At the Sunday board meeting, the board voted unanimously to send the next issue of the Whipsaw out to all members. The deadline is fast approaching, so please submit original stories, art or photos to whipsaw[AT]timbersarmy.org

This is the off-season issue so stories about the past season or predictions for the next are welcome. Write up your Seattle Away experience, muse on the future of the roster, or write about your reaction to the fanladen. We're always open to new stories, so send em in before November 22nd for inclusion in the next issue.

Cheers!

We all had a great time introducing you to the Fanladen and snuggling up to the Cascadia Cup. It was a fantastic afternoon and also a landmark moment in the evolution of 107ist and Timbers Army. Thank you to everyone who came out and shared the day.

We must thank our exceptional photographers. They are all pros who volunteered their time and talent: Steven Lenhart, Liv Schelly and Colleen Sparks. Please consider using them the next time you want any sort of portraits or sessions done.

Steven Lenhart's website

Liv Schelly's website

Colleen Sparks's website

And for those that missed out...should we do another photo shoot?

Last month we held an informal open house at the Timbers Army fanladen, when a few of you had a chance to get a sneak peek at our new space. Since then a lot of extra work has taken place, and we are ready to declare the place officially open.

The fanladen allows us to better meet our members’ needs, have safe storage of inventory, and provide ample creative space for us to continue to lead the way with our expressions of support for the boys. And, as it’s located at SW 17th and Alder, it’s just a dodgy keeper’s goal kick away from the stadium.

We invite you to join us to socialize with your Timbers Army brothers and sisters and enjoy some of the festivities we have planned.

What: Official Fanladen Opening

When: Sunday, November 11th from 1pm to 6pm

Where: The Fanladen, 1633 SW Alder St.

• Come have your photo taken with the Cascadia Cup, thanks to Steven Lenhart, Liv Shelly, and Colleen Sparks
• Renew your membership for 2013
• • A special gift will be provided to the first 350 who join or renew on site November 11
  • Plus ALL members who join or renew by December 31, 2012 will receive a 107ist t-shirt in addition to the normal membership packet and swag in early 2013
• Enjoy free refreshments, including beer, soft drinks and snacks, with a special shout out to Jerry for donating a keg from Lompoc
• Limited edition box set scarf purchase auction (see below for details)—A beautiful box set of scarves will be available for purchase during the grand opening
• Special limited edition merchandise (see below for details)—No Pity Originals has cooked up some great limited edition merchandise fitting for this momentous occasion. Many of these items will never be sold again, so don't miss out!
• Last season merch sale and 'look what we found when we cleaned the van' bargain bin

LIMITED EDITION: Rose City 'Til I Die/Bury Me In Green & Gold Scarf Set

Limited to 107 pieces. This box set includes a gorgeous red/burgundy "RCTID" bar scarf, and green/gold "Bury Me In Green & Gold" bar scarf. Completing the set is a special Timbers Army display box, featuring Timbers Army and No Pity Originals imagery, along with a special map of the area surrounding the Fanladen. A portion of these box sets will be pre-sold to those that helped build the fanladen and the top volunteers in the 2012 volunteer tracking database. The majority will be allocated through a raffle to be held as part of the opening event.

If you are interested in purchasing a limited edition box set of scarves, request your raffle ticket upon arrival at the fanladen. Winning tickets will be pulled periodically throughout the event. If your ticket is drawn, you have the right to purchase a single box set. Winners must either be present to win or must be available to answer the phone when their tickets are drawn.

Box sets are $50 each (one-per-person limit)

Heritage Collection

Portland has a rich footballing history that stretches back to the late 1800's. What began as locals battling British sailors quickly evolved into coordinated teams and leagues. Our Heritage Collection pays tribute to this strong heritage with two limited edition t-shirts. Honor the first official football club in Portland with our "Portland Association Football Club" shirt.

Shortly after Portland's first football club came Portland's first football league. All six participants are featured on our "Portland Football Association" shirt: Multnomah Red & White, Oregon Railroad & Navigation, The Cricketers, The Crescents, Caledonians, and Columbias.

Shirts are $15 each

Limited Edition Headwear

To mark this momentous occasion, No Pity Originals has re-issued all of our classic headwear in a traditional 1970's colorway. This will be the first and probably the last time you'll see the classic colors on these hat designs.

Hats are $20 each

It's finally happening!

What: The official Harper's Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

When: Saturday, November 3 - 11:00 am

Where: Arbor Lodge Park, 6825 North Delaware Avenue

Three years ago, the Timbers Army and the 107IST weren’t what they are today. In those three years we have grown, both as a group and as an organization within the community. Your membership alone gets you priority on away travel, discounts at our partner businesses, and the knowledge that in some way you helped with amazing tifo displays. And in many ways, your membership in the 107IST also has a direct return in the community.

Three years ago, the 107IST donated the $3,500 in profits from the original sunflower scarves to Harper’s Playground. In 2011 we designed the Harper’s Playground Everybody Plays scarf and generated $20,375 to Harper’s Playground.

This year, through various fundraisers, the 107IST has raised $47,500 for Harper’s Playground in the final push to complete the playground.

We’re very happy and excited to invite every single member of 107ist and the Timbers Army to the ribbon cutting on Saturday November 3rd at 11:00 am at Arbor Lodge Park. This is your membership making a positive impact in your community. Come on down to celebrate our town with Harper’s family and friends.

Win a Car

In the final push to tie up some loose ends, Harper’s father Cody is also auctioning off his 1976 Cadillac Golden Fleetwood. Purchase raffle tickets here. Join us at the Radio Room on Friday November 2nd at 10:00 pm for the official raffle giveaway (winner does not have to be present).

Help Still Needed

Additionally, Cody has requested 6-8 people come to the playground on Saturday morning at 8:00 am to help spruce the site up prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony. If you have interest please contact garrett.dittfurth@107ist.org for further details.

I was looking at the calendar and realized that there hadn’t been a post about the Timbers Army Football Club results in a while. It’s not that I didn’t want to put something together, but it’s a bit more difficult when life and your club get in the way. I'm not going out to get myself one of those Franklin-Covey systems either to help, but perhaps as you read this, it will make more sense why it's been a while since our last aggregate post.

I hadn’t traveled to support the Timbers yet this season, but was able to be in Seattle and Vancouver for both October road matches, and while that’s good from the fan perspective, the other side of being on a Timbers Army Football Club team is that the league doesn’t necessarily stop for events like this.  As evidenced by many of the messages on the TAFC HQ page, TA clubs were scrambling to find eligible players to fill many roles for matches that just couldn’t be rescheduled.  With ten clubs in the Greater Portland Soccer District under the TA umbrella and many other clubs having people interested in the Timbers, you would think this would come under some thought when they were setting up the master schedule.  While I understand there is a limited about of time and fields available, it doesn’t make sense to me to have Timbers Army matches on weekends with Timbers matches.  But that’s a soapbox that I don’t want to go down.

The second thing that has delayed the recaps has been the update to the website for team pages and results.  It’s still under process at this point, and while the news feed is listing some of the games being played in the Fall 2012 term, it’s not listing everything. I use the pages as a backbone of the amalgamated report that I do, and it’s a lot more difficult to do that when you have no reference links.  I know the technical team is working very hard to get everything set up and sorted, and when it’s done, it’s going to be fabulous for anyone to keep track of what’s going on with the TAFC clubs.  I’m even somewhat impressed with the website updates that GPSD has done to the league pages because it’s easier navigation and better to read.  As we say, though, all good upgrades take time.

The third bit of news and probably the one that has stuck with me the most is the events at the Old Growth FC match on October 14.  By now, most of the Timbers Army knows what happened at halftime and what actions various members of OGFC did to save a life.  The incident spurred a lot of attention towards getting CPR classes set up and processes to ensure that AEDs were available at all fields just in case, and I applaud those who are giving their time and efforts to these endeavors.  Strategic planning is a wonderful skill, but often, many of us don’t plan for things until a true emergency situation hits.  The outcome of the day could have been far different without the team effort displayed by many, though.  I have to admit that when OGFC finally took the field again this past weekend after our October 20 match was moved, it felt like years had passed since our previous match even though it had been just three weeks.

We can add the distractions of the Timbers along as well because there’s certainly a lot going on there even though the team has started their offseason.  The biggest reason behind that is I expect this to be a season of tremendous change within the Timbers.  I know that’s to be anticipated when you bring on a new coach and there’s questions about which players will return, but at the same point, I believe there will be a big move or trade sometime this offseason.  I’m not basing that on any inside knowledge due to my other role with Oregonlive.com, but more of a premonition looking at the months ahead.  Granted, it’s a bit easier for me when I have facts and figures to fall back on with my statements, so this is new territory for me to rely upon my gut.  If I’m right, well, then I suppose I can trust it more often as I probably should have over the years.  If I’m wrong, well, the stomach goes back to its primary role of food consumption and I return to the land of facts and figures.

I promise that this column will eventually become a regular feature once the website updates are completed, and the process to get results out to the readers becomes more streamlined.  Perhaps by that point, I’ll have figured out if my gut instinct was right.  Until then, have a great rest of your day and Go Timbers!

—by Garrett Dittfurth

Every once in a while I find myself shaking my head at the league. This is one of those times. Here's a screen cap of MLSSoccer.com.

That may seem pretty innocent to you. Upon further inspection it doesn't get so innocent. First of all that's a picture of neither LA's or Vancouver's supporters groups. That's a picture of the Timbers Army in Salt Lake City last year. Second of all, and more specifically, that's a picture of the Timbers Army lighting flares in Salt Lake City.

If the league is going to insist on bans for people who light flares, smoke, and is so inept they can't get a universal flag/tifo policy in place that works league wide the least they could do would be to talk to the marketing department and tell them not to use pictures of supporters doing things that will get them banned by the league. It's a gigantic double standard that for some reason the suits at the league just don't understand. On one hand the marketing folks think it looks awesome and really shows how edgy the league is. On the other hand they've hired outside consultants from all over the world to tell them how to discipline supporters groups for lighting flares/smoke and actively discourage it.

So I can't wait for the homepage of MLSSoccer to be updated for Houston's second round match against KC. Here's the picture MLS marketing/design folks. Just grab it from a screen cap of this video. It seems to fit the bill for something that you guys would use in a promo video.

And so begins the off-season. A time for reflection, a time for change, and a time for drinks with friends.

Join your Timbers Army brethren for First Thursday at the Bitter End. Though it’s only been a few days since the last match, First Thursday falls THIS THURSDAY, November 1st. The festivities, as usual, begin at 7:01 PM.

Timbers Army First Thursdays and Third Saturdays are great ways to meet folks and make in-roads to get involved with Timbers Army activities. Plus, we don’t have that much time left at the Bitter End, so come ready to see the old pub off. Translation: BE THERE!

What: Timbers Army First Thursday

When: Thursday, November 1st 2012 at 7:01 PM

Where: Bitter End Pub, 1981 W Burnside St

You can even RSVP for the event on Facebook.

The aviators inside were a nice touch, bros. Thanks for delivering the cup. Kisses.

In order to provide a more fair and consistent early entry procedure, and after much collaboration between the 107IST Board and the Portland Timbers management, we have moved to a system of wristbands to help facilitate early entry at Gate 3.

Please feel free to post any questions about this process in the comments and we'll answer them as soon as we can (remember, we're all volunteers!). While we will leave the comments from all matches, we will update the FAQ on this page with the most current information for each match.

FAQ

When will wristbands be given out?

For the 10/27 match vs. San Jose:

Volunteers will arrive to begin to distribute wristbands some time between 8:00 am and 11:00 am and will continue until 1:30 pm or until all wristbands have been distributed, whichever comes first. Note: Kick-off is 3:30 pm.

While you are free to arrive and line up any time, please note that local city ordinances regarding noise and public safety are still in effect. Wristbands will NOT be distributed before 8:00 am and WILL begin to be distributed sometime before 11:00 am so plan accordingly. If you're already in line and the volunteers have not yet arrived, plan on standing in line at the TA gate as usual until you get your wristband attached.

Why do I have to come so early? I don’t want to come early! I have commitments/I work/I don’t want to waste hours downtown/I have small children/etc.!

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ARRIVE EARLY

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO OBTAIN A WRISTBAND TO GET INTO THE NORTH END

There are a lot of people who are already CHOOSING to arrive early because, for some (but by NO MEANS all) people in the North End, getting into a particular seat or section in the General Admission section is a priority. In a first-come, first-served general admission situation, prioritizing getting particular seats means being among the earlier souls to arrive. This early entry wristband system is ONLY for those people!

If you are one of the thousands in the North End who is not super concerned with what seat or section of the North End you’re standing in during a match, YOU DON’T NEED TO COME EARLY FOR A WRISTBAND. Wristbands are only for a maximum of 1000 people, which is less than the number of seats even in the 100s section, let alone the 200s section. If you don’t want to come early, then just show up whenever you normally would have arrived for a match and enjoy the experience from any general admission seat in the North End that’s available when you get there.

How many wristbands will there be?

We will distribute 1000 wristbands. Only Timbers Army section ticketholders in line will receive a numbered wristband based on arrival order. You will need to have a TA section ticket in order to receive a wristband.

Does a wristband guarantee me early entry before all the other gates?

Yes it does – just remember that you must be back in line on time, and in numerical order, before the TA gate opens.

Gate 3 will open 120 minutes before kick-off (for the 10/27 match Gate 3 will open at 1:30 pm).

Can I take an extra for my child/spouse/brother/friend etc.?

No, wristbands will be placed on each fan upon arrival; you must be physically present to get one and it must remain attached to your wrist to get early entry.

What happens after I get the wristband?

You can leave the JELD-WEN area, but must be back in line 150 minutes before kick-off, which is 30 minutes before Gate 3 opens (For the 10/27 match, be back by 1:00 pm, gates open at 1:30 pm, kick-off at 3:30 pm). If you don't return by 1:00 pm you are not guaranteed priority entry.

If I have this wristband, why do I have to be here again 2 1/2 hours before kickoff? Why can't I just show up 5 min before the gates open?

The wristband lets you go into the gate that opens 2 hours early, so if you decided to get a wristband that means you are already planning on arriving early. And you have to be in line and in order per the number on your wristband before the gates open. It's going to take a little while for everyone to sort themselves out. The Front Office will have signs with landmark numbers (e.g. 100, 200, and so on) to help folks figure out approximately where to go when they line up, and front office security will spot-check wristbands to ensure that folks are in the right places. All of this takes a little bit of time for 1000 people to pull off, so please be back 30 minutes before gate 3 opens.

Where do I go when I come back?

Head to Gate 3 (the TA gate) and look for the sign indicating the start of your color group. Line up in number order in that area - each wristband is consecutively numbered.

When will the TA gate open?

Gate 3 will open 120 minutes before kick-off (for the 10/27 match Gate 3 will open at 1:30 pm).

How will wristbands work with the bag-check line?

If you bring a bag you'll still need to have it searched and your entry will be delayed. The non-bag line usually moves faster, so if getting in quickly is your #1 priority, don't bring a bag into the stadium.

What if all the wristbands are gone?

You can go to the end of the Gate 3 line, but please remember people that *do* have wristbands will be returning to the line and will stand in front of you.

Alternatively, use any of the other JELD-WEN Field gates that open at 2:00 pm. These are gates, 4, 2 and 1. Without a wristband, you will likely get into the stadium just as quickly if you wait and enter through one of these gates.

Does having a wristband mean I get a reserved seat up front?

Not necessarily. The TA section is general admission and all seats are first come first served. Having a wristband only ensures that you get in via the TA gate before the other gates open.

IMPORTANT:

Once in, can I still save extra seats for my child/spouse/ friend etc.?

Please DO NOT try to save multiple seats for late arriving people.

We have a policy of '1 scarf =1 seat' in the TA section. This means that it's ok to save a seat for a friend as long as they get to the stadium at least 30 mins before kickoff.

Saving a seat any longer than that, or saving more than 1 seat is just plain rude and inconsiderate of your fellow Timbers Army members.

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Wristbands only guarantee early entry via the TA gate, not a specific section or seat. However, here are some tips to guide you in picking the most appropriate time to turn up at the stadium. These are only rough guidelines, based on what we've observed about the pre-match line so far, both before and after we began using wristbands:

I really want a specific row/seat To get a low number wristband you may want to be in line a bit before the wristbands are distributed, and unfortunately maybe even earlier in the morning for big games like this one, but please remember that this is entirely optional based on what you are after and varies depending on what everyone ELSE decides to do that day! If you're determined to get a low number, you'll show up to line up before the wristbands are distributed. This is no different from pre-wristband match days, except then you actually had to stay there all day whereas now you can leave (if you want to) as soon as you have a wristband and just come back at the designated time.

I really want a specific section, but would be happy with any seat: You'll likely be fine if you arrive to collect a wristband around when they start to be distributed or shortly thereafter.

I'm happy with any lower section/seat, or choice of 200 level section seat: You can likely still stop by and collect a wristband as late as 1 hour before TA gates open and be pretty sure to get where you want.

You can vote as many times as you want, but be aware that when you abuse the system (with votes you don't really mean or with massive automated voting) we all lose. This is an award run by and given BY supporters. If you want it to mean something, act accordingly.

For this reason, although you can vote as many times as you want, if we see obvious abuse of the voting process (such as mass automated voting) we reserve the right to disqualify, block or remove those votes.

UPDATE 10/24/2012: In looking at the results so far, it's obvious that there have been blocks of automated votes placed for certain players. As we indicated above these votes WILL be removed, therefore the results you see after voting may not reflect the actual totals.