A Day at Camp T.E.A.M.

Several people have asked expressed an interest in knowing a bit more about the details of Camp T.E.A.M. and I am happy to oblige.

I will actually only be down for the first of two weeks of camp but each week will follow a similar structure. The camp runs Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 6:30pm. The days are divided into 3 sections.

9-12: Morning camp session with the kids. This where we will use all your generously donated goodies. Our hope is to give each kid a ball to keep.

12-2: Lunch. I am super excited about this part of the day ; )

2-4: Afternoon camp session with the kids. Most of the camp sessions with the kids will focus on the technical aspects of the game . . . how to kick, pass, and trap a ball correctly. However, in addition to the fundamentals we just want the kids to play. That is where the joy comes from.

5-6:30: Coaching clinic. Having educated and committed coaches is almost as essential as having players in the development of a sustainable club. So, each evening we'll hold coaching clinics for adults in the area who would like to get involved. Upon completion of a full week's worth of evening sessions each participant will receive a 'Coaches Kit' complete with cones, pinnies, balls, and a certificate of completion.

So that is a day in the life of Camp T.E.A.M. Lots of running around, kicking a ball, enjoying being laughed at by 11 year olds b/c I can't correctly conjugate ANY verbs.

Is it Penny or Pinny

We actually had this debate the other day at practice. One of the coaches actually asserted that they're called practice or scrimmage vests. I scoffed at that only to find out, uh huh they are called that too.

Regardless of what you call them, you can find them and other soccer goodies in these conveniently located stores:

Dicks Sports (Fair Lakes, Dullus Towne Center, Columbia Pike)
Walmart (ubiquitous)
Target (ubiquitous)
Soccer Kicks (6019 Wilson Blvd, Arlington)
Matt Godek (2929-K Eskridge Rd., Fairfax, 22031)
Soccer Pro Shop (10342 Lee Hwy, Fairfax)
Modells (Fairfax, Reston, Sterling)





And we're happy to take donations, yup we take oooooold balls (uh huh I couldn't resist)

I am off to Nicaragua, wanna help me pack?

Yup, off to Nicaragua. Why? Well to help run a soccer camp with the a non profit organization called Soccer Without Borders (SWB) . . . .yes much like Doctors/Nurses Without Borders only minus the saving lives part.

Here is what SWB is all about: http://www.soccerwithoutborders.org/

The group within SWB that I am involved with is The Granada Girls Project, which annually runs a two week soccer camp called T.E.A.M. - Trabajando en Equipo Aprendemos Mas (Working in a Team We Learn More):

http://www.soccerwithoutborders.org/team-camp-granada.html

This year I get to be one of the coaches who, with painfully limited Spanish, gets to share my love of the game with a lot of hand gestures, pantomime, and "una línea aqui".

So, here is where I would love your help packing for the trip . . . as you can imagine there are no Dick's Sports or Eurosport outlets in Nicaragua and as a result there is a great need for basic equipment. So, if you have gently used soccer balls, cleats, cones, or pinnies and would like to clear out some closet/basement/trunk space I can happily find a new home for it all.

If you don't have any gently used gear but would still like to get involved we also take new stuff and we do have Dick's Sports around town ; ) The top needs are balls, and pinnies with ball bags and ball pumps coming in a close second. I will post a list of places around here that have soccer gear if you want to check them out.

I know that there are a million great causes out there and that we all find time and money to dedicate to those causes that are closest to our hearts and our communities. I also know that most of us don't suffer under the burden of unlimited resources. So, if your charitable efforts are dedicated elsewhere please don't feel pressured into giving. I will take your encouragement and prayers as happily as I will take a stack of plastic cones ; )