Throughout the 2007 season Blue Knight rookie head coach Jeremy Parkins will share his thoughts on the ins and outs of coaching college soccer. Be sure to check back often for updates the rest of the season. Go Blue Knights!
Blog #6 – October 25, 2007
You’re probably curious as to how we are approaching tomorrow night’s game with ODU. Well, it’s the next game, so it’s the biggest game of our season. ODU has only lost one game this year, giving them the best overall record in the league. Even though we are not playing in the postseason it should not change our attitude going into the game. It is another opportunity for us to go out, work hard, have some fun and test ourselves. As I continue to work into this position and transition into NCAA Division II, it is important that everyone keeps in mind the time it takes to build something, and tomorrow is another chance for us to step forward.
Our training sessions leading up to tomorrow's game have gone well. As I have felt all season, if we are able to come out and play up near our potential we will give ourselves a chance to be successful at the end. The guys seemed to be in good spirits and worked hard today at training, even as the sun set and the moon arrived.
As with many of the nights this fall, tonight was filled with recruiting in one way or another. Be it phone calls, games to watch or just research, the days fly by and it is hard to believe the end of October is already here. It was nice to finally sit down and catch the rest of the MLS playoff game, watching the local product (Chris Rolfe) score the only goal of the game.
Well it’s now Friday and time to wrap up some email and get some rest. Thanks for clicking in and we will catch you next week.
Blog #5– October 8, 2007
Today wraps up a busy week at Urbana University. We played this week at Malone College in Canton, Ohio, and I would be lying to you if I said it was anything but frustrating. In no attempt to take any credit away from a good Malone College team, we didn't play well and made many of the same mistakes we were making early in the year. For the seniors it is upsetting, for the freshmen it is a learning experience, and as I mentioned earlier it is frustrating for me.
One of the many things my parents taught me, was when things seem to be going against you, you just have to work harder.
Aside from our game, it has been a week of great events at Urbana University. Homecoming was this weekend and I saw our football team beat a Walsh team who was nationally ranked on Saturday. Congrats to Coach Place and the rest of the team
.
The NCAA transition continued with association meetings that our AD (Mr. Young) was busy with all week, and we all continue
to look forward to what being a member of the NCAA Division II will bring.
The upcoming week has us scheduled to play at Anderson University on Thursday, and while I am looking forward to the game
itself, I am also looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves again.
Aside from all that, what is going on with the heat? Since when is it supposed to be 90 degrees in October? The meteorologist (those who tell you one thing on Monday and on Tuesday change their story); tell me that we will have rain on Tuesday and more seasonable temperatures from here on out, I'm not a gambling man.
Lastly, it always amazes me how fast the season actually goes. Here we are 11 games into our season, six games left and it
feels like we are just getting started. A wise old man once told me that I will soon realize how little time there is to actually coach, and too many other responsibilities take up time, he was right.
Alright, so much to do, so little time.
Blog #4– September 21, 2007
Last blog I gave out the nickname "Sunshine" and after a wide variety of guessing, Cody Meier’s alias was finally revealed, although I never did find out why he has that nickname.
Our four game road tour of the Hoosier state is now complete with the last of the four games being the longest. After a four hour bus ride and an 8 p.m. start time it only made sense for the game to go into double overtime and delay our return home until 3:00 a.m. Needless to say, that was a long day.
We have since had two home games, both of which have gone into double overtime (four double overtime games for those counting). With the plethora of double overtime games now under our belts I can confidently say our fitness continues to improve.
After a good training session this afternoon I was off to high school games to continue recruiting this evening. Arriving at the game just before a long half time that included a player dedication, I was able to get my work done and head for home and finally some dinner.
Well it’s about that time; tomorrow we will continue preparation for our opening conference game against Mt. Vernon Saturday at 1 p.m.
Cheers until next time.
Blog #3– August 31, 2007 
Well, next time is indeed later than I expected it to be. Sorry it has taken so long to get this one up; with our first full week of the season in the books we are finally settling into more of a schedule.
This past week was a week of firsts: our first game, our first win, our first goal, our first goal against and our first yellow card. As I mentioned after the game, we had many opportunities to put the game away early, and this will be something we will continue to develop with the season.
As with most sports, injuries are a part of the game, but it’s the injuries that require surgery and the missing of many weeks that no one wants to see. One of the guys, Rick Schnipke is in this boat. It’s not a welcomed boat, but surgery is over and he is on the track to recovery. Rick is already milking the situation; he now has girls in the cafeteria getting his lunch for him.
It has been a month since my induction into the program and I am continuing to get a feel for the team. Tomorrow we find out what kind of a travel team we are as we head to Grace College for a 1 p.m. kick off for game No. 2. I know you all want to wish us good luck, so I will say Thank You in advance.
I’ll end with a little “Getting to Know the Team”. One of my “acquaintances” informed me we have someone on the team who has been referred to as “Sunshine” in the past. The question is, can you figure out who?"
 Blog #2– August 9, 2007
My first full week at Urbana is now complete, along with meetings and paper work, we have spent a few days outside preparing the fields. It has felt like we were on the surface of the sun working these last couple days, and I can only hope we can make a few calls to get the temperature turned down for the start of preseason.
Speaking of preseason, August 13th is quickly approaching, and along with many other coaches at Urbana University, I am ready for the students to arrive and get started. There will be increased motivation this year as our transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II is in its initial stages, and almost everyone is excited about the many benefits this shift will bring.
Well, the construction of this writing has seen Wednesday turn to Thursday, and with a few things to finish yet its now time to wrap this up. Until next time.
Blog #1 – July 25, 2007
This past week has been both exciting and long – ending one job and accepting another, finding a new place to live and trying to sort out the upcoming Blue Knight season. The transition has started out well so far. I had the chance to meet with the Urbana Director of Athletics, Mr. Doug Young, and the former men’s soccer coach and current women’s coach, Coach Jim Wendling this week, and like them, I am excited for what this fall will hold.
We are now two and a half weeks out from report date, and I have a wide variety of things to accomplish before then. I will have two days off before I officially start at Urbana; however those days will be riddled with preseason preparation.
Well, it’s almost lunch time, and the company is having an employee appreciation lunch today. I’d like to say it’s for me on my last day, but I can't back that up…time for BBQ!
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