Thank You Readers of Kicking Back

Image Credit: intra.keliix.com

Friends and Readers of Kicking Back,

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your readership over these last five(!) years.

Without you, Kicking Back would have remained little more than a unnourished thought. Thank you for turning it into so much more.

As we begin the holiday season, please take a moment to reflect on the thinks that you are thankful for and pay it forward.

Thanks for reading,
PK

Thank You Veterans

Image courtesy of sneakertherapy.wordpress.com

Thank You Readers!

Friends,

As today is Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to take just a second and say Thank You to the readers of Kicking Back. From humble beginnings back in 2010, we find ourselves here today with hundreds of thousands of views grumbling about a variety of stuff, and every once in a while coming up with something somewhat perplexing.

We can't do it without you, so please accept our humble thanks for your readership. After all, it's what makes Kicking Back go.

Thank You Veterans

Kicking Back thanks the veterans of all branches and nationalities for their service and sacrifice.

A sobering article of how every day should be Veterans day can be found here, from the NY Post.

I for one agree.

Happy millennial Kicking Back!

So I looked down the other day and was amazed to see that our 1000th post was at hand.

Since Monday May 31st, 2010 with West Virginia ... or Bust  we have plumbed some pretty odd depths to be sure.

A few local, state, and regional tournaments, a World Cup, some Tour de France, and even some local bike races, all with FIFA bashing in between, and a fair amount of odd commentary from me.

I have to say honestly this has gone in some directions I never expected, yet have discovered that there are many things about our game that intersect with real life. Far more than I ever really knew of, or understood.

While it is a personal goal of mine to do a bit more soccer reporting, or at least writing in the days ahead, I can only hope we will continue on this path for the foreseeable future.

I have to say too, as the graph above indicates, our readership has increased steadily over the last several years ... please note however this is from 2010, not 2007 as the graph indicates. Even with that, we are doing well I think.

We have seen visits from referees of all grades in the US and abroad. FIFA referees and ARs checking in. Pro referees from the NHL, NFL, NBA and tennis jumping in every once in  awhile. It has been pretty awesome.

What is next is anyones guess.

I have played with thoughts on format changes to things like "FIFA Friday's" to limit my bashing to a day a week ... or "Monday Mania" where we go over a decision from the weekends matches.

Some folks have asked for more interviews with referees of all walks, and I am inclined to oblige as there are some really cool referees out there.

Some have asked for more instructional material as well, and there too is a good thought as at its core it has always been an intent to share about our game ... but I find there is a wider canvas.

I dunno, but in all events I would like to keep it fun, and tangentially insightful.

So there it is, and off we go, to our next millennial.

Thanks for reading as I recognize it is you all who make Kicking Back what it is.

"It's Thanksgiving"

For a backstory on the video, take a look here from the Daily Beast.



Why would I do this to you all?

Two reasons:

1. To wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving first and foremost.
2. The soccer connection is that Nicole's dad Scott is a former professional player for the Tulsa Tornado, Oklahoma City Stampede, and Detroit Express, where he was named Rookie of the Year in 1983 and currently is a coach as Presentation College.

Say it with me ... soccer is life.

... and please don't shoot the messenger.

Thank You Veterans

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." 

- John F. Kennedy

Acceptance Remarks: SAK Assessor of the Year Award

Friends,

While I am regrettably unable to be with you in person to accept this award, please accept my deepest thanks to all of you for allowing me the privilege to have the opportunity to serve the referee community as an assessor. Without you all, this honor would simply not exist as each of you is a vital building block of THE game.

This award has particular meaning to me being named after my father, Stephen A. Kokolski. It serves as a reminder that the refereeing community is a family, and one that I have been honored to be a part of for nearly all of my life. One that like a family, has its ups and downs, a black sheep or two, but always welcomes its own home without question.

This is an honor I shall cherish as it also serves as a reminder not only of the man, but also of his approach to make a point, without feeling like you were pointed at. You left feeling better than you came, and learned something in the process.

I will work in earnest to become worthy of this award, and hope to one day, fill his big shoes that I quite literally used to walk in.

With love and respect,
Peter Stephen Kokolski

With Eternal Thanks This Memorial Day

Thank You All!

Friends,

It was about a year ago today Kicking Back was started with the post "West Virginia ... or Bust." [Yes I get the pleasure of going back to Regionals this year too, in Lancaster, PA!]

As I sit here 365 days and 427 posts later I still find myself somewhat nostalgic about THE game and my refereeing career "back in the day."

A lot has changed over the last year. Finishing law school, moving forward in my career, getting fit again as I am cycling a tremendous amount these days.

So much has also stayed the same however, like my love for THE game, and all of its participants, even in my newer capacities as assessor, administrator, coach, and mentor.

It has been an interesting road to be sure, but one I am glad to have taken. One also I am happy to share with you all.

My sincere thanks to everyone for reading, and I look forward to the next year ahead of us.

Sincerely,
PK

No comments ... please

Merry Christmas from Kicking Back!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Thank You

Photo courtesy amoeba.com

On this Thanksgiving Day Holiday (in the US) I wanted to take just a minute to give thanks to you all for the continued support of Kicking Back.

I remain overwhelmed by the response and continued support we receive in our day to day musings about things soccer.

As I sit here today I don't see much of that changing as we continue to make plans for future installments and expanding content of the blog.

For me I will be spending some time to reflect and truly give thanks to so many who make my go round in this life the fun that it is.

For anyone looking to get involved in a match this weekend, here is a state by state listing of some of the tournaments going on this holiday weekend. I for one, will be out on Saturday inspecting a match and likely still quietly digesting.

Best wishes on this day of thanks, and our sincere gratitude to you all for making Kicking Back what it is becoming.

A special thank you ...

So as life returns to crazy normal for me (as opposed to crazy crazy) and I get my thoughts together from the Region I tournament, I wanted to begin with a thank you. Over that faithful week in traversing from Boston to Barboursville and back again I learned more than a few things about myself, some others, and the game.

I want to extend a very special thanks to the entire refereeing and assessing team and administrators of the Massachusetts delegation.

For reasons I will detail in due time, I have just about not looked at a soccer ball for a period of time ... a somewhat long period of time. Some very smart administrators however saw me poke my head out of the sand about just wee much and promptly grabbed me. Kudos to them for recognizing when to strike with me. There was of course the matter of the "rubber meeting the road" however. Getting involved is one thing, being accepted for it can be another.

To say that I was worried about just how far the world has turned since I stepped off my Merry-Go-Round is an understatement that bears recognition to me. I was unaware, and very anxious just how folks were going to react to me returning in this context. Be assured that anxiety remains quite strongly in other contexts to this very day.

Those fears were completely relieved at the airport out to Barboursville. It was so rewarding to have the opportunity to be with such a group of talented individuals, and from the very jump, to be able to interact with them as a peer. I was then, and am now in reflection, humbled and thankful by their generosity, to the last.

So please let this be our entry point into the Region I tournament through my lens ... that of a former referee at this tournament, turned assessor.

Next stop ... when old red shirts turn blue.

Thank You Readers!

Number of days: 30
Number of hits: A few thousand

Being able to get some good conversation going around the world from FIFA referees to the in town volunteer linesman: Priceless.

Thanks to all of you for making that possible!