|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
5/7/2008
- Sharks Swim Towards Healthier Future
Statistics show the growing number of children who are not getting adequate exercise and activity are staggering. About 15.5 percent of adolescents ages 12-19 were considered overweight in 2000 according to their body mass index, or BMI (a BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight). Additionally, more than 30 percent of students in grades 9-12 do not regularly participate in any high-intensity physical activity.
To compound the lack of physical activity in the lives of today’s youth, television and video games have taken over as adolescents’ main source of entertainment and recreation. In a 1998 study, the National Institute on Media and the Family concluded that the average youth living in the U.S. watches television 25 hours a week and plays video games an additional seven hours.
Orlando Sharks head Coach Jake Dancy hates to see statistics like these and encourages kids to get involved in sports and outdoor activities for more reasons than one. “It’s hard to watch kids sit in front of a TV all day for fun. If they could only realize the good times they can have and the friends they can make out on a soccer field instead of in front of a TV, they would be a lot better off both physically and socially.”
Being an overweight child isn’t the most dangerous part about kids not taking care of themselves physically; the real scare is carrying the bad habits and excess body fat into adulthood where it has the potential to increase chances of diabetes and heart disease. Connie Liakos Evers, in her book How to Teach Nutrition to Kids, alludes to the fact that 70% of overweight teens will remain obese into adulthood.
To Sharks Coach Dancy, the solution is as easy as parents setting simple boundaries for their kids. "I have a two year old son and you can bet that when he gets to be five he's going to be racing around on soccer fields during the summer, not parked in front of a TV watching Hannah Montana and eating Cheetos," says Dancy with a chuckle. "I understand if your child has a favorite TV show, because mine does, but how about watching it after they've spent the afternoon outside playing with their friends? There has to be a balance like anything else."
In order to help parents get their children off of their couches and outside this summer, Jake Dancy and players from his Orlando Sharks are holding close to 30 soccer camps around Central Florida in Orange, Seminole, Lake, and Osceola counties. Designed to help improve youths’ soccer skills, the camps will also provide something missing all too often in kid’s lives today: good old fashioned outdoor fun. Camp dates and times are as follows:
R.D. Keene Park - June 16-20; June 23-27
NW Recreation Center - June 16-20; *July 7-11
Austin Tindall - June 16-20; Aug. 11-15
St Luke's - June 23-27; July 14-18
Hancock Park - June 30-July 2; July 28-Aug. 1
Sylvan Lake - June 30-July 2; **Aug. 4-8
Thunder Field - July 7-13; Aug. 4-8
Central Winds - July 7-11; Aug. 11-15
Red Bug Lake Park - July 28-Aug. 1; **Aug. 11-15
Barber Park - Aug. 4-8; ***Aug. 11-15
Hickory Point - July 21-25; Aug. 4-8
All times are 9a.m. - 12p.m. unless otherwise noted
* 5:30p.m. - 8:30p.m.
**9a.m. - 4p.m.
***4:30p.m. - 7:30p.m.
DOWNLOAD CAMP REGISTRATION FORM
|
| |
|
4/8/2008
- Head Coach Jake Dancy Excited About Sharks' Future
Wrapping up his first season as head coach of an MISL team, Jake Dancy reflects on the Orlando Sharks inaugural season and plans for improvement and progress for the 2008-09 season.
Q: You just defeated the playoff bound Chicago Storm in your final home game of the season on Saturday. What did it feel like to accomplish such a commanding victory against a team of that caliber?
A: It was a great feeling and I’m so happy for our players, both the rookies and the veterans. After all of the hard work that they put in this year, they can end the season with a win against a very good playoff bound team.
Q: The Sharks performed extremely effectively against the Storm. What do you attribute to their ability to execute and make plays on Saturday?
A: We had a great week of training at the arena and we felt we owed everyone who has supported us all season long a win, especially our fans and our owner.
Q: How important was it for the team to finish the season on a positive note?
A: It was huge! It gives us a lot to look forward to for next season, both on and off the field.
Q: Over the course of the season, has there been anyone who has emerged as a leader in the locker room?
A: I think you have your natural leaders…Shawn Boney, Jorge Valle and Gaston Pernia, and you hope there are a couple of young players that take something from each of them and step up next year.
Q: Looking back on the season and looking forward to next, what kinds of things do you feel your team needs to focus on in order to improve for the coming year?
A: I think we need to focus on being more consistent throughout the course of a game and season. The last game was our most complete game of the season and it showed. Obviously, we also need to focus on scoring more goals to take the pressure off our defense and goalkeepers.
Q: With a team made up largely of rookies new to the MISL, how important is it going to be in the off season to acquire some veteran players who are more experienced in the indoor game?
A: You are always trying to make your team better, each and every day, but veteran players are the key to this game…and we have some great ones! Additionally we will be watching to see if there are any good pickups on the waiver wire between now and the start of the next season. With all that said, though, our young players have also given us something to build from as well.
Q: As head coach of the Sharks, what would you like to accomplish during the off season to prepare for next year?
A: We’ll be scouting for players, both on our own and through our Pro Days open tryouts again this summer. And, as I mentioned, we will see which veterans become available that are worth a look here. We’re looking for talented athletes, but they must also be a great fit for the personality of our team. But in general, I am looking forward to finding a handful of players that we can add to our core and strengthen our team so we can make a run into the playoffs and compete for the championship next season.
|
| |
|
3/28/2008
- After a Season of Learning, Sharks Look to Finish Up With a Bang
With over half the team new to the league and new to the sport of indoor soccer, the Orlando Sharks took their inaugural season as a learning experience. The difference between playing indoor and outdoor soccer is so great that many of the players have had to relearn and rethink the way they play the game. Two and three point goals, a field that is a fraction of the size of an outdoor field, and the use of the boards all contribute to a game that is as explosive and exciting as it is technical.
Now, just two games away from the end, the Sharks are looking to wrap up the 2007-2008 season in style. They travel to California to take on the Cougars on Sunday, March 30th at 9:15 pm EST, and then they will host the Chicago Storm at the Amway Arena on April 5th at 7:15 pm, which is Fan Appreciation Night in the Shark Tank.
Traveling to California presents an opportunity to go up on the Cougars 3-1 for the season. By taking two of their three games this season, the Sharks have established their dominance over California. Their last meeting, a 19-6 routing of the Cougars, marked the Sharks’ largest margin of victory for the season. However, coach Jake Dancy knows you can never take anything for granted, stating, “We expect this weeks game to be a very physical game and played at a very fast pace, so our objectives are to control the tempo of the game and execute when we’re on offense.”
The final game on April 5th promises to be an exciting match up as well. Though the visiting Storm has defeated the Sharks three times this season, the past two losses were by a margin of five points or less. With the final game being fan appreciation night, the Sharks have a great chance of giving all those present in the Shark Tank a victory to tide them over until next season.
|
| |
|
2/1/2008
- A Tale Of Two Seasons (In One)
Everyone who has followed the Orlando Sharks in their inaugural season knows that the team went winless in their first sixteen games. Their record however didn’t reflect the heart and dedication that the players demonstrated during each outing. That record has quickly changed as the players have tasted victory in the second half of the season.
Much of the recent success can be attributed to the fact that the players have spent time together on the field getting to know each other and their unique styles of play. Since most of the roster consists of rookies to the MISL it was understandable that it would take some period of adjustment to the indoor style of play. “I don’t think any of us are surprised by this season’s course of events,” explained Sharks President Rich Bradley. “Frustrating as it is, you have to go through a learning curve as a start up team,” he adds “knowing that we had drafted outstanding athletes, we also expected that once they got the hang of this game and congealed as a team, we’d be on a roll.”
Now more than half way through their season, the team is playing like championship contenders and are showing that they can stand head and shoulders with any other MISL team. All of the Sharks hard work on and off the field is paying off. They are 3-2 in 2008 and they look to finish their season strongly.
|
| |
|
1/11/2008
- Welcome Back Shaq... Not Really!
The hottest new player to arrive in Orlando does not play for the Orlando Magic rather he plays for the Sharks. He's Shawn Boney, and in case you haven't heard he is really making his mark with his new team. Shawn stands 6'7" and weighs a whopping 265lbs (mostly muscle). While not as tall as Shaq the shear difference in his size over most all other MISL players is a sight to behold.
In his first three games for Orlando he has scored three goals and has been credited with three assists; however, the statistics don't begin do justice to the impact his presence has made with the team. Though the Sharks have yet to win a game their play as a team has improved greatly and they should begin a winning trend very soon.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|