—by Michelle Deford

On Saturday, August 27th, 2016, the Timbers Army hosted their second annual two-stick party, this time to take down Seattle. Now, when we have this talk, someone usually asks, “What is a two stick?” Imagine you are at a Timbers game. The anthem has just been sung, “…and the home, of the… TIMBERS!!!!!!” and everyone around you is going nuts. These two dudes in front of you told you they had something they were going to hold up, but it wouldn’t be up during the game and it wouldn’t be up for very long. Suddenly, there is a giant piece of fabric in front of you with two PVC pipes on each side.

“Is this… a Drake CD cover?” (Note: This is an actual two-stick made last time.)

That’s a two-stick.

Maybe you have seen some of the amazing pieces the PTFC Moderates have done, or you’ve caught a few glimpses of the things that come from 208, or 106, or anywhere really. That’s the beautiful thing about art in the TA: ANYONE CAN DO IT.

The day before Seattle at home, we had more than 20 people come out to the tifo garage and paint two-sticks. The tifo crew very graciously let us use their location, paint, and brushes, and they even bought us blank canvases to use. People brought in all kinds of designs. We had a lot of Cups, a Ridgy Tootsie Roll, some emojis, a few superheroes, and a lot of fun.

Here are the qualifying entries in the 2016 Player Chant Contest. Thanks to everyone who had the courage to put their ideas out there!

Pick up to five chants you like, then vote (107ist membership required).
Voting ends at noon on Monday, September 12, 2016. The top vote-getter will be added to the capo/DnT rotation.

• Vytas Chants
• Barmby Chants
• Chara Chants
• Gleeson Chants
• Melano Chants
• Nagbe Chants
• Ridgewell Chants
• Valeri Chants
• Zemanski Chants

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VYTAS CHANTS

1. Oscar Mayer Bologna (variant 1)

2. Oscar Mayer Bologna (variant 2 – John Strong version)

3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

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BARMBY CHANTS

4. Barbie Girl

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CHARA CHANTS

5. The Body

6. Changes

7. Hava Nagila

8. Mario Gomez Cha-Cha (link to original)

9. Now We Can See

10. Que Sera, Sera (variant 1)

11. Que Sera, Sera (variant 2)

12. Roll On Columbia

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GLEESON CHANTS

13. Time of the Season

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MELANO CHANTS

14. Blitzkrieg Bop

15. Copacabana

16. Lithium

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NAGBE CHANTS

17. Bumble Bee Tuna

18. Freed From Desire (or: Will Grigg’s On Fire)

19. I Want Candy

20. Karma Chameleon

21. Let’s Go Crazy

22. Should I Stay or Should I Go

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RIDGEWELL CHANTS

23. Sloop John B (or: “He scores when he wants“, etc.)

24. The Magnificent Seven

25. Roll On Columbia

26. Tootsee Roll

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VALERI CHANTS

27. Don’t You Want Me

28. The Happy Wanderer

29. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

30. Louie Louie

31. That’s Amore (variant 1)

32. That’s Amore (variant 2)

33. Volare (variant 1 – shorter)

34. Volare (variant 2 – longer)

35. Volare (variant 3 – Dale, maestro del gol)

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ZEMANSKI CHANTS

36. The Dayman

Vote! (107ist membership required)

—by Stephanzy

As many of you may or may not know, one of the things we do on the 107ist Community Outreach Committee is deciding on donation requests.  While some of the big donations get a lot of the coverage, many of them are much smaller and can have a larger, broader, impact.  While it varies based on alignment with our mission, we frequently give gift baskets to auctions or raffle fundraisers which include a voucher for a pair of TA shirts, No Pity scarves, and when appropriate, match tickets.  The 107ist has several season tickets for this purpose and it is always a great pleasure to find a group worthy of this gift.  While the money these gift baskets raise varies greatly, we frequently hear back that they are among the most popular items.

The most raised that we know of was at the Harper’s Playground Auction last year, when we sweetened the deal with playoff tickets and other items including a log slab from Timber Jim.  The final bid was around $2,600!  The best part was the guy who won already had tickets and donated them back to Harper’s Playground to raffle off, raising even more money.

While the typical money raised is much more conservative, the largest impact is often on the fact that it allows people who are normally unable to attend matches to come down and experience what we do as the Mighty PTFC for the cost of a raffle ticket.  One of these stories culminated just this last weekend.  As you know, Operation Pitch Invasion is doing a project at the soccer field in April Hill Park in Southwest Portland.  Due to lower turnout recently, we’re reaching out to the many people in the community that use the field as well as the Foothills Soccer Club, the primary user for practices and matches.  As a part of our outreach to the community, we gave a basket with TA shirts, “limited edition” Gold Outline No Pities, and Seattle at Home tickets to be raffled at the neighborhood’s Movie in the Park event a few weeks ago, and it was the most popular basket in the raffle.  The kid who won plays on the field all the time and was seriously ecstatic about winning, about as much as his mom, an active member of the community.  They wore their new scarves proudly for the rest of the evening and anxiously anticipated the match.

We frequently get wonderful thank-you notes from people for our donations and this one, sent the evening after the match, really got us in the feels, so we thought we’d share:

“…just wanted to let you know that today was, by his own account, the second best day of Torin's life, after the day he was born.  Got our wristbands this morning and found seats in 107 as was his big wish.  We got to hold the edge of the tifo [BAF] 4 times today, and our voices are completely hoarse.  We've lucked out on TA tickets from season ticket holders 2 times before & stood in the upper section, but today was hands down the best ever, what with gutting the fish and all ;)

“Thanks a ton for making it all happen to get the raffle package for Maplewood, and for setting the wheels in motion for the happiest kid I know today.  …Definitely a huge treat for a household on a tight budget, too!”

See what I mean about the feels?

A side note, while we have you:  the soccer field at April Hill Park was built in the mid-sixties by some neighborhood kids who wrote a letter to the city to ask if they could, and is now one of the most used fields in SW Portland.  Like much of the soil in SW Portland, it doesn’t drain well and quickly turns to mud during the fall soccer season.  As a result, the surface is really uneven.  It’s the type of field that you need to either take a cross out of the air, or give it at least six feet clearance to see how it bounces before shooting.  The diverse group of kids, including Torin, that use it on a daily basis deserve better and you can help.  So sign up to come join us this Saturday.

—by Shawn Levy

Announcing the Much-Delayed-But-Worth-It Timbers Army Chant Selection Contest (or the MDBWITACSC if you're into that whole brevity thing).

The Capos and Drum-&-Trumpet Corps are creating new material and soliciting some of it from the people who will actually sing it, which is to say all y'all.

Here are the parameters, instructions and caveats for this contest:

1) We are seeking PLAYER CHANTS, that is, short, punchy bits that can be sung when a player scores a goal, makes a save, enters/leaves a game, or is otherwise awesome.  They are meant to be celebratory and brief enough to insert into the flow of the match.

2) We do NOT want to repurpose chants that have already been done for another player.  Our ethos has always been that once a player is gone, his chant leaves with him.  If you're not sure about your idea, reach out to @shawnlevy on Twitter and he can tell you if the melody has already been used.

3) Think tight-and-bright:  Urruti, Scot-With-One-T, O Tennyson!  A 5-to-10 second chant that can be launched and repeated quickly.  Long, wordy, multi-verse chants can't be rolled out for a celebratory minute or two very effectively.  And they take a long time to catch on.

4) It may NOT be “Gleeee-sonnnn.”

5) Or a variation on “Portland Boys,” because please.

6) Think of the players whom we need to celebrate:  Chara, Gleeson, Nagbe, Ridgewell, Valeri, and others.  Be inspired.  Be upbeat.  Be fun. 

HOW TO SUBMIT:

1) Create a video of the MELODY AND WORDS ONLY.  It could be sung/played live for this purpose; it could be a song sample from a music video with lyrics posted over it; whatever works for you.  But keep it low-fi; we're voting on the song, not the video.  The only graphics should be the lyrics.

2) YOUR SAMPLE MUST BE ANONYMOUS.  Please avoid any personal identifiers in the video.  We're voting for what's best, not for whom we like best.  We DO need to know who has posted the video when it is submitted, but we will allow for that to be done without any names being attached during the voting process.

3) Submissions will be open from Tuesday, August 23 through 5pm on Monday, September 5.

4) To submit, email your link to support@timbersarmy.org with "Player Chant Contest" in the subject line.

5) The 107ist, Capos, and D&T reserve the right to not put up for a vote any video which is obviously malicious, defamatory, or flagrantly trollish.  If a submission of this sort is identified, the creators shall be contacted with explanation and given a chance to appeal.  But the ultimate decision rests with the group putting on the contest.

HOW TO VOTE:

1) When the submission period ends, all eligible videos will be posted in a single place on the Timbers Army website and voting will begin shortly thereafter.

2) Voting will be limited to current members-in-good-standing of the 107ist.

3) Voting will end at noon on Monday, September 12. At that time, the vote totals will be announced and the winning entry will enter the North End playlist.  The Capos and D&T may also, at their discretion, choose to incorporate another entry, but no promises expressed or implied.

—by Keith Palau

There are myriad reasons why I’m proud to be TA:

The high level of consistent support for our club before, during, and after the match.

The amazing away support.

The best tifo in North America.

The fact that we have our differences, yet remain unified.

But one reason that may be missed by some, especially outside the TA, is the quality and quantity of support for meaningful causes in our community.  As a member of the 107ist Community Outreach team, I’m privileged to see just how much is accomplished each year by our passionate, caring, and generous constituency.

Below is a description of an upcoming project that’s near and dear to my heart.  Via social media alone, the $3,500 budget was raised, mostly by people whom I know are TA, in less than 36 hours.  There were even a few ECS friends who joined in ;-)

If you gave a specific gift toward the room makeover, thank you!  If you’ve paid your 107ist membership fee, thank you; you help make things like this happen.  If you want to volunteer for the actual room makeover the 2^nd half of August, please let me know.

And thank you again for letting me join you as part of our wonderful Timbers Army.

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Here’s your opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of kids and families on the west side of Portland, and represent the Timbers and Timbers Army at the same time!

The Timbers Army, Embrace Oregon, and other friends in the Westside Community are coming together to do a major remodel of a family visitation room at the Hillsboro DHS offices (Child Welfare Programs) this August.

The room will be done entirely in a Timbers/Timbers Army theme, with signed memorabilia donated by the Timbers, custom log slice end tables with the help of Timber Joey Webber, a mural designed and painted by TA artists, brand new furniture, and a new flat screen TV and game system. DHS plans on naming it the “Timbers Room”.

The visitation room is designed for children and teens who are in foster care to be able to spend an average of one hour each week with their birth families and other supporters. This is an intimate and critical point of connection for children whose lives have been turned upside down, as well as for biological parents who are working hard and taking steps to get their kids returned home. A visitation room that is homey and warm speaks value and worth to both the children and their families.

Another use for the “Timbers Room” will be when children are removed from their homes for imminent safety reasons and must sit in the Child Welfare office awaiting placement. Volunteers called “Office Moms and Dads” may be available to play with kids for an average of 5-7 hours while the caseworker tries to find a foster placement. In this instance, having an inviting space with activities is very helpful and allows the worker to focus on finding a foster placement.

Now is the perfect time to join us in reminding our children, teens, parents, guardians, and DHS staff that they are valued by creating this lasting legacy of love from the Timbers and the TA.

All of the money raised will go to the direct expenses of furniture not donated, new flat screen TV and game system, paint and paint supplies, shelving and wall mounts, games and toys, etc.  If we’re able to secure enough in-kind gifts to stay below our budget, we’ll have money left over for the proposed Timbers Army room makeover at the Beaverton DHS next year.

THANK YOU for considering taking part in this meaningful and lasting gift to children and families on the west side of Portland.

Sincerely,

Keith Palau

www.timbersarmy.org
www.embraceoregon.org

 

 

Re: The Walk to End Alzheimer’s (WTEA) on Sunday, September 11th at Portland International Raceway

This email is a sincere thank you to those who have already registered and donated -- and a gentle reminder to those of you who intend to do so in the future.

I have been delighted, as have Noeleen and the Conway family, to see the steady stream of testimonials posted on Jimmy’s Facebook page. As a reminder: We are asking friends, family, former teammates, and fans of Jimmy to send us a brief testimonial, and include your name, your connection to Jimmy, and a short comment in support of Jimmy, hopefully with an accompanying photo. Testimonials will be posted on the Fans of Jimmy Conway Facebook page. You can send your testimony and photo to me at mick@mickhoban.com. A little while after the WTEA, we will be producing an event book and presenting it to Noeleen.

Visit our Friends of Jimmy Conway page on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s site, where you can register (free) and/or donate.

Please also visit Jimmy’s Facebook page.

Best wishes,

Mick Hoban
Team Captain
Friends of Jimmy Conway

—Words by William Packwood; Photos by Ray Terrill

Timbers Army FC teams bested those from Emerald City Supporters FC in total points on the day by a 7-4 margin.

It was a perfect day for football with light overcast skies and a mild temperature this past Saturday when four supporters' teams from Seattle came down to face their TAFC counterparts at Rex Putnam HS for a full day of matches.

First up was an inaugural matchup between over-40 sides, with players from Old Growth FC and Nomads FC representing TAFC O40s. This was an entertaining 90 minutes as the teams turned out to be evenly matched with chances on goal for each side. In the end, however, neither side was able to convert their chances and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Both sides agreed that the O-40's match should continue as a fixture in future Supporters' Derby Day events.

Incidentally, the O40s match was the third "new" match added by TAFC to the day's competition in as many times hosting the Derby.  The D4 match was added in Portland 2012 and the Women's match was added in 2014. Both of those events were held at Buckman Field.

The noon match saw a return of the D4 competition, with Northern Alliance having won the right to represent TAFC by virtue of being the current Cuppy del Norte defending champs. The boys from the other side of the Columbia did TAFC proud by dominating the match 4-1. Goals were scored by Jason Thoma (assist by Ben Melnick), Joe Stevenson (off of a corner set), and Alex Zinda (assist by Evin Westcott). The name of the scorer of the final TAFC goal was lost in the elation of the rout. Man of the match was GK Jason Stevenson, who had a monster performance in goal.

Next up were the defending Women's champs: Whipsaws FC.  The women continued their winning ways and turned in another dominant performance against ECS FC.  At the final whistle, Whipsaws stood as 3-peat champs with a score of 4-1.  Goals were recorded by Brandi Fritz, Kathy Lopez, Jennie Birt, and Sandita McDermott. The women continued their victory celebration on Sunday with drinks from the cup in the North End at Providence Park.

The final match of the day was the D1 derby, with players from Portlandia and Nomads on the TAFC side against the defending ECS FC D1 team. Here TAFC's fortunes fell flat, and despite many individual performances that were full of heart and skill, the TAFC boys were unable to develop sustained team chemistry and couldn't convert any of their chances. ECS turned in a 4-0 win and remain the defending D1 match champs for another year.

Photo by Rachel Etnire

On the whole, it was another successful Supporters' Derby Day, and the 7-4 aggregate points total from the day's matches led to the TAFC players striding into Providence Park on Sunday for the BIG match with their heads held high —and we all know how we strode/danced OUT of that match.  Thanks again to all who participated on the pitch and in the stands.

For more photos of both the Women's and D1 matches, check out Ray Terrill's excellent work here. 

—by Mike Coleman

The Timbers Army tifo crew was wrapping up painting on their “Legends Never Sleep” tifo for the 7/17 match. All that was left to paint was the star on Freddy’s sweater.

That’s when inspiration struck one of the project managers. They had the thought to invite a player into add the coup de grâce. So, a couple of phone calls were made, and Diego Valeri agreed to visit the tifo garage with his daughter to paint that final piece.

But, as well all know, the first rule of tifo is you don’t talk about tifo. So before Diego arrived, the tifo crew folded up the banner so that all Diego and Coni, his daughter, could see was the blank star.

Of course he was curious what he was working on. He asked one of the PMs if he could see the rest of the design.

Nope, not until match day, was the response.

Diego smiled, and nodded.

Diego gets it. 

Gracias Diego por todo.

—by Matthew Lindley

As the sun set on this year’s annual Timbers Army BBQ, a new tradition was brought to the pitch at Providence Park. The Championship of the GPSD’s TAFC League is a match for the coveted Cuppy Del Norte and the right to face the representative from Emerald City Supporters later this season on Cascadia derby weekend.  This year’s final assured a first-time champion at Providence Park as Multnomah Forest AFC faced rivals from across the I-5 bridge, Northern Alliance FC.

An interesting backdrop was provided as cheering sections gathered for each team let their voices be heard from the opening whistle.  Adding to this was the 2^nd half of the US National Team’s rout at the hands of Argentina being broadcast on the PP video board.

Both teams began the match at a quick and physical pace, with MFAFC on the front foot for much of the first 20 minutes.  That changed in the 26^th minute when NAFC’s Joseph Stevenson put a header off the woodwork, coming inches away from taking the match's first lead.  Moments later, a second cheer went up as Darlington Nagbe was subbed in on the big screen for that match's waning moments. MFAFC briefly turned the tide when a great free kick attempt sailed just over the bar, bringing us to halftime.

The halftime entertainment for the evening was provided by the TAFC version of “Lil Timbers” as the Old Growth FC Over-40 and Over-50 teams faced off in a mini-match in the North End, further celebrating the great soccer culture created by the TA and the TAFC.

Northern Alliance began the second half on a tear, looking quite dangerous with numerous tests of the Forest defense.  This changed in the 65^th minute when Tim Elzinga of Multnomah Forest turned a great run into the best chance of the match by either team, barely stopped by the NAFC keeper.

It stayed a back and forth affair until the 88^th minute, when Jurgen Hartung found the back of the net to give Northern Alliance the match’s first lead in the late stages.  The final nail was driven moments later when Hartung drained a screamer from long distance moments from the referee’s final whistle, to deliver the “Cuppy” directly into the hands of the men from Vancouver.

With the victory in the books, next up for the new champions are the enemy from the North later this summer.  But many left the terraces with the hope that this becomes an annual summer tradition for seasons to come.

See the full set of match photos taken by TA photographer Ray Terrill.

—by Andrew Brawley

A recent review of the Timbers Army chant catalog resulted in the elimination of a chant deemed offensive to a select group or groups within our membership. I fully support the 107ist Board's decision and subsequent action.

Furthermore, after conducting my own review of the since-updated chant sheet, I wish to submit the following list of words and phrases found herein that could also be deemed offensive to select audiences.

I humbly ask the 107ist Board to reconvene at their earliest convenience to review this list and modify or remove the affected chant(s) deemed offensive to our community.

Thank you for your time.

Word or phrase	Potential offended audience
We / Friends / Us / Party / Team / League	Sociophobics
Green	Chlorophobics
Gold	Aurophobics
Gold Gold Gold	Monologophobics
Up	Acrophobics
City	Urbanphobics
Shake	Kinesiophobics
Gates	Claustrophobics
Hell	Christians; Atheists
Time	Chronophobics
See	Blind people
Smiling	Geliophobics
Prison	Incarcerophobics
TV	Televisiophobics
Say	Glossophobics
Whoa-oh-oh	Erotophobics
Keep it up	Medorthophobics
Don't let up / forever	Apeirophobics
Boys / Men	Androphobics
Best / Victory / Win	Atychiphobics
Sing	Decantophobics
Sleep	Hypnophobics
Tonight	Nyctophobics
Love	Philophobics
Stolen	Kleptophobics
Mental	Special needs communities
Buried	Taphophobics
Barmy	Homichlophobics
TRUE	Alethephobics
End	Apocalyptophobics
Noise	Phonophobics
Jump	Catapedaphobics
Sunshine	Heliophobics
Happy	Cherophobics
Sky	Anablephobics
Gray	Glaucophobics
Wise	Gnosiophobics
Rush	Tachophobics
Falling	Bathophobics
Hands	Chirophobics
Die	Thanatophobics

 

 

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.