Sandpoint, ID

Late May through early June, you can watch controlled chaos unfold, all in the name of sports and sportsmanship. They start ‘em young here in Sandpoint when it comes to international sporting events. Of course, I am talking about Sandpoint Youth soccer games. Played in the Farmin/Stidwell fields on Division Street in Sandpoint, this is the training ground for the talented high school teams Sandpoint turns out later. Teams are organized according to age, ranging from under 5 to under 18. But mostly you’ll see grade schoolers going head to head in the quest for local renown. Hopefully, they also learn some good lessons and skills on the side.

The younger kids are just getting the hang of it: how to get along with team mates, pay attention enough to know which goal to kick it into, and in general, have a fun team experience. These are the kids whose shin guards still sometimes reach their knees and whose tee-shirts look more like tents. Their little arms flap, bat-like, as they move downfield in tight little clumps. Sometimes out-of-bounds is called, depending on how far it goes out. Other times it is just as fun to just keep the game going. Kids in the under 5 age group often turn cartwheels in the field, or make a pit stop to hug mom, or pick dandelions. It is especially great to see these kids score, because they are so gleeful and proud. Ponytails flying, one little girl even did a little bit of fist-pumping after her goal.

Unfortunately, team names don’t match tee shirt colors so you can have bright blue Zucchinis battling it out against day-glow orange Cukes. Games are 4 periods, 8 minutes each, with breaks between, and a ten-minute half time. This does not include potty breaks and the occasional meltdown.

The older kids are getting so skilled, it is hard to believe they can advance so quickly in just a few summers. This is the age where they separate into all-girl and all-boy teams, as well. Now the halves are 25 minutes each and the halftime is ten minutes. The under 10s can do headers, bicycle kicks and take long, hard shots. They have goalies at this age who have mastered drop-kicks and even take a few shots to the body during an average game. Some kids also have unbelievable ball-handling skills.

This is the last year the referees don’t call off-sides. Some savvy coaches keep a player by the goal to take advantage of this last vestige of being a little kid. However, this is not looked upon favorably among parents and they’re right: this is a perfect rule to learn early and rock all the rest of your life, and a difficult one. The kids in this age group have reptile names this year so the Rattlesnakes versus the Mambas is a typical headliner. They seem to have fun and have used up a lot of excess kid energy at the end of each sweaty game. Parents must be glad because soccer season stretches into the beginning of summer vacation, that limbo time between grades when bored kids bleat there’s “nothing to do.”

Sandpoint Soccer is a wholesome activity for families and it keeps kids up and running instead of staring into tiny digital screens. It’s cheap to play and even cheaper (free) to watch. To learn more, visit Sandpoint Soccer Association at http://www.sandpointsoccer.com/web/soccer.