Street Soccer 945: Road to the Street Soccer USA Cup 2009- TEAM BUILDING

This weekend Street Soccer 945 took the team away to the Tennessee mountains to work on some team building exercizes and to bond our team together before our trip to Street Soccer USA Cup 2009.
Peter Fink, super volunteer, invited the team to his family house. We departed on Saturday just in time to grill hot dogs and hamburgers and watch the sunset. The team then sat down at a family style dinner and took turns sharing with the group the best and worst parts of our week.

TEAM DINNER

COACHES PETE AND RAY

LUIS SPEAKS TO THE TEAM



Luis in particular opened up about his appreciation for having what he called "genuine friends" he has made on the team. While in living in Miami he said he had plenty of friends but the kind of friends he had to keep an eye on and this team has helped restore his faith in people and relearn to trust people and know there are good people out there he can let his guard down to.

On Sunday after a good nights rest with each player in a bed of his or her own, a luxury not many on our team know, we woke up to Pete cooking breakfast for everyone. Then we went down stairs to work together, to form a bond together for DC. Pete is pictured holding a couple of wooden boards. Each team member received a board after they told the team what they individually were going to bring to the team to help us be a cohesive unit on and off the field in DC. Some said, "never give up, not matter the score," while others said, "I am going to listen to my teammates and to coach." The players were given the boards and then they had to cross a pit of lava (the concrete deck) and get to the other side without touching the ground. The boards were their only refuge. If they were to take a hand off the board it would float away. This took communication and what we learned is that communication is not only talking, but listening and the tone in which you deliver you message can effect how your teammates receive what you have to say. You can tell by the pictures we came together and worked hard to get everyone across the pit safely.



PETE ASKS "WHY DID YOU LET GO OF THE BOARD?"



MISTER LOOKS FOR GUIDANCE

LUIS TALKS ABOUT WHAT THEY STRUGGLED WITH AT FIRST AND THEN WHAT MADE THEM WORK TOGETHER TO GET ACROSS

THEN THE COACHES HAD THEIR TURN!!








Rob, Ray, Pete and Curtis luckily made it too!