Spring 1998 Town North YMCA League Champions 2nd Grade	Fall 2000 Association Champions U-10	Fall 2002 Association Champions U-12
Spring 2003 Association Champions U-12	Spring 2004 Association Champions U-13	Fall 2004 Association Champions U-14

2005 Irving Spring Tune-Up Tournament Champions U-14 Recreational Boys	2004 Bob Wiseman Tournament Champions U-14 Recreational Boys
2003 Irving Invitational Tournament Champions U-14 Recreational Boys	2003 Hurst Turkeyshoot Tournament Champions U-13 Recreational Boys
2003 Chevrolet Texas Open Tournament Champions U-12 Recreational Boys	2003 Bob Wiseman Tournament Champions U-13 Recreational Boys
2002 Hurst Turkeyshoot Tournament Champions U-12 Recreational Boys	2002 Genesis Cup XVI Tournament Champions U-12 Recreational Boys
2002 Quickfoot 6v6 Dallas Regional Champions U-13 Competitive Division	2002 Bob Wiseman Tournament Champions U-12 Recreational Boys

In August 1995, Mr. Tom Houle came upon the idea of forming a soccer team whose members would be boys likely to attend St. Monica Catholic School in Dallas, Texas as kindergarten students in August 1996. The goal driving the idea to form a team was two-fold. One, to teach the boys the fundamentals and rules of soccer while teaching them the basic tenets of teamwork and participation in an athletic endeavor. Two, to promote a spirit of friendship among the families of the players; families who would hopefully share in the experiences of their son’s education from pre-school to high school, and beyond.

From these principals, the JOKERS were born. Tom contacted Mr. Wayne Hardey, and told him of his idea. Together, these men contacted other families, informed them of the idea, put together a roster of 13 players, and volunteered to serve as the team’s first coaches. The team began play in pre-K division of the Town North YMCA league, playing in both the Fall 1995 and Spring 1996 seasons. The team continued playing in the YMCA leagues through the Spring 1998 season. The team was fortunate enough to go through that season as the undefeated league champions. Following that season, the team decided to seek a higher level of competition. Mr. Houle relinquished his duties as coach, and was replaced by Mr. Frank Garcia. The team joined the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce Soccer Association U-8 division as the St. MONICA STRIKERS for the Fall 1998 season. Seeking a higher level of competition did not come without a price, as the team experienced its lowest lows during a 3-7-1 campaign in the Spring 2000 season. Hard work and perseverance paid off eventually, as the team won the NDCCSA Fall 2000 Tournament in the U-10 division, and represented the league in the North Texas State Soccer Association Tournament of Champions.

Starting with the Fall 2001 season, the team moved into the U-12 recreational division of the NDCCSA. The move necessitated an expansion and diversification of the roster. The roster continues to boast players who either live or attend school in the 75229 zip code. We have dropped the "St. Monica" affiliation from the team name, as the team became a much more more homogenous group, featuring 14 boys who attend 10 different neighborhood schools. The Fall 2001 season also saw the team's third significant coaching change as Frank Garcia resigned, and Mr. Ray Smith joined as an assistant. Unfortunately, that association was short-lived as Mr. Smith and his son decided to pursue other recreational activities after only one year.

The STRIKERS reached a competitive zenith during the 2002 Quickfoot 6v6 Dallas-area Regional Championships. In this qualifier for the National 6v6 Championship, the STRIKERS entered the U-11 recreational division. However, due to a lack of entries, the team was asked to play in the U-13 Competitive division. To everyone's surprise (including our own), we marched through group play, and advance to the tournament final which we won! Along the way, we defeated club-level teams from Arlington and Fort Worth, all of whom had players two years older, six inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than us. And...we only surrendered 2 goals during the entire tournament.

Mr. Peter Goodchild signed on as an assistant coach at the beginning of the Fall 2002 season. Using the success of the Quickfoot tournament as a springboard, the STRIKERS romped through the 2002-2003 season. They achieved a degree of successsful results unprecedented in its history. Playing in the RIAD league (a combination of U-12 teams from the NDCCSA, Lake Highlands, Richardson and Dallas North soccer associations), the team went through the fall season with a perfect 10-0-0 mark, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 58-2. They coupled their league championship with tournament titles in the Bob Wiseman Memorial, and Hurst Turkeyshoot. The team also captured third place finishes in the Dallas Texans Tournament, the 20th Annual Big Country Invitational, and the NTSSA Tournament of Champions. The Spring 2003 season saw a continuation of the STRIKERS' winning ways. The team captured the RIAD league championship along with tournament titles in the Genesis Cup and the NTSSA Texas Open. All told, the team played 54 games. They had a combined overall record of 45-5-4, and outscored the opposition by 239-38.

Today, the STRIKERS continue to play in the NDCCSA, although the roster bears little resemblance to the one originally put together in 1995. Over the years, the roster has changed as players move away, choose to seek different levels of competition, or simply find other areas of interest. Over the years, the essence of our team has remained constant, and can be found in our team cheer. It consists of 3 parts. First is HAVE FUN! If soccer isn't fun for the players (especially if playing soccer with the Strikers isn't fun), then we encourage the players to let their parents know, and find another activity that is fun. Kids won't be kids forever, and they should enjoy every aspect of their childhood as much (and as long) as they can. Second is TRY HARD! Any activity in life worth doing is worth doing well. The coaching staff of the Strikers never wants to have a player look back on his time with the Strikers and think "I sure wish I had tried harder". Opportunities missed are opportunities lost. Opportunities lost can never be recovered. Third is NO LIP! This means treating teammates, opponents and officials with courtesy and respect. It means winning with humility, and accepting defeat with grace.

The STRIKERS are always on the lookout for some friendly competition. If your team would like to join us, please send an email to Coach Hardey, and we'll see what we can do about arranging a match.