Catalyst Club teaches skills necessary for fun and
competition
Laughter filled the air and the sound of cleats connecting with
bright soccer balls resounded on the field. Whistles blew as the
kids scrimmaged and participated in drills. The Catalyst Club of
Santa Cruz County took over Veterans Park in Hollister for the week
for a kids’ soccer camp.
Catalyst Club teaches skills necessary for fun and competition
Laughter filled the air and the sound of cleats connecting with bright soccer balls resounded on the field. Whistles blew as the kids scrimmaged and participated in drills. The Catalyst Club of Santa Cruz County took over Veterans Park in Hollister for the week for a kids’ soccer camp.
The Catalyst Club has been coming to Hollister for five years and teaches kids the developmental skills necessary to play soccer at the fun or competitive level.
Dan Chamberlain is the director of the Santa Cruz and Monterey County Catalyst Clubs and was the head coach at this week’s camp. Chamberlain is also the head coach at the University of California, Santa Cruz, but he enjoys helping kids learn to play his favorite sport.
“Our main goal is to get the kids out here to have fun,” Chamberlain said. “If they are not having fun, they won’t want to come back and play soccer again.”
Chamberlain recruited one of his Banana Slug soccer players to help out at the camp this week. Megan Cox, 20, plays center defense for the Slugs.
“It’s fun to work with the kids,” Cox said. “Its cool teaching them new things and watching them learn how to use it.”
The club has made a big impact on kids’ play all over the tri-county area and focuses on basic skill development. Hollister’s camp covered all aspects of the game. It placed special emphasis on the fundamentals of passing, shooting, dribbling, and defensive habits as well as games to keep the kids focused and having fun.
William Shelton, who is 7 years old, has been playing soccer for three years and loves playing the game.
“I am learning to pass better,” William said. “I like learning about soccer a lot.”
Other kids, such as 11-year old Kayla Reed, signed up for the camp and had never even played soccer.
“I’m having fun learning how to play soccer,” Reed said. “I wanted to play when I was a little kid and never did. Now I get to. It’s a lot of fun.”
The camp had three different sections. There was a camp for advanced players, a camp for skill building, and a basics camp for kids ages 4 to 6.
Ashley Raich, a 5-year old, was at the camp and was having a good time playing soccer for the first time outside of her backyard.
“I’m learning about soccer and to dribble the ball on my knees,” Raich said. “I like playing the shark game.”
The shark game was a type of scrimmage that the camp used to keep the kids interested.
To many people in the United States, soccer is a dying sport, but not to people such as Chamberlain and the kids that are playing now.
“Soccer is definitely a growing culture here in the U.S.,” Chamberlain said. “MLS (Major League Soccer) has a good infrastructure and is starting to provide a healthy, professional environment for kids.”
With the help of the camps, the improvements of MLS, and the recent successes of the United States national team and players such as Landon Donovan Chamberlain said kids will start to look forward to playing soccer at the competitive level, creating a stronger talent pool for professional soccer.
“With soccer culture improving in the states, soccer is getting better athletes that are looking to play soccer now,” Chamberlain said.
A few of the kids at the camp this week were players that compete at the more aggressive level. Some play on Hollister’s traveling soccer teams, Hollister United and the Hollister Tremors.
Angel Walent and Kristen Callenta, both 11, have been playing soccer for four years. They play for the Hollister United Girls’ Class A squad.
“We are just doing this camp for fun,” Callanta said. “It is giving us a chance to just practice.”
Some kids used the camp to get out and stay fit during the warm, summer months.
Conner Bouch, a 13-year old, has been playing soccer off and on since he was 5. Conner used the camp to tone his skills and learn some new things. He never played competitively because he didn’t want it to conflict with school sports.
“I like defending, so I am having fun learning some attacking defensive moves,” Conner said. “It is very hot, but I am having a lot of fun playing.”
