As we reflect on the past summer, we are grateful to have been part of a community that arms young female athletes with both the technical skills required to succeed on the field and the social and emotional skills to take on the world. Players and coaches from around the globe came together with the shared common bond of soccer. Together, they gave life to the Berky Big 3; building meaningful relationships, developing as whole players and having good ol’ clean healthy fun.
TeamFirst: World Cup Watch Party with Fox Sports
TeamFirst: World Cup Watch Party with Fox Sports
It’s hard to top watching the U.S women compete in the World Cup. But we did it. Session I campers watched the USWNT play Chile in World Cup group play alongside soccer World Cup legends Mia Hamm, Kristine Lily & Tish Venturini Hoch. Fox Sports joined in on the fun and live-streamed the Berky Viewing Party in its pregame show.
4th of July at Berky
4th of July at Berky
We loved celebrating the 4th of July 2019 with our Berky girls! Our extended holiday pickup gave campers the chance to hang a little longer with their friends and take in a local minor league baseball game followed by an amazing fireworks show.
Former USWNT Pro Lori Lindsey
Former USWNT Pro Lori Lindsey
Former USWNT player and current NWSL color analyst Lori Lindsey returned for her second summer as a Master Coach. Lori brought knowledge and fun to the field. An excellent coach, Lori used her playing experience to capture our athletes attention. Her fun and sometimes quirky personality put the girls at ease and let them step out of their comfort zone and try new things.
Visiting Pro: Andi Sullivan
Visiting Pro: Andi Sullivan
Visiting Pro, Stanford Alum, US Women’s National Team Player and former NWSL First Overall Draft Pick, Andi Sullivan visited during Session V. What a great addition to the Berky family. Andi provided lots of fun anecdotes and honest advice during her 45 minute Q&A with campers and staff. She then spent two hours on the field mixing into all of the training groups. Andi’s vulnerability and honesty introduced our Berky girls to the possibility of playing at a higher level.
Berky Hosted the US Women’s Maccabiah Team
Berky Hosted the US Women’s Maccabiah Team
At the end of July, Berky hosted the US Women’s Maccabiah Team for a training camp. The Maccabiah Games, a quadrennial international Jewish and Israeli multi-sport event, are the third-largest sporting event in the world, with 10,000 athletes competing. The US team held training similar to the pre-season training camps we’ve hosted. The US women were trained by one of our very own Master Coaches, Jeff Katz. In addition to coaching Maccabiah and Berky, Jeff is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Associate Head Coach. Before flying to Hungary, the Macabbiah team took on the Berky coaching staff in a spirited scrimmage with staff and campers watching and cheering. The US Women’s Maccabiah team went on to capture the gold in Hungary.
Visiting Pro: Former USWNT Player Yael Averbuch
Visiting Pro: Former USWNT Player Yael Averbuch
Former US Women’s National Team player Yael Averbuch returned for her 3rd year to share her technical knowledge and skills during the Invitational session. Berky and Yael partnered to give all campers a free month of Techne, an app developed by Yael that offers training sessions that can be done anywhere and at any time. Yael’s Q&A session gave the camper’s insight into the importance of training and persistence in order to grow as a player.
More Weeks of Camp to Accommodate All Campers
More Weeks of Camp to Accommodate All Campers
Berky welcomed 800+ campers from 10 countries and 33 states. Campers joined us from Hong Kong, Prague, Mumbai, London, Panama, Mexico, and Singapore, coming together for world class soccer training and to reunite with Berky friends. We also welcomed staff from 13 countries. Having such a richness of experiences from around the globe helps our campers embrace their individuality and be accepting of themselves and others.
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead
We are well underway planning for Summer 2020. We will be opening up more sessions to rising 10th graders and adding two more camper cabins in order to respond to last summer’s waitlists and give as many girls as possible the opportunity to enjoy a Berky experience. New for 2020, we are now offering 1 and 2-week sessions. Our 2-week campers receive a full season of training in just 12 days. We look forward to continuing to grow with our campers and can’t wait to see you all at Berky next summer. Until then… keep working hard on and off the field👏👏💨