Hundreds turn out for soccer camp

Thu, Jul 2, 2009    to del.icio.us

The soccer field at Buccaneer Stadium was buzzing with activity Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of young children and dozens of volunteer coaches participated in the hugely popular Mike Herman Memorial Soccer Camp.

Kids from across West Michigan participated in the camp, while many current and former Buccaneers' players served as coaches at the camp.

Many of those in attendance were friends of Mike Herman, who died in a car accident in November of 2005, just a few months into his sophomore year at GHHS.

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"We do it for Mike Herman, who was an all-state soccer player as a sophomore who was taken from the earth a little early," said Jon Dault, who organizes the event. "All the volunteers are high school and college soccer players who played with Mike, and they're all here helping out the professionals to instruct the kids."

Dault started this camp last summer as a way to offer a free soccer option to kids across West Michigan who can't afford a high-priced soccer camp.

To help lead the way, Dault worked with the Waza FC Soccer Club in Detroit. Wednesday, Mario Scicluna, development director of Waza FC soccer club, was leading the instruction.

Scicluna has played soccer internationally and professionally in the United States, and has a wealth of coaching knowledge to pass along to both the young campers and the instructors.

"This is great because we're out here teaching the young kids about soccer, and in the process, their instructors are learning the game as they pass it down to these younger players," said Scicluna, who played collegiately at Western Michigan University.

The Mike Herman Memorial Soccer Camp is open to youngsters in grades 3-8. Each participant receives a free soccer ball, and an organization called Cleats for Kids donated soccer cleats to those who didn't have their own soccer shoes.

"The Mike Herman soccer camp was started to help kids who can't afford going to camp want to enjoy a huge camp, an experience they probably otherwise couldn't get," Dault said. "We have professional soccer players coming in to instruct them for free."

Dault hoped for around 300 participants this year, and was pleased to note on Wednesday that the total exceeded that goal by around 30 kids.