The rain poured down on Felida Community Park, but that didn’t stop the throngs of children trying to earn a spot on one of this spring’s soccer teams or their parents watching under the cover of a menagerie of umbrellas.
Spring tryouts for Salmon Creek Soccer Club‘s select and premier levels started April 22 and will continue all the way through mid-May. This week was for players under 10 and 11 years old, but it’s business as usual.
“The biggest challenge is working with emotions,” said Paul Madden, a U-11 coach with the club for five years. “The number one thing is attitude. We want a coach-able attitude.”
Girls outnumbered boy 2 to 1 at the tryouts, a disparity some of the coaches attribute to the wider variety of sports available to the latter. Players underwent physical training for 30 minutes before going into drills and exhibition play.
“We’ve established a player development program,” said Cameron Cox, who coaches with the club and at Mountain View High School. “It’s produced some of the best players.This club is producing quality athletes and players.”
A New Director, a New Commitment to Soccer
The club brought in Joe Frimpong last May as director of coaching. Since arriving, he’s added coaches for every age group, helped streamline the club’s website and improved the player development program.
“The best thing this club did was invest in Joe,” said Cox. “You can see his face everywhere. It’s almost as if this is where he lives.”
Frimpong is also the coach of boy’s varsity soccer program at La Salle College Prep High School in Milwaukie, Ore. His first year there, he took the Falcons to the 2009 Class 4A state championship.
Parents Rave About the Program
Chuck Pearce lives in Ridgefield, but doesn’t mind traveling down to Felida for his daughter, Lillie, to have some healthy competition.
“She’s been playing since U-6,” said Pearce. “We were looking for a more competitive atmosphere for her. It’s more business-like. It’s fun, but soccer time is soccer time.”
It’s his daughter’s first year trying out for a club. He chose Salmon Creek’s club over Vancouver United SC and Pacific FC. He said it’s a very welcoming atmosphere where coaches immediately introduce themselves and children who are serious about playing soccer gather.
Christi Bowen has two children in two different soccer clubs. Her son plays for Pacific FC, which her daughter left to follow her friends and coach to Salmon Creek’s club.
“We just run in a lot of different directions,” she said about having kids in two different club. “It’s a good club – strong coaches, strong players and positive reinforcement.”
For more information on tryouts, check the soccer club’s schedule.
