Another shot taken by the retention pond. This was the true color in the sky!

JTAAA : Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association Accountability

A tropical system created this gorgeous sunset in Jupiter Farms

This sunset shot was taken at around 7:30 p.m. while the clouds raced by. The combination of the low cloud coverage and the particles swept up in the storm bands created this undoctored digital photograph. A flash was used.


JTAAA : Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association Accountability

Change and the sluggish wheels of that motion

Where do we go from here? Our last meeting was filled with enthusiasm as we thought out solutions to the growing frustrations associated with a volunteer organization. Our intentions have been clear from the start, to have a great soccer program in Jupiter and with that comes the responsibility to do our part. Our recent addition of very qualified trainers and the introduction and launch of Soccer in the Streets are just a few of the steps we've taken since the Executive Board challenged us with finding ways to work around the issues they refuse to manage responsiblly, such as allowing trainers to participate at games. The success of Soccer in the Streets and the continued growth of competitive soccer in Jupiter are indications that the improvements are well received. What we expect from the Executive Board has been accountability and upon reading the by-laws have realized that the governing body of this organization operates outside it's own policies, making changes to and even revoking past policy based on the vote of just the committee without regard for the memberships point of view or support. This sort of action makes it difficult to respect any policies as is demonstrated by many of the policy trangressions that parent witness in every sport. The expectations that the board has seem hypocritical when you expose the lack of regard to the non-profit by laws, which, if presented before a court of law, would be the law by which the judging would be based. The policy in place is a farce in that the membership was not given a proper voice in the decision. A proper and valid vote must be administrated to satisfy the membership seeking revocation of the current LIPTC policy on the grounds that it was written and accepted without the membership stamp of approval. Comments are welcome. Many have talked about supporting a change. Few have actually done anything. The way to open up communication and get the represenation we demand is through your voice. Who have you spoken with and how many opinions have you sorted through? JTAAA : Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association Accountability

Soccer in the Streets Success

JTAA Soccer
The coaches and trainers of the JTAA Jupiter Sting Soccer program have been spending some time in the streets. Not literally but they have been dedicating a few hours on Tuesday and Friday nights to giving the soccer kids in Jupiter a place to play over the summer that folks in the soccer community call a pick up game.

Various forms of soccer-style games have been around since the Romans. Colonists of Great Britain brought the game to North America. Banned for two centuries, the sport existed only in rural colonial America and wasn’t officially recorded event until the 1800’s. Ivy League games were popular until a rugby style ruling was adopted and the sport once again became popular only among the working class. During the immigration era the traditions of soccer came with this influx of people who quickly populated the Northeastern cities of the United States. Pick up games were a regular occurrence and they usually happened in the streets primarily due to a lack of facilities.

Soccer in the Streets takes in name from bygone days were friendly competition was just a few men and a street away. The Jupiter Sting Soccer Club believes that soccer is one of man’s best creations and should be shared with all. Supporting soccer in Jupiter and the surrounding areas has been a decades long adventure and happens through the hours of volunteering that’s done by our coaches, managers, committee members and families. You can’t help but get involved when you see what a tremendously positive impact youth sports generates in a community.

Good soccer has become a quest for the team at Jupiter Sting and their commitment to bringing an excellent program to the community starts with a strong partnership with the Recreational program, also a JTAA league. This alliance helps the kids in multiple ways but mostly we want to focus on the game being fun. Helping coaches understand this principle is part of the ongoing training and development planned for the next season.
Recreational soccer registration ends soon and the first practice is expected to commence in September. Academy soccer starts in August and runs concurrently with Recreational soccer, offering all soccer players a place to develop and train with professional trainers.
Travel Soccer regular season league games start in November and teams competing in Florida leagues will begin practicing next month. With nearly 1000 recreational players and 10 travel teams ranging in age from U9-U18, the soccer programs in Jupiter are gearing up for another successful year.

Join the soccer community of Jupiter on Tuesday and Friday nights for a look at the first American sport. Jupiter Community Park on Island Way on the north end of town near I-95. Weather permitting from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A dark and a light shirt plus shin guards to participate in the games. Ages of children range from U6-U17. Volunteer coaches interested in working with the soccer programs in Jupiter should contact either Roy Frankhauser with Recreational soccer at http://www.jtaa.org/soccer/index.shtml
or Stephen Schultz with the Jupiter Sting Soccer Club at http://www.jtaa.org/travelsoccer/index.htm


JTAAA : Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association Accountability

Forming a *NEW* and Improved Executive Board

What are we talking about? No, it's not a mutiny. It is, however, a viable solution to help the current leadership. What we mean to do:

Formulate new policy that allows for two boards, one for Recreational sports and the other for Travel. The separation of responsibility will allow each leadership team to focus on the management of the sports based on their fundamental objectives.
Defining the objectives of each isn't difficult because the reality is that all of the leagues in Jupiter are alive and kicking because there are a handful of volunteers who keep it alive for the purpose of their kid or all kids getting the opportunity to participate.
Whether recreational or travel, parents want their kids to get something out of it.

What we should see in each sports is a code of conduct for coaches, a code of conduct for parents and leadership, physical fitness and sportsmanship from the kids.

Why do we feel it's necessary to separate the two if everyone is striving for the same thing?

Let's look at the environment in recreational sports. No one is turned away, not even a less than ideal coach. Coaching in recreational sports is a loosely applied term. Not an issue when most of the players don't know much about the dynamics of the game, but critical when you start competing against professionally trained clubs. Arguing that travel sports is too competitive is pointless. To take competition out of sports for the sake of argument, what would be the point. Sports is about testing your mettle, striving to achieve a goal or achieving your personal best. Within those phrases also resides winning graciously and losing with dignity, honoring the other players and having fun.

Let's face it, we have all heard the expression, if it's not fun why do it. We all want the kids to have fun. The difference then is not whether not the our children are enjoying themselves but rather the factors involved that determine whether they have fun. Coaches with out proper training and experience can make the environment very unfun.

Which brings us to the next point: the coaching element.

What makes for a good coach? What makes for a great coach? And what can be said of bad coaching?
Each sport can be broken down into the fundamentals of that particular game. Learning the game isn't necessarily the challenge. But what if your coach never learned the fundamentals? Not a crisis in recreational sports but a major issue in the travel sports.

Managing the coaching element in Travel then becomes a critical aspect of the organization. We have many coaches with plenty of experience and knowledge and great leadership qualities but we also have inexperienced and poorly managed coaches. Bringing in professionals to help coaches is a reasonable solution but not all of them cooperate with the program.

Mandatory requirements to determine eligibility are also good practices but when you have a sport that has a shortage volunteers and many hesitant to take on the career of coaching with all that is involved, the situation can lead to either no team for that group or more leniant qualifications. Supplementing the leadership with professional trainers was introduced several years ago but the restrictions on their involvement and the volunteer coach time limitations make for a very inconsistent training and coaching environment.

There are some that would argue this but they probably don't have a shortage of coaches or they just plain disagree. What we have seen though is that all the travel sports use trainers, all the sports have issues with bad coaching and all the sports have kids that will never play that sport again because they didn't have fun.

Again, if it's not going to be fun then why do it. The travel sports need representation that understands that just putting a parent on the sidelines with a whistle and a nice shirt does not promote the fundamental element of having fun. Travel sports need a board that is educated and openminded about athletics, training, physical fitness, nutrition, conditioning, sportsmanship, stretching, travelling and coahing.

We need your help. We want your opinion. We expect you to get involved. We don't have all the answers but we do understand the challenges.

The membership must speak. The parents must get involved. We can't expect greatness from nothing. Please help the youth sports program in Jupiter by getting actively involved.

JTAAA : Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association Accountability

JTAAA : Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association Accountability Rumors. What can you do? Step one: Don't react immediately to the information that is being conveyed. Remember, it has been "filtered" or "embellished" by the messenger to suit their own agenda. And you can best believe that they have an agenda or they wouldn't be telling you. Step two: Get to the source if at all possible. Give them an opportunity to tell their side of the story. There are always at least two sides and if you have heard a similar story from more than one person, their is probably some truth and always variations based on perspective. Step three: Wait. Sometimes the best remedy is to wait for said rumor to materialize into truth. Your waiting will have a result either way unless, of course, the rumor is about you! Rumors in youth sports has no bounds. We might call it conversation and other might call it complaining, but the fact of the matter is, the organizaiton is a network of people that not only play together but have business, family and social crossovers. People know people who know people. Reputation means a lot and upholding a higher standard in youth sports should not be dismissed which bring us to what can be called a rumor: First: That one person is single handedly disrupting the doings of the JTAA Two: That the agenda of this one person is focused totally on paid coaches Three: That the issues are unique to the competitive soccer league There is a story in here somewhere but the truth is more productive and what most people want to hear the first time around. Here are the facts: Over 30 people met for friendly discussions on the operations of JTAA and the lack of accountability was a major concern. Discussions were open to generate solutions to the growing demands of the competitive youth sports environment. As a membership it is our duty to not only attend meetings but to contribute to the growth and well being of the children in the program. As we see it, the current participation of the JTAA membership is so lacking that the handful of Executive Board members that volunteer to run things are not capable of managing all these decisions themselves, and nor should they. We welcome comments. Our meetings will continue to focus on gettting more members involved in the policies and procedures of the JTAA so that we can all learn and grow. regards.Artemis.