Name: Luke Ledbetter Occupation: Medical Student (SLU) Age: 25 Location: Raised in Raytown, Springfield for undergrad, back to KC (downtown), out to Las Vegas for a bit before school here in St. Louis Section: 118...My parents have been season ticket holders every year so I usually grab a ticket from them when I'm in town. I've been lurking here for a year or two. I don't post much out of shear laziness really...and I'm a much more casual fan than most here. I went to most all the home games while I was living in town. Like I mentioned above, my parents have had season ticket every year and maybe have missed a total of 2 home games all those years. My favorite game was the Columbus game the first year when it ended up 6-4 or 5-4, I can't remember exactly. It was also great to see one of my drunk friends sprint across the field last year against DC at halftime, steal the ball from the DC players warming up, and putting the ball away top shelf on the other end....with no shoes on. I played soccer growing up for the Legends club team, and then at Southwest Missouri State during undergrad. I have many friends that have played or are playing in the league right now. I lived with one of the players (look at the college and put 2 and 2 together) for awhile last year and got to be friends with alot of the guys on the team. I lived vicariously through them for awhile, but now I watch from afar with my nose in the textbooks. I try to keep up with the team as much as possible and this website has become my number one place to check up on things. Till the next post in a year...
Wow, please tell me you're not responsible for the really annoying dialogue on shows like Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls.
Name: Brent Fincham Occupation: Warehouse Grunt Hometown: Born in Ohio, moved to Des Moines when I was 8, been there ever since. Age: 26 Section: Mostly 119. If I bring other people, my wife sits in those seats and I take the visitors to the Cauldron. I have been married for 4 years now to a beautiful Americanized Korean girl (adopted by a family in Montana when she was six, she's the whitest{culturally}oriental person I know). We have a gorgeous two month old girl. Saw my first Wizards game in '97 sometime. Can't remember anything about it though. I wasn't drunk, I just have a pretty crappy memory. The wife and I have gotten the 6 game mini-pack for a couple years now and we normally make it down for a few other unplanned games throughout the season I got turned on to soccer when I was in 4th grade. I had played little league baseball (ugh) and rec basketball, and didn't really like either one. My dad suggested soccer (he probably wishes now that he hadn't cause he's not really a fan), and after my first season I was hooked. I played junior high and high school (mostly keeper) for Grandview Park Baptist in Des Moines from '91-'97. Then went to Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny and played goalkeeper there for 2 seasons ('97, '98). I joined BigSoccer in '03, can't remember how I heard about it, but I'm glad I did. It is a never-ending source of information, conjecture, gossip, lies, heresay and even a nugget of truth thrown in for good measure. I don't post very often as you can see, but I am addicted to lurking and check for new and exciting threads at least once a day.
I'm very impressed by the amount of lurkers that have posted in here. It's good to learn who you guys are and where you're coming from. Where are all the regulars with their contribution to this thread?!
Hey, I was a freshman at South when you were a senior, I didn't realize there were more South grads on here, how about that.
Name: Sam Pierron Occupation: Unemployed as of the 26th Hometown: Born and raised in Olathe, lived in Lawrence since 1995, with one year's hiatus Age: 28 Section: Cauldron I grew up with an appreciation for the international side of soccer...sports and cultural geography are my two favorite things. That said, I was much better at just about every other sport, so I quit playing at 12. My interest in soccer as a spectator was kicked into high gear by the 4-3 USA-Germany game in US Cup '93, and went into overdrive the next year with USA '94. The day of the final, I moved to Johannesburg for a year, where I watched a lot of English Premier League, Portuguese League and domestic soccer. When I got back to the US, MLS was starting to select cities. I put down my deposit for KC, and was extremely pleased when we got a team. Just prior to that announcement, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision that changed my life. My friend Shawn and I, after watching the first game of US Cup '95, decided that we would drive to New Jersey for the game against Colombia. There, I met up with Sam's Army, who were having their second or third appearance ever. We were not part of the section, but we went down afterward and talked to a few people. I gave *somebody* my email address, and I got hooked into the NAS mailing list, and became a part of Sam's Army. When the KC announcement was made, we organized a supporters' club via the KC-area members on NAS. That included Wade Jackson and a number of others from St. Louis. I also made a phone call that changed my life. As soon as the Wiz offices opened, I called and asked if anyone was doing a web page for them. They invited me in to have a chat, and I met with Jim Moorhouse, the first PR director (now Dir. of Corporate Communications for US Soccer). Jim and I hit it off right away...somebody brought up the Doctor Khumalo signing, and I had immediate credibility, as I had actually seen him play a lot. Over the next four years, we worked to build a vocal section, and a viable supporters' club, with mixed results. Personally, I headed the Supporters Shield project in 1998-1999, and brought that to completion. After my graduation from KU in May 1999 (political science and international studies), I left Lawrence and attended the University of Liverpool's MBA program in Football Industries. Life in Liverpool was like being a kid in a candy store. Football, football, everywhere...but I also learned that I was an *American soccer* fan, first and foremost, and decided to focus my energies on that. Further, right after I moved to Liverpool, my mother suffered a stroke, and I wanted to be closer to home. I moved back to a whole new Wizards organization, run out of Arrowhead Stadium by Curt Johnson, who I got to know fairly quickly. Gansler has that team running like the machine that they were, and my best friend, Mike Gaughan, was doing a great job with the Mystics. Only problem was, my mother died that September, and that month or so of my life will always be bittersweet. My masters' thesis was on putting an A-League team in St. Louis, so I pursued that to a certain degree. I also, at that time would have given anything to get a job with the Wizards doing anything other than sales or PR. As it turns out, those were the only positions that ever came open. I was involved in the Union FC project in Trenton, NJ, but when that went down in flames, not really wanting to move from my family, and not finding a job with the Wizards that I wanted, I put soccer as a career on the back burner. From the 2001 season on, though, the Cauldron has done nothing but improve. Mike and I spent a lot of time with Curt figuring out where the section should go, and what it should be. The solution we finally got to...separate, and accessible with any ticket, has really been wonderful. I've also somehow become a drummer. Not sure how that happened. Mr. Hunt's announcement late last year stung me, of course, but I've come to realize that it was for the best. Either this will get done, and we'll have dedicated ownership in our own stadium...or it won't, and there won't be a team here. Either way, we won't be in limbo any more, which I think we all know is how it's been for years. I am a lot of things...as a sports fan, I'm a huge Jayhawk, plus I'm extremely passionate about the Royals and Chiefs. As a person away from sports, I am an extraordinarily avid gatherer of knowledge, a dilettante chef, a political polemicist, an occasional boozehound and a lover of friends and family. Soon, I'll be a happy husband. But nothing will ever feel to me like the Wizards do. I grew up with them, and they with me. They made me who I am in some ways. I just hope that we can get this done, and do it right, so people can share in what we're creating.
The details of my life are quite inconsequential. Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy...the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds; pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian woman named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it.
name: Stephen Kreutzer job: Poker dealer age: 33 (until Sunday!) location: Lakewood, Colorado recently - but 33 years in Shawnee & Lenexa section: Cauldron Joined BigSoccer out of necessity in 2003 after I got wrongfully tossed from the Cauldron and 'banned for life'. Most of the Cauldron (especially Cait - THANK YOU) came to my defense, and Curt apologized and de-banned me for life. Before I moved, just before the start of this season, I had only missed three home games in nine years. Played soccer my whole life...yadda yadda yadda. Tore my ACL last July and have been rehabbing ever since. Yesterday was the record high (102°) here in Denver and I ran over three miles at about 5,400 feet! Shouldn't we be posting pictures to go along with our bios? That way when we meet in Dallas (or at this year's Cup) we will know who everyone is!
Go for it. I'll go first... This is me at a US Mens qualifier back in June. Same day as my avatar, different pic. (I'm on the left) And Chad, that takes a lot of time. If I get really[/b] bored at work this weekend I'll search them out.
Name: Derek Gathright Age: 24 Location: Downtown KCMO (9th & Walnut) Occupation: Computer Programmer Website (haven't had time to update it much lately though) Really the only sport I played as a tyke was soccer & I played up until high school. Family always had season tickets to the comets, so I loved indoor soccer as a kid, but was never a big fan of outdoor. My family went to quite a few games the first couple years, then I turned 16 and started driving myself to the Wizards games. I initially started going becuase I needed a summer sport and the Royals were painful in those days (not much has changed). WC '98 rolled around and my interest really spiked. Joined what would become the cauldron in '99 and didn't miss a game till 2003. Senior year at KU I picked up a job where I worked many weekends, and that continued after graduation in May '05. Because of that, I haven't been as vocal or attended as many games as I once did. But I still go to a handful of games every season and watch every game/replay I can. Like most of you, the news of the sale hit me pretty hard and that was when I was in between jobs, so putting in 80 hours a week dedicated to laying the foundation for HASF along with the help of many others was no big thing. Well, you can't stay unemployed forever and my job for the last 6 months in Overland Park when I live in Lawrence has kept me away from many games as you can only commute back & forth so many days per week. I am currently in the process of moving to downtown KC, so being a mere 10-15 minutes from the stadium, and working a normal M-F job is going to be great to get back in the swing of things.
Steve DuBois High School Teacher (St. Thomas Aquinas, Debate/Speech) Age 33 Originally from Topeka; now in Lenexa Cauldron I was one of the first significant generation of youth soccer players in the US, and spent ages 5-13 in a reversible green/gold burlap jersey that often came down to my knees. As soccer was something that I did that not a lot of other kids were into, it came to define me to an extent, and my introduction to the game as a spectator began with the original version of the Comets in the early 80s. Like a lot of other Americans, my interest in the game was rekindled by the '94 World Cup. At the founding of MLS, I was certifying as a teacher at Washburn, and I was in attendence at the Wizards '96 debut against Colorado. I didn't join the proto-cauldron until later that year after interacting with Sam, Wade, and a few other founders on the Wizards' original online discussion boards. The Cauldron served as an important social outlet for me during what was a rather weird and somewhat traumatic time in my life, and I was sorry to have to leave it in 1998 when I took a teaching job in Salina. I experienced the 2000 championship primarily through TV broadcasts and rejoined the Cauldron the following year when I took the Aquinas job. I'm not as frequent an attendee anymore as I used to be, for a variety of job and health related reasons; though I am still able to make it to games during the summer occasionally. To the extent that I'm a recognizable figure in the Cauldron, it has primarily been due to my threats to sexually assault the opposing team's goaltender, though I haven't been as vocal in that regard (or in others) as I once was. I am also the proud originator of some of the least successful chants in Cauldron history, most notably efforts associated with Mike Amman, Igor Simutenkov, and CJ Brown.
name: Stephen Mullen age: 26 location: blue springs (yes, my whole life) job: *sigh* unemployed seat location: pretty much sit wherever we feel like it on that day. i've been in the cauldron a few times, but i'm usually with a group that prefers a better view. i've been a fan of the game my whole life, but only played 'til somewhere around my 5th-6th grade years. always followed it, but never really got back into it until my freshman year at sms (which will be known as missouri state university come august 27th) when intramurals came calling. my team, HOF United (House of Ferdinand - don't ask), took the games way too seriously. soccer basically rules my life and dictates my decisions. i remember random dates and things by association to the game or event that was played on or around that time. when monday hits, at least 50% of the energy my brain uses is looking forward to saturday (or whenever the next game is), and that percentage only increases as the week progresses. i'm extremely lazy when i want to be, which is just about most of the time. i used to deny that i was lazy. i'd say that i was efficient instead - specifically, what i said was, "i strive toward efficiency in the expenditure of human energy." it's too much work to say that anymore. you can find me and the group that i hang with out under the d17 sign before every game. we've become fairly good friends with the security guards that drive around in their suv. because of our acquaintance to these fine fellas, our priceless (read: servicable) grill was spared the horrors of kidnap, or i guess grillnap. it is at d17 where the great tailgate drinking game was perfected, known as boccer. i have many pet peeves. the two biggest have to be bad spelling and sentence structure. i have to make a concious effort not to correct people's errors on bigsoccer everytime i get on my computer. a couple of the mistakes that irk me more than others are when 'ridiculous' is spelled 'rediculous,' when 'then' is used instead of 'than,' and when 'loose' is used instead of 'lose.' stuff like this always came easy to me (fortunately), but i understand that others don't have this gift or just simply don't care. that's fine... just know that when you write or spell something incorrectly, i'm on the other end pulling my hair out.
I demand that you bring "boccer" to B5 and show us! I love beer and soccer, so I must know this game! But capitalization obviously doesn't matter.
Name: Shannon Miller Occupation: student Age: 17 Location: Lee's Summit, MO Grew up playing soccer in the local rec leagues and quickly began playing competitive. After playing on two seperate teams for several seasons, I got burnt out on the sport when I was about 10. For about the four years after that I was a swimmer with the Kansas City Blazers and by chance one day I went to a Wizards game. I hadn't been since I was 8 or 9, but on August 18, 2001, I went to a game and it stuck with me. I got season tickets next season and have had them since. That also sparked my interest in playing soccer again. I have since abandoned any hope of becoming a good soccer player and now am content with simply watching the beautiful game. When I'm not at games, I'm probably at school. I'm a senior at LS North and a member of the tennis team. My true sport, however, is cycling. I'm convinced that if something drives me to willingly get up before 5am, it must be love. Between school, Tennis, and trying to get in my miles on the bike, I don't have too much free time except in the late hours of the night which is when I'm normally on Bigsoccer. It looks like I will soon be trading in my life in LS to head to college after this year when I graduate. Sorry for you KU folks, but I will be probably be going to MU, most likely for journalism and perhaps something internationally related.
I thought I recognized your last name, but I wasn't sure. Our last game that year against Rockhurst is one of the few games in my past that still bothers me to this day.
Yeah I remember that game I was sitting in the stands watching, absolutly heart breaking. The same is true with me, except it was the last game my senior year against Rockhurst that still bothers me, I played the worst game of my goalkeeping life that night and the conditions didn't help but it is the one game in my life that still bothers me.
Name: Adri Mejia Age: 23 Occupation: Medical Spanish Interpreter Location: Indendence, MO Hi! I've actually been a member of big soccer for almost a year, but I am horrible at posting. In fact, I had to sign up a new user name cause I forgot the last one... ...I do read it quite often however. Anyway- Soccer, or futbol as I know it, has always been a big part of my life. I was born in Mexico (although the light hair and blue eyes would tell you otherwise) where soccer is more like a religion. I am not so much about the rules (what girl is) as I am about the passion (although you unfortunatly don't see too much of it here). I've been a Wizards fan since I moved to Missouri in 2000. The first game I came to was Wizards vs Galaxy and the only reason I came was because Luis Hernandez (a once-Mexican idol) played for LA and I was in love... (not proud of it). Anyway- after that I was hooked. Didn't make it to too many games until last season though - the whole college thing got a little in the way. I'm not a season ticket holder (although I should be). I missed 3 games last season and 1 so far this season (I was out of the country- that's my excuse). I don't sit in a specific section as it really depends on who I can convince to come to the game with me. Unfortunatly that's not such an easy task around here. My brother and sister are big fans too, so I usually come with them. I prefer section 117 since the sun is never an issue and you get a pretty clear view of the field. I also enjoy any Cup that's going on. I've been trying to keep up with the Gold Cup although that's pretty tough here in the States since they never show them on tv. What's up with US vs Honduras on Telefutura?! Why not ESPN 2 at least?! Anyway- other than that, I'm a graduate from Central Missouri State University. I majored in Elementary Education but decided on a different career path. I'm also a Royals fan (as painful as that sometimes is). I can't say I'm much of a football fan, but I'll root for the Chiefs any day.
Name: Kevin Hartnett Age: 14 Student at Lee's Summit High School My parents got season tickets in '96, and I hated coming to games. But during the 2000 season, I gained interest and have been a fan ever since then. I started sitting in the Cauldron in the 2004 season (previously sat in 119). I don't know when I found BigSoccer, but I joined it in 2004 after reading it for a while. I have played soccer since I was 5 and now play goalkeeper at LSHS.
Name: Paul Freelend Occupation: Sports Editor, Douglas County Post-Gazette Age: 24 Location: Elkhorn, NE (by way of Grand Island, Bellevue and Casper, WY) Joined BigSoccer in April 2001 thanks to Grant Wahl's SI column about finding a place to watch the US-Honduras WCQ. Drove down from GI to watch the US-Costa Rica qualifier and been coming back ever since. As for the Cauldron, I like being with the people who are having fun. I've stood with Sam's Army six times, the River Ratz, the Inferno, Section 8 and El Norte ... had a great time everywhere I went (except Denver, but that was more due to the security goons). Was a product of WC '94, been watching MLS from Game 1 and I try to hit all nats games within a reasonable distance. Soccer is my thing. I played sweeper on a school team that went 2 years without scoring a goal, but that somehow failed to dissuade me from the sport. Now I cover it wherever I can and, as the high school and college coaches I've left in my wake can attest, I do it better than most. Covering sports as I do, though, it means I work nights and weekends ... same time as Wizards games. I make it down when I can, but I can't always afford to burn half a Saturday. It's always fun to be among the Cauldronites, though (Hi Eden!).
Amanda White Age: 19 Location: Sometimes Nebraska, other times Minnesota Occupation: College Student, Summer Internship with a church I have never played on a soccer team because there was not one available for me to be on. I'm really not sure how I got into soccer, but I remember watching my first soccer game: 1999 Women's World Cup final on television, within 2 minutes I was hooked on soccer. Ever since then (I was about 12), I have just kicked the ball around in my front yard or wherever I could find space. I have only been to 2 Wizards games, but have thoroughly enjoyed them and would love to come again soon.
Lindsey Johnson Age:19 Occupation:Full Time Student Location:Overland Park I started going to wizards games about 4 years ago and was hooked instantly. I enjoy supporting home town teams, but not so much the royals. i can't seem to get into baseball. I loved when we had the Blades hockey team here. They were so much fun to watch especially when the players when get into the fights. In my opinion that was the best part. I've been to every game so far this year, and me and my friends usually sit in sec 118-119, wherever seats we get. I haven't made it over to the Cauldron just yet. I still think I'm a little intimidate by you guys. But, hearing you support our team makes the games that much more enjoyable.