This weekend at the Annual General Meeting the 2016 Awards of the Year were announced. Each year the Nebraska State Soccer Staff takes nominations from all membership for each category. From those nominees, the staff and board choose the most deserving candidate of that year. It is always a difficult choice as we have so many great individuals in our soccer community.
Below are this year award recipients.
BOY’S COMPETITVE COACH OF THE YEAR: Carlos Saenz, South Sioux City Soccer Club
Nominated by Jose Gonzalez
A few quotes about his nomination:
He has shown the youth that hard work does pay off and that nothing is impossible
He has brought a different mentality to our youth and has dedicated countless hours of work with them
Sees the intricacies of the game, but understands the big picture of coaching youth soccer
Currently holds his USSF C license, with plans to continue on and earn a B license soon
Marcus was unable to attend, so his award was accepted on his behalf by his son, Elijah
GIRLS’ COMPETITIVE COACH OF THE YEAR: Marcus Kelcher, Elite Soccer (Elite Girls Academy)
Nominated by Jerry Garcia, team parent
A few quotes from his nomination:
He ensures his team are accountable and professional for their actions
“I have never seen a person work so tirelessly to a cause that is greater than himself as Marcus has done.”
He creates an environment of positive competition and drives his teams to be great players and even better community leaders
BOYS RECREATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR: Craig Jones, Fremont Soccer Club
Nominated by Brady and Kellie Rump, Lisa Gallo and Troy Brown
A few quotes from his nomination:
He is a great influence on our kids, instead of our kids yelling at each other and telling each other what to do, our kids treat each other, the opposing teams and the refs with kindness and respect
It is very nice to see a coach be so great with the kids
He handles trying situations with patience, understanding and a positive manner
He has shown (our son) how important hard work is, how to handle disappointment and how to work together as a team
Craig is also a tremendous asset to other coaches as well as our club administrator
GIRLS RECREATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR: Jose Lango, Fremont Soccer Club
Nominated by: Cari Hoffart, Jeremy Hemmer, and Troy Brown
A few quotes from his nomination:
He is a man of upstanding character and truly goes above and beyond for not only his teams he coaches, but for our club as a whole
The girls know that he fully supports them on and off the field and that he always has their safety and best interests at heart
I do not know many people that dedicate the time that this man does to the sport of soccer, he is spending time at the soccer fields nearly every day
Jose has instilled the virtue of perseverance in the Panther girls
Jose is one of a kind. Jose puts the kids first and does more than the average coach and cares about his players
Dusten was unable to attend so his award was accepted on his behalf by Shelley Stonacek
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Dusten Olds, Gretna Soccer Club
Nominated by Julie Karloff, fellow GSC board member
A few quotes from his nomination:
Dusten is the volunteer tournament director on Gretna’s board
Dusten’s vision, planning and countless hours of hard work that makes our tournament what it has become
He works tirelessly to make sure everything is set up and ready to go for out big event and he doesn’t stop until the last team goes home, all vendors are packed up and everything is put away
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR: Jamey Adams, Norfolk Soccer Club
Nominated by Melanie Smith, Norfolk Soccer Club President
A few quotes from her nomination:
Jamey has been registrar since 2010
Jamey has done extra work for the club in the past year getting us on the new online registration system- she has put in many, many hours learning the system and then explain and teach it to our coaches, parents and board
Has been directly involved in growing the club and the annual tournament helping in anyway possible
TOPSOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR: James Gehringer
Nominated by Gina Urbanski, TOPSoccer parent
A few quotes from his nomination:
James started with BSC TOPSoccer in 2003 as a Buddy
He is innovative in the creation and development of adaptive equipment to motivate and teach the youngest players including a “Kick Motivator” that creates a cheering noise when the player makes a kick movement
He is committed fully to providing a soccer experience for the players with special needs and genuinely wants them to experience the joy and excitement of playing soccer and a team experience just like their typical peers
He has always been engaged with a positive spirit and love of the game and strived to share that joy with players of all abilities
YOUNG FEMALE REFEREE OF THE YEAR: Nadia Johns
Nominated by Mary Gene Wepfer
Nadia has risen in her three years as a youth referee. Nadia’s presence on the field is one of confidence and of someone who enjoys her involvement in in the game. Coach’s game reports are consistent, reporting positive interaction between Nadia and coaches and players. Comments like “Good game, ref did a fantastic job” are frequently received.
Nadia serves as a mentor in the ENSA mentor program for young referees who are often doing their first games. Her attitude is contagious and is shown in the performance of her trainees and her AR’s.
YOUNG MALE REFEREE OF THE YEAR: Collin Stilen
Nominated by Mary Gene Wepfer
Collin has been officiating since Spring 2014. He has officiated games in both the recreational and competitive leagues. Whether working league games or tournament games, Collin enjoys meeting people and working with different referee crews to gain further experience. Collin also mentors new referees in both the Papillion Recreational Soccer League and ENSA.