The Tulsa Soccer Club (TSC) Hurricane has a passion to create future stars in the game of soccer and in life, and in November it will play host to the Adidas Sam Shannon Showcase

TSC Hurricane was formed on January 1, 2011, when Tulsa Soccer Club, Highland Football Club (HFC), Metro Tulsa Soccer Club (MTsc), and Broken Arrow Soccer Club (BASC) signed a long-term deal to create one mega-club, making it the largest soccer club in the region. When they combined, they had over 140 state championships, ten regional championships and four national finalists in their midst.

Motivate. Educate. Create. This is the motto TSC Hurricane lives by when it is out and about in our community or out on the soccer fields. At TSC Hurricane, the staff wants to help players better prepare for what life will bring them as they grow into adulthood. They want to be able to motivate players to want to learn, play the game and enjoy whatever they are doing. Once a player is motivated, they then want to help educate them in the game of soccer and hopefully have some positive influence by also teaching life lessons. A motivated player is much more likely to learn the important aspects of the game and how to grow and develop.

For 15 years the Sam Shannon Showcase has been providing a unique opportunity for teams from Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri to compete against North Texas and South Texas and show off their talents to college coaches. Formerly known as the TSC Challenge Cup and Showcase, the Showcase changed its name to the Adidas Sam Shannon Showcase after Sam Shannon, a former TSC player, tragically died at the age of 14 after being struck by lightning in 2005.

For Jim Tindell, Executive Director for TSC Hurricane and Tournament Director for the Showcase, Shannon was well on his way to becoming a great player. "He was 14 at the time and was not only a terrific player, but he left behind a legacy of character, courage and never quit attitude," Tindell said. Alongside Sam's mother, Tindell and TSC Hurricane have made the event the No. 1 college showcase in Oklahoma. Attracting the best of the best in high school-aged soccer players, over 150 boys and girls teams participate in the two-day event.

"The Adidas Sam Shannon Showcase is the only one of its kind in Oklahoma," Tindell said, "where high school aged competitive teams from nine different states (OK, TX, NE, KS, MO, AR, LA, TN, CO) can come to Tulsa to compete in front of about 100 college coaches in a "showcase" format." With so many college coaches on hand, the bar will be set high for these teams. Each team will have the chance to provide a good balance of competition for the college coaches to evaluate players in match scenarios.

"This is one of the few events where many college coaches convene at one location so teams have a chance to showcase their talent to several college coaches at the same time," Tindell said. And with so many divisions of colleges being represented at the Showcase -- D1, D2, D3, NAIA and junior colleges -- TSC Hurricane wants every child who shows up to have the opportunity to make the roster on the collegiate level. "We also conduct a collegiate seminar made up of several area head coaches for a Q&A with parents/players about the collegiate recruiting process," Tindell said.

Soccer players and teams wanting to participate in this Showcase do not need to tryout. All TSC Hurricane asks is that all players must be currently registered with their respective United States Soccer Federation National Affiliate (USSF). Also, all teams must abide by the Oklahoma Soccer Association's and US Youth's policies, rules and regulations and are subject to their disciplinary actions. All teams wishing to participate in the tournament that are not US Youth members will be required to provide proof of medical & liability insurance. Any team that cannot provide such proof will be required to purchase the Oklahoma Soccer Association's event insurance.

Once you've been accepted into the Showcase, there is just one thing left to do. "The only thing we ask players to do is complete player profiles that the event pulls together for the college coaches," Tindell said. When players and teams are ready to check-in, they should be prepared to bring their US Soccer Nationally affiliated rosters and their required jersey numbers. Also, teams should bring their US Soccer National affiliate player cards, medical releases for review and appropriate travel permission documents. Applications are due by October 15, 2012.

This year's showcase will take place from November 17-18 and will be played at Metro Tulsa Soccer Complex and Indian Springs Soccer Complex. This tournament is open to any United States Soccer Federation affiliate member including United States Youth Soccer Association and US Club Soccer sanctioned teams. Showcase teams, ages U15-19, will play three games each in a round-robin format. Brackets of three or four will be formed depending on the number of teams accepted in an age group. The teams will consist of 22 players each, playing two 35-minute halves 11-on-11. Teams will be awarded three points if they win, one point if they tie and zero points if they lose. Due to daylight limitations, the first games on Saturday (and Sunday) will start as early as 7:15am or 7:30am. Some teams may have evening games on Saturday as late as 8pm under the lights. For those traveling, last game start times are expected to be no later than 2pm on Sunday.