Two long time coaches, Herb Kaldany and Mark Soler, have retired from the pitch. Herb and Mark not only coached girls travel teams for many years, but also coached in the recreational league.

Herb Kaldany 

Herb was selected as the U9 girls coach in 2006. He coached the Rowdies for the next seven years through this past spring. Over the years, the Rowdies moved up to and twice won the Olympic flight in the South Jersey Girls Soccer League. Entering the statewide JAGS league in 2011, the Rowdies moved up the rankings each season and ended last spring in the second flight. Having met his goal to see many former and current Rowdies play Freshman, JV and Varsity at Eastern High school, Herb has stepped down as coach.  

Herb also coached three different teams with his three children for a total of seventeen recreational seasons, in addition to assisting for six years with his son's travel team. Obviously, he coached two and three teams per year at times.  

Mark Soler 

In 2007, after coaching two teams most years in the recreational program for eleven years, Mark Soler added a travel team to his resume. He coached the Cheetahs for two years. When his daughter moved to the Vortex in 2009, he became an assistant coach. In fall of 2010, he became the head coach of the Vortex and remained until they reached U-14 this year. Improving their play each season, the Vortex moved up two flights over these three seasons to the National division. After twenty seven total recreational and travel seasons, family considerations have caused Mark to step down this year.

Mark was also a VSA board member for six years. He served as a recreational league scheduler, coordinated the referees for two years and was the board vice-president when he left a couple of years ago. In addition, he has refereed and put together the slide show for awards night in February in recent years.

VSA will miss both Herb and Mark and thank them for a combined twenty eight years of service to the children and the club. If you know them or see them out on the pitch, give them a well-earned thanks for their volunteer efforts.

For immediate self-care of an ankle sprain, try the R.I.C.E. approach:

• Rest. Avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort. But don't avoid all physical activity. Instead, give yourself relative rest. With an ankle sprain, you can usually still exercise other muscles to prevent deconditioning. For example, you could use an exercise bicycle, working both your arms and the uninjured leg while resting the injured ankle on a footrest. That way you still exercise three limbs and keep up your cardiovascular conditioning.

• Ice. Even if you're seeking medical help, ice the area immediately. Use an ice pack or slush bath for 15 to 20 minutes and repeat every two to three hours while you're awake, for the first 48 to 72 hours. Cold reduces pain, swelling and inflammation in injured muscles, joints and connective tissues. It also may slow bleeding if a tear has occurred. If the area turns white, stop treatment immediately. This could indicate a cold injury. If you have vascular disease, diabetes or decreased sensation, talk with your doctor before applying ice.

• Compression. To help stop swelling, compress the ankle with an elastic bandage until the swelling stops. Don't wrap it too tightly or you may hinder circulation. Begin wrapping at the end farthest from your heart. Loosen the wrap if the pain increases, if the area becomes numb or if swelling occurs below the wrapped area.

• Elevation. To reduce swelling, elevate your ankle above the level of your heart, especially at night. Gravity helps reduce swelling by draining excess fluid.