BOLTNAR: MENTORING THE MENACE >>

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

The PDL preseason is underway and I can’t wait for my sixth season with Des Moines Menace. My name is Tomas Boltnar and I will be keeping a journal of experiences with the PDL for the nest several months.

I was born and raised in Zlin, Czech Republic. I am an alumnus of the University of California Pennsylvania where I played soccer, received my BA and MBA.

I was introduced to the Des Moines Menace by my college coach. I was excited for the opportunity to play with the Des Moines Menace because they carried a strong reputation for being an up and coming program.

The Menace’s strong relationship with Kum & Go also gave me opportunities in business. In 2003, I moved to Des Moines, IA where I would later marry my college sweetheart and have my first son.

Soccer and the Des Moines Menace have become a very strong presence in my life. In addition to playing and assistant coaching for the PDL team, I coach three of our youth programs. With the preseason in full swing, I seem to eat, sleep and breathe soccer.

In preparation for 2007 the players and I have attended Acceleration Iowa to increase our fitness level and stamina. We have played several 11 on 11 scrimmages during practice and are looking forward to having our entire team arrive in town.

The biggest challenge this time of the year is forming relationships and team unity with all the players as they arrive in town. Learning names faces and proper field communication is a huge priority for all members as our team arrives here in Des Moines.

Last year proved to an unlucky 13th season for the Menace. The entire team will be using last year’s untimely finish as motivation, we consider ourselves a true contender for the PDL Championship.

I am personally excited for the return of Edwin Disang, Armin Mujdzic, Ross Moffat and Tucker Sindlinger. The combination of these players and our incoming talent will prove to be a dynamite combination for 2007.

The preseason matches against the LA VALE and Latino Select were a great chance for the Menace to gain some experience as a team. The LA VALE match gave our fans a unique opportunity to see some celebrities up close and was a great momentum builder for this season.

The Menace defeated the Latino Select 9-0 this past Saturday in the Menace home opener. We had a great crowd for a windy night and I was very pleased with the standout performances of my teammates.

This week will be spent preparing for our PDL season opener against the Sioux Falls SpitFire. Practices will be challenging this week, but I am looking forward to spending more time with our team.

These first four matches are important as they count for both regular season points and open cup qualification. I am anxious to play and look forward to another successful season with the Menace.