entering into the world of teaching as the University has given her the reigns of an undergraduate figure drawing class, and I believe she's thoroughly enjoying that despite the added clutter of an already tight schedule. Despite the temporary separation, it's truly a blessing to have her hit her stride after the 2+ years of preparation. She's currently trying to figure out how to survive in 30 degree weather despite living in Tucson. Hopefully all of that nonsense clears up by next Thursday...

Zack Wahls

Gay marriage is a hot-button topic no matter what side of the fence you're on. The Iowa state legislature just recently passed legislation to approved a resolution that proposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the state. During the debate a 19 year-old engineering student from the University of Iowa gave a hair-raising, three minute account of his experience being raised by two women. Impressive...

Potential

Maybe kind of corny, especially since it's created by a large corporation, but...

One week...