Chatham Soccer League

Recreation, Academy, Challenge and Classic Level Soccer in Chatham County NC

News Detail

10

Jul, 2017

Region III Camp

Summer is a time when many children and teenagers head off to summer camp, learning more about the outdoors, sports, or working on a particular interest they have. Jennifer P., who plays competitive-level travel soccer with Chatham Soccer League, has been chosen for a very selective summer camp, and will attend in July.

Jennifer has been training with the North Carolina Olympic Development Program for the past year. The Olympic Development Program, or "ODP" is a program of the U.S. Youth Soccer Organization (www.usyouthsoccer.org). The program began in 1977 with a purpose to provide a high-level training to players who are selected for ODP(through nominations and try-outs), to give them a chance to work with senior coaches (many times on staff with university programs), and ultimately to identify a pool of U.S. players from which a National Team can be formed for international competition.

One Saturday each month Jennifer travels to Greensboro to train and receive instruction from ODP coaches, and play games with other ODP players. From these training sessions the coaches and staff nominate a few players to attend Region Camp each summer (there are 4 regions in the U.S., and North Carolina is in Region III), a high honor.

Jennifer will spend one week at a university in Alabama with other girls her age, living on campus, training, learning new skills with high-level coaches from around the region, and play competitive games as part of a North Carolina team, against other state teams.

One of Jennifer's coaches in the Spring 2017 season, Chip Millard, is not surprised by her selection to this elite camp, "Jennifer is an awesome player. She creates offensive chances on the pitch over and over again, all at lightning speed. Jennifer was our leading scorer in the Spring season, and was voted co-MVP of the team by her fellow players. At each game of the season someone from the opposing team; a coach, parent, etc. will approach me after the game and compliment her play."

Chip says her soccer skills are not the only strengths Jennifer exhibits on the soccer field, "Jennifer is a great player-coach for her teammates. She never gets down, never shows any frustration with our team's play. Instead she teaches by example, creates chances for her teammates to succeed in the game, and is always smiling. Jennifer's teammates really respond to this, and it improves our whole team's performance."

In addition to playing with Chatham Soccer League Jennifer has played with her middle school, and will go out for her high school team in the Spring. She comes from a great soccer-playing family, as her mother and father both play. And she has two sisters who also play competitive-level soccer with Chatham Soccer League. This Fall Jennifer will play with Chatham Soccer League's U16 Girls classic level team, the "Red Phoenix."