ALITHSA Volunteer Recognition Program

Mike Milanovich - U8 Coach

ALITHSA would like to recognize Coach Mike Milanovich for his "above and beyond" volunteer work.

One of the emails we received nominating Mike said: "Mike is enthusiastic about soccer and about the kids. He constantly encourages the children and keeps the focus on having fun and having good sportsmanship. He is a great example for the kids by cheering for the other team when they have a good play or a good save on goal. His coaching style puts the focus on having fun, being the best you can be and having good sportsmanship which is very age appropriate."

We took a few minutes of Mike's time to get to know him better.

ALITHSA:

How long have you been involved in soccer and in what forms?

Mike:

Watching coaches Todd Drake and John Hichew work to develop my son's first skills in soccer when he was 5 and 6 years old, developing his desire for the game which he still plays today. Watching them additionally work hard to create a whole family involved team atmosphere.
As an assistant coach to Mike St Clair at U7, learning from Mike what it takes to develop skills with young enthusiastic players, both physically and the approach to the game itself.
Working with coordinators such as Mr. Jeff Ellis to stay coordinated and keep the team running smooth logistically.
For past 1 1/2 years as coach of the U7/U8 Orange Tigers.

ALITHSA:

What are the three top things for you as a coach?

Mike:

Emphasizing Sportsmanship with our team and staying focused to not let the youngster down by not following through with what we teach them about sportsmanship. Trying to reinforce to them at every practice and before and after every game its importance.
Giving the time needed, not rushing, so the youngster knows they are the most important part of the sport when they are on the practice field or the playing field. Remembering when I was a child of how disappointing if a game was rained or snowed out, because that meant THAT DAY we could NOT play. Remembering we were there to PLAY the game and that has never changed. The youngsters' passion to play and be so involved is why I believe we all enjoy coaching.
Until the day a parent can not be on the practice field, is to ask the parents to be involved on the field helping and assisting and in my case utilizing their soccer experience. I am a believer youngsters love to have their parents involved on the field especially when they are not the coach but there to help the team and them. Like being in their back yard but with a bunch more people.

ALITHSA:

What in your view are the top three things for the players?

Mike:

Play with fun in their heads
Play with joy in their hearts
Be proud and confident in what they do and in what their teammates do
+ respect your opponents talent and position

ALITHSA:

What can we teach our kids about playing soccer and who is your favorite soccer player (or other sport) role model?

Mike:

The first part of the question is a difficult one for me to answer because I really do not have a strong knowledge of the basic skills of the game so I relied on the training of Coach Dean Smith and the other coaches I met. In additional using the knowledge that our team parents have from their past coaching experience or their many years in soccer. My goal has been to teach them SPORT in principle and utilize all this knowledge around us that the league provides for their skills growth.

Favorite player, the role models to follow, is an easy answer: Jennifer, Bailey, Faith, Monty, Jamie, Nate, Jack, Sam, Milan, Nick, Ava, Hope and a young man in Oklahoma, Dominic.

ALITHSA:

Please tell us about your most special soccer memory or event.

Mike:

After this email, which was a total shock and surprise but a most sincerely appreciated honor.

There are two things that have been very special:

In stressful playing situations at times, even at the U8 level of play, the overall great sportsmanship we see in our league is very special.
The times our team family has gathered for a day and time together off the field. We have very special parents in this league along with these wonderful young children and young adult players.

ALITHSA:

How in your mind can we make soccer in ALITHSA as creative and fun as possible?

Mike:

Keeping the families as interactive in the team and league as we can. Making it the most important sport environment that they are affiliated with. Family participation is so important to that end.
Having more games per week. Players play to play, they love to play. We as parents love to watch.
I believe at all level's, as we grow up, we look up with amazement at others that are older than us and have displayed talent. We might form training classes with the 10 yr olds teaching skills to the 5,6,7,8,9 year olds.
The 16 year olds teaching skills to the 10,11,12,13,14,year olds. The college level players, the league has access to, for the 15 and above players. All classes would have qualified adult coaches present.
Create a bi-weekly on line league newspaper published by and utilizing the parents that enjoy creating journalism and utilizing parents that do this for a career. Also the incorporation of high school players that have a future interest in journalism to manage this program. Main emphasis of this on line newspaper would be results and success of play on the field.

ALITHSA:

Anything special you would like to share with all of us in ALITHSA about being a volunteer?

Mike:

We all seem to have our children participating in many levels of sport and other activities today.

Many spend additional time at church activities and activities to help others less fortunate.

I would share the request and thought, if you have any SPARE time left that you feel you need to fill, give that time to where we play soccer. Because I have never seen, in my short time in ALITHSA, anyone not appreciated or thanked as regularly for being involved or being apart, as they are at ALITHSA.

ALITHSA:

Thank you Mike!

If you know of any ALITHSA coach, asst. coach, team mom, referee or coordinator that goes above and beyond, please let us know about it. We want to regularly recognize those that stand out from the crowd.

Please send your nominations and the reason for the nomination to mvp@alithsa.org.

Past Recognized Volunteers:

Brian Spears
Frank Anguilo
Nino Mandile
Tim Wagner and Dave Sierakowski
Jim McDonell
Steve and Bobbi Schroeder
Bruce Patterson
Kevin O'Callaghan
Mike Luecht
Angie Berkhout
Jeff Ellis
Paul Furlong
Glenn Riedel
Jim McKinnon
Tanya Perez
Kym Griffiths
Todd Drake

Home Page Recreational Program Travel Program Registration Parent Participation Rec Schedules NRSL Schedules Travel Schedules FAQ Medical Waiver Form Maps to Parks Incident Report Form Volunteer Recognition Referee Information The Laws of the Game ALITHSA Constitution Board Meeting Minutes Contact Us		ALITHSA Volunteer Recognition Program Mike Milanovich - U8 Coach ALITHSA would like to recognize Coach Mike Milanovich for his "above and beyond" volunteer work. One of the emails we received nominating Mike said: "Mike is enthusiastic about soccer and about the kids. He constantly encourages the children and keeps the focus on having fun and having good sportsmanship. He is a great example for the kids by cheering for the other team when they have a good play or a good save on goal. His coaching style puts the focus on having fun, being the best you can be and having good sportsmanship which is very age appropriate." We took a few minutes of Mike's time to get to know him better. ALITHSA: How long have you been involved in soccer and in what forms? Mike: Watching coaches Todd Drake and John Hichew work to develop my son's first skills in soccer when he was 5 and 6 years old, developing his desire for the game which he still plays today. Watching them additionally work hard to create a whole family involved team atmosphere. As an assistant coach to Mike St Clair at U7, learning from Mike what it takes to develop skills with young enthusiastic players, both physically and the approach to the game itself. Working with coordinators such as Mr. Jeff Ellis to stay coordinated and keep the team running smooth logistically. For past 1 1/2 years as coach of the U7/U8 Orange Tigers. ALITHSA: What are the three top things for you as a coach? Mike: Emphasizing Sportsmanship with our team and staying focused to not let the youngster down by not following through with what we teach them about sportsmanship. Trying to reinforce to them at every practice and before and after every game its importance. Giving the time needed, not rushing, so the youngster knows they are the most important part of the sport when they are on the practice field or the playing field. Remembering when I was a child of how disappointing if a game was rained or snowed out, because that meant THAT DAY we could NOT play. Remembering we were there to PLAY the game and that has never changed. The youngsters' passion to play and be so involved is why I believe we all enjoy coaching. Until the day a parent can not be on the practice field, is to ask the parents to be involved on the field helping and assisting and in my case utilizing their soccer experience. I am a believer youngsters love to have their parents involved on the field especially when they are not the coach but there to help the team and them. Like being in their back yard but with a bunch more people. ALITHSA: What in your view are the top three things for the players? Mike: Play with fun in their heads Play with joy in their hearts Be proud and confident in what they do and in what their teammates do + respect your opponents talent and position ALITHSA: What can we teach our kids about playing soccer and who is your favorite soccer player (or other sport) role model? Mike: The first part of the question is a difficult one for me to answer because I really do not have a strong knowledge of the basic skills of the game so I relied on the training of Coach Dean Smith and the other coaches I met. In additional using the knowledge that our team parents have from their past coaching experience or their many years in soccer. My goal has been to teach them SPORT in principle and utilize all this knowledge around us that the league provides for their skills growth. Favorite player, the role models to follow, is an easy answer: Jennifer, Bailey, Faith, Monty, Jamie, Nate, Jack, Sam, Milan, Nick, Ava, Hope and a young man in Oklahoma, Dominic. ALITHSA: Please tell us about your most special soccer memory or event. Mike: After this email, which was a total shock and surprise but a most sincerely appreciated honor. There are two things that have been very special: In stressful playing situations at times, even at the U8 level of play, the overall great sportsmanship we see in our league is very special. The times our team family has gathered for a day and time together off the field. We have very special parents in this league along with these wonderful young children and young adult players. ALITHSA: How in your mind can we make soccer in ALITHSA as creative and fun as possible? Mike: Keeping the families as interactive in the team and league as we can. Making it the most important sport environment that they are affiliated with. Family participation is so important to that end. Having more games per week. Players play to play, they love to play. We as parents love to watch. I believe at all level's, as we grow up, we look up with amazement at others that are older than us and have displayed talent. We might form training classes with the 10 yr olds teaching skills to the 5,6,7,8,9 year olds. The 16 year olds teaching skills to the 10,11,12,13,14,year olds. The college level players, the league has access to, for the 15 and above players. All classes would have qualified adult coaches present. Create a bi-weekly on line league newspaper published by and utilizing the parents that enjoy creating journalism and utilizing parents that do this for a career. Also the incorporation of high school players that have a future interest in journalism to manage this program. Main emphasis of this on line newspaper would be results and success of play on the field. ALITHSA: Anything special you would like to share with all of us in ALITHSA about being a volunteer? Mike: We all seem to have our children participating in many levels of sport and other activities today. Many spend additional time at church activities and activities to help others less fortunate. I would share the request and thought, if you have any SPARE time left that you feel you need to fill, give that time to where we play soccer. Because I have never seen, in my short time in ALITHSA, anyone not appreciated or thanked as regularly for being involved or being apart, as they are at ALITHSA. ALITHSA: Thank you Mike! If you know of any ALITHSA coach, asst. coach, team mom, referee or coordinator that goes above and beyond, please let us know about it. We want to regularly recognize those that stand out from the crowd. Please send your nominations and the reason for the nomination to mvp@alithsa.org. Past Recognized Volunteers: Brian Spears Frank Anguilo Nino Mandile Tim Wagner and Dave Sierakowski Jim McDonell Steve and Bobbi Schroeder Bruce Patterson Kevin O'Callaghan Mike Luecht Angie Berkhout Jeff Ellis Paul Furlong Glenn Riedel Jim McKinnon Tanya Perez Kym Griffiths Todd Drake