This past weekend I was presented with a check on behalf of Charity Ball for $1,318.55.

It wasn’t directly from a company or somebody who has a large bank account, instead it was from a team of 11 twelve-year old boys. Chris Hofland’s U12 USA soccer team (Holland, MI) went out and did odd jobs to raise money for Charity Ball and to help poverty-stricken kids around the world receive new, quality soccer balls. Some of the guys went out and sold doughnuts at soccer games, some raised money at garage sales and others were courageous enough to ask their friends and family for cash donations. This is so cool. It goes to show that you don’t have always have to be an adult in order to help people. Kids too can can make a difference and change the world. A big thanks to the USA U12 Soccer Team. Way to go guys!

Have you every wondered what you should do to get ready to play your best? My brother and I play a lot of soccer around our house and we’re always thinking about how to play our best. Here are some things we do to gear up.

1. Mental
We both have soccer journals that we keep. Each week we write down different things that we learned in practice or from the last game. We often list stuff we could improve on and read over it on the way to the game so it’s fresh in our minds when we hit the field. We also visualize ourselves doing what we want to do in a game, like step-overs or shooting the ball in the back of the net. Sometimes we write moves on our hands that we want to use in a game.

2. Nutrition
You won’t see us at McDonalds or sipping a soda that often. What you eat has a lot to do with how you play. We try to eat things that have a lot of protein (eggs, chicken, fish, some veggies) and good carbs (pasta, whole wheat sandwiches etc.) on the night before and on game day. Cliff or Power Bars are usually in the car for some quick fuel. If we want something sweet, we typically do fruit like apples, oranges, or strawberries.

3. Hydration
The body is made up of about 70% water. When you play you sweat and lose water. When you lose water, you lose energy and the ability to think clearly. You want to be your best physically and mentally for the game. How much water you have in your system will impact that. We try to start drinking extra water 24 hours before the whistle blows. I (Ethan) have a gallon Gatorade cooler that I carry around and sip on 24 hours before each game. You might think I’m crazy, but I can tell a big difference when I don’t. I usually drink water with ice, but I’ve read that it’s best to drink it room temperature so that your body doesn’t have to use energy to break down the ice.

4. Sleep
We try to get to bed at a good time the night before. A minimum of 8-9 hours of sleep is what we shoot for. We’ve played at tournaments where guys stay up late messing around and it always impacts their performance the next day. We’ve learned our lessons. If we want to play well and help the team, we need to get good sleep.

5. Physical
Before the game I (Ethan) am always getting focused by stretching out and juggling. I try to get a lot of quick touches on the ball to quicken my feet. Good players should get 1000 touches on the ball each day. When I arrive, I take a slow jog with the ball around the field to get focussed. After, I do individual drills to prepare myself and then do team warm-ups with the rest of the guys so I’m at 100%. If my feet are sore before the game I will ice and tape them up.

This weekend my U14 Lakeshore Premier Soccer team is playing in the Novi Jags Tournament in eastern Michigan. It’s going to be a blast. When we play, we always play to win, but this time our team is playing for something a little bit bigger. We’re playing for kids in Japan who lost everything in the tsunami last year.

Our goal is raise enough money to give 100 kids, who currently live in the Tsunami Zone, new, quality soccer balls. Most of these kids have lost their homes and everything they own. Some of them have even lost family members. Approximately 19,000 people died from the catastrophe. I know from experience, that it would be huge for many of these kids to receive a new soccer ball when everything else is lost.

We’re wearing the new Charity Ball special edition “all red” kit. Hopefully it will be a big hit and creates some hype around the cause! Our team will also be spreading the word during the tourney and telling people what Charity Ball is all about. If you would like to sponsor our team or donate a soccer ball, you can give online here.

Hope College student, Sam Tzou (Holland, Michigan) stopped by the office today and picked up 26 new soccer balls to take with him to Africa. He and some friends will be hand-delivering the balls to kids in Livingston, Zambia over the next few weeks.

Sam, thanks for helping us make it possible for kids in Zamibia to have ball!

When I was in South Africa a few days back, my family and I got to take a private tour of Soccer City-the stadium where the 2010 FIFA World Cup championship was played. It was sensational! Soccer City is also known as FNB stadium. It has a capacity of around 90,000 +/- and is located in Johannesburg. We got to explore almost everything. We sat in the stands. We walked down the same tunnel the players walk down. We kicked the ball around in the warm-up room. We even got juggle and dribble on the side of the pitch a bit. I loved it. Someday I hope to play there professionally. -Ethan King

This is Joseph. His lives in Kliptown – a shanty-town outside of Johannesburg. When I was in South Africa last week, I saw him pushing an old toy car around through the dirt. Joseph was supposed to be at creche (preschool) but he was feeling sick, so his mother made him stay home. As soon as we saw him, we knew he needed a soccer ball. As we walked over, he stared us down – probably wondering, “who are these guys.” I walked over and handed him a new ball. At first there wasn’t much of an expression. I think he was still wondering what we were up to. Once he dropped the ball to feet and started kicking it around – it seemed like he forgotten about his stomach ache. In matter of time he was all smiles. His mom said that up until this point, he had never owned his own soccer ball. Maybe he might be the next Drogba. Who knows?

My brother just got the 2012 African Cup of Nations Match Ball (the Comoequa) for his birthday. Adidas doesn’t sell the ball in the US. Ever since we planned our trip to South Africa, my brother has been wanting the ball. The Comoequa is named after the Como River that runs through the co-hosts countries, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The Comequa is designed and constructed the same way as the Tango 12, the official match ball for the Euro 2012. I have had the chance to have a kick about with the ball and it is a huge improvement on the 2010 Jabulani WC ball. Congrats again to Zambia on the win. Check out promo video here.