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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 23, 2004 Grizzlies of tomorrow learn soccer today By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings It doesn't take much to convince kids to spend their summer mornings at soccer camp. "I love soccer," nine-year-old Derek Reynolds said. "I just love running around. I like kicking balls." Andrew Mariman | Ashland Daily Tidings Derek reynolds (right), 9, and hoku eggersten, 8, run down the ball during a three-on-two drill at the Grizzly Soccer Camp Wednesday at Ashland Middle School. The weeklong camp attracted 35 kids. In the six-and-a-half years Reynolds has played soccer, he has taken advantage of just about every opportunity he's found to improve his skills. He took private lessons for awhile, went to the Fuego soccer camp and played on his sister's soccer team to compete with older, more experienced kids. So, of course Reynolds was at the Grizzly Soccer Camp this week to train with Ashland High boys' head coach Eisa Tiaa Toutou. "It's just really fun," Reynolds said. "I've made a lot of new friends." Tiaa Toutou has organized the youth soccer camp since the late 1990s, offering a youth soccer players pointers and a chance to tune-up their skills before the fall season begins. "I just love being out there in the sun having fun," 12-year-old Adam Pavlich said. Just for kicks Although the camp has produced future Grizzly stars on both the girls' and boys' squads over the years, the turnover Tiaa Toutou finds most pleasing is how former participants return to the camp as coaches. Seven high school players, all of whom had attended the Grizz soccer camp earlier in their careers, volunteer their time to coach at the camp. "Everybody came here as a player in the camp," Tiaa Toutou said. "Now they're back as complete soccer players. That makes me kind of feel good because I like to give back to the community." The varsity players run most of the drills and scrimmages, freeing up Tiaa Toutou to supervise the three-hour camp. "I just really like playing soccer," said volunteer coach Mackenzie Hedges, 14. Hedges, a freshman on the Grizz girls' team, camp to soccer camp twice when she was younger. Now her little sister is a part of the program. "[It's fun] helping them out and making them become better players." The camp divides players into beginning and advanced groups. The beginners focus on ball control, passing and dribbling, while the advanced players tackle format, tactical skills and how to elude defenders. "A lot of it is just setting an example for them of how to play and the attitude to have," said Colin Reinstedt, a senior Grizz starter who has coached at the camp for two years. This week, 35 kids are involved in the camp at the Ashland Middle School soccer fields. Earlier in the summer, the Grizzlies held another camp with 37 participants. "We're doing our best to make it fun for them so they'll come back," said Grizz junior Joe Fallon, a coach at the camp. "It's fun to play." And, hopefully, the kids will stick with the sport on into the Grizzly ranks and beyond. "It's the next generation of soccer coming up," Reinstedt said. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams