Welcome to your brand, spankin’ new club magazine, Bleedin’ Green. We players, coaches, managers, parents, officials, and alumni are the beating heart of our beloved Calgary Foothills Soccer Club. And each month, Bleedin’ Green will tells our tales. We’ll run the gamut from monthly regulars such as We Are Foothills and Meet the Gaffer, to special features putting the spotlight on Foothills players, teams, coaches, and alumni who are making noise on and off the pitch.

This month we get the scoop on Foothills alum Justin Farenik’s recent pro trial with FC Edmonton. We also tag along with a few ’94 Foothills Saints boys looking to launch their

varsity careers on a recent east coast recruiting trip. And don’t miss the inside story on the ’97 DA Girls in our team profile. Finally, you’ll get to know coach John “Hammy” Hamilton, if by some small chance you haven’t already been coached by him. Seriously. we think he’s been around our club longer than some of the grass on the Canterbury pitch.

Foothills is your club and Bleedin’ Green is your magazine. So, if you have a story idea, a photo, or think you and your teammates should be part of one of our regular features, drop us a line at foothillsbleedingreen@yahoo.ca

After three pro trials, not to mention three brain surgeries, Justin Farenik strikes pro soccer gold in Edmonton. pg 2 (photo courtesy the11.ca)

Were Maddie and Hayley referring to these pinnies when they declared themselves the best dressed members of the Foothills 97 DA Girls? pg 7

Know who this coach is? You darn well better! pg. 9

T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F C A L G A R Y F O O T H I L L S S O C C E R C L U B

Issue #1 January, 2011

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leedin’ GreeB N

FROM FOOTHILLS, TO UNIVERSITY, TO ENGLAND AND BELGIUM, WITH THREE BRAIN SURGERIES THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE, JUSTIN FARENIK’S SOCCER ODYSSEY HAS TAKEN HIM ACROSS THE WORLD AND THROUGH THE TOUGHEST TIMES OF HIS LIFE. BUT IT’S NOW HERE IN HIS OWN PROVINCE THAT HE’S F I NA L LY A B L E T O C A L L HIMSELF WHAT HE’S ALWAYS DREAMED: PRO FOOTBALLER.

“It feels pretty good,” is J u s t i n F a r e n i k ’ s understated reply when he’s asked his feelings on his recent successful professional soccer trial. The 24 year old, left-footed defender is the newest member of FC Edmonton of the North American Soccer League. His successful two week trial in November puts him in a pretty exclusive club of born and bred Alberta players who are living the dream of a full-time soccer pay cheque. Joining fellow Foothills grads Paul Hamilton (’88 age group), Michael Cox, and Niko Saler (both ’92), Farenik will be looking to help the club build on their impressive first season in the pro ranks where they earned a playoff berth utilizing a roster of mostly young, Canadian talent.

Naturally, one would expect Farenik to ‘feel pretty good’ about becoming a pro soccer player. But it’s his next comment that really sheds light on the journey that took him to where he is today.

“It’s a long time coming. I hoped it was going to come a little quicker but some obstacles got in my way.”

And it’s these hurdles along the way that make Justin’s story so worth telling.

Following an eventful Foothills youth career, which included a U-18 trial with

Eng l ish c lub Bir mingham City and culminated in a 2005 U-18 Alberta

championship and national bronze medal with the ’87 Foothills Vultures, Farenik moved on to university at perennial CIS contender Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. His time there saw the men’s program earn three straight CIS

national championships berths, taking home silver and bronze medals, and receiving Rookie of the Year and tournament MVP and all-star recognition along the way.

It was at this time that Justin’s first pro opportunity came to pass. His U-18 coach, and current Foothills TD, Tommy Wheeldon Jr, organized a scouting event here in Calgary and invited Farenik to participate. He caught the eye of Belgian club R.R.F.C Montegnee, who were in the midst of developing a unique model focused on discovering and developing promising young players found outside of Belgium. Farenik trialed successfully and earned a regular starting spot when, a few months later, he began to encounter puzzling health problems.

continued.....

A long Road Home

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Health Issues

“My vision was blurry and I lost all energy,” he explains. “During training sessions I’d have no energy and after I’d take a three hour nap. I was chugging Red Bull and Gatorade, looking online for different supplements for energy. Nothing was really working.”

Farenik continued to train and play while his peripheral vision was being reduced to virtually zero. Thinking he had somehow unsuspectingly sustained a concussion, he went to the team doctor. Almost immediately, he was admitted to hospital and administered a wide range of tests. An MRI revealed a brain tumor pressing against his pituitary gland. Most of his hormone levels were severely depleted, explaining the extreme fatigue he was experiencing.

Justin returned home to Calgary to undergo brain surgery to remove the tumor. Following a successful operation, he returned to playing three months later and continued his studies at Mount Royal University while marshaling the Cougars defense. Just prior to his second year at Mount Royal, doctors notified him that the tumor had grown back, requiring another surgery. A few months following that, he was told he’d have to go under the knife a third time. Fortunately, the third surgery did not involve a tumor as doctors instead released a fluid sac that had been building up.

Sorry, Try Again Next Year

Farenik’s journey on the pitch has also not been without its share of setbacks. Though a talented youth player, his willingness to be coached and focus in training was called into

question and he recalls being told he came precariously close to being cut from his Foothills U-16 team. “That may have had a huge impact. I had a stinky attitude back in the day,” he recalls.

He was a member of the Alberta Provincial Select training group throughout his youth career but only made the full Alberta team in his final U-18 year. “Pretty much every summer it felt like I had a good tryout. They just never picked me until U-18,” Farenik reflects.

It was following one of his unsuccessful Alberta tryouts that coaches began to see a renewed hunger and commitment. “I just didn’t want to accept that I wasn’t good enough. I just put in the work and it paid off, I guess.”

Justin looks back fondly on his Foothills days, and credits the club’s early adoption of winter futsal as key building block in his development. He also cites a 2003 UK tour and bronze medal performance in the Pro/Elite category of the prestigious Wales International (Ian Rush) Tournament as a big highlight.

It was here that Justin found himself holding his own against older, pro academy teams like Brazil’s Botafogo and India’s national U-18 team, giving him new found confidence that his pro dream could some day become a reality.

continued.....

“I just didn’t want to accept

that I wasn’t good enough.”

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Farenik was part of an ultra-talented Foothills 86/87 group that missed out on a U-18 provincial championship by the cruelest of measures; goal difference in a round-robin format. However, it was the following year where he and the Wheeldon Jr. led ’87 Foothills Vultures became unlikely U-18 Alberta champions that Justin came to see the value of a close-knit team, willing to fight for each other. “It was totally chemistry, 100%,” Farenik recalls. “We all gelled and became good friends and it made a huge difference.”

Justin is also emphatic about the difference his family has made in his soccer career.

“Having an older brother who played made it pretty easy to get a bunch of people out to play soccer with. Because he (older brother Tanner) was stronger and faster, it always pushed me to play harder ...... a little faster thought process. Just playing with older people..... it’s always really good. It’s beneficial to not be the best player.” Farenik adds.

Justin’s mother has been his greatest and most constant supporter and he’s quick to acknowledge her role when he has faced setbacks. “It’s been huge. I’d be lying if I said I never thought about giving up,” he says. “She always told me, ‘You know, you’re good enough, just because they don’t want you now, it doesn’t mean they’re not gonna want you down the road. You just have to keep working.’ She’s always been there.”

As Farenik continues off-season training with FC Edmonton in preparation for their new season beginning in March, he serves as a reminder that the path to our dreams, be they soccer or other walks of life, are not usually a straight path. It seems virtually unthinkable that a current professional soccer player from Alberta would have actually been cut from his provincial youth team. But that is indeed the case for not only Justin Farenik but a few of the other Foothills grads currently playing for FC Edmonton. Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi was clearly right when he said ‘It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up’.

“I’d be lying if I said I never

thought about giving up.”

Justin (far left) and mates celebrating bronze at the Ian Rush International, Wales, 2003.

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ROBBIE OVENDEN-KAMKAI , DOMINIC RUSSO, TREVOR KWAN, KIERAN HAY, AND DOMINICK ZATOR HAVE PLAYED TOGETHER AS FOOTHILLS SAINTS SINCE THEY WERE NINE.

Together they’ve logged hundreds of hours training at Canterbury fields and Currie Barracks. They’ve traveled the continent for tournaments and they’ve made twice annual provincial championships treks to Edmonton, Red Deer, and Lethbridge more times than they can remember. But halfway through their final year of high school, the evenings and weekends filled with wearing green and white are slowly coming to an end. And the next stage of their soccer journeys is just beginning.

Since junior high, the boys have set their sights on following the dozens of recent Foothills grads who are continuing their soccer careers as university student-athletes. Years of playing in showcase tournaments, emailing college

coaches, and creating personal highlight reels have put the boys on the cusp of this next step in their lives and soccer careers.

To this end, Trevor, Dominic R, Dominick Z, and Robbie recently completed trips to universities in Ontario and Nova Scotia to meet coaches and explore potential campuses and programs.

“I wanted to see if it’s the right school to go to,” Ovenden-Kamkai explains of his trip with his mates to Dalhousie, Acadia and St. Francis Xavier universities in Nova Scotia. “We toured the universities, watched a game, checked out the dorms and different buildings.”

continued....

Love playing soccer?

So do a few ’94 Foothills Saints. Here’s what they’re doing about making sure they keep getting their kicks...... and a degree.

PHOTO: Foothills Saints squeezing in some study time at the West Soccer Centre. (Left to right: Kieran Hay, Trevor Kwan, Robbie Ovenden-Kamkai, Dominic Russo, Dominick Zator)

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Plan To Attend university?

Academics First

The boys are adamant that a school’s academic programs and reputation are the true measuring stick in their decision. And although the soccer coaches of these schools have expressed interest in making them a part of their team, the lads are under no illusions that it’s how they perform in their high school classrooms this year that will matter most when they application hits the university registrar’s office. No matter what they happen to bring to the pitch, they still have to meet the same academic entry requirements that any non-athlete faces. They’re also personally aware of a couple cautionary tales involving soccer players who, once in university, found themselves on the wrong side of the minimum GPA requirement and were subsequently suspended from the soccer program until their grades improve. Clearly, there’s a reason why in the term “student-athlete”, the word student comes first.

Saints member Kieran Hay is in the minority when he states that staying in Calgary for university, at least for his first year, is his current plan. The affordability offered by continuing to live with mom and dad, as well as the current resurgence of the University of Calgary men’s soccer program are reasons he cites for staying local.

All the boys are looking at strictly Canadian universities, though Ovenden-Kamkai did attract the interest of an American college way back in grade nine. He was invited to visit the campus but turned down the offer due to

Alberta select program commitments. When he contacted the coach this year, he was told that their recruiting cycle is completed by grade eleven. With the ability to offer full-ride athletic scholarships, NCA A programs generally have their recruits in place long before high school graduation beckons. The boys are aware of some athletic scholarships at the Canadian schools they’re looking at, but they’ll still need to rely on a typical student’s means of paying for their tuition.

With the end of their youth soccer days drawing near, the boys are asked if they’ve considered trying to continue playing together by all attending the same university. “It would be better to know somebody,” Dominick Zator concedes, but the boys are in agreement that it’s unrealistic the same school would be the right fit for all of them. Each is prepared to go his own way, if that’s where their own decision takes them.

After having what seems like their entire lives revolving around their love of the game, the boys’ ultimate motivation for a scholastic soccer career are not surprising. Ovenden-Kamkai sums it up perhaps best. “I can’t imagine not playing soccer every day,” he states.

Spoken like a true Foothills player indeed.

“I can’t imagine not playing

soccer every day.”

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W e . A r e . F o o t h i l l s .

This page is all about discovering the teams that make this club what it is. In our first installment, we take a look at the ’97 DA Girls, who are making a splash in their first U-16 season.

This first-year U-16 side, coached by Colin MacKay and Dave McIlveen, is coming off a successful indoor seeding round where they achieved their first team goal of the year; cementing their place in the U-16 Tier 2 playoffs at their first try. The core of the group came together in the spring of 2010 and have continued to build into what looks to be their strongest side yet. But it’s not merely on-field success which makes this group a joy to lead according to Coach Mackay.

“This is a fun team. They enjoy playing and the leaders in the team create a positive atmosphere. They’re very relaxed and laid

back while still extremely hard working. They really want to get to the next level,” Colin replies when asked to describe his charges.

Having achieved their goal of a Tier 2 place, the girls have their eyes set on an indoor provincial championships berth. Certainly an ambitious target for a first-year outfit but one the group unanimously feels is in their grasp.

Their preparation for the outdoor season will culminate in hitting the road come March or April for a pre-season training camp in warmer climes somewhere in western Canada or the United States.

For an inside look at the Foothills ’97 DA Girls, be sure to read on as Maddie and Hayley spill the beans on their teammates, coaches, and even a parent or two!

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’97 DA Girls

BIGGEST RIVAL SWU SWU

LOUDEST TEAMMATE HAYLEY KATE F

HARDEST SHOT KATRINA KATRINA

MOST OFTEN IN THE REF’S BOOK JAYME JAYME

FASTEST HAYLEY BROOK

BEST DRESSED MADDIE & HAYLEY MADDIE & HAYLEY

LOUDEST CHEERING PARENT KATE F’S DAD KATE F’S DAD

WORD THAT BEST DESCRIBES

COACH COLIN

AWKWARD TEASER

GREATEST TEAM SUCCESS SO

FAR

QUALIFYING FOR TIER

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QUALIFYING FOR TIER

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BEST TOURNAMENT PLAYED IN EDMONTON MINNESOTA

FAVORITE COACH COLIN QUOTE “GET OUR SHAPE!” “I DON’T LIKE TO

LOSE, GIRLS”

THE SCOOPWe dropped into a Foothills ’97 DA Girls training session and told Maddie and Hayley they could skip the team shuttle run if they gave us the dirt on their

team. In the end, they still did the wind sprints. and we still got the goods!

Maddie Hayley

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Meet the Gaffer

Foothills coach since: 2003First Foothills team ooached: U-11 BoysNumber of Foothills teams coached: Many. Really, a whole bunch.Currently coaching: ’99 Boys and ’94 Boys (competing in men’s CUSA Premier division as Darts Premier)Supports: Leeds United Favorite player growing up: Norman Hunter (“Hardest player in England!”)Favorite current player: Wayne RooneyEarliest soccer memory: “The ball was bigger than me! And the 1st football I got for Christmas had laces!”(Editor’s note: How OLD are you?!?!?!)Favorite Foothills pitch: Canterbury (“It’s a proper training ground.”)Best Foothills team ever seen: ’88 Boys (“Our 99 Boys could end up being as good”)Best Foothills trip ever: “It’s a tie. Wales International Tournament in 2003 with the ’88 boys and U-18 Nationals with the gold medal winning ’91 Foothills Colts Girls.”Worst Foothills trip ever: “Winter training tour in Victoria one year. Terrible hotel! The roof leaked and the rooms were so dirty, we slept in our clothes!”

John Hamilton

THE “HAMMY” FILE

If you’ve been around our club long enough, chances are you’ve been coached by, coached with, or at the very least, come to recognize a jovial, tell-it-like-it-is Yorkshireman who’s spent more time involved in Foothills soccer than just about anyone around.

John Hamilton comes by his love of the game honestly. Growing up near Leeds, England, “Hammy” spent his youth representing his local club and kicking around with his mates. When the early eighties brought economic hardship to northern England, John and wife Chris immigrated to Calgary for new opportunities and to start their family. It was then that Hammy entered the coaching ranks in typical Canadian fashion; coaching his young sons Mark and Paul in their community of Shawnessy. Like most kids, Mark eventually moved onto other interests but Paul quickly proved to be just as footy obsessed as his father. continued....

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Naturally, the family found their way to Foothills as Paul entered his U-13 year; at that time the earliest age at which Foothills programs began. Paul became a leader in the ’88 Boys group, as tight-knit and loyal a team as the club has ever seen. His Foothills days as part of the tight-knit ’88 boys culminated in a silver medal at the U-18 national championships in 2006. After a successful university career which included CIS Male Soccer Athlete of the Year honors, Paul is now plying his trade as a pro with FC Edmonton, leading their back line in his first pro season this past year.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of John’s time as a Foothills coach is that he never coached Paul in the green and white. It may seem odd, but John’s response when asked why reveals much about how he sees his role as a parent and soccer coach. “I never believed in that (coaching his child),” he replies. “I started Paul off but he needed to learn the game from others. I haven’t always agreed with all the decisions his coaches made, but Paul learned valuable things from all of them.”

John is quick to point out the benefits afforded to he and Paul when it came to having others coach his son. “Paul could always talk to me about a game and I could talk to him, not as a coach, but as his dad.”

Coach Hammy’s commitment to the club hasn’t wavered a bit since Paul moved on. In fact, he regularly finds himself involved in more than one team each season. “People will come up to me and ask who my son or daughter is. I reply that I don’t have one on the team. People then ask why I’m coaching. I say, ‘Because I love to!’”

Indeed, John has found himself involved in virtually every age group, both boys and girls, at

one time or another over the past nine years. And it’s his willingness to serve as either a head or assistant coach that speaks to his attitude toward the role of the coach.

“I’ve worked with a lot of great coaches here. I don’t mind being a head coach, but I’ll always have someone beside me. I like working with another coach when we both listen to each other,” he states.

Former Foothills TD Graham Kennedy sees the fruits of this collaborative approach. “He’s learned what it takes to build a youth player, and he really cares about kids. I hope he stays another decade because he’s really coming into his own as leading coach in the city.”

John and Paul are certainly not the only Hamiltons who’ve served our club. Wife Chris was a board member in the early days and eldest son Mark was a fixture at the training ground and on tournaments with many Foothills teams as a trainer and physio. His tragic passing in a car accident in 2006 was certainly one of the toughest days many at our club will ever experience.

So, after all the teams, players, and years, any plans to stop, John? “No! I like seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces. I like having a joke with them.”

John’s attachment to our club is perhaps best stated when he’s asked what being part of Foothills means to him. “It’s really the only club

I’ve ever known.” Lucky us.

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“It’s really the only club I’ve ever

known.”