LARRY WILCOX (CHiPS) SOCCER MIXES HOLLYWOOD WITH OLYMPICS
By Anonymous
These mentors are former Olympians, former pro soccer MVPs and International Players who have now turned to youth soccer to give back to the geometric growth of the new family pastime, club soccer tournaments, soccer state finals and soccer national playoffs. One of the state final preparation tournaments is the annual Celtic Cup Finals in San Bernardino at the 40-acre custom soccer complex for such. The referee fees alone are in the six figures to handle the volume of players and spectators for this state cup preparation California tournament. Concession booths everywhere, live filming crews and editing on the spot for that favorite play or scoring goal are part of the trimmings. Tournament youth soccer has become a million dollar business.
Larry Wilcox, has two sons who play on these select (all star) teams and this weekend the West Valley Strikers won all three of their match play to qualify as the only team to go to finals and, the only team that was not scored on in the playoffs. When asked, how Larry transitioned from the California Highway Patrol to coaching he smiled and answered,”Hey, it is the same as acting, ……another script and a new parrot”. “Parroting the enormous insights of some of our great soccer coaches through all of the years of practice and clinics happens almost through osmosis.” Joey Kirk and the other West Valley World Class Coaches have spectacular resumes and the fact that the West Valley still has access to this caliber of player and coach is unbelievable.” “ I am excited, but worried, that the exponential growth of soccer, will soon make these coaches and players as non-tangible as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, so we must indulge and NOW. We are so lucky to have these coach/players and mentors in the West Valley and it is because of them that our teams are doing so well nationally. Also, it may not hurt that I followed my wife around for 10 years watching her compete in world-class track and field events from the World Championships to Mt. Sac. Marlene Harmon is the wife and mother of Larry’s two boys and was on the Olympic Track and Field team of the 1980s , the World Championship team of 1983, and is still holds multiple local and state records from her youth. When asked if coaching youth soccer is full time and is it better than CHiPs. Well it is simply a passionate hobby but I finally have a better script, that no longer is limited to lines like…”Thanks Ponch and 10-4”. “This is a fun role to play and rewards my family, my soul, and society’s future, the boys.”.
The Strikers won every game in their bid for the championship, and then played the final, on Sunday, January 12th against a tough Latin team from Bell Gardens. This game was in the under eight bracket and these boys were big and very skilled, hard-hitting players. The Strikers had the most attempts on goal but could not put it in the net. The game was fierce and aggressive and ended normal play tied at 1 to 1. The referee called for a penalty kickoff to determine the winner, which matches five kickers from one team individually taking turns against five kickers from the opposing team. In the end, the bigger boys from Bell Garden kicked more penalty kicks and won the Gold Medal Championship, while the West Valley Strikers won the Silver Medal as finalists. It was a teary eyed loss and a major test in resilience and tenacity for my talented young midfielder/son Chad and the rest of the very talented team. Larry’s other son, a gifted forward on the Samba Fire, went on to finish 4th in the same competitive tournament in the under Nine division.
Wilcox goes on to state that he and his associate, Stan Roble, (parent and coach also) have now formed Team Elite Sports to assist teams in all sports with Team Elite clinics, Team Elite tournaments, Team Elite sponsorship packages, scholarships, world class mentoring, and help with family recreation and entertainment for sports minded families who have a “long term plan” for their child. “The leadership and character produced through sports and high pressure tournaments is part of the key infrastructure that compliments a successful young adult and his or her time honored evolution. It can often serve, for many parents, as a subtle but haunting tool for the conscious to reflect on when one thinks about the child’s choices,, the parent’s choices and the civility of a spectator”.
With a wry smile, Wilcox states, “It is amazing how we have to posture for a stubborn and wise mind to continue development.”
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