Fellas,

I just wanted to write this to you in order to emphasize how much coach’s question at the end of today’s practice, ($100 to play healthy on Saturday) really meant to me. I’ve never really had an injury that was barely keeping me away from the field like the two I’ve had this year. First it was my quad and I worked my ass off everyday to play again, I played a couple games and then…my ankle. It’s the most frustrating experience I’ve ever had to deal with since I started playing soccer. There’s not much more I can do, other than let time heal it. As a very impatient person, I didn’t believe that I would have to wait for time to heal these injuries. But, I do. At the beginning I tried not to let it get to me, not to show how frustrated I was that my days were passing by one by one, too quickly. Needless to say, it has become depressing. However, I still consider myself very lucky to be part of this team and to be outside with you guys everyday. This is why I’m writing this email. Before you read on, don’t think I’m trying to beat a dead horse, or pound clich» after clich» into your heads. Please, read and believe what I’m saying… not as a senior, not as your captain, but as your friend.

My point is this: don’t take stepping on the field to play for granted. Don’t ever take it for granted. Take each opportunity to play your heart out. You’re not always going to have the best game of your life, your touch isn’t always going to be the greatest and your speed won’t always be enough to get past your guy. Nonetheless, take pride in the fact that no matter what happens, you won’t give up…because it means more to you than whoever you go up against. We go to this school for a reason; no matter how hard it gets at times, we refuse to give up, we continue to persevere and we prove to everyone else and ourselves that we run on a full tank of passion, determination and heart- in everything. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of this it’s that you really do have to play each game like it could be your last. You have to want THAT ball, OUR ball. Share it with each other, as teammates and as friends because, in my opinion, that’s what soccer is. It’s not fun if you can walk off the field with a ton of energy left knowing that you could have done more to help out your teammates, your friends. That’s for baseball players who stand in the outfield watching butterflies; they could play all day and never be tired.

1-7-1

How good did that win feel? That second half of Haverford… That was fun. Our initial problem in the first half was all in our minds. We let that team move the ball around in the first half because we were taking it for granted that we were on the field playing another varsity soccer game. It took coach slapping us in the face, WAKING US UP, for us to realize that we were so much better than how we were playing that first half. That put a fire in our hearts, we were better than what we showed them that first half. The start of the second half proved that. We wanted THAT ball, OUR ball… and everyone got to touch it, to pass it to another teammate/ another friend. That’s what made us smile after that game. Whether you were on the field or not, you were smiling.

We’ve had heart breakers, we’ve had blow-outs against us and we’ve had “should-of won’s”. We will win games. Say it. WE WILL WIN GAMES. Believe it. We can’t be satisfied saying it just to have something to do from 4-7 every week. This year will be the last for myself, Ben, Tahir and Zuber. We’ve been doing this everyday for four years because we’ve chosen to do so. It’s the best escape from schoolwork, it’s the best time to have with friends and it’s worth the devotion to be able to smile after a hard-fought match. It’s worth fighting for something that you devote so much time and energy in that you believe it. I ask that you guys share in this devotion with us. Help us help you to realize that each day matters more than the last. Each match, each practice, each touch on the ball is more important than the last. Don’t take our four years here as Wabash soccer players for granted and you will find out that you will be grateful for your own four years of devotion as you have your last practice, play your last match and touch the ball the last time on your field.

Stay healthy and be grateful for this opportunity to play the only game you get to play on THAT day.

I will see you tomorrow morning to wish you a safe trip with an enjoyable outcome.

Thanks guys,

Greg Ridenour

One for all!

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I remember receiving my first of the infamous Wabash recruitment postcards. Curious as to what the school was all about, I decided to investigate. I was soon informed that this small liberal arts school in Crawfordsville, IN. was an all-male institution. I remember saying right then and there that I would never even consider this option.

However, Wabash had superior curriculum ratings, so I eventually attended the Honors Scholar Weekend. This was when I first met Coach Roberto Giannini. When I listened to his accent for the first time, I could not understand some of the things that were coming out of his mouth. I got used to it after awhile and learned much of his background and ideas. I can remember him telling the team, “Give me your brain and I can teach you, give me your muscles and I can train you, but give me your heart and I can coach you.”

This is when it all clicked. I thought he had a true mind for the game and would be able to take Wabash soccer to the next level. Upon my return home, senior year at Loveland High School was almost over and I still did not know which college was right for me. I reflected on my visit with Coach Giannini and knew that I wanted to be a part of his soccer program. This was one of my reasons for attending Wabash College.

I truly believe that the men of the 2006 soccer program are privileged to be the first team of “the new era” under Coach Roberto Giannini. Not only did every player receive a brand new wardrobe, we received a Coach that will do great things for Wabash soccer from here on out.

The whole team has placed their trust within him, in hopes of building us as better players. During one of the classroom sessions, everyone shared their happiest and saddest moments to the rest of the team. This was a moving experience hearing my teammate’s stories. Witnessing their emotional reactions was much worse. It is amazing how fast we were able to open our hearts to each other. The stories instilled a trust within each and every one of us that we still share to this day. This marked the beginning of “the new era” because we were comfortable and honest with everyone else.

After falling to DePauw, and every other team but Haverford for that matter, the team still has faith in each other to continue striving for that sense of glory that is soon to come. I think this is an amazing feature about Wabash College that people fail to consider. “Wabash always fights, intelligently,” as Coach would say.

I also believe that the scores and statistics do not truly reflect the progress we have made as a team. Day one revealed many flaws we shared as a team that would have to be fixed. After hours and hours of sweating under the sun, it was evident that the team made a lot of progress within just a few weeks. We would not have been able to achieve this status without Coaches Giannini and Oleck, so let it be known that we do appreciate the countless hours dedicated to our improvement. Let us put our season so far into perspective, imagine what we are able to do with such a short amount of time. Now think about what possibilities lay ahead of us. After all, we are only getting better.

I think any current or prospective player should consider my story because at Wabash, it is not just a bunch of guys and a soccer ball. Every Wabash player will have the determination to achieve greatness from here on out. And for the upper classmen, take pride in being the leaders of the team because it all starts with you. As time will soon tell, this is where we will find the success of creating a new conference “superpower.”

David Rosborough '10

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 20, 2006 - DePauw University 2 - Wabash College 1- a Loss in the statistic column but a major step for our soccer program.

Why do I say that?  After all, we lost, didn't we? And against a super rival like DePauw?! 

Even though it may sound crazy, I was not saddened by the lost, because I finally saw something on the pitch I was waiting to revealed its face since the beginning of our preseason, last August 19th.

We are not the most talented group of players. We are not the most tactically savvy players. We are not the fastest or the strongest players on the pitch. Therefore, we must rely on "IT" in order to compete, win, and be successful.

I remember this movie I saw years back called "City Slickers." It was a film about three friends, city creatures, who decided to spend two weeks together in the prairies, herding horses form one ranch to another, about 150 miles away. The three buddies were there for the same reason, try to find a meaning, something that would make them feel alive and that would clearly point out the direction to which they needed to travel in order to find satisfaction in their every day lives.

One day they met "Curly," an aging, rough cow boy (played by Jack Pallance) who, during a slow ride, told Billy Crystal what life was all about by raising his index finger and saying: "This is it, this is the meaning of life."  Puzzled and confused, Billy Crystal asked: "What? Your finger?"  "No. One thing and one thing only." Pallance replied.  "And what is it?" a curios Crystal inquired. "That's for you to find out." Pallance concluded with a grin on his face.

Yesterday, the IT of our season was right on the pitch. What was it? What's the IT that finally showed its face?  Well, that needs to be found out by each and every one of our soccer players.  Was IT desire? Was IT passion? Was IT determination? Was IT communication? Was IT organization? Was IT focus? Was IT resiliency? Or was IT something else? The IT may mean different things to different people; it doesn't matter. Whatever IT was, it needs to be brought out every time for ten more games this season.

The  answer that Curly never gave because he couldn't, belongs to each individual and his personal journey through the remaining of the season. IT can be found only if every player digs inside his heart and mind.

You found IT yesterday against DePauw. Keep IT with you for ten more games!

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The title may appear somewhat misleading given the disappointing start to the season and, in actuality, it began as a sarcastic heading to my reflections of the season; but as my thoughts began to come together, it ended up being a somewhat fitting title. Given the current record of 1-6, this by no means would appear to be a season worthy of glory, nor do the performances given of late deem a title of glorious. But instead of looking at what could possibly be glorious about the current season, I’ve decided to focus on the glories of what has come before this season, in the form of two players. Being a senior this year means that I have had the privilege to play multiple years with both of these players, hence my title. I think that much can be taken from these two players and applied to the season as it currently stands. I think both of these players represent the two types of personalities this team desperately needs.

The first player is Chris Kaminski, who graduated two years ago in 2005. He was by every definition of the term a 90 minute player. He saw little play time, but in actuality, he was one of the handful of players you could count on every minute of the game. Chris contributed to the team far beyond the majority of the players rotating in the lineup. He brought the best attitude a team could ask for day in and day out. I know others fit this mold while Chris was here, but he did it without seeing much of the field. Coming off the fields or to the sidelines, whether it be at half time, the end of the game, or even during a stoppage of time, Chris was guaranteed to be one of the first, if not the first, to shake your hand, pick you up after a poor play, and in general just be there for support, win or loss. He cared not only about Wabash soccer, but also every player that made up the team. In practice, he pushed us all to be better. He knew his playing time was limited, but he knew the little things he did in practice and games mattered.

It’s hard for me to say that I completely understand the thoughts that sometimes go through players’ minds when they don’t get to play; I’ve been fortunate enough to play most of the games during my time here at Wabash. But I have been there before, and it was difficult to sit on the sides and put on a positive, supporting face when I knew that all I wanted was to be out on the field playing for my team. I do think that if I was in that same position now, I would want to follow the example that Chris represented. Chris proved that the team going against the opposition every game consists of more than the eleven players out on the pitch. The team needs every player, whether on the field or not. They say that the team is only as strong as the weakest link. Unfortunately for a team like this, in which I think most of us would agree that we have a lot of talent, those weaknesses aren’t limited to your abilities with the ball. We all need to be players that can be counted on for 90 minutes and beyond.

Each person on this team is a part of every win and loss we experience. Whether you see the field each game or not shouldn’t be the most important thing. I’m not saying that players shouldn’t take a lack of playing time to heart; the desire to play should be even more motivation to working hard and pushing the rest of team in practice. But there’s a stark difference between taking it to heart and building off of it and taking it to heart and letting it affect your attitude towards the team. Coach may not play everyone every game, but he’s putting the group that he thinks can best do the job out there. If you think you can do a better job, prove it. Don’t simply sulk and complain about it to other players or under your breath; prove it in practice to coach and, more importantly, your teammates. This team has to realize that being a part of this team isn’t just about playing in the games; it’s about buying into the ideas coach has laid out and working hard for each other, even if that means you are contributing from the sidelines during the majority of the games. As a team we need to give everything we have each and every minute our team is on that soccer field.

Chris was one of the backbones of our team and we need more players like him that put their own needs aside and focus on what their team needs. We need 24 guys giving everything within them to this team everyday; the rest of the season depends on it.

The second player is Will McAdams, who graduated this past spring. In my personal experience, I have had the opportunity to play with some pretty talented goalies and although Will may not have had the best goalkeeping skills, he was by far the best to play with and, as a sweeper, play in front of. Will certainly single-handedly saved many games for us but his most powerful impact on the team came in a different form. He brought the kind of passion and commitment that no one can teach. Will was the type of player you could always count on to give his all day in and day out. His effort could give a team that necessary spark to get over a hump late in the game or initiate a comeback. You couldn’t help but feel empowered by the passion Will portrayed on the field. You could see him pushing himself to his personal limits for the better of the team. We all know there have been times where we haven’t given everything we knew we could give, whether that be in practice or in a game. We need to start believing in what we all want to make out of this program and, most importantly, acting upon it; and this starts with our personal effort. Furthermore, we as a team need to start building off the great plays of our teammates.

Will could provide inspiration in the way he battled for every shot and cross, and he also thrived off the play of his teammates. We all need to learn to draw motivation from within ourselves and the teammates around us. When our keepers make the one-on-one saves that we all know they can make or our forwards simply outwork defenders to free themselves up for a shot, it’s essential that we build from those plays. When your teammate tackles an opponent hard to win the ball back, let that fuel you as you go into your next tackle. This team needs to take pride in the little victories our teammates make and let those be foundations for winning our own little victories on the field. We should be the biggest fans of the players on this team and start to thrive off each other’s success. Excitement and passion will only breed more excitement and passion.

I personally hope to try harder to embody these two players. I don’t want to let that type of character remain as just a memory within this soccer program. Each player on this team could be the next Will or Chris and make that needed difference in this season. I know last year we all could have settled on the fact that the outcome of the season mattered very little as it progressed. But I can’t settle on that this year, and I know my fellow seniors feel the same way. This is our last chance to make a difference, not only in the outcomes of the games, but in the lives of the members of this team. We don’t want our last season to be remembered as just another rebuilding year. We all want this to be the start of something important and long-lasting. It’s not solely about winning and losing games; it’s about fighting every minute we have on the soccer field and taking pride in winning the little victories we all know we can win, and then seeing where the chips lie at the end.

It is still early in this season. It shows through how much we have grown together into a team this year and people are noticing this; we just need to continue building upon this and never give up.

I want to resonate what Dan Storey said after the Hope game. This coming Wednesday is the most important game of the season. Dan’s right, but this next game against the Dannies down south is important for reasons beyond the historic rivalry; it’s important because it’s the next game on our 18 game schedule. And on Thursday, Saturday’s game against Kenyon becomes the most important game of our season, and so on.

There’s eleven marbles left. Let’s start showing the pride and passion that lies deep within this team.

It’s time to start walking!

Ben Esbaum ‘07

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just finished reading a book called "Cesar's Way," which is about a dog trainer, Cesar Millan, and the way he reeducates dogs.  His show "The Dog's Whisperer" airs on the National Geographic channel, every Sunday.

One point that he makes is that dogs don't remember what happened the day before or plan the day ahead. Dogs live in the moment. They don't lay down thinking; "Tomorrow I am going to bite the mailman in the rear," or " I can't believe that cat got away yesterday."

Dogs are not concern with what happened yesterday and/or what is going to happen tomorrow. The important thing to them, unconsciously, is what they are going to do right then, right at that same moment.

Obviously, we are not dogs. We, humans, have the past to deal with and the future to fear from, and no matter how well balanced we are, we always let the past condition our present and shape our future.

We are far from where we thought we were going to be at the beginning of our season.  We worked hard, we committed to the program, we prepared accurately, and we built a great group. Yet, we have won one game, lost 5 and had 17 goals scored against us in the first 6 games of the season. One third into our calendar, we find ourselves in need to refocus and regroup.

That's what we did Wednesday night. Greg Ridenour, Ben Esbaum, and Gary Simkus, our captains,  met briefly with me after our return from Decatur, Illinois, where we lost against Millikin University 4-1 after we dominated the game, had a dozen chances to score, but gave away to many Christmas Gifts.

I asked the guys to start their season yesterday. I asked them to think about that practice only and foremost. I asked them not to look at the stats and focus on the work of that day. Today, we will do the same, and Saturday again, we will focus just on that game, 45 minutes at a time.

I am sure that we will do better against Hope. I kind of feel it. It's funny, but my guts have never fell me and Saturday could be the beginning of a new dawn for Wabash Soccer and its players...as long as we learn from our dogs and live in the moment!  Carpe Diem! Seize the day!

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A week ago last Sunday, we had the pleasure and fortune to have Rob Kehoe speaking to us about the small victories that we all should try to achieve in sport and life as well.

I had met Rob a few years back, when I attended an Indiana University soccer symposium in Bloomington. He was there as a clinician and speaker.  Rob's association with the IU soccer program goes back a while and even thought winning championships is always a communion of efforts, Rob was instrumental in guiding the minds of many successful collegiate players at IU and helping the coaching stuff in building a soccer power house. He did the same with Maryland, 2005 NCAA Div. I Champions, and with other institutions as he continues to teach, inspire, and guide different soccer players at many different levels.

I like Rob and I like his approach to sport and life. Planning, envisioning, taking the necessary baby steps to control what you can and accept what you can't.  The serenity prayer comes to mind right away: "God grant me the ability to change the things I can control, the serenity to accept the things I can't control , and the wisdom to know the difference."

Two years ago this November 30, Rob lost his older son, then 24, in a car accident due to bad weather and a slippery road.  That day was Rob's worst day of his life. No matter how much time will pass, his grieving will last the length of his life. Yet, his "Winning the Small Victories" approach has helped him coping with the anguish and pain associated with a parent burying his own child.

We all get caught with our daily routines that we tend to take for granted the important things in life. Soccer victories and defeats, record and statistics, winning the ball and scoring goals, etc. become very small and insignificant when compared to "real" issues like health, love, and family. Keeping these matters under perspective and concentrate on the things we can change today, while maintaining a balanced approach, are things Rob teaches and implements in his own life.

So today, the message to my players, who have sustained three defeats in as many games, is this: "Keep your heads up, continue your dedication and stay focused on today, because only that way, and if tomorrow comes, you'll be ready to face the important matters in your life."

"Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery. Keep enjoying the gift of today...that's why they call it present."

Posted by Roberto Giannini at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)