Picture Day is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18. The schedule I sent on Sunday was incorrect. Please send picture forms and checks in tomorrow if you want to buy pictures. We will practice after pictures. Thanks. Coach Steffen.

Monday, 3/16: Away Game at Naperville Central. The game is at 5:00, and the bus will leave right after school from outside the stadium at 3:30. DO NOT BE LATE!

Tuesday, 3/17: Practice from 3:30-6:00 on Lake Street.

Wednesday, 3/18: Practice from 3:30-6:00 on Lake Street.

Thursday, 3/19: PICTURE DAY. Please bring your picture order forms with checks. Practice will go from 4:30-6:00.

Friday, 3/20: Practice from 3:30-6:00 on Lake Street.

Saturday, 3/21: Home Game against Nazareth at 11:00am.

Dear Players and Parents,

Welcome to the 2015 OPRF Girls Soccer season. We are off to a great start!

Introductions:

My name is Emily Steffen, and I am the head Sophomore Girls soccer coach for the 2015 season. I have been coaching soccer at OPRF in the boys and girls programs for the last six years at a variety of levels, including spending last season as an assistant with the Varsity team, and I am looking forward for the opportunity to head up the Sophomore squad this year. In addition to coaching soccer and basketball, I have been an English and Reading teacher at OPRF for the past three years. Prior to teaching here, I taught and coached at Whitney Young in the city while attending graduate school.

As an OPRF alum, I am happy to be back on the huskie soccer field, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to take this program to the next level. To assist us on this journey, I am incredibly lucky to have Jason Fried—a teacher in the math department—as my assistant coach this season. He has also coached soccer for many years, and we are looking forward to collaborating with one another and with you to provide the best possible experience for your daughter this spring. Go Huskies.

Looking Back:

Thank you for attending the Parent Meeting on Saturday morning. If you were unable to attend the meeting, please send me an email, and I can provide you with the information that you missed. Please also make sure that you sign up for TeamPages, as that website is the platform through which we disseminate most program-wide information and changes to the schedule. I finished updating the calendar on TeamPages this afternoon, so the Game Schedule that appears online is the most accurate schedule to date.

It was great to get the opportunity to meet many of you yesterday. Coach Fried and I are really looking forward to spending this season with your daughters. They have been incredibly hard-working and patient these last two weeks as we have spent a significant amount of time teaching and learning together while preparing for our first official game against Naperville Central. We have worked hard and had a lot of fun, and Coach Fried and I are hoping to continue developing a positive, yet competitive, team culture that will allow your daughters to evolve into a strong community, grow and mature as athletes on the soccer field, build character, set goals and adopt a growth mindset, and leave the field every day with a smile on their faces.

I haven’t been this excited for a season in years.

Expectations and Reminders:

Away Games: Athletes are expected to ride to and from all away games on the bus as a team. Please arrange to pick your daughter up from school after we return home.

Practices: All practices will take place on OPRF’s campus, either at the Stadium or on the Lake Street Fields. Practice will begin at 3:30 (athletes should begin warming up around 3:15) and will go until between 5:30-6:00 most days. Practices will be longer towards the beginning of the season while we are teaching the program’s philosophy and going over set-piece plays, tactics, etc. In terms of equipment, all athletes have been given lockers in the Stadium, and they should leave their cleats, shin-guards, and running shoes in their locker for practices. They are also expected to wear OPRF soccer training shirts at practice every day.

Team Meetings: At least once a week, we will have team meetings in Coach Steffen’s classroom, 299, to discuss expectations, set goals, watch and analyze game film, complete grade checks, and discuss the tactical elements of the game. Athletes will always be reminded of these meetings via Remind101 or Teampages. If we begin or end the day with a meeting, we will always have a short practice as well. Please be prepared with proper outfits and shoes for practice every day that we do not have a game.

Attendance & Playing Time: Please look closely at the practice and game schedules that have been provided. We would appreciate your cooperation when scheduling your family vacations and other commitments for your daughter. If you have a doctor’s appointment, you are sick from school, or there is an emergency in your family or a funeral, then those absences will be considered excused. Please have your daughter contact Coach Steffen directly to report these absences. All other absences from practice will be considered unexcused.

If an athlete acquires an unexcused absence from practice, then she will have to sit half of the next game. Some exceptions for extenuating circumstances may apply—however, it is important to me as a coach in this program to remain consistent with these policies and reward the athletes who are present at practice with participation in games. Further, we have conducted individual meetings with each athlete about playing time and her current position on the team. Please encourage your daughters to speak to us directly if they are confused or upset about playing time this season.

We will have practice and two games over Spring Break, and all regular attendance policies will apply during that time.

Please contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns. I will be sending out a few more documents that include athlete expectations and game schedules. Thank you for your time! I am really excited to get the ball rolling and win some games!

All my best,

Emily Steffen

English and Reading Teacher, English Division
Sophomore Girls Soccer Coach
Oak Park and River Forest High School
esteffen@oprfhs.org
(708) 434-3577

Five Things to Know About Recruiting

Finding an athletic scholarship can be a difficult, but it’s easier if you know the steps that need to be taken to give you the best shot during the complicated recruiting process.

When does the recruiting process start?

1. The athletic recruiting process started yesterday. You don’t have to look far on the Internet to find lists of college sports prospects that are still in junior high. Ideally, you should begin thinking about athletic recruiting in the seventh or eighth grade, and by the beginning of freshman year you should have a good understanding of the NCAA rules and core course requirements. The recruiting process is complicated and time consuming, and waiting until the last minute is never a good idea if you’re looking for an athletic scholarship.

How do I get discovered?

2. College coaches find athletic recruits based on third-party evaluations from trusted resources. You’re an outstanding middle blocker. You run through linebackers like they’re butter. You can routinely bury open three-pointers. Having the skill on the court or field doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be spotted by college programs. College coaches work with experienced talent evaluators and rely on online resources to identify and discover top athletic prospects.

How do coaches evaluate prospects?

3. Make sure coaches see your highlight video and use the Internet as your most powerful recruiting tool. Highlight videos help college coaches determine talent. But coaches don’t have the time to look at every video they receive, and they certainly can’t spend hours scouring YouTube for clips. When a highlight video comes from a trusted recruiting expert at NCSA, that video doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Easy access to video highlights and statistics lets coaches find players that fit their system. Showcasing your skills on the Internet makes the athletic recruiting process easier for both you and the coaches you want to impress.

Where am I qualified to play?

4. Less than 1% of college athletes earn a Division I full ride. More than 1,800 colleges have athletic programs and 94% of them are outside of Division I. The majority of college athletes don’t compete in Division I, so set your expectations accordingly. Most college athletes are at the Division II, Division III, NAIA or junior college level. An experienced talent evaluator can tell you exactly which level you should shoot for and where you’re likely to find the most success.

What is my coach’s role?

5. Your coach can take care of your development on the field or on the court, but getting an athletic scholarship is your responsibility. Ultimately, your athletic ability is what earns you a scholarship, but the recruiting process requires a lot of work off of the playing field. Your high school or club coach probably can’t dedicate the time that the athletic recruiting process requires.

Know your stuff?
You’ve got the top five things to know under your belt.
Now find out what you can do to earn an athletic scholarship.

http://ncsasports.org/how-do-you-get-recruited/athletic-recruiting

We need your help in soliciting local businesses to sponsor a husky or donate gift certificates/items. Please read the attached PDF about the Huskies on Parade and print out forms to hand out to businesses. Please email me, Nancy Gonzalez nanloggon@sbcglobal.net, businesses that you have approached and names of businesses that will sponsor a husky. Thanks!