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the 1976 NCAA Division II Champion team.
He also played on community soccer teams
as an adult.
In the early '80s, when professional indoor
soccer was at its peak, he watched legends
like Stan Stamenkovic (Memphis Americans,
the Blast) and Steve Zungul (NY Arrows,
Tacoma Stars, SD Sockers). "They were
incredible players with the most incredible
footskills I had ever seen."
Bobby Mcavan, another former Blast player
and coach, has been with Ron since the facility
opened. He runs camps and clinics at the
facility that help kids develop their footskills.
His background also includes playing for the
Canadian National Team at the Olympics and
working as an on-air commentator for the
Blast.
According to Ron, "Indoor soccer–the way we
play it, the way the pros play it–is the best
game."
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about
futsal as the preferred method of training for
the outdoor game during the winter.
"When I was a kid, we called it court ball.
We would play during the summer on
concrete basketball courts. We played outdoor
all year–even in 20 degree weather. If we were
able to get a gym during the winter, we were
lucky."
The professional American game gave Ron and
his teammates the chance to play a version
of soccer that was even better than the game
they loved because it was faster and the ball
was always in play.
