Soccer on the Brain

My internship with the Chicago Fire Premier has been going great. So great, that it looks as if it is turning into an "actual" job.

Since I got the internship, my boss has brought up being hopeful that he can begin to compensate me, which was a nice idea. But, then I found out that my "paying" job back in CA (that I telecommuted for) would be ending in two weeks.

I started getting nervous because it was supposed to have lasted until August, which would have worked out perfectly with the "bulk" of the internship, since our season is over in August. Telecommuting was allowing me to dedicate most of my time to working for the Fire and being as involved as I wanted to be: working full-time hours, going to/working all home games, and also the opportunity to travel to all away games. I didn't want to go get another job that would unquestionably cut into my time with the Fire. I even briefly toyed with the idea of putting off finding a second "job" until August and just becoming a spendthrift and living off of a bit of my saved school money until then (which I wasn't a fan of). But, I brought it all up to Todd and he approached me about compensating me for my work for the Chicago Fire.

I'm not sure how much or how often he'll be paying me, but as with most things Chicago-related, I know that the pieces will fall into place and that I'll be just fine.

But I'm super excited!

The team is doing really great, thanks to all of our hard work. We started off the season 3-0 (not including a pre-season scrimmage win against DePaul University) and we qualified for a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, our facebook/twitter following grows each day, and once the bad weather disappears for the summer, we are anticipating good crowds in the stands. It's a learning experience for all of us to try and figure out what has worked marketing wise to build off of for next season, and what we need to tweak. And, with my previous experience working for a PDL team, I know I've been an awesome asset for Todd in terms of getting paperwork filled out, turned in, etc.

And this past Monday, Memorial Day, I was able to go on my first roadtrip with the team. We took a 5-hour bus ride up to Pontiac, Michigan (for those of you in the know, Pontiac is right by Flint, where Michael Moore filmed "Roger and Me") for a game against the Michigan Bucks (which we ended up losing 0-2). Then we turned around and made the 5-hour drive back to Chicago, arriving at 3:30 in the morning on Tuesday.

Did I mention that I was the only girl on the bus? I'm definitely not complaining, although sometimes it's not so fun being just "one of the guys". But, it was a lot of fun, and I was constantly entertained by the antics and accents of our two British coaches.

I even got to spend some time with the Director of Player Development for the entire Chicago Fire Organization, who I was introduced to by Mark Spooner, the head coach of the Chicago Fire Premier's PDL and NPSL teams. I can only assume that, quite possibly, word is getting out (thanks to Todd) about what a good job I'm doing and how necessary it is to introduce me to the "right" people with the Fire.

But, until that day where I have my own "corner office with a view" at Toyota Park, I can only look forward to each and every day that I get to spend working for the Chicago Fire Premier for the rest of the summer, season and beyond, including a four-day trip to Canada for a couple of games and some fun.

Figured ya'll might want to see some of the pictures from my Chicago Fire Premier Adventures!

This is Evanston Township High School, where we play our home games.

Me and the Chicago Fire flag at our last home game.

View from inside Toyota Park, from the one game I've had time to go to.

Vintage-looking Chicago Fire flag.

Relaxing in the stands at our game against Michigan.

Plaque inside the tunnel leading out onto the field at Toyota Park.

The Sears Tower is righth down the street from my office, this picture was taken on my walk to the Blue Line to go home one day.

Toyota Park <3

...Speaking of fun, tomorrow is the first day of June and it's looking like summertime in Chicago has finally arrived. It's nice to be constantly reminded of the season that caused me to fall in love with the midwest in the first place. And I look forward to digging up some free time to take advantage of all of the awesome, "summery" things that Chicago has to offer!

P.S. I promise to try and keep this thing updated more than once a month :-)

Chicago Fire Premier

It has definitely been a while since I last updated this blog; not because I don't care, but because I've had 0 time lately.

So, I figured I'd share with ya'll what has been taking up all my time.

Two weeks ago, I got an internship with the Chicago Fire Premier. They are an organization, or "zone" if you will, within the Chicago Fire Player Development Pyramid. I thought I'd draw up a little something to better explain this, since I know not all of you are as soccer obsessed as I am, and it can get a little confusing!

Ok so, The Chicago Fire has a Player Development Pyramid that they use to find and develop talent in Chicago and the surrounding area. At the bottom of the pyramind (Zone 1) is the U8-U17 Youth squads, otherwise known as the Chicago Fire Juniors. Basically these are the club teams that we played on when we were young. Then there is Zone 2, the US Soccer Development Academy. This zone is comprised of high-school aged kids who are so talented that they are better off playing competively in this league than playing high school ball. I work for Zone 3, which is the U19 to U23 Men, known as a whole as, Chicago Fire Premier. There are several teams located in this zone, but I am working almost exclusively for the Chicago Fire Premier PDL squad, which is the U23 team (and also the most highly talented of the bunch) and a little bit for Super-20. At the top of the Pyramid, Zone 4, is the Major League Soccer Team.

So, in a little less than a month after I moved, I am working one step below where my dream job is. So close I can taste it.

You might like these two graphics as well!

It's been a whirlwind. My boss, who is the President of the Chicago Fire Premier, is just as passionate about soccer in this country as I am, and we share a lot of the same beliefs about US Soccer in general. He brought me on and immediately put me in charge of the other two interns he had. Since we're only 2 weeks away from our home opener, there has been a lot to get done. Just to give you an idea, this past week I have done all of these things:

1) Research youth clubs in the area for the Chicago Fire Premier to partner with
2) Research locations to hold our summer camps at
3) Spent a day at Toyota Park (where the first team plays) in the locker rooms getting the uniforms we need together
4) Went to a sales pitch meeting at Mellos Peanut Co., they will be supplying snacks for our concession stand and also for our Mellos Pop Corner Kick.
5) Took a Stadium Tour of Evanston Township High School's Lazier Field, where we will be playing our home games (this high school stadium is nicer than most college stadiums I've seen)

6) Went to a meeting with the Pioneer Press to get them to run publicity for our team
7) Picked up the first arriving players at the airport
8) Got the first bunch of guys arranged in their hotel rooms
9) So on and so forth

It's been absolutely crazy, but I LOVE it! Most days, I want to pinch myself. It's hard to believe that I'm really working in soccer, that I really get to spend my time "selling" the game that I love and hanging out with like-minded people. This isn't work, it's fun. I mean, this is what I live for...and the perks are awesome too: free tickets to Chicago Fire games, free Chicago Fire swag, canoodling with soccer players. While my position as the Sales and Marketing Coordinator with the Chicago Fire Premier is only an unpaid internship for now, I have a feeling this will turn into a job if I bide my time.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next few weeks to come!

2 Weeks In....Almost

It began to dawn on me last week that I hadn't posted any updates since before I/We left for Chicago. I apologize, but I've just been that busy! It's been almost two weeks since we got to the Windy City; almost one week that I've been here on my own (are we all glad that I've surpassed last year's move...ALREADY!!!!). Things are going great, and I am SO glad that I moved back here (and so glad that my family/friends put up with my craziness).

The roadtrip itself was long and uneventful, until the last day. Our driving goals ended up being pretty lofty, as we only made it to Moriarity, New Mexico the first day, and Joplin, Missouri, the second day. I do love the drive though. Some might think it's boring, and it would be more fun to take some time and see all the crazy stops along the way, but as Steve said, the best part is just seeing the scenery change from one state/location/region to another...very true! (On a random side note, Moriarity, NM was definitely an interesting place, not so sure I'd ever want to go back there. It just seemed so rundown. Bon Jovi actually has a song called Runaway in which the lyrics are supposedly about a girl working the streets in a rundown town. Anyway, that song immediately came to mind when we got there). On our last day, we were about 143 miles (or 2.5 hours, according to our GPS) from Chicago when we broke down in McLean, Illinois. Some 5 hours later, we were on our way again thanks to an awesome auto repair shop that had my broken left rear wheel bearing fixed in "no time"...and we made it the rest of the way safely, if not behind schedule.

The first week in Chicago was a whirlwind of meeting family and friends for meals and goodtimes and several amazing Chicago restaurants (I'm still trying to decide if living in a city with such great food is a good thing or a bad thing), unpacking my room and getting it set up and personalized (which included numerous trips to Walmart and Target), a trip up to Northwestern to get my "Wildcard" taken care of (it was almost surreal, coming from a school like CSUF, to think that I'm going to a school like this now...and can I just say, that my commute up to Evanston on Lake Shore Drive is GORGEOUS!!!!) and so on and so forth. Safe to say I am just now able to relax after going so fast for that first week. To be honest, it felt like more of a vacation than a move.

So far, this second week, I have dropped my mom off (so that she could make her way back to California) at the airport, worked from home, cleaned house for the first time and cooked my first meal (Hamburger Soup, yum), grew a pair and left my number for a cute guy downtown, signed up for a gym membership and spent tons of time with my godson. I think I'm settling in nicely. It really feels like home! And, I'm looking forward to the months to come...starting school, finding a soccer league to play in, meeting people my own age, going to see my favorites teams play...at their home stadiums :-)

As far as the weather goes...it's been up and down. Last weekend it was in the 80's, this weekend it's going to be in the 40's with lots of rain, wind and possible snow flurries. Crazy, huh?

Anyway, I will do my best to keep this thing updated more often!

Leaving California

A very good friend of mine recently started a blog so that her family could easily keep up with her comings and goings in her busy life. I figured I might share the idea so that you all can keep track of my comings and goings, and new life, in Chicago.

2010 was definitely a tough year, but I'm really on the right path and raring to go with jobs and internship opportunities aplenty, along with grad school at Northwestern, which I'll be starting in June. Hopefully I'll update often so friends and family can have a better idea of what I'm up to.

Mom and I are leaving tomorrow, bright and early in the morning. Our plan is to make it to Tucumcari, NM the first night, and Rolla, MO the second night, and arrive in Chicago at some time in the afternoon on the third day.

Here's a little picture of our route, if you're interested!

Next time I post, it'll be from Chicago! :-)