AYSO Region 20!

Aside from providing a world-class soccer program to the youth they also willingly support other programs. Last year, AYSO Region 20 came out to one of our very own Game Days and gave our student-athletes the opportunity to select a new pair of cleats from their donated soccer cleats collection as well as a jersey to accompany their cleats. Their generous gesture has contributed to the lives of our youth in a small yet impactful manner. To our students who don't have the resources to get high end cleats and have this opportunity to own a pair now is amazing! Their genuine excitement, enthusiasm, and smiles created such an enjoyable atmosphere not only for us coaches but also of the parents, volunteers, and donors. 

So needless to say, THANK YOU AYSO REGION 20!

An extra special thank you to the girls who helped our student-athletes pick out their jersey and pair of cleats! Huge shout out to Ava, Isabelle, Liv, Olivia, and Karina!

Kings Game

Earlier this fall we took our Alumni to a Kings game which was an amazing experience!

Our group consisted of high school students and graduates who have been consistent in their participation with SCORES.

We had a great turn out with the Kings giving everybody a show in winning 3-2 in OT. Our alumni really enjoyed the experience! 

Huge THANK YOU to AEG and Matt Rosenfeld for helping in continuing this annual tradition for

our Alumni group!

Last Week's Review

Good Morning Everybody!!

Just a small review of last week;

The Palms Middle School Girls Futsal Soccer team played in the District Wide Futsal Finals last Saturday representing the entire LAUSD West Region. The girls held their own in a tough Semi-final. Unfortunately, they lost 2-0 and wanton to play for 3rd or 4th place. In their  game there were some controversial calls being made by the referee, but as any athlete knows, you must not let that dictate your game. Thats exactly what happened! The girls changed their attitude after being down 1-0 throughout the game and tied it to take them to penalties. The girls did an ASTOUNDING job. Goalkeeper Daniela Estrada blocked 3 of 5 penalties taken! As luck would have it, the last penalty taken wasn't quite enough to put the girls in 3rd place. Palms took home the 4th place trophy. On the other hand the girls were the best team in the West Region and their coaches couldn't be more proud of them.

In other news LA received a light shower in Tuesday that lead our elementary school programs to do indoor activities. Palms Elementary played a couple of rounds of heads-up-7-up before ending with some poetry. 

Game Day had a slight change as one of our schools didn't have enough players to support two teams. First time ever in America SCORES LA history that we had to run only 3 games! Lets hope thats not the case again this up coming Friday.

Hope everybody had a great weekend!

-America SCORES LA Staff

P.S. Pictures coming soon!

Palms Middle School Futsal Tournament

These past two weekends our middle school coaches Zuyevith Ariza and Nahoul Gonzalez took charge of the Boys and Girls Palms Middle School Futsal soccer team. Nahoul lead the boys and Zuyevith lead the girls.

10/17/2015

Ranking Games

The Palms Boys played first at 9am while the girls played later in the day at 12pm.

The boys won their first two games with a safe margin but then fell in their last game of 3 to a score of 6-1. They did not end the day undefeated but did finish in 2nd place in their group putting them in a great seeding position.

The Palms Girls had a pretty uneventful start; unfortunately their teams didn't show and they had to play Pio Pico twice to make up for the missed teams. They went on to win both games pretty comfortably. These results would then place Palms Girls in first place in their division putting them as the 1st seeded team in the Western Conference.

10/24/14

Elimination round.

  Just as the ranking games the boys started off the day playing their first game at 9:30am. They played against a fierce opponent going down in the first half 4-0. Its nothing the Palms boys couldn't handle. The second half they adjusted very well but weren't able to put the ball in the back of the net. The boys lost in quarter-finals 4-0.

  The girls, on the other hand, performed amazingly! As a result of being first place they automatically advanced to Semi-finals and met against Pio Pico again. The girls would go on to win again securing a place in the 2015 West Region Futsal Invitational Tournament Finals. The girls played stupendous! they were down 1-0 in the first 5 minutes but would recover under their coach's collected effort. Coach Zuyevith gave them the pep talk they needed and elaborated on how they would have to play the following 30 minutes. The next 30 minutes were played al if they were straight from the training ground. They were sucked in to tackles and took more shots than they do at practice. Once the final whistle blew the Palms girls would proceed to lift the West Region Championship trophy after winning 2-1.

 The Girls and Coach Zuyevith will play again this weekend 

October 31st at RFK Ambassador at 9am  

representing the West Region in Semi-finals.

Good Luck Girls!!!

Below are a couple of pictures from their games.

Palms Middle School Futsal Tournament

  

   

Nahoul and Del Rey City

In other news, one of our alumni will be playing in an US Open Cup Qualifier this Saturday, October 24th at 8:00pm at Toyota Sports Complex in Torrance. 

Nahoul Gonzalez, our Palms Middle and Braddock Elementary coach serving as CAA, will be participating in the game Saturday night.

Nahoul has been playing with Del Rey City SC in the UPSL Western Conference. He serves as Del Rey's Right and Center Back with a handful of starting opportunities. 

Del Rey City SC is a professional soccer team based in Marina Del Rey and an adult Professional Development soccer team competing in a Premier League of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The USASA Premier Leagues, of which there are several, are classified as “Amateur Leagues” and denoted as either a “National League” or a “Regional League.”

We want to wish good luck to both Del Rey City SC and our alum Nahoul! 

Go get them!! Good luck boys!!

First Fall Season Game Day

This past Friday, America SCORES LA held its first game day of the Fall season. 

Our elementary schools met on the Baseball Field at Mar Vista for game day in hope of getting their first win of the season. 

An amazing performance from our students and our amazing coaches made the first Game Day a wonderful success!!

Here are a couple of pictures from Game Day.

LA Scores and the Galaxy

On September 27, America Scores LA accompanied 20 middle school participants to watch the LA Galaxy match skills with FC Dallas. Just as the lunar eclipse began in our actual galaxy, the aptly-named LA soccer team bested Dallas 3-2 with goals from Dos Santos, Keane, and Gerrard. The opportunity to enjoy our time together was made possible by the Rising Stars Program. Most of these 12-14 year-olds have been participating in LA Scores since they were 7-8 year olds at the elementary schools. As our insightful Executive Director said, "Pretty sure you don't build an strong alumni program after school. You build it by hanging out with middle schoolers on a Sunday night at a stadium sharing some food." If these youngsters are any indication of the future of this program, then LA Scores has some great years coming.

Middle School Summer Camp

America SCORES LA Middle School  Camp

July 13th-July 17th, 2015

Where: Mar Vista Park Turf Field

When: 2PM - 4PM

What: Soccer Camp. Sessions will focus on skill development and each day will include drills, scrimmaging, and lots of fun. Summer Camp is FREE for all participants.

Participants will gain and hone passing skills, practice their touch on ball, learn about teamwork within the game, and much more

Registration forms can be picked up at the America SCORES LA Office (3685 Motor Ave., Suite 110) or at the field on July 13th

America Scores LA | 310-204-6455 

arichards@americascores.org |

 http://www.americascores.org/affiliates/la

STAY CONNECTED:

FootGolf

On June 3rd, some of the Alumni Coaching Team took a nice trip to Rancho Park Golf Course to play a game of FootGolf. 

FootGolf is a precision sport where players kick a football into a cup in as few shots as possible. The game is played the same way as golf, except players use a football instead of a golf ball, and the ball is kicked rather than struck with a club, working towards a 21-inch "cup" in place of the usual golf hole. The player who plays the 9 or 18 holes with the fewest shots wins. Footgolf as sport is played on golf courses. It was an interesting experience to say the least. We had balls zipping through the grass and others soaring into the green. There were also the occasional ball in the bush, almost getting stuck in a tree, knocking one another ball out of the way, and missing the hole 6 times before sinking it in. Nonetheless, we will be visiting the golf course again soon enough. 

Goals Soccer Center

On Saturday June 27th we, LA SCORES, took our summer campers to Goals Soccer Center for some extra under the sun fun! 

With help from Oscar, Coach Felicia, Coach Sharp, Armond, Nahoul, and all of our volunteers we were able to have a successful day! 

Not to mention the parents who created an amazing lunch for all of the students! 

Overall, a SUCCESSFUL and FUN field trip for our students. 

Since we could not invite everybody in the world, we decided to share our pictures.

A picture is worth a thousand words; which words are depicted in these pictures?

 

 

An Introduction of Our Newest Intern, Gordon Bylsma

Hello America Scores LA Family,

My name is Gordon Bylsma, I am currently 19 years old and I attend Syracuse University in New York. I recently joined the America Scores LA team and cannot be more excited to start working this summer! Having grown up in Los Angeles, soccer has always been a large part of my life. Simply put, I love the game. I played on my varsity team in high school, my colleges’ club soccer team last year, and I am currently a manager for our Division-1, ACC varsity squad. Aside from my passion for soccer, I have always looked for ways to get involved and improve my local community. For the past four years I have been heavily involved in another local program called Camp Harmony, which recommended that I check out this great organization named America Scores LA. After researching America Scores LA and its mission, I knew this was the perfect place to blend my passions together. I am looking forward to a great summer and getting a chance to meet all of you!

Best,

Gordon

Differences Too Small To Overcome

Question: What is the difference between poetry and music? I awoke this morning with a smile on my face, which, thankfully, is not a rare occasion. What made this smile special was my knowing exactly what I was smiling about. Last night, listening to many of our student athletes recite original poems on stage at Braddock Drive Elementary School provided me not only with smiles, but with all those things behind the smile: joy, love, and laughter. For the past few weeks, the students have been working on creative pieces focused on the theme: The Music in Me. This led to one student sharing just how Hype rap makes him, another claiming herself to be a goddess of music, and one outstanding performance that ended with an A Capella version of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" which received uproarious applause. There is one student from Palms Elementary School, Prince, whose poem represents the best of this program:

The Music in Me

I am the star that music makes me
I wonder what its like to see music like me
I see the ears in my head, spinning the swarms of ideas
I see like no other being, so I am the Alpha
I want more to see in what I can read, read in me
I am the Alpha of music everywhere, and no one can say otherwise

SCORES Week

With the last week of Spring Season lurking just beyond Memorial Day, we are excited for our upcoming SCORES Week. This is the time where we celebrate all of the wonderful things our students have been doing over the last 10 weeks.

Schedule is as follows:

Monday-Memorial Day (No School)
Tuesday-Coaches vs Students Games/Pizza Party (At All Sites)
Wednesday: Poetry SLAM  5-7pm @ Braddock Elementary
Thursday: Community Service Projects (At Elementary Sites)
Friday: Community Jamboree!!! 3-6pm (Mar Vista Park)

We hope to see you there!!!

The Beginning

The Spring Season is coming to a swift end and all of our sites are preparing for SCORES Week, a celebration of another successful school year of programming, of friendships made, of imaginations nurtured. I ,for one, love being a part of this program. I love being able to contribute to a cause I know to be worthy. I love debating ideas with the staff, exploring with new techniques with the coaches, and learning from the kids. In spite of the harshness found in the world, I get a daily reminder that the way to joy is paved with smiles. We have great people working with us, coaches who understand what it is to be good people. We do good work here. We build lasting relationships. We care.

Go team,
Armond Richards
Program Director

Nice to meet you!

Hi all of you!

I am Esmee, 17 years old and I am from the Netherlands. I am very excited to be here! My school offered me the chance to go on an internship for four weeks. The education that I get is a bilingual education, which means I get classes in both English and Dutch. Also, we went on a trip in every school year. Our first year it was London, the second year we did an exchange with Germany , third year we went to Czech Republic, and last year we went to Oxford and Cambridge. But this is the thing I have been looking forward to since I started at this school when I was 12 years old: a trip to an English speaking country all by myself.

I love playing soccer and this is how I found LA Scores. So that is where I am now, at the office of LA Scores, writing a post for the blog. Last Thursday was my very first day at the office, and David and I talked things through. We kind of decided that I would take care of the communication side of the organisation, like Facebook, Twitter and this blog. On Thursday afternoon I got to meet a few of the children and they were adorable. On Friday I worked on the new Facebook page (you can now actually like it!) and after lunch we went to Mar Vista park to set up Game Day. Around 3 all the kids started to arrive and warm up for their game. I was a ref at one of the girls matches. I was very warm at the turf field, but we had a lot of fun!

I really look forward to seeing all the children in the afternoons, because I really enjoyed that last week! Also, I really want to help out at the office because I would like to find out how everything works at a non-profit organisation.

ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America Scores

 

Since it’s beginning in 2006, The ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES has been a national program that dedicates itself to engaging renowned ASCAP artists with local youth. Artists annually work together with America SCORES student throughout a 3-day workshop to compose and record their very own song. Before the students are taken to a professional studio for a recording session, every writer spends 2 afternoons with his group of kids practicing and co-writing the song.


This year we are happy that our group of Braddock 5th graders were able to get inside the studio with Gabriel Mann, a critically acclaimed ASCAP artist who is also a member for Los Angeles based indie rock band The Rescues. Our song’s theme focused on love and how it applies to those in our immediate family. It is exciting for us to be able to get in touch with our students creative minds and see their expression in music. Throughout the workshops kids see how artists assure themselves of also being great role models and teachers who enjoy inspiring those around them. This is fundamental to a student’s experience, especially considering how there exists a lack of after school programs targeting kids who seek musical education and talent development opportunities. We’d like to thank ASCAP for another successful year in supporting our efforts to enrich the lives of our local youth.

Coach Profiles: Miguel Aquino

For the next couple of weeks we'll be posting up coach profiles of our America SCORES LA staff. SCORES thrives because of the commitment these individuals have made to better the lives of each and every one of our students.

Miguel Aquino
Age: 21
School: Cal State Northridge

Miguel has been apart of SCORES since 3rd grade. His active participation in our program and as well as the longevity of his involvement has allowed him to take full advantage of the experiences SCORES offers. Camping trips, David Beckham Academy, EA trips, etc. You name it and he's been there.  Miguel's journey illustrates the ambitions SCORES hopes it's students can achieve, making strong friendships, healthy decisions, and memorable times.

What is your favorite show to watch?
My favorite show to watch is How I Met Your Mother. My favorite character is Barney Stinson. He is very funny and he is mysterious as well because he doesn’t tell anyone the things he does. The group of friends they have reminds me of some of my closest friends I have found here in LA Scores.


What is your favorite part of America SCORES (Indoor, Game Day, Coaching??)
My favorite part would have to be game day. It reminds me of the times when I was a kid I would go to game days and put it all out on the field for my team. It is an amazing experience to see new talent develop in the program and its always a pleasure to see the kids play their best. It doesn’t get any better than having fun with the team you are coaching for the day.


If you could play soccer anywhere where would it be?
I would want to play in Spain. They are one of the most competitive soccer players in the word and I want to be part of that. It would be amazing to also become part of the Real Madrid team. I want to follow my childhood idol’s footsteps which was Roberto Carlos.


What is your perfect pizza?
My perfect pizza consist of a deep dish style with pineapples, bacon, ham, chicken, peperoni, mushrooms and bell peppers. You can never go wrong with too many toppings.


If you could be any age for one year what age?
I would want to be 11 years old again. I miss elementary school where all you had to worry about was doing your homework and then watch cartoons. I miss waking up in the morning going to Charnock and getting ready to eat coffee cake. I miss Ms. Merry telling all the kids to stop running, but the one thing I miss most is going to game day on Fridays. I miss playing with the Green Pimpin’ Jokers (our team name).


What is your greatest fear?
One of my greatest fears are cockroaches. I don’t like the really big ones that fly. One time I was sitting at home watching TV and one magically flew through the window. I was so scared I had my mom kill because I did not want to go near it. If someone gave me a million dollars to hold one in my hand, I would not do it.

Thank You, Mattel!

The partnerships we have with a multitude of companies helps students make their experience in America Scores LA more enjoyable. At the conclusion of our season Mattel made it their goal to give students at Scores a memorable holiday season by providing them with the choice of a brand new Hot Wheels set or a gorgeous Barbie Doll. Our students received the gifts with wholehearted excitement and with a great appreciation. Some kids were inspired to share their thoughts with their giver and wrote letters to express their gratitude. Below are some of the letters we are sending to Mattel along with other gifts. Click on the link below the pictures to read the full letters kids wrote (albeit with slight edits).

Mattel Letter Links