February 2016

Most parents can agree that the summer is probably the most stressful time of the year for them. Having the children at home all day involves having to find ways to keep them busy, cooking extra meals, keeping the refrigerator well-stocked for their constant snacking and not having any time to run errands or get work done. For children, summer is also a big adjustment from the normal busy schedule they keep during the school year. At the beginning they might be thrilled to be able to sleep in and not go to school, but as the days go by, they find that they become bored with the inactivity of their summer life.

Day summer camps have become very popular in the recent years because they provide opportunities for children to stay active while having fun during the summer. They also allow parents to continue with their regular busy schedules without having to worry that their kids are not being properly supervised. Here are some reasons why summer camp is one of the best investments you can make for your children this summer.

YOUR CHILDREN LEARN TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS

Making friends outside of school is an excellent way for your child to learn new social skills. In school, they’ve probably known their friends for some time and have not had the opportunity to develop relationships with new people. In summer camp, they will be exposed to a different group of children and adults they’ve never interacted before. Learning to create friendships with strangers is a life skill that will continue to be useful for them later on in life. “Summer camps, we discovered, are perfect places to help children optimize their psychosocial education,” says psychologist Michael Ungar, Ph.D, in his Psychology Today article.

HELPS KEEP YOUR CHILD’S MIND ACTIVE

Did you know that children actually experience learning loss during the summer? According to a study published by he National Summer Learning Association, children lose about 2 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computational skills over the summer months. Summer camps offer plenty of learning activities that will prevent this from happening and will improve your child’s performance in the upcoming school year.

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BODY

The inactivity children experience during the summer months combined with unhealthy eating can lead to unhealthy weight gain. According to the CDC, a pattern of accelerated weight gain has been found in children during the summer months. Sending your children to summer camp is a way to make sure that they get the exercise that they need and that they continue eating healthy meals and snacks.

10 Reasons Why to Choose Plaza Sports Center Summer Camp

If you’re convinced that summer camp is a great investment for the well-being of your children, we have good news for you! Our summer camps are not only affordable, but offer a wide range of activities for any age and interest. Our camps run every Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Here are 10 reasons why your children can’t miss out on them this summer:

1. Awesome camp facilities

Your kids will love spending the day in our state-of-the-art center that features four soccer fields that will give them plenty of room to run around and have fun.

2. We live and breathe soccer

If you’re kids are interested in playing soccer in the future or already doing so, our summer camps offer them the opportunity to practice in real fields, with great soccer coaches.

3. You pay by week

We know that your summers are busy and might even have vacations planned. That’s why we only charge you for the weeks that your child attends – making our camp very affordable.

4. Lot’s of other sports

Although we love soccer, we want kids to learn to play other sports too. Our camp participants practice non-contact boxing, Kids Crossfit, flag football, and more!

5. Arts and Crafts

It’s important that your children practice their fine motor skills during the summer. We have plenty of arts and crafts activities that will help your children develop their manual dexterity.

6. Top Notch Staff

We take pride in having professional, well-trained staff that becomes like family. Our camp counselors have extensive training in different sports and in working with children.

7. Delicious and Healthy Snacks

It’s important that your child continues eating well-balanced and healthy meals during the summer. Our camp fees include a healthy lunch and snacks.

8. Lot’s of Fun

We also have plenty of opportunities for your child to just relax and have fun with their new friends. Our camp include daily activities like movie time and games.

9. Practical Schedule for Working Parents

If you struggle to find where to leave the kids during the summer while you go to work, our camp is the perfect solution. Our 8am -5pm schedule means your children are well cared for and having fun while you work.

10. The Plaza Community

Plaza Sports Center is a community of families that love to have fun together while staying active. Our summer camps allow you to be part of our community of families and are a great opportunity to meet new parents and kids.

Jose D. Rodriguez

El pasado 20 de febrero se llevó a cabo el primer torneo relámpago Campeón de Campeones de Plaza Sports Center, donde los equipos participantes entregaron el alma en cada juego. El silbatazo inicial se dió el sábado a las 9 de la mañana, comenzando así los encuentros de la ronda de dieciseisavos. Los jugadores lucharon con fuerza y entrega cada jugada, cada balón dividido, corrieron hasta el último segundo. Sudaron la camiseta que orgullosamente portaban defendiendo sus colores. Cada partido fue muy disputado y lleno de emociones, pero no fué hasta las doce del medio día que se dió uno de los mejores encuentros, cuando se enfrentaron el conjunto de Los Plebes en contra de Demonios. Fue un partido de ida y vuelta, de choques, de goles, de garra, donde Los Plebes se llevaron la victoria por la mínima diferencia en el juego de ida 7 a 6. El encuentro de vuelta no fue la excepción, un juego lleno de emociones y volteretas, con un marcador empatado a 4 goles, dándole así el paso a la siguiente ronda a Los Plebes.

Pero no fue el único encuentro emocionante. Vino el choque entre el equipo de Princesas en contra de Solteros donde las dos escuadras se enfrascaron en un duelo de toma y daca llevándose el encuentro de ida el equipo de Solteros por un marcador de 4 a 2. La afición pensaba que todo estaba escrito pero la sorpresa llego cuando el equipo de Princesas dejó el alma en el terreno de juego y vino de atrás para remontar la serie ganando el pase a la siguiente ronda con un marcador global de 9 a 6.

Otro equipo que murió en la raya fue el de Jalisco. El primer partido lo perdió con un marcador abultado de 5 a 1 ante el equipo de Sigi Trucking pero cuando todos lo daban por perdido, en el juego de vuelta, Jalisco tenia en la lona al rival con un 4 a 1 faltando un gol para irse a la tanda de penales. El equipo luchó, corrió, se entregó en el campo pero no le alcanzó, vendiendo cara su derrota y sacando emociones y sustos entre los aficionados de ambos equipos. Fue así que el equipo de Sigi Trucking logró avanzar por la mínima diferencia a la siguiente fase con un apretado 6 a 5 en el global.

Después de un día lleno de fútbol, nos pasamos a la fase de los cuartos de final del día domingo. Era un día agradable para jugar fútbol, clima perfecto, los equipos listos, y por supuesto las predicciones entre la multitud no se hicieron esperar. El balón empezó a rodar a las 11 horas con 10 minutos y era el encuentro entre dos grandes escuadras como lo son Tornado y Sigi Trucking. Un partido muy abierto y desde el primer segundo sabíamos que sería un encuentro lleno de goles y sorpresas. Trucking se fué arriba en el marcador pero la rápida reacción de Tornado hizo que la contienda fuera de un lado para el otro. Juego cerrado donde ninguno de los dos rivales bajaba los brazos y no fué hasta en los últimos minutos que Tornado logró imponer condiciones llevándose el pase a las semifinales con un marcador de 7 a 3. Por otro lado, el equipo de Los Plebes se midieron ante Princesas en una llave muy apretada. Los dos conjuntos se dedicaron a regalarnos grandes jugadas y goles. Se corrió al máximo, dejaron la piel en cada balón disputado, pelearon de tú a tú cada pelota dividida hasta el silbatazo final. Gran entrega de ambos lados, pero al final el equipo de Los Plebes se alzó con la victoria en un cerrado y emocionante 3 a 2.

Sin mas preámbulos, nos vamos a la etapa de las semifinales, donde los cuatro equipos llegaron con la mira puesta en el tan ansiado galardón de ser el mejor equipo de Plaza Sports Center. El juego de los Plebes en contra de Tornado estuvo muy parejo, hasta que apareció la potente delantera de Los Plebes dando cifras definitivas con un contundente marcador de 7 a 2, acreditándose así el pase a la gran final. Pero la sorpresa la dió el equipo de Deportivo Ochoa, al dejar fuera por la vía de los penales al conjunto del América. Fue un partido con roses, fuerte, lleno de algarabía. Estaba tan amarrado que se fueron al descanso sin goles. Para la segunda mitad, el equipo del América apretó la marcha y consiguió el gol a escasos 5 minutos para que finalizara el encuentro. Pero el destino estaba escrito, era la última jugada del partido en un tiro de esquina por el lado derecho, cuando mandan el centro y entonces ocurrió el milagro. Pareciera que se detenía el tiempo, todo quedó en silencio en la expectativa, cuando de pronto se alinearon los planetas y con un zapatazo desde fuera del área, Deportivo Ochoa empata el juego a un gol por bando. El jubilo en las tribunas no se hizo esperar y las caras de sorpresa y admiración de los jugadores quedaban pasmadas ante la algarabía del público. El jugador de Deportivo Ochoa nos regaló un poema de gol, dejándonos saber que el último minuto también tiene 60 segundos. Fué así como los muchachos de Deportivo Ochoa avanzan a la tan anhelada final.

El momento había llegado, se disputaría el Campeón de Campeones entre la magia de los Plebes en contra de la suerte del campeón que en ese momento Deportivo Ochoa tenía. Pero todo fue muy claro, Los Plebes dominaron el partido. Deportivo Ochoa luchó hasta el ultimo segundo pero no encontraban ese impulso que necesitaban para ganar el encuentro. Al final, los Plebes se coronaron y se llevaron a casa el trofeo que los acredita como el Campeón de Campeones de Plaza Sports Center. Así fue como llegamos al final de un torneo lleno de entrega, pasión, lucha, y emoción, pero sobre todo lleno de buen fútbol, y no será hasta la próxima vez que se vuelvan a escribir grandes historias, pero no las que se escriben con papel y pluma, sino las que se escriben con un balón y en una alfombra verde.

Only in the United States does the word “football” refer to a sport other than soccer. The world’s most popular sport does not seem to be as prominent in our country. But all of that is changing. In the recent years, the interest for this sport has been growing rapidly. Teams are growing, stadiums are filling up, more children are playing and the general public is watching the matches.

Soccer came to the United States hundreds of years ago when immigrants from England, Scotland and Germany began playing this sport in settlements. The first soccer club was established in 1862 at the Oneida Club in Boston. In it’s early beginnings, the sport had no clear rules or organization. All of that changed with the establishment of the United States Soccer Association in 1913, which became one of the first governing bodies to become affiliated with FIFA.

United States soccer has been very influential in determining the development of this sport in the world. According to the U.S. soccer website, the United States “grown into one of the sport’s organizational leaders, integrating player participation and player development into arguably the world’s most successful top-to-bottom National Team program. As part of the evidence, U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs qualified for 19 consecutive FIFA outdoor world championships before the Under-23 national team missed out on the Olympics in 2004.”

One of the most influential developments for soccer in our country was the opening of U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in 2003. This $130 million dollar facility was built to nurture and train top talent for our country and serves as the stadium for LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.

In the past few years, the fact that soccer is rising in popularity in the United States has been obvious. Although the sport had already been popular among children, it is quickly taking preference over other sports. According to a 2007 FIFA Survey, soccer was (and continues to be) the second most popular youth sport in the United States – even more popular than baseball and football. These children are growing up and becoming avid soccer fans themselves. As these children grew up, they continued to be avid fans of the sport – increasing the number of people that watch or attend soccer matches in our country.

Television networks have been experiencing record breaking records in the past years when it comes to soccer. According to CBS, the 2015 Women’s Cup Final attracted 23.8 viewers, trumping the Stanley Cup Final and even the NBA Finals. Networks have started to pick up on the growing popularity of this sport and have been increasing their broadcasting of soccer matches. Just in the past five years, the number of TV networks broadcasting soccer games has grown from 5 to 13.

The growth of Major League Soccer (MLS) has also greatly contributed to the rising interest for this sport. Fans no longer have to turn to European teams for high-quality soccer games, but can now enjoy watching their homegrown talent. Game attendance at MLS soccer games has increased over 40% in the past ten years and teams are attracting top name talent from all over the world. As more and more families spend time together watching these games, the interest for playing also grows. To keep this momentum growing and to generate talent that can compete in the world stage, we need more high quality soccer facilities where our youth can train to excel in the sport. At Plaza Sport Center, we take pride in becoming part of soccer’s growth in the United States and our main goal is to develop well-rounded players that not only have a future in this great sport, but also in life.

Sources:

http://www.ussoccer.com

http://www.mlssoccer.com

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/soccer-ready-take-united-states-n176386

https://www.umbel.com/blog/sports/10-data-points-prove-soccer-has-made-it-in-america/

Statistics (for infographic)

*Growth of soccer in Youth: In 1974, 103,432 children registered to play soccer. In 1990, 1.6 million. In 2014, 3 million.

*More than 56% of Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic, Latino or African-American said they follow soccer even during the non-World Cup years. (Source: YouGov Research). What’s more, 25.5% of these people consider professional soccer as their favorite spectator sport.

*In 2005, MLS went from 10-19 teams. In 2016, 20 teams. Plans to have 24 teams by 2020.

Participating in a good soccer program can be a strong foundation for a child’s future in the sport, but also for his or her future in life. Very important physical skills are learned when training for this sport, but children also learn necessary life skills like teamwork, healthy competition, self-development and discipline

Our Toros Academy was developed to bring a new level of soccer training to the Rio Grande Valley. Our program is ever evolving, always looking for new ways to improve and make our players even better. This year, our program was completely redesigned to continue offering the highest quality training to our players. Here are the things that make us great.

GOOD COACHING

The most important element of a good coach is that he or she focuses on the development of individual players, rather than just of the entire team. Each child has different talents, skills and potential and it is up to a good coach to identify these strengths and build on them. Good coaches also need to be knowledgeable about children’s developmental stages and need to develop their training plans based on what is appropriate for the ages of their group.

At Plaza Sports Center, our focus will always be on developing each child to his or her full potential. Our practices focus on developing technical skills that children will need to be strong players, such as dribbling, passing, shooting and receiving. At our center, every single child will receive individualized attention and will receive plenty of opportunities to play on the field, regardless of his or her level of play.

RESPONSIVE GROUPING

As players begin to learn the game, they develop their skills at a different pace. It is important that children play with other children at their level to increase their development and protect their self-esteem.

Our new grouping system allows us to determine a baseline when players enroll in our program. Once our coaches become familiar with their level of play, children are moved up as their skills develop. Players in groups similar to their skill level are more likely to feel confident to try new plays, test out their skills and become part of the team.

POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS

A good soccer program involves strong and positive relationships among team members, coaches and staff. Children should feel safe to go out and give it all they’ve got, regardless of what the outcome is. To develop as a team, all players should feel supported and appreciated rather than pressured or judged. “I think for every coach, it’s really important to build a strong chemistry within the team obviously, but also within the staff and the people you work with,” says former Team USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

A positive environment with good relationships is a priority at Plaza Sports Center. At our center, our teams and our players become like family and we do everything in our power so that each individual player feels welcome, supported and fulfilled.

INCLUSIVE OF EVERYONE

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport because it is a game that can be played by everyone, regardless of age, race, height, body build or gender. Our Toros Academy is open to boys and girls of all ages and levels. If a child has never played before, we have a group that will help him or her get started with the foundational skills needed to become a great player. Female soccer is becoming more and more successful in the United States and we are looking to contribute with great female talent trained by our Toros Academy!

If you’re ready to get started in a great soccer program, our Toros Academy offers a free trial class so your child can come in and meet other children his age and our great coaches. Just visit our website: https://plazasportscenter.com/toros-soccer-academy/ and fill out a registration form or stop by our facilities in person.