My husband is a rather big fan of soccer, which means that I have grown acustomed to hearing the wonderfully loud and passionate "gooooalll!" exclamation resounding from the TV (Ok. I'll be honest. We don't own a TV. We (he) watch soccer on espn3.com. The "no TV" story is for another time.).
Anyway, there are a lot of folks out there who enjoy soccer and, here in Fresno, there are a lot of parents who want their kids to learn how to play. It's a ton of fun and great exercise! And, for some, it's culturally a part of who they are. What's unfortante is that it can cost a significant amount of money to be involved with a soccer league, so there are many kids who don't end up learning how to play beyond "pick-up" games (Nice term, huh?! Ask me how I know about pick-up games later. Hint: my husband also likes to watch documentaries on soccer.).
With this in mind, Winchell Elementary School approached their parrtnership Churches, Central Valley Church of Christ and Paraclete Missionary Baptist, letting them know that it was the desire of the parents of Winchell students for their kids to learn to play properly. So, in lieu of a traditional Saturday Sports program on Saturday mornings (at least for the next six weeks), these two churches are putting on a six-week soccer camp for the students!
ENP is excited about a lot of things here! We are excited to see these Churches meet a felt need for the parents and students of Winchell Elementary. We're excited to see the kids and volunteers having such a great time. We're excited to see them outside getting some amazing exercise...and enjoying it. And, we're excited to see some great character being fostered in the kids as a result of being a part of this camp.
And, I am personally excited about something; I am excited at the possibility of watching one of them on espn3.com someday (or maybe we'll have a TV by then...). ;)
Written By: Michelle Winter