Catching Up With T

Ty Shipalane has been a key player in the Michigan Bucks run to two consecutive North American Championships [in 2006 and 2007] and a PDL Regular Season Championship this year. T recently attended the USL Combine with a few of his Bucks teammates and gave us a quick wrapup, as well as insight into his life and what he's been doing since August.

You played your final year of collegiate soccer at Lindsey Wilson last fall (2007), so what have you been doing since the Bucks season ended in July?
First I went to train with the Cleveland Stars USL-2 team (now USL-1) for a couple of days right after our season ended. Basically I’ve been training on my own for the most part, developing my strength physically by lifting weights and running and staying in shape. Spending some time with my family and friends that I don’t get to see much very much during the summer league with me being in Michigan. As far as school goes, with soccer not taking anymore of my time out of the day I was able to concentrate more on my studies and education was the only major part that I had to balance. I graduated December 13 and then headed to Charleston for the USL Combine the next day.

How did the combine go? Did you see your Bucks teammates there?
The combine was very challenging, well organized and fun. I had the opportunity to play with my former Bucks teammates Jake Stacy, Steve Clark, and Ian Daniel. We won 2 games and lost one. Personally I had a slow start with the struggle of fitness and not having played competitive soccer in a while, but I did great. I feel I could have done better but I was glad with the interest that I drew out of the combine really.

What is the outlook for your future? Where do you hope to be on February 1, 2009?
Well I’m planning to become a professional football player. Really at this point in time it doesn’t matter where I begin my pro career but I would love to play in Europe and in South Africa sometime in the future. But right now in God’s willing hopefully I’ll sign with a pro team here in the United States whether is MLS, USL D1 or D2 then work my way up to become the best that I can be.

Favorites

Player - Robinho, because he has been a major influence on my playing style since I’ve entered my mature stage of football. He always play with passion, commitment, and more important joy and happiness.
League - Spanish La Liga. They play the most entertaining football in the world and the style of football I grew up playing.
Club - Real Madrid. They’re simply the best and most successful football club in the world.
Food - “Pap and Chicken” is a traditional South African dish. Pap is made out of Maize Meal Powder and well chicken is chicken.
Quote - "If at first you don’t succeed, its because of me.”
Bucks Game - Michigan Bucks vs Laredo Heat in the 2006 PDL Championship. Scoring the winning goal that helped the Bucks bring home the title to Michigan was special.
Bucks Goal - Michigan Bucks vs. Chicago Fire at the 2007 Canton Cup. I shot from 35 yards to the top corner in a 4-0 win.

This or That

Video Game (FIFA or Pro Evolution): Pro Evolution
Best in the World (Ronaldo, Kaka, or Messi): Messi
Best of All Time (Pele or Maradona): Maradona
Place to Live (South Africa, Kentucky, or Michigan): South Africa of course!

Thanks T!

Game Day

No long post today, we'll do something tomorrow. Hope everyone's out tonight for the US-China game. Enjoy it!

Tomorrow we'll do a wrapup of whatever happens tonight downtown and also hear from a Bucks player who just finished the USL Combine...

Have a good day.

Almost Here

I hope everyone is as ready for the US-China match on Wednesday as I am. For those of you that have been patrons at Ultimate Soccer Arenas in the last week, you surely will have seen me sitting at the entrance hawking tickets for the game. As much fun as spending 10 hours of your one of your weekend days sitting at a table can be, I'm ready for the fun part of all this.

With that said, the mood all weekend at USA was one of excitement and anticipation for the visit of the Chinese team to the facility for today's training session. It surely is the biggest event to occur at the facility since they opened their doors a little over a year ago. I can't imagine what the mood would be like if the US team also elected to train there. Either way it is a great honor and also really cool to be involved in an event like this one. For me personally this will rate up there with my trips to Craven Cottage and el Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home grounds for Fulham and Real Madrid respectively. Yes I have photos to prove it:

If you're sitting on the fence about attending Wednesday night's game, let me remind you this is the first US Soccer event in the metro area since the '94 World Cup. If you've read the press releases I've written, you'll already know that, but I feel the point still needs to be driven home - this is a BIG deal. The Bucks still have tickets left and we'd be happy to sell them to you this week, although with this article and this article in the Free Press yesterday their is very little time for fence sitting. I hate to sound like that infomercial guy who's always screaming, Billy something, but seriously, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?"

Hope to see everyone at training this morning, please remember that its FREE and open to the public and if you've read this blog, please chat me up and tell me how enjoyable it was.

See ya,

Jeff Crandall

DoC.

Two BIG weeks

Welcome back Bucks fans.

Another big week coming up soccer fans as the US Women’s National Team faces China in a friendly game next Wednesday at Ford Field. Hope you all get there early and get snuggled up in your seats. As you do you can look for me, I’ll be the young lad pulling stretcher duty during the game in case any one of those ladies are lucky enough to “break a leg” and get to be carried off the field by yours truly. I’m thinking I’ll grab the back right corner of the gurney so the lucky lady can catch my good side. Ahhh, what a thought; down on Ford Field. I’ll make sure to give it my blessings next week before that other team's last home game of the year.

The Lions final home game will be played in two weekends against the New Orleans Saints. Over a month ago I said it would be their best chance to win this year and the Lions will put on a show. Christmas came early this year and I was lucky enough to receive a ticket to the game. I’ll be in section 107, roughly the 50 yd line so I’ll get a firsthand look at the boys in blue. In the end I think Detroit comes up with a big defensive play in the 3rd quarter...

Lions 31-Saints 24.

That’s all for now sports fans – Come back next week when I give you a firsthand account of events of what it is like to be a part of the grounds crew at the US Women’s game next week.

USA ALL THE WAY

USA vs China Tickets
Directions to Ford Field

Locks of the week:
NFL:
Colts 34 Lions 13
Raiders 16 Patriots 13
Steelers 27 Ravens 20

NBA:
Jazz 97 Pistons 93

Brad Jakubiec

What's The Point?

Hello again Bucks fans, its Jordan the Marketing Director. My never ending journey through useless facts and equations that will never be used again is almost over. I've been on a stupid marathon of four exams, four speeches and three research papers in a 3 week period. After this evening I'll be completely finished for the semester, with only 4 semesters to go. Going through this relentless task has made me ask myself, "What's the point?" I asked a professor of mine "What's the point?" and his response was generic, "To show future employers you have discipline and to expose your mind to different theories." I've been a firm believer for many years that any class you take in college that doesn't deal with your major is a scam. If you never use the knowledge you gain from the class it's a waste of time.

A perfect example was History of the Middle East. After one week I realized first that I would never use any of this information and then asked myself, "Why do I care if a camel died 2000 years ago?" It doesn't make any sense to me. For all my fellow peers out their learning the facts that will never be used I salute you for your efforts, and the useless knowledge you gained.

I leave you with this poem:

If I Should Fail to
Learn this Junk,
I Pray the Lord
I Will Not Flunk.

Jordan Przybylo

Marketing Guru