Post by Scott Crawford on Apr 30, 2013 9:37:06 GMT -6
Soccer maestro looks back fondly - He retired in May after 27 years at club
Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA) - Sunday, July 1, 2007
Author: Audrey Garza-Morton Contributing writer
Less than two months retired, Ray Horos is already nostalgic about certain things at the Lafreniere Soccer Club.
"I truly miss the friends . . . I worked with when I left and those in the years past," Horos said.
There were many of them, for Horos, 70, spent 27 years at the Lafreniere Soccer Club before calling it quits May 7.
Back in 1980, he was working with 250 to 300 children every season, spring and fall, refereeing and officiating games. In 1992, when the club's secretary left, Horos filled in temporarily as the administrator. That title stuck.
"He's one of the best in the business," said Julio Paiz, the club's director of coaching and player development. "He would take on all the responsibilities of running the club. He was a dedicated person while doing this."
Lafreniere Soccer Club has been in existence since 1974. The nonprofit organization is run mainly by volunteers. It offers three levels of play -- recreational, Division I and Premier -- for children ages 4 1/2 to 19.
"Ray had an impact on pretty much the whole club because most of the everyday business went through the main office," Paiz said. "He's a caring individual (who) has always put in so many extra hours to make sure that everything was always taken care of."
Horos said the club has really grown and modernized in the past 15 years. He attributes most of the success not to himself but to others.
"The program itself is the most fascinating," Horos said. "We've been able to watch it grow from a grass-roots organization to a really professional one."
He cites the arrival of Mike Jeffries , a former Duke University soccer player who won the Hermann Award in 1983, as the turning point for the club. Jeffries introduced the need for professional training for the players.
"Kids now are so learned in soccer they . . . demand to know more and have the professionalism," Horos said.
Jeffries also encouraged the club to go along with "small-sided" soccer. In the younger age divisions, three players play against three players, instead of the usual 11 on each side. This lets young athletes have more touches on the ball.
Once that was introduced, the rest of the state caught on and joined national clubs playing small-sided soccer.
Horos also credits Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Lafreniere Park and Lasalle Park and the two government's recreation departments.
"I'm just one part of a whole thing here," he said. "I've gotten a lot of enjoyment. I've met a lot of people. Everybody here was very cooperative."
For all ages, the club tries to ensure that every player is on the pitch at least one half of the match, Horos said.
"We do promote that this is for fun," he said. "It has to be fun for those children because if it isn't, it's not worth it, something's wrong."
But it's also regimented, Horos added.
"It's a very wholesome activity at any level, whether you're a player, parent or administrator," Horos said. "The children who come out of the program, they're positive assets to society. There's a certain discipline in this sport that carries over into the real world."
Horos and his wife, Carolyn, live in Metairie. He jokes that in the fall, when the soccer club gets really busy, he'll probably gain a lot of weight.
"It was a very enjoyable time, a very good experience," Horos said.
His position has been filled by David DeHoog, whose title along with administrator includes executive director.
"It's some big shoes to fill," DeHoog said. "To a lot of people he was the first face they saw associated with Lafreniere soccer. He was the first contact."
Horos said summer is historically a slower time, but his successor is having to get used to the fast pace.
"This position is a very busy job," DeHoog said. "If this is a slow month, I don't know what's coming."
Horos knows what to expect, although after 27 years of being actively involved, he'll sit this one out.
Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA) - Sunday, July 1, 2007
Author: Audrey Garza-Morton Contributing writer
Less than two months retired, Ray Horos is already nostalgic about certain things at the Lafreniere Soccer Club.
"I truly miss the friends . . . I worked with when I left and those in the years past," Horos said.
There were many of them, for Horos, 70, spent 27 years at the Lafreniere Soccer Club before calling it quits May 7.
Back in 1980, he was working with 250 to 300 children every season, spring and fall, refereeing and officiating games. In 1992, when the club's secretary left, Horos filled in temporarily as the administrator. That title stuck.
"He's one of the best in the business," said Julio Paiz, the club's director of coaching and player development. "He would take on all the responsibilities of running the club. He was a dedicated person while doing this."
Lafreniere Soccer Club has been in existence since 1974. The nonprofit organization is run mainly by volunteers. It offers three levels of play -- recreational, Division I and Premier -- for children ages 4 1/2 to 19.
"Ray had an impact on pretty much the whole club because most of the everyday business went through the main office," Paiz said. "He's a caring individual (who) has always put in so many extra hours to make sure that everything was always taken care of."
Horos said the club has really grown and modernized in the past 15 years. He attributes most of the success not to himself but to others.
"The program itself is the most fascinating," Horos said. "We've been able to watch it grow from a grass-roots organization to a really professional one."
He cites the arrival of Mike Jeffries , a former Duke University soccer player who won the Hermann Award in 1983, as the turning point for the club. Jeffries introduced the need for professional training for the players.
"Kids now are so learned in soccer they . . . demand to know more and have the professionalism," Horos said.
Jeffries also encouraged the club to go along with "small-sided" soccer. In the younger age divisions, three players play against three players, instead of the usual 11 on each side. This lets young athletes have more touches on the ball.
Once that was introduced, the rest of the state caught on and joined national clubs playing small-sided soccer.
Horos also credits Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Lafreniere Park and Lasalle Park and the two government's recreation departments.
"I'm just one part of a whole thing here," he said. "I've gotten a lot of enjoyment. I've met a lot of people. Everybody here was very cooperative."
For all ages, the club tries to ensure that every player is on the pitch at least one half of the match, Horos said.
"We do promote that this is for fun," he said. "It has to be fun for those children because if it isn't, it's not worth it, something's wrong."
But it's also regimented, Horos added.
"It's a very wholesome activity at any level, whether you're a player, parent or administrator," Horos said. "The children who come out of the program, they're positive assets to society. There's a certain discipline in this sport that carries over into the real world."
Horos and his wife, Carolyn, live in Metairie. He jokes that in the fall, when the soccer club gets really busy, he'll probably gain a lot of weight.
"It was a very enjoyable time, a very good experience," Horos said.
His position has been filled by David DeHoog, whose title along with administrator includes executive director.
"It's some big shoes to fill," DeHoog said. "To a lot of people he was the first face they saw associated with Lafreniere soccer. He was the first contact."
Horos said summer is historically a slower time, but his successor is having to get used to the fast pace.
"This position is a very busy job," DeHoog said. "If this is a slow month, I don't know what's coming."
Horos knows what to expect, although after 27 years of being actively involved, he'll sit this one out.
