Scenes from Soccer Camp

In July we spent a fun week at soccer camp. There were a few surprises - number one, that Rock Springs could even get such a prestigious soccer camp to come. It was put on by British Challenger Soccer, an internationally known training camp with instructors from all over the world. And holy cow, were they GOOD!

The other surprise was just how much every one of the kids got totally into it. When I signed them up, Liam was the one sure thing. I wasn't sure if the other three would enjoy it, but I knew he would. But they all had such a great time and it (probably along with the World Cup) really sparked a deep love of the game. And their dad and I could not be happier about this.

Liam's coach Sophie (from Manchester) played a really cute game with her team. Above, they are contesting a yellow card, and below, they are trying to convince her that they are injured!

Sam and Coach Stuart (also from Manchester).

Grace's coach, Igor, was from Brazil. Not as many pictures of her, because "Mom, it is totally embarrassing!"

Declan's coach, Dan, is from Spain and was my favorite. He was so cute with the kids and he reminded me a little of Filipe. The kids loved him because, duh, he's from SPAIN!

Declan completely surprised me with how good he is. He was the best in his class and when they'd play a match he just dominated. He's such a sweet little guy that I never guessed he'd be so aggressive on the field, and I can't wait to watch him in the future. There is some definite star potential there.

Closing ceremonies. At the beginning of the week, they divided the kids into teams and each team chose a country to be. Throughout the week, the kids had homework assignments - to learn about that country's team, make a flag, etc. They earned points all week and at the end, Mexico won the "World Cup." Grace (team Spain) and Liam (team Brazil) were a little disappointed, but it was such a fun week they couldn't stay sad for long. Well, actually, Liam could. He cried and cried that camp was over.

Which means that the week was definitely a success.