TIFF'S JOURNAL

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 15)
April 23, 2008

Hello Everyone!
I know you have all been on the edge of your seat waiting for the next installment of “Tiff’s Journal” so here it is… the first of the 2008 season!

It seems like it was only yesterday we were hoisting the U-23 National Championship trophy and flying home from Seattle, still wearing our gold medals.

Now, we are 16 days away from our first game of the season and we couldn’t be more excited.

We have a new home field at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Willow Brook Park in New Britain. We have lots of new players, new staff members and a new attitude.

With last year being our first season we were definitely learning on the go. For many of us, it was the first time ever involved with a WPSL team, even for the coaches. So, this year we are prepared for everything and are ready to defend our National Championship as well as win a WPSL Championship.

I hope you will join the Reds and me this season as we look to build upon last year’s accomplishments and further the program’s success. It will be a special year for this team and we are all anxious for our first game on May 9th!

LETS GO REDS!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 14)
June 25, 2007

Along with our league schedule, we have been playing in the Women’s Open Cup.  There have been three rounds so far, and our most recent game was the regional final, which we won 4-0. 

It was the first time this season we had a shut out, and that was one of our goals for the season.  We played our best game since we started together and I feel like this was a big step in the right direction.  It was a game we needed to finish out the rest of our season where we want to be.

With Sunday’s win, we earned a trip to Seattle for the Open Cup Final Four the first week in August.

For the first time this season I think we really played like a team.  Four different people scored and everyone got to play.  Our goals came from good buildups with everyone working together.

Even though that was the best game we’ve played all season, we still feel like we can play better.  It is kind of exciting that we’ve yet to reach our potential as a team.

In my last entry I talked about teammates caring about each other and teams playing better as a result of it.  For a while now we have been getting to know each other and progressively playing better with each other because of that.

This past weekend I think we all saw this in different ways.  You find yourself wanting people to score who don’t usually score or your goalkeeper to get a shutout because we haven’t had one in a while or players to get more playing time.  Having those thoughts only make you play better because you want success for others.  With better individual performances comes an overall better team performance.

Bottom line… I love my teammates.  Everyone came to this team to play soccer and better themselves and even though we are all going in different directions after the season is over, we’ll take a little bit of each other with us, making the experience so much more than just playing a game.

Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 13)
June 6, 2007

We are now a month into the season, standing first in our division. We have advanced to the regional final of the Open Cup and have yet to lose a game so far this season.

I think this is one of the great things about soccer. The team has never played together before a month ago. We have players from all different backgrounds of the game. There are high school players, players in college, players who have graduated and players from different countries even; but we have come together in a short amount of time and we are winning games.

There are lots of reasons why we have been able to do this though. Our coaching staff is by far one of the best in the country and they know what it takes to get players to come together in a short amount of time. We have been able to bond a lot off the field and get to know each other outside of soccer and that is a huge part of the game. When your teammates become your friends, you want them to do well not just to win the game, but because you care about them. The players on the team are all good. This enables the coaches to throw things at us without worrying much and we are capable of figuring the game out ourselves.

Since I’ve been with this team I have learned a lot. Whenever you play with new players and with a new coaching staff you are going to experience different things. No two teams will ever be alike. I see my play changing with every game and every practice and for the better. My coaches and teammates have been pushing me to become a complete player. I’ve taken a step out of my comfort zone, but I know that’s the only way I’m going to be better.

Overall, this has been a great experience so far and it’s only been a month. We have a lot of games left to play and with that I have a lot yet to learn. It’s amazing how I have been playing this game for the last 18 years of my life and I have so much to learn still. You can never stop getting better though, as long as you want to. To reach my goals and make my dreams come true I have to keep working hard and hopefully one day everything will fall into place. Until then, every day is an opportunity to get better- so I can’t and I won’t waste any of those chances.
 
Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 12)
May 24, 2007

This week’s question asks: Why do you wear a headband?

When I was in 7^th grade, at about 13 years old, I played basketball for the middle school team.  Basketball is a sport where people are always trying new styles.  Players wear high socks, arm bands, headbands, anything to make them standout. 

The first few games I went with the arm bands, but I didn’t really think they were my thing.  I tried the high socks next and those stuck, but I needed something else.  I finally purchased my very first Nike headband.  Who would have thought then that 100 more would follow?

Once soccer season came, I thought I would give the headband a try on the field.  I would wear it sometimes, but not all the time just because I didn’t really think about it that much.

Eventually, people would start asking me, where’s your headband Tiff?  After a while it become part of the uniform.  I couldn’t leave my house without my cleats, shinguards and now a headband. 

I don’t remember specifically what game it was, but I know there was a time when I played really well wearing it and being the superstitious player that I am, couldn’t let go of it after that.

Now, I have certain headbands that I wear in games and certain ones that are for practice only.  When I was at Penn State, my mom would buy me a game one for the season and write something inspirational in it, so every time I would put it on, I would read it.

Did I think I would be wearing it at age 23?  Not at all, but if I’m not wearing it, I feel like something is missing.  It’s almost like playing without my jersey on or something.  People have tried to convince me that I shouldn’t wear it anymore, because it’s something little kids do, but as long as I’m playing I will continue to wear it.

The day I hang up my cleats will be the same day I hang up my headband, until then, you won’t see me in a game without it.
 
Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 11)
May 15, 2007

This week’s question asks:

After having a bad game or practice, what do you do to motivate yourself to do better next time?

The best way to deal with having a bad game or practice is realizing something very important that most people probably don’t think about. Every year we as soccer players have hundreds of practices and sometimes even hundreds of games. I play soccer almost every day of my life and I am not going to be good every single day. If that were the case people wouldn’t even need practice.

When I do have a bad practice or game, I do get discouraged. It’s not a bad thing to get discouraged, but you can’t dwell on it. When I was at Penn State, we lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament my senior year. My coach told us to take the rest of the weekend to deal with the loss and the performance, but after that we will start a new season, the NCAA tournament. So, then everyone refocused and we ended up getting to the Final Four, not letting that loss get in our way.

If you think about it, having a bad game or practice can be motivation in itself. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow brings a new game or practice for you to prove yourself again. The great thing is that you get to start fresh everyday. If you bring the past with you, it will only make things worse.

It’s a true test of your character to see how you rebound from adversity. Anyone can have a bad game and then just call it quits. But when you wake up the next day and lace your cleats up again, you’re taking a big step toward becoming a better player.
 
Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 10)
May 7, 2007

Sunday (5/6) had a lot of firsts. It was our first real game as the SoccerPlus CT Reds. We scored our first goal and most importantly which led to our first win and the first step to building a quality program. We beat the New York Athletic Club 3-1, advancing out of the first round of the Open Cup.

My favorite “first” from Sunday is wearing our uniforms for the first time. There is just something about putting on a jersey that lights me up inside. No matter what level you’re playing at, there are practices and there are games. Being able to wear your team’s jersey is a privilege and a reward for the hard work you’ve put in.

I don’t like to put my jersey on until right before the game is about to start. The warm-up before the game is still part of the work you put in to get to the big show- the 90 minutes.

Once I pull that jersey over my head, and it’s tucked in to my shorts, I’m in a completely different place.

I am now lost in a world where nothing matters except a ball. There aren’t many thoughts going through my head because I am finally free. The world I know stops and for 90 minutes of my life, nothing else matters.

People have told me that they’ve never seen me happier than when I am on that field. I’m lucky I have a place where I can escape and experience bliss like that.

Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 9)
APRIL 17, 2007

“I'm finding that the game of soccer isn't as much fun unless you are playing with players who aren’t as good you and they know where to be and how to adjust. I seem to be working so hard at being in the right place (such as overlapping) but players just don't know when to pass the ball or even know where to be on the field. This is frustrating, but I still love the game. Have you been in this situation? Tiff, how would you deal with that?”

You will find yourself in two situations playing soccer.  You’re either not as good as the players around you or you are better than the players around you, but this doesn’t mean you don’t belong there.

I’ve been in both situations and though at times it can be frustrating, it will only make you a better player in the long run.  The most important thing you have to remember here is that, like anything in life, the experience is what you make it.

If you have players on your team that aren’t up to the level you are, then you have to work with them and help them.  If you want them to pass the ball back you have to demand it, or if you want them to make a certain run, point in the direction you want them to go.  After a while, they will start to understand the game the way you do and you will find yourself having more of a leadership role.

It is vital that you don’t take your frustrations out on your teammates.  If you do, they won’t want to work for you or play with you.  They will appreciate your help and want to get better if you do it in a positive way.

Being on the other side can be just as difficult.  I know first hand when I go in with the Women’s National Team that I’m not always up to their standards.  The way I’ve dealt with that when I’m there is just to do the simple things right and eventually you adjust to their level of play.  More than anything else though, it shows you how much you need to work on your game and that could lead you in two directions obviously- working hard to get to that level or accepting it as it is.

Being in either situation is part of growing as a player and you will likely find yourself on one side or the other.  How you deal with it will reveal a lot about your character and most of all, your love for the game.

Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 8)
MARCH 26, 2007

This weeks question was:

Have you ever felt like you could do better and go farther, but someone or something is holding you back? What helps you get through all the difficulties/challenges/negative remarks from other people and get past the limits that you don't necessarily place for yourself, but others place for you?

It's funny, because for most people, including myself, the only thing holding them back from making their dreams come true is themselves. In my case, I've yet to make my dreams come true and I am the only person preventing it. I know that the coaches make the final decisions and in a way they hold everyone's dreams in the palm of their hands, but at the same time, I can always be doing more to make it happen.

So, to answer your question, I feel like something is holding me back all the time, but unfortunately, that something is me. It is much easier to say you’re going to do something than to actually do it.

In terms of what helps me get through tough times, I look at it this way. It is always easy to give up when things get hard. When people say you're not good enough, it's easy to sit there and take it and say they're right. And sometimes I even think about it... like life would be so much easier if I just hung up my cleats.

But then when I'm out on the field playing I know exactly why I don't give up, because there is no place in the world that I'd rather be than on that field, and to give up would be not only giving up on my dream, but giving up on the one thing I love more than anything else in this life… and that’s what helps me get through the tough times.

Just because people fight in a relationship doesn't mean it's not worth staying in that relationship and working for it. If you love something enough, anything is worth it. If you let people or things get in the way of that, than you don't love it as much as you think and maybe it’s not something worth it to you.

Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 7)
MARCH 19, 2007

A question that came in recently asks:

Through your experiences, what tips would you give someone trying out for a new team, what do you do to adapt?

This is a great question, especially since I am currently in that situation myself.  Over the last few weeks, we have been training together in small groups, playing in tournaments, and this weekend we have our actual team tryout.

With all of this going on, I’ve played with different players, trained using different drills with a different coaching staff.  The transition from one team/coach to another shouldn’t be too overwhelming.  Like anything, it takes time to adapt to the style and play of the coaches and players. 

All you can do is be yourself and play like you normally do.  If it’s not what the coach is looking for, they will obviously let you know and from there you just have to trust what they are saying will benefit you. 

At first you won’t be used to playing with all the new girls, naturally.  But the more you play with them the easier it will be to learn each of their styles.  You can pick up someone else’s habits in one training session… like if they are left footed, if they like the ball too their feet or not, if they are fast or not… and from there you learn to play to their strengths.  The same goes with the new player too… the team will learn your strengths and play to them.

I’ve experienced a lot of this just this past week.  A group of about five or six of us started training at 7 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays (I thought about getting into that, but we’ll let it go for now… let’s just say I will never be a morning person). 

Anyway, the more I’ve been training with my new teammates the more I have learned about them and I’m sure they’ve learned about me.  I know that Manya can run forever and will win every tackle.  I also know that sometimes when she shoots the ball, it might hit the post and come back directly at the back of her head.  Haha, though that’s not likely to ever happen again, it definitely did this week in training.

Besides their tendencies, you learn about their personality as a player.  If you’re willing to get up at 5 a.m. to train, you must really love the game and you want your team to be successful.  The same goes with the player who sprints down the field in the 89^th minute trying to get a goal back when their team is down.  Or the player who encourages their teammates and makes sure everyone is doing alright.  Every team has these players, as a new player it’s your job to figure out who is who and where you fit in.

A lot of you have changed teams in the past or maybe are in the process of doing so now.  What else is helpful to know when changing teams?

Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 6)
MARCH 5, 2007

On Sunday, a bunch of girls and I played in a tournament at CFC Arena. Our team consisted mostly of girls who are going to play for SoccerPlus CT this summer and then a couple others.

We ended up winning the tournament, winning all three of our round robin games, then the semis and the finals. We beat the Quinnipiac University Alumni, Central Connecticut State University Alumni, Manhattan College, Fairfield University and Quinnipiac University.

Although they were only 26 minute games, it’s not as easy to play five games in one day as it was when I was younger. I know this because I could not move the next morning. But we all had a great time and it was nice to finally play with some of my teammates. It seemed like we were on the same page for the most part and that isn’t always the case with players playing together for the first time, so that’s exciting.

The SoccerPlus CT players included: Manya Makoski, Megan Jessee, Lauren Erwin, Jenn Prozzo and Margaret Teitjen.

Hopefully we will begin to start training together more. It’s hard though because people work and are still in school, but the earlier we start the better we will be this summer.

Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 5)
FEBRUARY 26, 2007

Game day… what does that entail?  Rolling out of bed and putting my uniform on?  That does sound a lot easier, but then I just wouldn’t feel right.

On the day of a game, it is always much easier to get out of bed… even if it might be before 10 a.m.  Breakfast is always the same- scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon and a Coke. I know it’s totally not good for me, but can’t break routine, plus a soda in the morning is so good sometimes.

I have to then clean my room and make my bed.  I lay out my clothes on my bed so that they are perfectly placed on top of one another.  I have a lucky t-shirt that I wear under all my jerseys.  It is basically falling apart and I don’t know how much longer it will last, but I’ve been wearing it for the last four years.  I make sure I always have two headbands ready to go.  Why two?  Well, my freshman year in college, we played at UCONN in the Elite Eight and I couldn’t find my headband.  My coaches claimed I even started crying, but who really knows the truth.  It was traumatic to say the least, as I had not played a game without one since 7^th grade.  I don’t want that to ever happen again.

Next, I have to dry and straighten my hair.  If you look good you feel good, and if you feel good you’ll play good- that’s my motto.  With that said, I also have certain game perfume and game lotion that is never used on regular days.  I make sure my clothes are ironed and they have to be clean, of course.  I’m not one of those athletes who uses the same unwashed underwear for every game… gross.

When I actually get to the field I am slow to get ready.  (I’m not a huge fan of warming up).  Eventually, after someone yells at me or something, I will start putting my stuff on.  I always put my right sock and cleat on first… always.  I even do that with my regular shoes, right first.  Before I can actually walk out for warm-ups, there is one song I have to listen to- November Rain by Guns N’ Roses.  Somehow, I’m not really sure how, it became an essential part of the routine.  I feel focused after I listen to it.  I never really listen to upbeat music before I play, I’m more of a calm player and that’s how I like to feel when I walk out onto the field, calm.

Finally, I’ll put on my jersey right before the whistle is about to blow.  I prefer to wear long sleeves, no matter what the temperature is, but if I can’t it’s not the end of the world.  I straighten my headband, tuck my shirt in, put my shinguards on and walk out to the center circle, ready for action.

If pre-game doesn’t go as planned, I’ve learned to be able play regardless.  Sometimes I won’t be able to have eggs or maybe I’ll run out of lotion, but the game will still go on and I will still have to perform.  Superstitions are a part of sports.  I think it’s good to have them, as long as you can adjust if needed.  I wasn’t prepared my freshman year not to have my headband, but I learned from it. 

I’d love to hear some different pre-game rituals if people want to send theirs in!

Until next time, keep kicking!
- Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 4)
FEBRUARY 19, 2007

In a couple months I will embark on yet another journey with another team, and a new style of coaching and new teammates to play with. Adjusting to all these things is not something I’m worried about as I have been doing it my whole life. Genius

It’s funny to look at the roster and see so many former UCONN players, like Kristi Lefebvre, Megan Jessee and Kristen Graczyk. We played them a bunch of times when I was at Penn State and it was always a good rival, even though we weren’t in the same conference. Now, we will be wearing the same jersey, trying to accomplish the same goals and not hoping for the others misfortune.

I like seeing Penn State on that roster, thanks to Katie Schoepfer. Although she came a year too late and was unable to play with me (something she is devastated about, trust me), we still trained together every day this fall and now we will finally be able to compete together.

Manya Makoski and I have been playing with and against each other since we were about 14 years old. We went to Soccer Camp together and then played on rival club teams (she played for Yankee United and I played for World Class)… then we ended up playing together on the U-21 WNT. I’ve known her longer than anyone else and glad we’ve remained friends and finally get to play together again. Hopefully I’ll be able to get her to do some guest appearances in Tiff’s Journal (she’s a writer too).

Another former rival of mine on the roster is Lauren Erwin. Though we are friends now, back in high school we had some of the most intense games that I can remember. Amity vs. North Haven… (we always beat them though).

And like all teams I have played on, I’m excited to meet new people and make new friends… because sadly, there will be a day when we won’t be able to play soccer anymore, not something I like to think about… but when it is over we’ll have the memories and the experiences, and most importantly the people to talk about them with.

Keep Kicking!
-Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 3)
FEBRUARY 13, 2007

I decided for this week’s entry, to go in depth with one of the questions I received last week.  The question was: “Why do you play soccer?”

If I had to draw a picture of what it feels like when I step over that line it would be like something from the movies.  I would go in a phone booth like Clark Kent.  I would come out with my cleats on and my headband and become my own superhero.  Just over that line lays my Heaven on earth; just a bunch of people, two goals and a ball.  I feel confident and powerful and for a few hours of the day life is perfect.

My soccer career began before I could tie my own cleats, but even at such a young age I knew it was something I wanted to do.  Since I was at the end of the alphabet in the classroom (Weimer, thanks Dad), I would need some divine intervention, as there weren’t enough sign up sheets for soccer league starting that fall.  As destiny would have it, one of my friends didn’t want his and a few weeks later my mom bought me a blue pair of shinguards that didn’t match my uniform and an ugly ball that was too big for my age group.

Soccer seemed to be all the rage going through elementary school, but that stopped once I moved into my teens. When I was young, I played soccer because it was fun and everyone else was doing it.  Every kid I grew up with played at some point in their life, but eventually boys wanted to play football and baseball and girls wanted to cheerlead and their social lives became more important.

During high school, it was impossible to find anyone to play with outside of the scheduled practices and games, including my brother and sister.  There was a time when I could count on them, but they lost interest over the years.  I remember being in the kitchen with my mom, kicking the ball at her because I had no one to play with.  I even think I begged her to come out a few times… but not even pouty face could get her to kick a ball.  Through all this though… that’s when I realized something.  I realized that I really love this game and that I’d rather be on the field than anywhere else. 

As I have grown, my love for the game as evolved.  Nowadays, I play because like an artist with an empty canvas, or a writer with a blank sheet of paper, a player has her field.  She’s free to create her own art.  Soccer is different from a lot of sports.  There are no play books or shot clocks or signals.  It’s unpredictable and that’s what makes the game so beautiful.  It’s all based on instinct and that allows players to express themselves which makes for endless possibilities.

The best part about all if is that it doesn’t matter if it’s the semi finals of the Final Four against Portland or if it’s 1v1 in the house with my little cousin, it’s all soccer and it all makes me feel the same way.  Nothing in this world makes me smile inside like I do when that ball is at my feet.

Keep Kicking!
-Tiff

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 2)
FEBRUARY 4, 2007

If you’re joining for a second time that means my first one wasn’t terrible. So, thank you for coming back. If you thought the first one was pretty average and this is your sympathetic second chance… thank you also.
This past week a few of us trained with our head coach Tony DiCicco. Bianca D’Agostino, Megan Jessie, Kristi Lefebvre and I all worked with Tony doing a series of shooting drills on Wednesday. We are so lucky to be coached by such a respected soccer figure like Tony DiCicco. It is definitely intimidating, as anyone can imagine, but at the same time I feel confident in that he is going to help me get better. He knows better than anyone, so it’s easy to trust him.
On Friday Megan and I trained with Paul Cacolice, the strength and fitness coach. We didn’t really know what to expect because he brought out so many different things. It was interesting to say the least. Megan and I made fools of ourselves trying to balance on our knees on physio balls and falling flat on our faces… and then Paul made us look even worse when he effortlessly stood on it.
We did some ladder training, running in and out of tires, had our feet tied together and did lunges… lots of drills that I had never done before and that was obvious. I felt it the next day that’s for sure… but if Paul said it’s going to make us better, the pain is worth it.
Aside from training this week I have been watching so much soccer on TV. It’s made me think a lot about the game and people who play it in this country. I feel like people who play football watch football; people who play baseball and basketball, they watch it on TV all the time… and that’s where we see kids trying to imitate their idols. People don’t watch soccer here… and it shows, especially female players. There isn’t much flare in the game and the only way they would learn that is by watching the greatest players in the world playing at the highest level, like the English Premiere League or La Liga or Serie A or the Bundesliga. I learn so much by watching games, stuff that you can’t learn by just going to practice two or three times a week. It’s amazing to watch these players and how much passion they have for the game… you wish you could teach that to people… to have passion.
But maybe by watching it more, you learn how beautiful the game is and to appreciate it more… and eventually… a passion does form. I mean there is a reason it’s the most popular game in the world.

'til then… keep kicking!
-Tiff
 

TIFF'S JOURNAL (Issue 1)
JANUARY 29, 2007

Welcome to Tiff’s Journal! I hope by reading my weekly entries you can gather some insight into our lives… and by our lives I mean my teammates and I.
I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Tiffany Weimer and I just recently graduated from Penn State University where I played soccer for four years. Now, I’m looking to continue to play soccer as long as possible. I live in Trumbull, CT but I grew up in North Haven. I have been playing soccer since I was five years old… so this will be my 19th year kicking a ball.
SoccerPlus CT is a great opportunity for players to keep playing in hopes that the WUSA will come back in the near future. We have a great staff, including one of the greatest coaches in soccer history with Tony DiCicco. Our roster is packed with big-time players from some of the best soccer colleges in the country.
On Saturday morning a few of us including Jen Prozzo, Kristi Lefebvre and Megan Jessee attended the CJSA convention where we signed autographs, took some pictures and tried to get some ideas for a team name…we really need a name! So keep the ideas coming! (enter the Team Naming Contest - Click Here)
It’s only January, but I am so excited for our season to start already.

Check back next week to see what is going on with Tiff and SoccerPlus CT.
Until then… keep kicking!
-Tiff