Girls have big time at youth camp
Published 1:13 am Saturday, July 21, 2018
By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY
Daily News
The laughter and the wide, beaming smiles told the story.
The third edition of the LaGrange Girls Soccer Camp wrapped up on Friday morning at the Troup County Soccer Complex, with dozens of girls participating.
While there was plenty of teaching going on, the camp was heavy on the fun, and the idea according to one of the instructors was to make sure the girls had a great time.
One of the former LaGrange players helping out this week was Hannah Asbell, who is heading into her sophomore season at Georgia College.
Hannah Asbell, who’ll be joined by her sister Maggie Asbell on the Georgia College soccer team next season, did her part to make sure it was an enjoyable week.
“It’s the fun side of soccer,” Hannah Asbell said. “We always see the serious side of it. This has to be perfect. But this gives you a week to see that everything doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s a learning aspect for the girls to see that you can play a sport, and have fun with it.”
Among the instructors were LaGrange coaches Andy Fritchley and Colin Ross, who have led the team to back-to-back region championships.
After the camp wrapped up, and the girls received a well-earned soaking courtesy of a fire-truck hose, Fritchley was rewarded by a steady supply of hugs from the grateful campers.
“I felt like it was probably our best year, simply because we know what we’re doing a little bit better,” Fritchley said. “We know what works, what doesn’t work. So it was a fantastic year. We had 40 girls that came, and we had tons of helpers.”
Other former LaGrange players helping were Catherine Patton, a 2017 graduate, as well as Maurie White, the starting goal keeper on LaGrange’s region-championship teams the past two years.
“It’s so much fun,” White said. “It’s kind of like a relief. Even though it’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of fun with the kids.”
Part of the camp’s appeal is that it’s strictly for girls.
“They usually have to play on a co-ed team, which is fine,” Fritchley said. “But I want them to introduce them to the concept of girls’ soccer is important, and it’s its own thing. It can be separate from boys.”
Fritchley is grateful to see so many current and former LaGrange soccer players helping out, and he said they did a tremendous job teaching.
“Most of our varsity players played an active role,” Fritchley said. “You think about leadership, and being able to step in, and having a better appreciation for how difficult it can be to teach the game. It’s fun with when the light bulb goes on and they get it a little bit better.”
OF NOTE: For more photos, check out Facebook.com/LDNSports
