SATURDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2011
Delsom Park Turf, Delta, BC, Canada

Peace Arch United Blues
Versus Tswwassen Blues
Won 6-5 penalties (3-3 after extra time)
Scorers: Max 2, Oscar 1
Penalties: Oscar 1, Max 1, Malachi 1, Brownie 1, Sean 1, Justin 1

I am way behind on all games for this year but I have to start with today’s game as – I do not know about all of you lot that were also at the game – it is still sinking in what we experienced this morning!!!

Well…where do I start…

We had a sick roster with Jack out – Chayson arriving having been ill all week, Malachi been off school Thursday and Friday and Oscar, Brownie, Michael all still feeling the affects of this sickness bug going around….And Super Star Jeff was away for the weekend – and I knew we would really miss his energy!….

It was revenge time – well that is what I was hoping for – for the other semi final a couple of weeks back when we lost to the same Tswwassen team in the Conference Cup – where they got 2 lucky goals….including a dodgy penalty….and this becomes more relevant later!!!!

We started off slower than slow and we were 3-0 down within the first 8 minutes….

I was thinking damage control and how do we stop this from becoming embarrassing…

So Bevin, Ryan and I just told the boys to continue to play their passing game and whatever happens will happen…

And it did!!!

It also helped I think that Tswwassen truly believed they had won the game already and there was no way we would be able to get back in the game….So they kind of switched off and allowed us the space and room to get ourselves back in the game……

So we stepped it up a gear and Max started his boy of the match performance by hustling their defense which shook them up as that is the basis of their game playing out from the back…

I told the boys to just keep playing the ball in behind their defense and sweeper and lo and behold at last from one of Oscars through balls to Max he finished beautifully and it was 1-3 – just before half time.

The half time team talk was more of the same…just go out and play their game, keep it simple and keep working hard…

The 2nd half started in a similar style to the end of the 2nd with Max leading from the front. Malachi and Kyle were sweeping up everything from the back, and Sean picked his game up cleaning things up in the middle. Jacob came alive and became a nuisance to their midfield and forwards and Justin was playing out of his skin!!!!

And it took a bit of luck to get us back in it further, when their keeper played out a poor ball straight to Oscar and another great ball splitting their defense allowed Max to finish once more to make it 2-3. Could we really get back in this game?

There was about 10 minutes left and we started believing we could really peg them back!.

Chayson was playing as though he had not been out sick, and Michael and Brownie worked real hard – closing down their #7 which stopped the supply from the right wing….

And finally it came – and I have to say it was a great substitution from the Head Coach. I put Justin on right mid and within a minute he had made a great move into their box- drew the foul – and we were awarded a penalty.

5 minutes to go and could we possibly get level!

Oscar put it away brilliantly and it was 3-3. We saw out the end of the regulation time and it was into Extra time (ET) ((OT for you Canadians!)).

During the break talk the boys believed they could now win this game….and you could see it in their eyes…..

ET we were the better side and played with more purpose, playing our passing game and we had a couple of good chances, but finally we had to settle to win it in a penalty shoot out…

So the drama continued.

Oscar stepped up and put his kick away 1-0.
Tswwassen scored theirs.
Max and then Malachi then scored theirs with Tswwassen doing the same.
Brownie missed his knowing the goalie had moved and stepped up and nailed the retake.
And Tswwassen missed theirs – well actually Brighton pulled off a great save!!!!
Michael was unlucky hitting the post and Tswwassen scored to level the scores.
Now it was into sudden death.

Sean stepped up and put a beautiful shot into the left hand corner.
Tswwassen responded.
Justin stepped up and put his away excellently.
And just what we had been waiting for – Tswwassen missed and we were through!!!

The boys went nuts and so they should because that was one game they will remember for the rest of their lives..

The way they handled the adversity of going down 3-0 so quickly, they did not get down on themselves, they did not get on each others case, the stuck to the game plan we had talked with them about and got themselves going and back into the game…through hard work, patience and a belief that they could do it.

It was ironic that we had played at this same field 2 weeks ago when we were in the game against North delta at 1-0 down and were playing well we hit the bar twice in a row and then Delta went on to win 4-0. But well before ND scored we had given up…And I had told the boys the story of Man Utd beating Bayern Munich in the Champions league final by scoring 2 goals in the final 2 minutes of injury time……

And 2 weeks later the boys had picked themselves up and done themselves, the club and their moms and dads proud by pulling off what has to be one of the victories of the season (although there have been a few this season for sure!!)

So we head into next weeks final game against the other Peace Arch Gold team – who also made it to the final – which will also be hosted by Peace Arch – and we are now the home team by beating the #1 seed Tswwassen!! We have already beaten the other Peace Arch team once this season but they are seeded higher than us and therefore will be favourites – which we do not mind at all!

As long as we go out and play our game in the style we have been playing all season then all the boys should have a blast.

Well done to all and I believe that this is the first time that 2 Peace Arch sides have reached the district final at U12 Gold level……..

A special note to the WHOLE team and in particular Brighton in net who did not drop his head when those goals went in and made some great saves to keep us in the game when it was still 3-0 and 3-1…Well done Bri!!!!

Thanks to all you parents as well for all your support for the kids and the coaches……..it makes it all worth while!!!!!

Ian

Ok here is the scene…

Second day of pre-school for Hugo
Says he wants to stay on his own and have me leave
Teacher is quite strict
We get to school
Hugo changes his mind wants me to stay
Teacher grabs Hugo, locks me out, and he starts yelling – luckily no bad words!!!!!
I stand by the window watching, where teacher says I can stand
Hugo manages to wriggle free and does a runner to the window where I am standing
He opens it and climbs out!!!!
10 minutes later, and after more negotiation about letting him climb back for cuddles if he needs to, he goes back in through the window
Teacher says nothing to Hugo or Dad, but you can tell she is perplexed
The system works well and after 5 more escapes out the window he is now safely encompassed in the classroom
Do whatever it takes, it says in the handbooks
Do it with style say the Patel Thompsons – do it in style

Backpack and lunch bag out the window and it’s the end of school!

Cannot wait till next week…

I am a more than useful member of this society. I am well educated, I create employment. I create and sell stuff to people that makes a difference to peoples lives, and in some cases stops them from dying. I believe in creating opportunities for people so they can create, make and have a better life for themselves. I do my bit for this planet in attempting to raise a functional family, with a functional relationship with my wife and kids – giving up my own self-centered drivers to put time into my kids (time = money in this society – so financially I am giving up many dollars).

I pay my taxes to get my garbage picked up, support police, fire and schools and all the other services I benefit from living here in Canada. I recycle, support local farmers, rather than the big chains (not all the time) for groceries, buy the healthier choice foods – supporting companies that I believe are also trying to make a difference. I don’t do drugs, beat people up, drink heavily, do not smoke at all, and so on. I probably do a few naughty things that I shouldn’t – but that is also normal from what I see!

So I am a pretty normal person trying to exist in my universe within the parameters of what Canada (or any other country) offers me in terms of a government.

So why is it that I had no interest in voting in the Canadian election a couple of weeks ago (mind you if you lived out here you would not really have guessed there was one)? It appears I was not alone as 4 out of 10 (probably also normal) people also chose not to vote.

Why did I not take my passions and support someone who I felt could make a difference – similar to what I believe and do?

Why did 4 out of 10 people in Canada also choose to make this same decision and to not bother?

The reason is simple: There was no one who I trusted and no one I believed could make a difference as the whole system is now about marketing and media and getting your message across to as many people to convert them to vote for you. Oversell and under-promise and under-deliver with corrupt methods of voting, and all the other bells and whistles you get with it. Because it is easy to just make an excuse as to why you did not follow through on what you said you would do.

Even the parties trying to make a difference make no difference whatsoever. I asked Jini who she voted for and the GREEN party was her reply (why was I not surprised!) They did not even win one seat! How could this happen?

My brother-in-law, Ricken tells me the only thing that keeps him going with what he is doing with Avaaz is hope. I believe him. However, hope is just a word. Hope is not an action. Actions are made by the few who control the masses. You cannot give up – I also agree. But you are fighting a system that is a system and that is what it will be forever – unless there is radical change by the people who control us and our lives.

And what about elections in the US?

If Candidate X wins and gets the electoral votes (even if it is less than 50% of the population who actually voted) and Candidate Y gets the rest (even if he gets more of the percentage of the vote than the Candidate X) – then how can the people who voted for Candidate Y be happy? Why should they be forced to be governed by someone they do not believe in or agree with? Even if they are good, normal members of society? How does this create harmony in a society, to create all the values that everyone always talks about?

But getting back to Canada, with everything that is now happening worldwide, surely it is now time for total reform in the way in which we live our lives. Surely the 4 out of 10 people have to be heard now that they are fed up with the way in which this whole system works and is mismanaged on an ongoing basis?

Our freedoms, our security, our family values and so on are continually put at risk, yet we are always told that we have the choice to be able to change things as long as we support what we want. This never happens. So you go back to your own universe and do the best you can with what you are thrown, whilst you are totally controlled by the system as they strip more rights away from you bit by bit.

Bottom line is – the whole political structure of our Western World is destined to failure. What is the point of giving people a choice in life if this choice is then lost? The whole political system eventually will fall apart because of this reason. You are creating divide between the system on an ongoing basis all the time and when you have continual split there is only one result – failure. Failure in our home, our families and communities and all the other nasty stuff that occurs in our societies.

I do not trust anyone in politics anymore unless there is change. I see it for what it REALLY is. A total sham. A marketing-media-money-making venture for people to live out their dreams as iconic leaders that will be looked at in many years to come as history lesson material and game show questions. The day-to-day nuts and bolts of living is discarded over time. Besides who cares in 20 years how many people lost their jobs because of a recession?

If there is a better moment in history for change, this now has to be it – for someone, somebody, something to create another option to the farcical offerings currently available.

I have no idea what it is or how to do it as I am just a normal person eking out a normal living for me and my family. However – no vote no more. My energy is best focused on what I AM DOING AND THE CHANGES I CAN MAKE TO MY FAMILY AND SOCIETY THAT I INTEGRATE WITH. No politician can help me do that.

But until the system changes, I am going to sit on the sidelines and let the continual to-ing and fro-ing go on from growth to collapse and so on….while everyone runs around fighting for the top dog spot and to make themselves as part of the history books as another leader….

Ian