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August Newsletter 2022

Welcome to the Kings Hammer August Newsletter! This edition features the Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year Award, Center of Excellence, Little Lions, KH FC Cincinnati Family Night, Battle in the Bluegrass, KH Fan Wear, and more! If you have a player, coach, or team to be highlighted in future newsletters, please send photos and stories to info@kingshammer.com. Each newsletter will be posted on our website as well as our social pages.

Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year Award

Kings Hammer is excited to announce the Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year Award!  Aubrey is a Kings Hammer Alum and the goalkeeper for Washington Spirit and the US Women’s National Team. The Award will be hand selected by Aubrey in May, at the conclusion of the 2022/2023 Season to one boy and one girl. Each month a boys and girls save will be chosen that will then be entered into the Save of the Year finals. Post your best saves in the Kings Hammer GK Union Facebook group or share on Twitter using the hashtag #KingsHammer. Be sure to share and you could be selected for our Aubrey Kingsbury Save of the Year! Monthly winners will be posted on the Kings Hammer social pages and on the GK Union page.

Center of Excellence U8-U12

The Kings Hammer Center of Excellence (COE) is a third night of training for players U8-U12 that is held on Friday nights. COE is held at Eakle Soccer Complex in Xenia for the Xenia families, at Voice of America Park in West Chester for the North and Sycamore families, at Town & Country in Wilder for the Central and South families, and at Southland Christian Church in Lexington for the Versailles and Lexington families. Each COE is an hour long and is individual skill focused with opportunities for players to mix between different age groups, genders, and teams. We encourage players to bring teammates and friends outside of Kings Hammer to experience our Center of Excellence!

Remaining Center of Excellence dates are listed below. Please check your team’s schedule on PlayMetrics for exact training time.

  • Xenia COE (Premier Xenia) at Eakle Soccer Complex Grass Fields: 9/2, 9/9, 9/16, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14
  • North COE (Premier North & Sycamore) at VOA: 9/2, 9/9, 9,16, 9/30, 10/7
  • South COE (Premier Central & South) at T&C Turf:  9/2, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21
  • Bluegrass COE (Premier Versailles & Lexington) at Southland Christian Church: 9/16, 9,23, 9/30, 10/7

Fall Little Lions Registration Open

The Fall Little Lions Program is open for registration and spots are filling up! The program will be offered for boys and girls U4-U8 at our Xenia, North, Sycamore, Central, South, and Bluegrass locations. Please click the links below to view dates and times.

Our Little Lions Program is a player-centered program that focuses on technical fundamentals, age-appropriate social- emotional and cognitive skills, and fun! Each week players will participate in 1 training session, led by Kings Hammer staff.

Registration for Fall 2022 will be through PlayMetrics. Click the buttons below for more information and to register through PlayMetrics today!

KH FC Cincinnati Night

Thank you to all our families and friends who came out for Kings Hammer family night on Saturday, August 6th! We had a great time cheering on FC Cincinnati and hope you did too!

Battle in the Bluegrass

We kicked off our fall season by hosting the Battle in the Bluegrass on August 13th-14th! The Woodford Youth Soccer Complex was packed with soccer action the entire weekend.  We appreciate all the teams and families that kicked off the fall season with us. We were treated to some great weather, great games, and very competitive championship matches. Thank you to all of the referees, volunteers, and parents for making the 2022 Battle In the Bluegrass such a great event!  If you weren’t able to purchase event merchandise on site during the event, it’s not too late to purchase. You can visit our online store and have your event merchandise shipped to you. Click here to order online now!

We would also like to send a special thank you to our event partners:

University of Kentucky Sports Medicine- Athletic Training Services
Trophy Awards- Official Awards Supplier of Kings Hammer Events
PYB Sports- Official Event Housing Partner
Nike Soccer- Official Brand Partner

We look forward to hosting our next event the Cincy Challenge on September 23rd-25th!

August Education: Respecting the Game at its R.O.O.T.S.

Each month during the 2022 fall season we will focus on R.O.O.T.S- Rules, Opponent, Officials, Teammates, and Self, as outlined by The Positive Coaching Alliance. We will highlight the value of RESPECT for each area. This month we will explore the RULES.

Know the Laws of the Game-

How well do you know the rules (or more correctly, the Laws) of the game?

One of the leading causes of stress, confusion, anger, and angst during soccer games (youth through professional) is the misunderstanding, misapplication, and misconceptions around the rules of the game. Here are five of the leading culprits when it comes to problem causing Laws in soccer:

  1. Offside (note-not Offsides)
  2. Ball out of play
  3. Handling (note-not Handball)
  4. Advantage
  5. Direct vs. Indirect

Click here to read the full story and get more details on these 5 Laws of the Game.

Ready to TEST your knowledge?  Soccer America has put together a Rules Quiz

As members of the Kings Hammer Soccer Club, all families are provided access to the Soccer Parenting Association’s website and full library of resources (webinars, articles, courses, and more.) If you have not yet opened your account, you can do so at the following link-

https://soccerparentresourcecenter.com/register/club-membership/kingshammer/

Once you get your account setup (or if you already have your account setup,) I would encourage ALL families to visit the Courses option in the navigation bar and click on The Sideline Project

  • A 15 Minute Guide for level-headed youth soccer parents and coaches interested in learning more about what we can all do to improve the sidelines!
  • This Guide is designed to give you added perspective and understanding about sideline behavior.

Just 15 minutes of your time for a healthier, empowering sideline so your child will be inspired!

Charlee USYNT National ID Camp Call-Up

Best of luck to KH G08 ECNL member Charlee Siria on receiving a call-up to the upcoming U-16 USYNT National ID Camp. Charlee has previously been invited to attend two regional USYNT Regional ID camps, with this invitation being her first national invite. The upcoming camp will run September 8-12 in Chula Vista, California. Congratulations, Charlee!

2021/2022 Player Awards

Congratulations to Kasen Johnston on being named Kentucky Youth Soccer Association 2022 Boys Player of the Year! We’re all super proud of you, Kasen!

Congrats to KH ECNL G03/04 NL player, Natalie Bain, on being named USA TODAY High School Sports Award – Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Natalie is continuing her soccer journey this fall with Xavier University. Congrats, Natalie!

We also want to send our congratulations to the ECNL girls that were named to Ohio Valley Conference First & Second Teams:

  • 03/04 players: Natalie Bain & Jade Rehberger
  • 05 players: Amanda Schlueter & Abby Unkraut
  • 06 players: Mille Cluxton & Marie Dilts

Great job, girls!

And finally, we would like to congratulate Caitlin Burger for being named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Regional League as a member of the KH G03/04 ECNL RL team this past season! Congrats Caitlin!

New Kings Hammer Fan Wear

Gear up for the fall and shop Kings Hammer! Lots of new items, including hoodies, tees, hats, scarves, stickers plus more on the way. Spend over $100 and shipping is on us—just enter code FREESHIP22 at checkout. Click here to check out what’s new in the Kings Hammer Shop now!

Content Feedback Survey

We want to hear from you! Please take a minute to complete a quick Content Feedback Survey with 9 questions. Your answers will help as we start creating content for the 2022/2023 Season!

Click here to take the survey now

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Tryout FAQ’s

How do I register for tryouts?
ALL soccer-athletes MUST COMPLETE the tryout registration online before participating in the tryout process. Click here to register now!

*Please make sure that you register online at least 24 hours in advance to ensure that the soccer athlete is in the system and we have your information to notify you after the tryout process.  There is a Registration Steps document on the Tryouts page that will walk you through the process. Each soccer athlete should attend both tryout days if possible. If you are unable to attend both days please reach out to the Program Director listed below.

Birth Years for the 2022/2023 Season
For the 2022/2023 season, Kings Hammer will follow U.S Youth Soccer’s guidelines and will organize its teams by birth year:

*Interested players must register to try out for their birth year.

Can my child play up an age group?
Any player playing up will be at the discretion of their respective director. All players need to register and attend the tryout for their correct age group.

What should I wear/bring to tryouts?
Please come prepared with a fully inflated soccer ball, proper footwear, shin guards, and water. Each prospective soccer-athlete will receive one free Kings Hammer Soccer Club tryout t-shirt with a tryout identification number on the back of the t-shirt.  Each prospective player will be identified by the identification number throughout the process and MUST wear this t-shirt at each tryout session for the 2022/2023 soccer year.

We will not be able to attend tryouts or are new to the area and missed tryouts. Is there a process in place to allow for an alternate tryout?
Yes! If you are not able to attend tryouts or missed the tryout dates, please register and then contact the Director for the Program/Age Group you wish to tryout for so that arrangements can be made. We also hold supplemental tryouts throughout the year. Roster openings may be limited after the initial tryout period.

What are the differences between Academy and Premier?
Our Academy provides a highly competitive environment for higher-level soccer athletes. This program provides those athletes with the best local training offered by our qualified and professional staff. Our Academy teams play at the highest possible level providing showcase opportunities to College, Professional, and National level programs.

The Premier Program is a community-based program. The Premier Program provides the opportunity for players to play other sports or have other interests outside of soccer. This program is designed to be flexible, convenient, and affordable.

Can I try out for multiple programs?
We encourage anyone who wants to tryout for all levels to do so. Current KHSC players can ask their coach/director for guidance if they are unsure about which program to tryout for. You will need to register for each tryout separately.

If I tryout for a program and don’t make it, can I try out for another program?
Yes. If you don’t make an Academy team, we strongly encourage you to tryout for a Premier team, attending tryouts for at least one day.

If you don’t make a Premier team, the Classic Program may be an option. Contact Michelle Okumura (michelle@kingshammer.com) if you’d like to pursue this option.

Will there be more than one team in each age group?
Yes, when possible, there will be more than one team per age group, per program. It all depends on the number of players at tryouts and their skill level.

If my child doesn’t make the top team, can they move up during the year?
Yes, there may be opportunities to move up throughout the year as long as the coach/director feels it is in the best interest of the player’s development. There may also be opportunities to guest play across all levels.

What can I expect after tryouts?
After tryouts you can expect communication from the club in the form of an email.  (Please double-check that your email is correct in the PlayMetrics system, this is the email we use) This will either be an acceptance email, offering your child a position on a team, or an email letting you know that they should tryout for a different program. Players who are offered positions on a team may also receive a phone call from their coach. All communication will come within 24-48 hours of the end of the last tryout. You will then have 24 hours to either accept or decline your email before your spot is offered to another child.

What are the next steps if my child makes a team?

  1. If you are new to the club, you will receive more information regarding your uniform ordering in your confirmation email.
  2. If you are part of the Academy or Premier Programs, you will receive the link to Demosphere to register your child in the state system in your confirmation email as well.

How long is the season?

  • Academy
    • U11-U14: August-November, January-May (possible post-season in June)
    • U15-U19: November-May
  • Premier
    • U7-U14: August-October, March-May
    • U15-U19: November-December, March-May

My child is in middle school but plays on a U15 team. Will there be a fall U15 program for trapped players?
Yes, we will offer a program for trapped 8th graders for the fall season depending on interest. The program will run from August to October and is open to players that are currently in the 8th grade that will be playing on a U15 team starting in November 2022. Questions please contact:

Academy North: Ryan Handbury | ryan@kingshammer.com
Academy South Boys: James Thomas | james@kingshammer.com
Academy South Girls: Chris Black | chris@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Boys: Dan Ensley  | dan@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Girls: Megan Adkins | megan@kingshammer.com

Can a team come to the club and join as a team?
Yes! The team can join the Classic Program. For more information please reach out to Michelle Okumura at michelle@kingshammer.com.

Who is in charge of hiring coaches?
If you are interested in a coaching opportunity, please fill out the following coaching form – https://kingshammer.com/interested-in-coaching/

Program Directors:

Academy North: Ryan Handbury | ryan@kingshammer.com
Academy South Girls: Chris Black | chris@kingshammer.com
Academy South Boys: James Thomas | james@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Boys: Dan Ensley | dan@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Girls: Megan Adkins | megan@kingshammer.com
Premier Xenia: Brent Lewis | brent@kingshammer.com
Premier North: Wil Cagle | wil@kingshammer.com
Premier Sycamore: Ryan Handbury | ryan@kingshammer.com
Premier Central: Michael Ratliff | michaelr@kingshammer.com
Premier South: David Shemilt | dshemilt@kingshammer.com
Premier Versailles: Brandon Cummons | brandon@kingshammer.com
Premier Lexington: Fonyam Atanga | fonyam@kignshammer.com