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Stickley - on the Giant Jersey Tour's Bio: Stickley is the US Youth Soccer Mascot. |
Chicago: Fun at Fire Fest
| Sep 30 2009, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
 Hello everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! I spent my weekend in Chicago, Ill., for the second-to-last event on the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour.
My first stop in Chicago was Lake Michigan, which is the only Great Lake located entirely within the United States. I even got to hop on board a sailboat! Chicago's nickname is The Windy City so seemed like a great way to explore the lake!
 On Saturday, I brought the Giant Jersey Tour to Toyota Park for an afternoon MLS match between the Chicago Fire and Toronto FC. I had a great time at Fire Fest, a really fun party before each Chicago Fire home game.
 Thousands of people come to Fire Fest to hang out, cook and get ready to cheer on the Fire! Look how many kids showed up to check out the Giant Jersey Tour booth and celebrate Youth Soccer Month!
  Fire forward Brian McBride headed a goal past the Toronto goalkeeper to even the score in the 78th minute and help the Fire earn a 2-2 draw. Chicago remains in second place in the East as they prepare for the upcoming playoffs.
On Sunday, I got to meet two amazing professional soccer players! Fire forward Patrick Nyarko and St. Louis Athletica defender Elise Weber visited the Chicago Soccer store in Cicero, Illinois to check out the Giant Jersey Tour and sign autographs!
  Well, I'm off to the final stop on the Giant Jersey Tour in Dallas, Texas. Stay tuned for more stories and pictures and keep the celebration going as Youth Soccer Month wraps up!
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| Sep 28 2009, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
There are only a few days left in Youth Soccer Month and the Giant Jersey Tour—I can't believe how quickly it's gone by!
This week, I visited Denver and it was already REALLY cold there! It was 40 degrees at night and it even snowed a little during our visit. The cold weather didn't stop soccer lovers, though. We had fantastic crowds at all of our events!
On Tuesday, the Giant Jersey Tour visited the Stenger Soccer Complex to watch teams practice and hang out with kids who love soccer. We interviewed teams about their experiences playing soccer and everyone shared some great stories. (Tune into the US Youth Soccer Show on Fox Soccer Channel and you might see footage from these interviews!)
On Wednesday night, the tour visited Dick's Sporting Goods stadium for an MLS matchup between the Colorado Rapids and the San Jose Earthquakes. Both teams played strong defense and Colorado's Conor Casey scored on a stoppage-time penalty kick to secure a 1-1 draw. The draw secured a crucial point that helped keep the Rapids in a wildcard spot for the playoffs!
   My next stop was Chicago. The Giant Jersey Tour was part of Fire Fest this Saturday at Toyota Park when the Chicago Fire took on Toronto FC. The Tour also appeared at Chicago Soccer in Cicero, Ill., on Sunday where fans had a chance to meet Elise Weber, defender for St. Louis Athletica and Patrick Nyarko, forward for the Chicago Fire!
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month
[http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/soccermonth/] Click here to see the Giant Jersey Tour schedule
Click here to read more about Wednesday's Wizards game
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| Sep 21 2009, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
After a fun week in Kansas City, Mo., the Giant Jersey Tour is heading to Denver!
I had a great time in Kansas City and saw an exciting MLS game on Saturday. The Kansas City Wizards played FC Dallas in front of a sellout crowd at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and everyone there was in for a treat! The teams battled back and forth before Wizards team captain Jimmy Conrad knocked in a goal late in the game to give the home team a 3-2 win. The win was the Wizards' third in the past four games and it kept their playoff hopes alive!
Once again, everyone loved the Giant Jersey Tour and kids came by all night to hang out and try out the adidas kickwall!
  They wore cool t-shirts and buttons to show their support for Youth Soccer Month and waved US Youth Soccer pom poms and fans to help cheer on the Wizards during the game!
  Before I left Kansas City, I made sure to visit some neat places around town. This statue at Clark's Point marks the spot where explorers Lewis and Clark camped over 200 years ago before traveling farther west.
 Kansas City is famous for its unique style of barbeque food and there are over 100 barbeque restaurants there! I ate at Jack Stack Barbeque, which is rated as one of the best barbeque restaurants in the country. It was delicious!
 I'll be in Denver Wednesday for the Colorado Rapids' game against the San Jose Earthquakes. After that, the Giant Jersey Tour is off to Chicago and Dallas. Check back soon for more stories and pictures!
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month
[http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/soccermonth/] Click here to see the Giant Jersey Tour schedule
Click here to read more about Saturday's Wizards game
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| Sep 18 2009, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hello again! I hope you're all having fun celebrating Youth Soccer Month. I know I am!
Last weekend, after a long drive from Las Vegas, the Giant Jersey Tour visited the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival in Beavercreek, Ohio. I met a lot of soccer fans and tried all kinds of delicious popcorn.
 Everyone at the festival had so much fun checking out the Giant Jersey and testing their soccer skills at the adidas kickwall that the US Youth Soccer booth won an award!
 Best of all, I get to visit Beavercreek again next summer for the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships! Here are a few more pictures from my award-winning weekend:
  This week, the Giant Jersey Tour is in Kansas City, Mo., home of the Kansas City Wizards MLS team. I started the week by visiting Soccer Master stores all around Kansas City.
  Yesterday, I brought the Giant Jersey to the Soccer Master store in Overland Park, Kan. Overland Park is really close to Kansas City and the US Youth Soccer National Championships will be held there next summer.
  The Wizards are taking on FC Dallas this Saturday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and I'll be there with the Giant Jersey to help cheer them on. Come say 'hi' and look for me around Kansas City all weekend!
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month
[http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/soccermonth/] Click here to see the Giant Jersey Tour schedule
Click here to learn about the 2010 US Youth Soccer Championships
Click here to visit the Kansas City Wizards Web site
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| Sep 11 2009, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hi everyone, Stickley here!
I'm hitting the road for another cross-country tour to celebrate Youth Soccer Month and help everyone learn how exciting and FUN soccer is! Just like last year I'm bringing along the US Youth Soccer Giant Jersey and sharing some of my favorite stories and pictures from tournaments, MLS games, local events and cool places.
Last weekend, I kicked off the Giant Jersey Tour at the Las Vegas Labor Day Classic in Las Vegas. The best part about the tour is meeting people who love soccer. I had a great time hanging out with the players and their friends and families!
 Check out the tour setup! It's full of fun soccer activities and this year we have a new activity called the adidas kickwall that gives everyone a chance to show off their soccer skills.
  On the way out of town, I stopped to take a picture with the ""Welcome to Las Vegas"" sign and visit other famous landmarks on the city's main street. There are a bunch of neat buildings to see there, including replicas of a castle, an Egyptian pyramid and the Eiffel Tower!
 I also visited the Hoover Dam, which is about 30 miles from Las Vegas. The Hoover Dam was built on the Colorado River in the early 1930s to control floods, store water and generate power for nearby cities and towns. In this picture, I'm at the top part of the dam. From there, it's over 725 feet to the river at the bottom!
 While I was at the Hoover Dam, I took a picture of the Youth Soccer Month truck and trailer I'll be riding in during the Giant Jersey Tour. The tour covers over 7,700 miles in four weeks so I need something that's cool and comfortable. Wave if you see me on the road!
 I'd better get moving so I can make it to the next tour event on time. On September 12-13, I'll be at the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival in Beavercreek, Ohio.
Have a great weekend! I'll be back soon with more stories from the tour!
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| Aug 24 2009, 3:00 PM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
| Hey, I'm getting ready to hit the road for the 2009 Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey tour. You can follow me and learn more about Youth Soccer Month here and on twitter at http://twitter.com/soccermonth oh and don't forget to be a fan of Youth Soccer Month on Facebook. http://www.youthsoccermonth.org That's all for now! |
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| Oct 15 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hello everyone!
I just finished storing the Giant Jersey and the tour SUV, which means US Youth Soccer's 2008 Giant Jersey Tour is officially wrapped up. I had a great time traveling the country in September to celebrate Youth Soccer Month and I wanted to share a few more highlights from my journey!
 At every tour appearance I met cool kids who loved soccer! Everyone was really excited to show off their skills and learn more about Youth Soccer Month.
 The Giant Jersey was, of course, always a huge hit! Teams especially loved getting their picture taken with the jersey to celebrate a tournament victory.
 I visited all kinds of great soccer events across the country! From packed MLS games to exciting college and youth soccer showdowns, I watched a lot of really talented teams!
 All month long, I collected equipment donations for the US Soccer Foundation's Passback Program. Cleats, uniforms, soccer balls and other donations will be delivered to kids who really need them to help make sure that everyone has the chance to play soccer. I even stopped by the Foundation's headquarters in Washington D.C. to say "hello"!
 I was really lucky to be able to see some of the most unique areas of the United States. As I traveled, I looked for all kinds of different places to visit—landmarks, famous attractions and unknown local secrets. I even saw some pretty wild nature!
Thanks again to everyone who visited the Giant Jersey Tour or read my blog! Only 11 months until the next Youth Soccer Month!
Stickley
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month |
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| Oct 6 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Greetings everyone!
After a long drive from Kansas City, Missouri, I arrived in Santa Clara, Calif., to kick off the final weekend of the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour.
 On Thursday, September 25th, I visited Santa Clara University to watch the Broncos women's team take on the visiting UCLA Bruins. Showing off their defense, Santa Clara played the Bruins, who are ranked second in the country, to a 0-0 draw in a double-overtime match!
Click here to read more about the game (http://santaclarabroncos.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/recaps/092608aaa.html)
 On Saturday, September 27th, I headed north to San Jose for my final visit to an MLS game. The San Jose Earthquakes hoped to continue their nine-game win streak and advance their playoff chances against Real Salt Lake. Unfortunately, the Earthquakes were unable to keep their streak going, falling 3-2 to RSL in an exciting back-and-forth contest.
Click here to read more about the game (http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080928&content_id=191368&vkey=news_sje&fext=.jsp&team=t110)
I want to thank everyone who visited the Giant Jersey Tour or followed the tour through this blog! I hope you all had a great time celebrating Youth Soccer Month—I know I did! Check back one more time this week for some final highlights and pictures from my adventures across the country!
Stickley
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month
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| Sep 24 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hello again!
The past few days on the Giant Jersey Tour have been really fun! I visited two more MLS games and drove from Washington D.C. to Kansas City, Mo. with a stop in Columbus, Ohio. That's almost 1,100 miles and over 17 hours of total driving!
 On Thursday, September 18, I visited Columbus to watch the Columbus Crew take on the New York Red Bulls. After giving up an early lead, the Crew stormed back to win 3-1. The win pushed their record in the last 6 games to 5-0-1, moved their overall record to 14-6-5 and secured Columbus' first appearance in the playoffs since 2004. Click here to read more about the game.
 I hit the road the next day and arrived in Kansas City on Saturday, September 20. I headed to CommunityAmerica Park, where the Wizards took on the visiting Toronto FC Reds. Check out all the people that showed up to hang out before the game! The home team poured on the defense, didn't allow any shots on goal and won 2-0. This was only the second time Kansas City has ever held an opponent to no shots on goal—the other was in 1996! The win gives the Wizards a chance to grab the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Click here to read more about the game.
 I'm heading to the west coast to start the final leg of the Giant Jersey Tour. I can't believe there's only one weekend left! The next few days include some of the most interesting driving of the tour—I get to drive through the Rocky Mountains. I'll have to drive for over 24 total hours to travel all the way from Kansas City to my next stop in Santa Clara, California!
I'll be back soon with more great pictures and cool stories from my trip!
Stickley
Click here to see if the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour is coming to your city
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month |
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| Sep 18 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
I'm back with more stories and pictures from Washington, D.C! A lot happened over the weekend and I couldn't fit it all into one blog post!
 The Giant Jersey Tour visited two colleges last weekend. On Friday night, I visited George Mason University to watch the women's soccer team take on the Indiana Hoosiers. The Patriots suffered a 4-1 loss—their first at home. Click here to read more about the game. On Sunday, I headed to Baltimore to watch the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers women's team play the North Carolina State Wolfpack. UMBC lost a tough game 2-1 after coming back strong in the second half. Click here to read more about the game.
 Before I left D.C., I made sure to visit one of the most famous sites in the United States—the White House! Construction of the White House began in 1792 and was completed in 1800. The architect who designed the building was an Irish immigrant from Charleston, S.C. His design was selected over eight others, including a submission from future president Thomas Jefferson.
I'll be visiting some more exciting MLS games over the next few days! Right now, I'm on my way to Columbus, Ohio, for a game between the Columbus Crew and the New York Red Bulls. The game is at 7:00 tonight at Crew Stadium. On Saturday, I'll be in Kansas City, Mo., to watch the Kansas City Wizards take on Toronto FC. Come say 'hi' if you're at the games!
Stickley
Click here to see if the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour is coming to your city
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month |
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| Sep 17 2008, 9:15 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hello everyone!
Last weekend, the Giant Jersey Tour visited Washington D.C., and once again it was a great visit! Everywhere I go, people love checking out the Giant Jersey! Kids at each event stop by to show off their amazing soccer skills and donate equipment to the Passback Program!
 My first stop in our nation's capitol was the office of the US Soccer Foundation, the organization that runs the Passback Program. The Passback Program helps soccer players in need by distributing equipment to schools, clubs and youth organizations across the country. I'll be collecting equipment for Passback throughout the Giant Jersey Tour. In January, I'll try to set the World Record for Longest String of Shoes using all the shoes collected during the tour!
In January, Passback will use the shoes we have collected to set the World Record for
Click here to find out more about the Passback Program.
 On Saturday night, I visited RFK Stadium for the second MLS game of the tour. D.C. United faced the visiting FC Dallas. There was a great crowd on hand and they endured steamy weather for an exciting contest that ended in a 2-2 draw! The draw moves D.C. United's record to 10-11-3. Click here to read more about the game.
Hope you're having a great week! I'll be back tomorrow with more news from my visit to Washington D.C.!
Stickley
Click here to see if the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour is coming to your city
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month |
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| Sep 10 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hello again!
I have a few days before the next Giant Jersey event so I thought I'd share some more pictures from the first stops on the tour!
 I visited Buckner, Kentucky last week to help the Thoroughbreds Soccer Club kick off Youth Soccer Month. A local judge officially declared September "Youth Soccer Month in Oldham County!" Click here to check out more pictures of the event at the club's website.
 On my way to Chicago, I stopped at Bradley University to watch the men's soccer team play at Shea Stadium. The Bradley Braves kept the game close and outshot the visiting Western Illinois Leathernecks but recorded a tough loss in overtime. Click here to read more about the game.
 I also visited some of downtown Chicago's most popular attractions, including the "Cloud Gate" sculpture in Millennium Park. The 110 ton sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" and is made from 168 polished steel plates. It is 66 feet long and 33 feet high!
 I met a lot of really cool, talented kids at the Chicago Fire game on Saturday! Everyone had a blast hanging out and playing soccer before the game at the "Firefest" activity area!
 On Tuesday, I visited Al-Marzook Field in Hartford, Connecticut where the University of Hartford men's soccer team took on the visiting Central Connecticut Blue Devils. The Hawks played their in-state rivals to a 1-1 tie, moving their record to 1-2-1. Click here to read more about the game.
I'm on my way to Washington D.C. right now. Over the next few days, I'll be visiting a D.C. United MLS game, two universities and lots of other cool places in our nation's capitol!
Have a great weekend!
Stickley
Click here to see if the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour is coming to your city
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month
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| Sep 8 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hi everyone!
My tour with the Giant Jersey keeps getting more exciting! Last weekend, I visited the first MLS game of the tour—more on that a little later.
 After leaving Atlanta last week, I drove north and stopped in Nashville, Tennessee to do some sightseeing. One of Nashville's most unique attractions is the Parthenon. This building serves as an art museum and is a full-size replica of a famous building in Athens, Greece. The original building is about 2,500 years old! After a visit to Buckner, Kentucky, I continued to Chicago, Illinois for the next tour event.
 On Saturday, I brought the Giant Jersey to Toyota Park, the home of Chicago's MLS team, the Chicago Fire. The Fire played the New York Red Bulls and the team hosted a special "Youth Soccer Night" at the stadium. I got to hang out at the "Firefest" activity area and I met hundreds of really talented kids! Everyone checked out the Giant Jersey, played a cool 'goal kick' game and prepared to cheer on the Fire. All their energy paid off and the Fire beat the Red Bulls 1-0! This was the team's 10th shutout of the season and it moved them into a tie for second place in their conference. I want to thank the team and all the fans—I had a lot of fun!
After the game, I packed up again and headed east. Tomorrow I'll be in Hartford, Connecticut at the University of Hartford and this weekend I'll be in Washington D.C.
I hope you're enjoying Youth Soccer Month and the Giant Jersey tour! Have a great week and check back soon for more stories and pictures!
Stickley
Click here to learn more about the Chicago Fire
Click here to see if the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour is coming to your city
Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month
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| Sep 2 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hello again!
Youth Soccer Month is officially underway and my tour with the Giant Jersey is going really well! I'm meeting fun people and seeing unique places all across the country.
After leaving Minneapolis on Friday, I drove east on my way to Atlanta. My first stop was Madison—Wisconsin's capitol and home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose mascot is the Badgers. The Badgers play in the Big Ten Conference and both the men's and women's soccer teams are starting off strong this season.
 I visited the Wisconsin capitol building, which right next to the university campus. The building is built on an isthmus between Lake Monona and Lake Mendota (an isthmus is a narrow strip of land bordered on two sides by water that connects two larger areas of land).
 After leaving Madison, I visited the world-famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. The Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States. It stands 630 feet high and the distance between the Arch legs at ground level is also 630 feet!
I left St. Louis and started the drive further south to Atlanta, Georgia for the first official stop of the tour: the Atlanta Cup. The Atlanta Cup is a tournament with great tradition—it's held over Labor Day weekend and this is its 30th year. Over 740 teams (from Under-10 to Under-19) from the region come to Atlanta to participate!
 I watched some exciting games and met some really cool kids at the Atlanta Cup, then packed up the Giant Jersey and drove northwest. Today, I'll be in Buckner, Kentucky for an event with the Thoroughbreds Soccer Club.
Stay tuned for more stories and pictures from my first events! I'll see you on the tour!
Stickley
Click here to see the results from the Atlanta Cup
Click here to see if the Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour is coming to your city Click here to learn more about Youth Soccer Month |
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| Aug 28 2008, 12:00 AM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hey everyone, Stickley here!
September is Youth Soccer Month! To celebrate, I'm going to be crossing the country visiting MLS games, local tournaments and schools to get everyone pumped up about soccer. I'm traveling in a totally tricked out truck and bringing along a GIANT 15-foot tall inflatable soccer jersey! I'll write all about my adventures here and post pictures of the interesting places I find and the awesome kids I meet in each city.
Before I could hit the road, I visited Minneapolis, Minnesota to gather all the equipment I'll need on the tour. It was cloudy in the morning as I picked up the Youth-Soccer-Mobile and the giant jersey, but the sun came out just as I went to do some sightseeing around the city.
 One of the coolest landmarks in Minneapolis is this sculpture, called "Spoonbridge and Cherry." It's actually a water fountain and it's located in a big park with other outdoor sculptures right next to downtown Minneapolis! You can see some of the downtown buildings in the background of the picture. It was built in 1988 and has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.
Well, I had better start traveling. I'm heading to Atlanta, Georgia for the Atlanta Cup Tournament. Visit my blog all month long to follow my tour, learn more about cool cities around the U.S. and find out how other kids are participating in Youth Soccer Month!
See you on the tour!
Stickley
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| Aug 19 2008, 2:00 PM | Topic: YSM Giant Jersey Tour |
Hey, I don't know if you have heard yet...but I am about to jump in a cool SUV and drive across the country spreading the news about the national Youth Soccer Month celebration. The Youth Soccer Month Giant Jersey Tour will kickoff the celebration of Youth Soccer Month on September 1 at the Georgia Soccer Atlanta Cup. From there I'll be all over the place to meet you, take pictures and show off this huge, giant soccer jersey. A full schedule will be on the website (www.YouthSoccerMonth.org). A few of the cities will be Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Columbus, Kansas City, Portland, Seattle and Washington D.C. This is going to be cool and I'll be blogging all of September to keep you in the loop. Bye for now, Stickley
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