Soccer camp helps young girls develop early skills

The IU women's soccer team hosted its second session of summer camp for girls ages 8-18 to help develop their skills. The camp took place at Armstrong Stadium, and the girls at the camp got the full camping experience as they stayed in Briscoe Quad away from home. \nIU women's soccer head coach Mick Lyon, who is entering his fourth season as IU's head coach, said the camp is a great opportunity for young soccer enthusiasts to enjoy the game.\n"This camp is a multifaceted opportunity for girls to play soccer," Lyon said. "It exposes them to good coaching and shows them what it takes to be a good soccer player."\nThe philosophy of the camp is to develop young girls as total soccer players and make sure no part of the game is skipped, according to the camp brochure on iuhoosiers.com. Present at the camp were current players on the IU soccer team, recruiting scouts and the entire IU coaching staff.\nLyon also said the camp is not just for fun as he may have his eyes on recruiting some of the girls at the camp for the future.\n"We are tracking some of the high school kids here to see if we want them to play soccer here at IU," he said. "We have some of the most talented girls from all over the country here at this camp." \nHolli Finneren, who plays college soccer at Georgia Southern University, is helping with the camp and said she was glad to see the girls get this opportunity.\n"It is a fun time for young girls to play soccer," Finneren said. "Being at this camp gives me a different outlook on soccer in general."\nEach day, the girls started their full schedule with a big breakfast to supply them with energy for the day's grueling activities. \nAfter breakfast, they had morning practice before re-energizing themselves with lunch. Then came an intense session in the afternoon in which all the girls practiced drills and played each other in a heated game that featured running up and down the full length field (74-by-117 yards) at Armstrong Stadium. Afterwards the girls cooled off with dinner and free time before going to bed.\nTwelve-year-old Hannah Toutkoushian, who is attending the camp from Bloomington, said she really enjoys soccer and wants to do more of it in the future.\n"I love soccer very much," Toutkoushian said. "I have played on the state's Olympic Development Team and want to do a lot more soccer in the future." \nLyon also said that after the camp he is looking forward to this upcoming soccer season when his current counselors become his players once again.\n"I am very excited and think we will have a fantastic season as this is the first year all of the recruits are from this coaching staff," he said.