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closeLacing up their cleats
Inaugural Spartan soccer camp draws a gargantuan crowd
Shaun Scott
Sumner Spartans girls soccer head coach Robi Turley was constantly in motion, moving from station to station at the inaugural Spartan Soccer Camp put on by the Sumner/Bonney Lake Recreation Department on Aug. 14 at Sunset Chev Stadium Sumner.
“One of the goals of this camp is to get the Sumner community involved with Sumner athletics,” Turley said. “I expected about 60 players to show up but we have 83 here. That’s definitely more than we expected. Our goal is for each player to have fun and learn the basic skills of soccer at the same time.”
The camp welcomed players between the ages of 5 and 12 years old.
“It’s always nice to have the younger kids in the 5-year-old range out here,” Turley said. “It gives our players in our program who are coaching these kids a chance to be on center stage as mentors. The young players look up to these girls who are leading them. If kids have somebody to look up to then they’re more likely to stay involved with the sport.”
Puyallup resident Brez Reed couldn’t wait to bring her 7-year-old son Isaac to the Spartan soccer camp. Reed said she’s always been impressed with the way Spartans girls soccer assistant coach Lisa Murray interacts with the players at camp.
“I enjoy seeing Lisa coach up the kids. She does a good job with them,” Reed said. “It’s fun to come out here and watch the kids play soccer.”
Cody Donahue, who will be in the sixth grade in the Sumner School District this fall after moving to the area from California, was thankful there was an opportunity in the area where he can compete in his favorite sport.
“I like scoring goals,” Donahue said. “There’s a lot of running at this camp. There making us run a lot. This is the first time I’ve ever been to this field. I just like playing soccer.”
Not only was the camp an athletic success, it served a different purpose for Spartans senior to be Amber Fenton.
“In the Sumner School District, each student is required to complete a senior project,” Turley said. “This camp is Amber’s senior project. She organized the camp, set up a curriculum and was a key factor in organizing the camp.”