Health Insurance….

As a native of England, I grew up in a system of free health care and free education. Whenever I cut myself, broke a bone, or just needed a check-up, I could go down to the local hospital and be treated. After I was patched up, I would thank the doctors and nurses and just walk out. There was no excessive paperwork to fill out and certainly no bill to pay.

Coming to America, I was quickly introduced to the health care system here. The first piece of official paperwork was for my health insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield. It was an eye opening experience to have to pay for coverage, and certainly more surprising when all my expenses would not be covered by the insurance company. This is an area of huge debate right now. President Obama is introducing a bill that sets forth a government health care option that would potentially reduce costs for the public. I see positives and negatives on this -

Positives:
Reduced costs
Another option
Children have more chance to be covered
Drastically reduce the number of uninsured
People will not be turned away from a hospital

Negatives:
Government involvement in a private industry
A significant change in American Capitalism
Huge cost – $1 trillion
Increased taxes
Forced change
Small businesses are forced to provide coverage and greatly increase costs

Questions to ask….
How to sustain the model over the coming decades?
Will the costs increase over the years?
Will the health care industry be negatively affected?
Will quality and standards be maintained?

Health care is a highly contested issue. The American public need some help after seeing premiums rise as much as 20% in the past year alone, but is such a drastic change realistic? Britain provided the social health care system after World War II, and there are many positives and negatives associated with it. If injured you can be treated relatively easily and quickly with no cost, but if you need surgery, you may be waiting months and sometimes years. Private health care is available and is often purchased to offset the delay in a future surgery.

I am not sure what the solution is, but to have 50 million American’s unable to gain health care is quite shocking. To have this problem on this scale in the richest nation in the world is baffling. We all wait with baited breath……

Heat and Hydration

Seattle is hot… very hot. We are experiencing a heat wave that has not been seen in many years. We will hit the 100 degree mark across the state, and this stifling heat will continue for several more days at least. When I lived in North Carolina, these temperatures were not unusual. Temperatures were high and humidity filled the air, making outside living conditions somewhat miserable. However, air conditioning fills the homes, offices, and shopping malls. Little time is spent outside during the peak hours of heat, and more inside in the comfort of a 70 degree room.

Seattle homes are not equipped with AC. We sit in the stagnant air, forcing air flow by way of fans, attempting to stay cool – but with little success. I have a basement which is cool and comfortable, but many do not. Those who are in apartments and condos without AC must be hit the worst. There is often no protection from the sun, especially those who face west. My advice – eat out in air conditioned restaurants, watch a movie in a theater, and crash at somebody’s house who is fortunate to have AC or a cool basement.

Coaching has been canceled tonight. It’s just too hot for the kids. Temperatures will be over 100, and add 10 -15 degrees on the turf ……… nice and toasty. There are many people who will still be working out though – including me. Drink lots of water, supplement with Gatorade, and end a workout with chocolate milk. On a normal day, you should drink eight glasses of water. With this heat, and especially if you are outside – drink, drink, drink.

Be careful, be smart, and if you can – enjoy the water…….

Which company has the best soccer cleats?

This is an ongoing debate in many soccer circles. Which company has the best cleats? Which company has the best equipment? Which company has the best balls? I wasam an advocate of Nike, after wearing them for so long. UNC was sponsored by Nike, and then I came to the Sounders a few years after college, and they were sponsored by Nike. I often changed footwear though. At first I wore leather Tiempo’s, and then the plastic coated shoes began to surface with the Mercurial’s and the Total 90’s. I liked them because they didn’t stretch and they had a great fit. However, they were extremely hot in the summer, and often baked your feet.

Then as time passed on, the plastic coated cleat changed. It got smaller and smaller in weight and design. I remember trying the Vapor’s for the first time, and they gave me the worst blisters within minutes. But some people love them. It is all preference. After several foot injuries, I eliminated the plastic’s from my rotation, and reverted back to the leather Tiempo’s. I came full circle, and enjoyed the old comfort of leather.

Adidas are obviously an incredibly strong company in soccer and other sports, and they have some fantastic gear. Copa Mondial were always the cleat of choice when I was young, but we weren’t able to wear them very often. The pitches in England were often mud heaps, and you couldn’t take more than two steps if you wore a pair of hard ground cleats. Adidas continue to design and produce some great footwear, from the classics, to the Predator, to the F- series. I have now returned to the simplicity of the Copa, and the comfort it allows.

As the world of soccer continues to evolve, Nike and Adidas will build their levels of power and influence. Puma, Diadora, Reebok, and other manufacturers will attempt to maintain their stature, but it will become more and more difficult. Not only do Nike and Adidas have good products, but they have the marketing clout to tell everyone about it. Nobody can escape this, because as a young player you want to emulate your idol, and the easiest way to do this is by wearing their shoes. But be willing to spend, because soccer cleats don’t come cheap…..

Referee’s……

Being involved in soccer for so many years, I have had my fair share of conflicts with referees as a player and as a coach. But what I do sincerely appreciate is their continued dedication to our sport.

As a player, I had a different viewpoint. I was angry when referees made poor decisions, because ultimately, those decisions cost us games. If referees at the professional level have trouble calling a game and have trouble controlling the game, then they should not be on the field. Referees should be judged like players – if you are good enough then you play, if not, you are benched.

What I do feel strongly about, is the way some coaches and parents treat our youth referees. They commit their time and energy to help. It amazes me when a parent or coach feels so strongly about a u’12 game, that they feel compelled to scream and shout at a boy or girl who is barely older than the kids playing the game. Is it not intimidating enough to referee a game against kids your own age? But then they must deal with the verbal abuse that can be thrown at them. They try their best, they try and make the right call, but sometimes they are wrong. They are not trying to make an incorrect call.

I am not here to dismiss the right to voice an opinion, we all do. But we must keep it in context, and we must be aware of who we are shouting at. We want the youth referees to continue to call our games, so that we have 3 officials at every game at every level. They are a crucial part of the game, and we must create an environment where they can enjoy the game, just like everybody else does.