Washington State Parks Off Season Senior Pass: Fill & Download for Free

From my own personal experience I didn't end up competing in soccer at a higher level because I had my heart broken and fell out of love with soccer.The StoryI grew up with two older brothers and my dad kept us really active in sports. My mom had passed away when I was 10 so my dad was parenting solo from then on out. Keeping all three of us in sports was very difficult to do. One solution to that was to consolidate our playing into the same sports/teams. So at the age of 8 my dad had me start playing with the older age groups so that I could be on the same team as my brother Mike and simplify our crazy athletics schedule. For the next 3-4 years I was playing with kids 2-3 years older than I was. I was smaller, slower, and weaker. But I was also a competitive little bastard and hated losing. That's what happens when you have older brothers that kick your ass at everything.Over the next few years I grew physically and in skill. Then I eventually got to stay back a few years and resume playing with my own age group. It was basically the opposite of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. I was forced to accelerate my learning at first and then I was held back.I started scoring a lot. I played every position on the field depending on the strengths and weaknesses of our opponent. If we played a team that had a brilliant attacking midfielder then I was moved back to sweeper in the 4-4-2 to shut down their offense. If the team had no great attacking offense then I played the attacking midfielder and would try to go on a scoring spree. I was never amazingly athletically gifted. I think I was more fit than a lot of kids I played against but I recall playing against many, many players who were just that much bigger and faster than I was. But I had a lot of skill and deeply understood the game and had a knack for scoring. So at that stage in my life I attribute my success to my soccer IQ and competitiveness as derived from having to play against kids who were older and better than me.After one game I was approached by a former German pro soccer player who was now a coach in the US and assembling a US European Tour soccer team. I tried out, I made the team, and became co-captain with a kid by the name of Michael Chabala. Eventually we were asked to go play soccer in Austria. Long story short, my dad couldn't let me go because to him it would be like losing a son, and given the nearness of the death of my mom it would have been too much for him to handle emotionally. It probably would have been to much for me too but I just didn't know it at the time. So the team went onto Europe and I stayed behind. Two months later, after playing a few more tournaments locally in the US, I no longer felt motivated to train as hard as I did to get to where I was and I lost the love for the game. My dad came in my room to grab me so that we could head to practice and I looked at him and said "I'm done. I don't want to play again." And I never did. Not even a single pick up game at the park with some friends. I was 15 then and nearly 15 years has past since I've played.Recently I found Michael Chabala on Facebook and we exchanged an email or two. It was strange/cool because I was working at Facebook at the time and using the platform we were building to reconnect with someone who might be living a life I could have pursued. I discovered that he was now a professional soccer player and most recently playing for the Houston Dynamo. Apparently he is quite the ladies man as well. Here is a picture of him at a fundraiser in Houston:source: http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/04-19-11-houstons-mr-big-putting-a-price-on-mike-chabala-a-dynamo-defender-with-hair-flair/Michael was always a ridiculously good soccer player. He was smaller when he was 14 than most but made up for it with guts and pure hustle. He played harder than any other player I had ever competed with or against and that contributed to him developing amazing skill as well. I wasn't surprised at all when I saw him playing on the University of Washington soccer team in college and after watching him play then I'm not too shocked that he is a pro player now.Sometimes I wonder "could that be me?" but I've never really felt regret for the decision I made. I replaced my wonderful experiences playing soccer for other wonderful experiences in baseball and basketball, my college years at UCLA, and now my professional career in the Silicon Valley. I'm pretty sure I could have played at the college level had I continued to play. Professionally? I guess the chances are slim, but you never know. Besides, look at how frickin sweet I am now, right!? (not my every-day-attire)To answer the question, I think few players go on to play professionally because they either aren't born with the ability or the opportunity, or if they have the opportunity and ability they sometimes take a different course. I ended up taking a different course.Anyhow, enough with the nostalgia. On to the facts.Summary of Reasons/FactorsCompetition in numbers - Soccer is one of the most widely played sports amongst kids and teenagers in the United States. There are three primary organizations that contain the majority of youth players. The United States Youth Soccer Association claims over 3,000,000 players. The American Youth Soccer Association has more than 300,000 players. Lastly, the USL offers a number of youth leagues that contain tens of thousands of players. Based on the combination of these leagues we can assume somewhere around 3,500,000 youth soccer players in the United States. Globally there are about 2,000 professional soccer teams (of various levels of professional rank e.g. amateur pro vs premier league). Assuming an average of 18 players for each professional team that means there are 36,000 available slots for U.S. youth soccer players to compete for globally. That basically means about 1 in 36,000 youth players may go on to play professionally at one team or another. But that makes some pretty big assumptions about being able to leave the U.S. and play professionally in a random location like Trinidad and Tobago or Iran.If we kept the stats to the United States then there are about 80 professional teams (including teams from Major League Soccer, United Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, plus all of the women's leagues and division one or division two parts of the USL). 80 teams = 1,440 open positions (assuming 18 players per team). So you have 3.5M players competing for a thin slice of professional positions. That equates to a 0.04% chance of assuming one of the professional spots in the U.S. leagues coming out of U.S. youth soccer.Athleticism - not much needs to be said here other than the fact that natural born talent is a big part of the weeding out process as it is in any sport. I played with quite a few players that had great foot skill but lacked speed and explosiveness. They were never able to go beyond high school sports because they were a lesser athlete and there were plenty of players with the same amount of foot skill but were faster, taller, stronger, etc.Budgets, scholarships and the appeal of "head-count" sports - the majority of endowments and scholarships for players given out at the college level are given out to athletes playing the "head-count sports", meaning the sports that fill stadiums with paying spectators. The two largest sports are football and men's and women's basketball. Depending on the size of the college and the historic program success, the allocation of athletic budget for the "headcount sports" may be as high as 90% of all operating costs and revenue. The same rule applies generally to budget allocation for high school athletics. Soccer is not considered a "head-count" sport since, frankly, it doesn't fill the stadium seats at neither the high school or college level.My point isn't that most kids will choose to stop playing U-10 soccer because they can't reliably expect a full-time scholarship at a college or the ability to buy extravagant jewelry and cars. But "head-count" sports get the majority of media attention, the lotto-sized player contracts and endorsement deals, and celebrity-style recognition. The attraction of the other sports is hard to ignore and most kids naturally want to gravitate towards the "head-count" sports, or their parents introduce them to those sports first and are never fully committed to soccer as a sports. It's the "thing they do in the off season" of their other sport.Coaching - some players have great ability but their coaching sucks and that slows their development or kills their love of the game. Other kids with better coaching may accelerate their development and move on to become a better player.Injuries - although this has a small amount of impact on the overall statistics, some players do suffer career-ending injuries. It's an unfortunate fact.Life decisions - see my story aboveSome sources I used for stats:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_in_the_United_Stateshttp://www.sambasoccer.org/college/mcneish_article_1.htm#financialaidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_I_(NCAA)#Head-count_sportshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Chabala

It’s difficult to recall positives and negatives of all 50*, so I will start by offering highlights of the places I’ve called home. Perhaps I will become more motivated as I write. For some places, I will intentionally omit negatives if they don’t immediately come to mind.*My irrational fear of flying has kept me from Hawaii, so let’s pretend you asked this question between January 4 and August 20 of 1959.New York - Best thing - the best bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches one can get (oftentimes from a gas station that happens to have a grille). Worst thing - the bridges in and out of the city do not flow freely like most bridges in other parts of the country. This leads to major congestion and, if you suffer from anxiety like I, high levels of stress caused by the mere thought of having to drive to Long Island.California - Best thing - Yosemite. Runner up - coastal drivingNorth Carolina - Best thing - College basketball (at least in and near the Triangle area). Worst thing - the population (in the Triangle) has far outpaced the civil engineering, leading to a major commuting nightmare.Montana - Best thing - out of all the things I immediately think of when I think of Montana, the fact that drivers wave at each other is my favorite; it adds a true sense of community to the entire state. It’s something I miss everyday of my life. Worst thing - getting stuck behind a heavy vehicle (or nervous driver) going over the pass on US-2 in the middle of tourist season.Arizona - Best thing - cheap gas. Worst thing - Road quality. I suppose the heat contributes to buckling, but we have people living in outer space. How can we not get a few scientists to study the effects of heat on different road surfaces (or more accurately - how can we get politicians in Arizona to read those studies?)The rest are just based on visiting and traveling through.New Jersey - Best thing - cheap gas that someone else actually pumps for you (major perk in the winter months). Worst thing - Chris Christie.Connecticut - Best thing - really good cheeseburgers. Worst thing - They let the Whalers leave Hartford.Pennsylvania - Best thing - amazing sports fans.Ohio - Best thing - friendly and prideful people. Worst thing - Ohio State University (not really, but Lendale White thinks so).Tennessee - Best thing - 3 amazing and distinctly different cities.Florida - Best thing - The Gulf Coast. Worst thing - the rest of it.Colorado - Best thing - lots of access to 14ers and other great hiking (if that’s your thing). Worst thing - Driving eastbound into the Eisenhower Tunnel when it is cold and rainy. The road gets a bit slick, yet no one slows down.Kansas - Best thing - You’re almost to Colorado. Kidding (I’m getting tired). Despite people calling it a flyover state, driving through the amber waves of grain is something everyone should do at least twice. After the boredom comes serenity. Worst thing - toll roads. Really, bro? Tolls?New Mexico - Best thing - Green chiles on EVERYTHING!! New Mexican food is truly amazing and hard to imitate.Utah - Best thing(s) - Outdoor activities. Zion and Moab are both in my Top 10 list of favorite places in the country. Worst thing - the bugs that stick to your windshield near Salt Lake.North Dakota - Best thing - the town of Medora. Drive there and see why. Worst thing - sleeping in the rest area just east of Medora may lead to an unfriendly and unnerving close encounter with a bison.South Dakota - Best thing - Crazy Horse and Badlands NP. I chose two best things because by now you’ve already chosen which way you will be voting on my post. Worst thing - paying for parking at Mount Rushmore. Your National Parks Pass won’t help you in this situation.Washington - Best thing - Another tie between Cascades NP and Neah Bay. Both are amazingly beautiful. For those of you searching for Sasquatch, start near Neah Bay; even as a skeptic, I couldn’t help but think “yeah, I could see that as a possibility” while I was there. Worst part - Traffic (I’m looking at you, Microsoft).Oregon - Best thing - The town of Astoria. Worst thing - The small towns along the coast don’t feel as small as they did when I first visited. It may have something to do with me telling everyone how cool it is there, but that’s my own cross to bear.Nevada - Best thing - The mountains are not as popular as mountains in other states, which makes for peaceful climbing and hiking. Worst thing - pronounce it wrong and find out.Idaho - Best thing - It’s hard not to see a bald eagle flying around in the northern part of the state during the summer months. Worst thing - There is a never-ending construction project happening on Interstate 90; this slows traffic considerably.Maine - One of the last states I visited, Maine — and more specifically, the town of Lubec — has a special place in my heart. The town is small, welcoming and friendly. I would later realize that this feeling is common throughout the parts of the state I’ve visited.Alright. I thought I’d be able to get through at least half, but I’m getting tired and need to go accomplish other things.UPDATE - PART II I’ll try to push through and finish the list now.Wyoming - Best part - The Tetons/ Jackson area. The views are amazing. The air is fresh. Just don’t try to go over Teton Pass in bad weather (or if you are a nervous driver). Worst part - The idiots in Yellowstone who get too close to extremely dangerous wildlife. These animals will kill you, and people will be videotaping your death. Don’t be that person.Massachusetts - As a native New Yorker, we are taught not to like Massachusetts (namely Boston) for silly reasons. With that said, it is difficult to narrow down my favorite part of Massachusetts, but I will go with Fenway Park. If you have never been (even if you don’t like baseball), it is a thrill. Sporting arenas with that much history are a dying breed. Worst part - Parking near Fenway. Pro tip - drive into a neighborhood that doesn’t have permit parking. Park there, and walk to the stadium. Honorable mention - taxes.Illinois - Best part - Again, NY pride shouldn’t allow me to say this, but the pizza in Chicago is amazing. Wrigley Field is amazing. The buildings in Chicago are amazing. The people are awesome. Worst part - the people in the rest of the state are forgotten about (much like NYers not living in NYC), so to them I show sympathy.Indiana - Best part - What little woodland they have is beautiful. People don’t often associate Indiana with outdoor activity, but they have it. Worst Part - Gary can be a scary place if you find yourself there without a quick way back to the Interstate.Michigan - Best part - Flint. I have a friend with whom I worked from Flint who gave me a pretty cool over-the-phone tour of the town back in the early 2000’s. If you find yourself there, appreciate what it once was, and that the people are what will make it better again. Do yourself a favor and go to Halo Burger. They seem to only hire very personable people. Worst part - extreme poverty. Be it the cereal manufacturing towns or the once-thriving auto manufacturing towns, there is a feeling of helplessness. If you don’t see it firsthand, you can never truly understand the plight of Michiganders.Vermont - Best part - As an ice cream fiend, visiting Ben & Jerry’s flavor cemetery is really cool. A close second would be the hiking in the Green Mountains.New Hampshire - Best part - the beach. Yes, New Hampshire has a beach (about 18 miles worth, if I remember correctly). This little known fact makes it a really cool place to be.Rhode Island - Disclaimer - I’ve only spent a few days out of my entire life in Rhode Island, so I can’t give a good “worst” about it, and my “best” is from a rather limited list. Best part - The police department of Providence. They had an old school vibe. They were friendly, but stern, and never gave the impression that they would abuse authority, while at the same time, never giving the impression that they were pushovers. It was a good balance of what I think police should be.West Virginia - Best part - The West Virginia State Fair. Aside from the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA, this is probably my favorite fair. The grounds are beautifully maintained, the fair board brings in a great mix of vendors, and the people are really fun to be around. My first time working there, one of the musical acts was a young teenager by the name of Britney Spears. Her voice echoed through the fairgrounds in a way that said we were part of something big. Worst part - the smaller towns are not always friendly to outsiders. If you don’t know anyone there, I’d suggest staying on the Interstate and only visiting the larger towns.Virginia - Best part - The area that borders Tennessee and Kentucky. It is amazingly beautiful and out of the way. Skip Skyline Drive and go here instead. Worst part - if you’ve been following along closely, you know I hate traffic. Any road in Northern Virginia (especially during rush hours, and increasing exponentially with respect to proximity of I-495) can become a nightmare.Georgia - Best part - The Georgia National Fair. The grounds are beautiful, the board is amazing, and since it happens toward the end of the carnival season on the East Coast, most of the vendors and workers have a rare happiness to them (almost like high school senioritis). They also have a great lineup of free concerts. This last year I saw Boys II Men; the year before I got to see Charlie Daniels perform The Devil Went Down to Georgia in front of actual Georgians, while in Georgia. In case you are wondering, that is going to be a deathbed memory upon which I will smile widely. Worst part - not being able to buy roadside peaches at certain times of the year.Alabama - Best part - The town of Gulf Shores. Visit in the off season and enjoy some of the coolest people you’ve ever met. Worst part - Not enough Auburn fans outside of the actual town of Auburn, which in turn actually leads to my second favorite thing about the state — Hearing Bama fans reply with “Roll Tide” after I shout “War Eagle.” I really like Alabama as a place and as a culture.Louisiana - Best part - Very friendly people and good service. If you pronounce the word “boudin” incorrectly, they will happily correct you while laughing and announcing your silly pronunciation; it’s all in good fun and made me feel very welcome. Worst part - Seeing the [remnants of the] town of Slydell in December of 2005. It still breaks my heart to think about it.Mississippi - Best part - Coastal driving. I love beaches, I love driving, and the Gulf Coast is my favorite coast. Why not get all three at the same time. If you’re lucky, you can be there when they do a car cruise on US-90. Worst part - I’ve encountered people in the rural central areas of the state who hold a lot of hatred in their hearts.Arkansas - Best part - You can pay a small fee at a state park and actually dig for diamonds. This is not just some novelty; there are actual diamonds here, and you can keep what you find. Worst part - If you travel to the area where former President Bill Clinton lived, you will see examples of extreme poverty in a forgotten community.Kentucky - Best part - The never-ending country roads flanked by rolling grassy areas used for horse stables. The lawns are manicured beyond meticulous, the horses all look like they came out of a painting. Worst part - the poverty in the neighboring areas of Churchill Downs. It’s hard to justify paying to park in order to pay to get in, in order to pay money to bet on a horse worth more than entire neighborhood blocks just steps from the gate. I am not here to judge anyone for how they spend their money; I want to make that clear. Personally, as soon as I was about to hand the guy my money to park, I made the decision to turn around and buy lunch for someone instead. That scene, on opening weekend, changed my life as much as my visit to Slydell, LA in 2005.Missouri - Best part - Meats. Plain and simple. There is an abundance of fantastic meat in Missouri. A close second is the fresh-made ice cream. If you can make it out of a cow, go to Missouri to get it. Worst part - The Cardinals (I’m a Dodger fan; the Cards ruin my happiness).Oklahoma - Best part - The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial is one of the most powerful memorials I’ve experienced. With that said, I’d rather there not be a need for the memorial in the first place.Wisconsin - Best part - Tailgating at a baseball game! The smells in the parking lot will make any carnivore salivate uncontrollably. As if that’s not enough, the people want to show off their cooking skills and often offer samples to passers-by. Wisconsin people are among the most genuine and pleasant people I’ve experienced in the United States.Minnesota - Best part - Juicy Lucy cheeseburgers. Someone in Milwaukee actually told me about them, and suggested I go to a place called The Nook to get one. I’m glad I did. There is much debate over who invented this amazing feat of mankind’s ability to satisfy hunger, and I do not wish to be part of that debate. I can recommend eating at The Nook. Eat downstairs and watch people bowl while you eat for added enjoyment. Worst part - the name of their NHL team. Moreover, the fact that the North Stars left back in the day. Similar to my feelings for the Whalers, these teams made the NHL what it was in the 80’s. It will never have that down home feeling again thanks to sports conglomerates and the modernization of things that were cooler the way they were.South Carolina - Best part - CHUCK TOWN!! To be honest, I really only like the name. The city is cool and all, but I enjoy Mt. Pleasant a bit more thanks to its even more relaxed feel. Worst part - While most of I-95 is extremely boring, the stretch through South Carolina sucks a little more for some reason. Maybe it’s the way the sun beats down on the concrete. Maybe it’s the never-ending signs for South of the Border (sorry, Pedro, you just don’t have the appeal you once did). Honorable mention for worst part - Sand fleas on Parris Island. Semper fi.Texas - Best thing - obviously difficult to come up with a favorite thing in Texas. The Marfa Prada store is pretty cool, but far from the best thing. After thinking for a minute, I’ll go ahead and say the work being done on the infrastructure of the Dallas/ Fort Worth area is the best thing. They’ve spent the time and money to figure out how to make a concrete amusement park that serves travellers in an expedient fashion. I’ve been fortunate enough to watch stages of it being built over the years, and am genuinely impressed. Worst thing - Austin. You’d be a lot cooler if everyone there didn’t think they were so cool. It’s off-putting. Step your game up.I think I’ve missed Delaware, Nebraska and Iowa. I’ll have to consult my journals to give my points about those. Aside from Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, nothing really jumps into my mind for any of those states.TL;DR: This could be true for every state in the country:Best thing - being there. Worst thing - never being there.Go travel.

Every team has drafted a few lemons in their time and the Bills are no exception! These guys are picks perhaps best forgotten……DE Aaron Maybin (11th overall, 2009) - the former Penn State star led the Big 10 in sacks as a junior before declaring early for the 2009 Draft. But after being taken 11th overall by the Bills that year, he performed so badly that he was cut after just two seasons and 27 games played (in which he managed just 24 tackles & no sacks). Signed the next year by the rival Jets, he managed six sacks as a situational pass rusher in 2011, but was then waived midway through the 2012 season and was forced to call it a career in May 2014OT Mike Williams (4th overall, 2002) - a huge (6–7, 337lb) All Big 12 tackle at Texas, Williams was another bust who failed to make the transition from college to the NFL. Four seasons split between both tackle positions saw him fail to master either and he was cut in the 2006 off-season. A brief comeback with Washington in 2009 saw him start 8 games at guard, but health problems saw him released in March 2011.QB J.P Losman (1st round, 2004) - the other first round QB in the famous draft that saw Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger taken in the top dozen selections. Losman failed to come anywhere close to the careers of that august trio as a Bill. He lasted five seasons in Orchard Park, playing well in year three but then lost his starting job to unheralded rookie Trent Edwards midway through year four and was allowed to leave as a free agent after his rookie deal expired in March 2009. He fared no better after leaving upstate NY, with brief stints as a backup with Oakland, Seattle & Miami through 2012.LB Tom Cousineau (1st overall, 1979) - the former OSU Buckeye star found the prospect of playing in Buffalo so unappealing that even though he was taken first overall in 1979, he refused to sign! Instead he went north to the Canadian League to play for Montreal, who offered more money as well as the chance to contend for a title. Three years later he returned to the NFL, but was traded by the Bills to Cleveland for three draft picks before playing a down for them - one of those turned into future franchise QB Jim Kelly, so things perhaps didn’t work out as badly as they first appeared!QB E.J Manuel (1st round, 2013) - another first round QB flop, the Bills were criticised by many draftniks for taking a flyer on the former Seminole, even though he’d gone 25–6 as a starter. The critics were proved right in short order, as he played in just 28 games over 4 frustrating seasons in Orchard Park (starting 17) and twice lost his starting job (firstly to veteran Kyle Orton and then to college free agent Tyrod Taylor). The Bills didn’t re-sign him after declining his 5th year rookie option in 2016 and he left after the year to sign with the Raiders. He’s currently trying to rebuild his career as Patrick Mahomes’ backup in Kansas City.DE Erik Flowers (1st round, 2000) - a questionable first round pick in a weak 2000 draft, Flowers saw action in 31 games over two seasons in Buffalo, only to be cut before his third. Just 4 sacks in those two seasons (along with 41 tackles) is probably the reason why…..DE Walt Patulski (first overall, 1972) - one dishonourable mention from the more distant past, Patulski was a consensus All American and Lombardi Award winner for the Fighting Irish as a senior defensive end, which resulted in him being the number 1 pick in the 1972 draft. As a pro though he proved rather less impressive (despite good size and speed: 6–6, 250 lbs and 4.9 in the 40-yard dash), managing just 21.5 sacks in four seasons prior to being traded to the Cardinals. After only one year there, a serious knee injury brought his career to a premature end.DT John McCargo (1st round, 2006) - another first round reach by the Bills front office, McCargo was rated as a late second to mid third round pick after an undistinguished college career at N.C State. But the Bills traded up to pick 26 to take him, only to spend the next five seasons wishing they hadn’t. 52 tackles, one fumble recovery and 2.5 sacks were the sum total of his career stats in Orchard Park. The team even tried to trade him away in 2008 after he lost his starting job to Kyle Williams, but after agreeing a deal with the Colts to send him to Indy, he failed his physical and was sent back to Buffalo after the trade was voided. Finally released after the 2010 season, he spent parts of two seasons with Tampa and Chicago before leaving the league for good in 2012.