HIgh Point University Men’s Soccer adds a new face to the sideline this season

Winning mentality is an understatement.

As a new addition to the coaching staff, assistant coach Kelly Altman brings all kinds of experience to the High Point University men’s soccer team.

Head Coach Dustin Fonder believes that Altman’s experience in big games will help the team greatly.

Who could blame him?

Altman at Trinity
In 11 years as a player and coach at Trinity University in Texas, Altman won four SCAC conference championships, a Division III National championship, and at Trinity had an 8-4-0 record against Division I opponents.

More importantly, during his time as coach, he led the soccer team to an amazing 96-9-6 record and the four previously mentioned SCAC conference championships.

Coach Fonder believes the main thing Altman will bring to this team is a high level of energy, something he felt his team was lacking at times last season.

“I haven’t played in eight years, but my intensity level hasn’t changed one bit,” said Altman.

Coming To HPU
Altman became familiar with HPU several years ago.

As the head coach for San Antonio’s Central Catholic High School in 2009, Altman learned all about HPU when the university was recruiting then-student Todd Ray, who is now a senior defender for the Panthers.

Altman came back on HPU’s radar when he met up with the Panthers assistant coach E.J. O’Keeffe at a camp at Wake Forest. Later in the summer, Altman was approached by Fonder about the open coaching position, and he accepted.

As Altman has come to find out, the business side of things is different for a Division I school as opposed to a Division III school, like Trinity.

However, he has embraced the greater responsibility and has not let it affect his coaching mentality.

“Soccer doesn’t change, no matter where you go,” said Altman.

This Season
Fonder and Altman all have high expectations for the season.

From Fonder’s perspective, the core of returning players is better than last season because they have a better mindset and more experience.

Altman believes the team will make the NCAA tournament, either by having a great regular season or by winning the conference tournament.

“I wouldn’t have left Trinity after 11 years if I didn’t believe in what Coach Fonder was doing here,” said Altman.

HPU was ranked 6th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) South Atlantic poll on Aug. 28, seeming to confirm Fonder and Altman’s expectations for a great season from the Panthers.

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End The NHL Lockout Now

Lost in the monetary battle of the NHL lockout is the little guy. 

 As a Southerner, I’ve grown to love hockey (unlike some Canadians who are born with a passion for the game). 

I know the sport isn’t that big in the United States, a country where football, baseball and basketball reign supreme. But; I love the game. During the season, I don’t tune to anything else if my Carolina Hurricanes are playing.  

So when I heard that the league was locking out players and fans for the second time in eight years, I nearly put my head through a wall.

How stupid is this lockout?

Not only does it take away a chance for the league to increase its popularity, it is a missed opportunity to show that the NHL is better than other leagues at getting economic issues worked out.

Instead of negotiating a new deal as the old one expired on September 16, both sides were wasting time preparing sappy press releases and YouTube videos boo-hooing about how they are being exploited.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly even had the audacity to announce that he and Commissioner Gary Bettman won’t cash in on their salaries until after the lockout is over. Why should we care? They’re not taking a pay cut, just getting paid at a later date.

In Bettman’s case a pay cut might be a good idea considering this is the third work stoppage in his 19-year tenure as commissioner.

The Two Sides

 

The owners are probably the most hypocritical of either side. Minnesota owner Craig Leipold signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to 13-year deals and Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs signed Tyler Seguin to a six-year deal, while they both sit at the negotiating table demanding that contracts be capped at five years.

The players are not free from blame either. Players like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Jaromir Jagr, Rick Nash, Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk have signed deals overseas; not showing unity among the players. Every team except the Vancouver Canucks has lost a player to free agency.

The players are also busy crying about how much they lost in the last lockout, making them cautious of giving the owners any concessions. However, of the two sides, the players are much more willing to compromise. They even asked for the opportunity to continue the season while still negotiating, but the owners were unwilling to give up that leverage.

Last Time

 

The last time the league locked out in 2004, hockey wasn’t as popular as it is now. There were massive overhauls made to the CBA with salaries cut and a salary cap added. However, that was the first time.

This time the issues aren’t as big. The main disagreement is over revenue sharing. Under the expired CBA, players earned 57 percent of revenue. Most people believe this is a little high, but instead of gradually bringing the number down in negotiations, the owners’ first offer was a large cut to 43 percent.

That revenue will not matter if the season isn’t played. Regular season games have already been cancelled through November 30, guaranteeing lost revenue and eradicating any chance of salvaging a full 82-game season.

The Little Guy

 

What both sides need to think about is everyone else affected by this unnecessary work stoppage.

My sister, Arielle Stout, worked part-time in ticket operations for the Carolina Hurricanes. She is trying to work her way into the marketing department and was working 9-5 three days a week. Because of the lockout, part-time jobs have been cut and she is basically unemployed. She struggles to pay her rent, having to work at home in the family business to earn money and is losing an opportunity to move up in her job.

This lockout affects many and neither side is very willing to budge. For a league that says they have the best fans in the world, the NHL is showing an unnerving tendency of turning its back on those fans for money.

For the sake of the game, this lockout must end now. But alas, the fans are the losers in this battle of greed.

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