Women's Soccer

To be completely honest with you, I'm not a big fan of women's sports, soccer included. But as I was looking through pictures of a sporting even for class I came across one picture that is one of the most important, to me, in American international sports. The picture of Brandi Chastain scoring the winning goal in a shoot out of the World Cup in 1999 came up. Here's the picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated. 

It was an amazing day for women's sports and soccer. It showed the world that soccer was growing in America. America is like the laughing stock of the world when it comes to soccer. From experience, we are seen as the big, tough, dumb "football" players. But this showed everyone we are finally competitive in soccer, well, the women anyway.

Last week the men's Under 23 soccer team fell out of the Olympics with a game ending in a tie. Yes, it hurt, but at the same time, its not THAT big of a deal. The real competition comes in the World Cup. That is where you want to win. That is where your nation earns its right to be called number 1 in the world.

NEO Soccer

This week's blog comes in the from of a podcast. I sat down with my brother, Andrew, to talk a little about the program at NEO.
NEO started its soccer program in the fall of 2008, my first year of college. Since NEO had a lousy reputation with graduates of Miami, I decided not to go play. My brother, however, was vey excited to go play at the young program. He signed with NEO and played 2 years. During this time they won their conference and entered the national tournament.
This is a general interview with my brother about his experience in the soccer program.

Smashlahoma

For the past couple weeks I have been focusing on soccer in Brazil, this week will be different. I attended an event unlike any other and I am compelled to write about my experience.
Saturday, February 25, 2012, I went to my first professional wrestling match.
It was interesting to say the least. Everything I had expected and then some.
I actually laughed out loud when I first saw the posters around town. I've seen professional wrestling on TV as a kid, but I've never had the desire to go watch it live. That all changed when i told Nathan Mills about it. Then a couple days later when he told me his wife got him tickets, I knew I had to go. Not really for the wrestling, but to watch and listen to him watch it.
I told my dad about it and he laughed at me. He asked if I remembered going as a kid. I had no idea I had ever been before. He told me the story where he took my brother and I, along with a guy from church, to watch pro wrestling. He said we went early to get good seats. At the start of the match, there were 8 people there, including the four of us.
With that in mind, Ash and I headed to the Civic center. I was shocked. The parking lots were full. We went in and was further amazed. They transformed the Civic Center into a place just like on TV. This was the real deal.
The matches started and it was awesome. Not awesome as in something that left me in awe because of the incredibleness of it, but the lack of reality going into it. I mean I know professional wrestling isn't exactly real (there is some real parts, see Nathan Mills blog on this) but at some points they didn't even get close to connecting the punches. I had to continually remind myself and Ash Lynn that this is a show, not an honest competition to win. We saw head to head matches, we saw a table match where the little guy won, we even saw a free-for-all match.
Overall, I enjoyed it. I liked listening to Mills yell at the wrestlers and fans. I liked watching the home town kid win the Battle Royal. I liked watching Ash be embarrassed when we saw people.
It was a once in a life time experience that I hope to tell about for many years.

True Futbol

The majority of the soccer games I played in Brazil weren't really soccer games. Most of the time my brother and I would find an open spot and start juggling a ball, like in the picture from my last post.

It was always a good time. We did little tricks and showed off for each other and sometimes made fun of each other. But this year we got the opportunity to play an actual soccer game on a turf field in the middle of the city. It was the night before we were heading home and some of the guys asked if we could come play. After some begging to our group leader, he allowed us to go. So we hopped in the car and went off. We pulled up to a complex I had seen all week. It was made up of a big building with two small soccer fields in front of it. 

The game was pretty simple, seven on a team and first to 2 wins. Our team was made up of 2 Americans and 5 Brazilians. One of the Brazilians even played semi-pro in Bauru. 

It was fun watching the new people come on the field and looking at my brother and me. We were big and tall strangers who could only speak a few words in Porteguese. Our teammates introduced us and we knew when they said where we were from because it always got a laugh. Again, the stereotype Americans suck at soccer. It didn't take long for them to realize we weren't the typical American. 

We played the most fun soccer game of our lives that night. 

It wasn't like American soccer. 

It was true futbol. It was smooth and elegant. Truly a beautiful game. 

futbol norteamericano

The idea behind this blog is to give an American's view on the world of soccer in another country. The country I chose was Brazil, partially because I have been there and partially because when you think of good soccer players, you think of Brazil.
To begin this blog series I just wanted to be very basic and broad. As time goes by I'll pick a few different areas and highlight them.

Going to another country had always been a dream of mine. When my dad went to Brazil in 2007 I was pretty jealous. He got to go and build a church and talk to people for a week. So when I got the opportunity to go in 2008 I was ecstatic.
I really didn't know what to expect to be honest. Brazil is one of those countries no one really talks about in America, besides when the World Cup is on TV. It didn't take me long to find out I loved it. There are so many things about that country I wish I could take and bring back here. If I had to choose one I think it would be easy.
Futbol.
I have never seen a country so passionate about a sport. Sure, Americans love football. We love watching people of all ages run into each other and hurt each other. But there, they loved the simplicity and beauty of soccer.
Let me explain. How often when you and your friends are just hanging out do you say, "Hey, let's go play football," then you walk outside and do it? I can think of a total of maybe three times for me. But in Brazil, I did that five or six times a day with random people and a soccer ball.
Football seems to be reserved for the stereotypical football player. A big strong guy that likes to be rough and arrogant. Not many Americans fit that description.
Soccer is free to anyone.

This was taken this summer on the fifth day at the job site where we were working. It my brother and I along with some Brazilians who were somehow connected to the church. This little circle of juggling became our little chance to get away from working. There's te

Give Us Rest

The first two blogs were a little more serious than I had first imagined. So, it's time to lighten up the mood and talk about music.
For the past week I have listened to a single cd. Usually its a mixture of a few, but last Tuesday The David Crowder Band release "Give Us Rest or (A Requiem Mass in C [The Happiest of All Keys.])"


This is the seventh and final cd from the crowder band. To put it simple, it is awesome. I choose the word awesome because thats what it does, it leaves you in awe. The Crowder band has found a way throughout the years to put images and pictures and thoughts of God that just blow me away. Take the song "Sometimes" for example, it's currently my favorite.

The is the final chorus and the bridge (i think its called a bridge.)

It’s Your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
We’re lost in You
We’re lost in You
It’s Your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
We’re lost in You
We’re lost in You
It’s Your love that we adore
It’s like a sea without a shore
Don’t be afraid
Don’t be afraid
Just set your sail

And risk the ocean there’s only grace
Let’s risk the ocean there’s only grace


I love it because it sets the picture of God's love being like an ocean that has no end. I picture myself on a small sailboat in the middle of the Pacific. I look all around and all I see is water. I'm underwater and there is no bottom for miles. I am totally lost in the love of God.
Then the line "dont be afraid just set your sail. risk the ocean, there is only grace."


Another reason I have come to love Crowder is the crescendos and building of their songs. "Oh Great God, Give Us Rest" starts out nice and slow with a piano and before I know it im blaring the radio in my car (so I cant hear myself sing) and im stomping along with the bass drum. I bet I look ridiculous.




The final thing that is just crazy to me is how the built the album. It's 34 songs and "It's arranged to follow the theme of the traditional requiem mass." I had no idea what that meant, so i googled the definition. Wikipedia says "is a mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons."
Still didn't help much.

I just know that it is awesome. I strongly recommend it to anyone of any age.

p.s.
They covered 3 hymns at the end of the cd. Caleb Cox says they are his favorite. Check em out.

Tebow

I've been thinking about this one for a while now. Tim Tebow.

I'll start by saying this isn't going to be about sports. If you know me, you know I enjoy sports, but I know very little besides the rules. What I want to talk about is the personTim Tebow.

First, I want to ask a question about Tebowing. I didnt really understand it so I googled the definition. Turns out there is a website dedicated to Tebowing.

http://www.tebowing.com/

their definition is "to get down on one knee and start praying, even if everyone around you is doing something completely different"

So my question is this: is tebowing making fun a man praying to God and thanking God for what He's blessed him with or is it making fun of praying?

Maybe it's neither, thats just how I see it.

The main thing I wanted to talk about is who Tebow is and Christians response to him.
Personally, I think Tebow is incredible, again not talking sports. Read this article and you'll see what I mean.

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow

A guy like this just blows my mind. He is on one of the highest stages in America and he still makes it a priority to impact people personally. What stops me from making an effort like he has?

The final thing I want to talk about is the two responses I've seen from the Christian world. I've heard a lot of people think he is awesome for continuing his openness of his faith and sharing Christ as much as he does. On the other side, I've heard Christians say stuff like "yeah he gives credit to God but he does it too much" or "it's really getting old" or "he only does it for a show." I can see where you're coming from, but let's think about it for a minute. A guy has taken what God has given him, worked hard at it for years, and when he is doing incredible things he is making it known where his strength comes. I thought about Paul in the New Testament. Here is a guy that is amazing at speaking and writing. He goes around talking about God, writing about God, and singing about God. It seems to me that Tebow is doing the same thing Paul did, glorifying God with the gifts he has.
     Going back to the definition of tebowing, "to get down on one knee and start praying, even if everyone around you is doing something different." Isn't that what we are called to be? Something different. I think its easy to talk about Tebow because he is different. A lot of Christians want to blend in. We go to church on Sundays, quote songs on facebook, and tell people we're Christian but our lives dont reflect it. Our words and actions say something different. How many of us would be to embarrassed to pray in public?


Like I said before, I don't know how good he is in the NFL, but as a Christian I think he is doing exactly what God has called him to do.