West Seattle Soccer Club - Long Live the WSSC!

So many wonderful things to say about this incredible club!

Every year, thousands of West Seattle kids take to the pitch and experience the joys of playing soccer... and the West Seattle Soccer Club is there, working hard to ensure that they have one of the best youth soccer experiences in the nation.

The club has a wonderfully rich history that is full of great people, great times, and great soccer experiences.  Since 1968, the West Seattle Soccer Club has been providing positive experiences and fostering stellar recreational soccer activities for the youth in our community.  Considering the dramatic increase in screen time in our society, I wholeheartedly applaud the healthy opportunities the club provides for our kids.

And not only are the kids active and learning to play the great sport of soccer, they are also learning valuable life lessons... building confidence, relationship development, teamwork skills, etc.  Another goal of recreational sports is to put "winning" into perspective, and one of my favorite resources that WSSC offers its coaches is access to the Positive Coaching Alliance.  The PCA philosophy is greatly aligned with the perspective of the WSSC, as they both share the attitude of winning on and off the field, regardless of the score of the game.

Over the years there have been some talented individuals that have participated on the Board and received various State and National Awards for their service. I would like to make note of three individuals who for the past couple of decades have done an amazing amount of heavy lifting for the club... their efforts have allowed the WSSC to become one of the best youth sports organizations in the nation.  The notables:  Bill Fry - the heart and soul of the WSSC... Tim McMonigle - the wizard behind the WSSC curtain... Jamie Foulk - one of the best administrators in the business.  These three individuals have given our community a legacy of countless volunteer hours and provided our kids with a wonderful soccer experience, of which the community is very grateful!

One of Bill Fry's mantras is "Serving with Excellence", and he is routinely striving to improve the club, and live up to the tagline, "WSSC - Youth Soccer at its Best!".  On that note, the West Seattle Soccer Club has been making good things happen for the past 50 years!  What an amazing run... Here's to 50 more!

Mexico 2014

In early February, The Five of Us were blessed to find ourselves on a plane heading south of the border to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.  Another great adventure, with many memorable moments.

After spending our first night in Cancun, we loaded the SUV and experienced some four-wheel off-road action on our way to the tiny fishing village of Punta Allen, just south of Tullum.

 The town was beautiful, peaceful, relaxing, and a great escape.  The sad reality is that the currents that hit the beach come straight from South America, and bring tons of plastic garbage.  The main beach in town was kept clean, but when we explored other areas, they were littered with anything that can be made from plastic.  ;(

Our next stop was just outside another small town called Chemuyil.  This turned out to be a great location to explore the local area... Mayan Ruins, numerous cenotes, beautiful beaches to snorkel, yummy food, etc!

All in all, it was another great opportunity to travel with the five of us... and reflect, take in some beautiful sites, and contemplate the current path we find ourselves marching down... and with that said, here is a great story...

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”


Below are a bunch of shots from our trip... cheers!