PUHI — A friendship formed oversees was rekindled on the soccer fields at Island School yesterday. “They played together in Europe and became friends,” Lorna Basquez, a parent spectator, said of her daughter Teal and Maddie Oakley. “Maddie came for
PUHI — A friendship formed oversees was rekindled on the soccer fields at Island School yesterday.
“They played together in Europe and became friends,” Lorna Basquez, a parent spectator, said of her daughter Teal and Maddie Oakley. “Maddie came for a family vacation and when she found out about the soccer camp, she wanted to go. She just landed here last night from Colorado.”
Teal called Fred Hsu of the National Soccer Association, and the rest took place on the soccer fields at Island School.
Teal and Maddie stayed in touch after the European tour and international Dana Cup tournament.
The European tour was partially a result of last year’s NSA clinic, when Hsu invited Kaua‘i Soccer Association commissioner Kevin Devitt to bring along some soccer players to the European tour. Devitt accompanied the athletes as a coach.
Sounds of laughter broke through the after-school quiet at Island School’s soccer complex as budding soccer stars ranging in age from 8 to 14 followed the examples of Hsu, who led with the help of his daughter, Elizabeth.
“She started like them, and now, she’s a senior in high school so I get her to help me,” Hsu said.
“But this is a fun group.”
Parents couldn’t help but agree as they watched the camp from across the ditch dividing the playing arena from the spectator section.
Teal and Maddie were just two of the approximately 50 youngsters who took advantage of the four-day clinic that opened yesterday afternoon.
The NSA clinic will run from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. today and tomorrow. On Thursday, the final day, sessions run from 9 a.m. to noon and resume from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Although Devitt couldn’t attend the camp because of Kaua‘i High School JV girls practice, one of his JV players, goalie Maile Dreier, was at the camp.
A limited amount of scholarships for the camp were available for this camp.
