We Miss Camp
We love extending our camp community out into the world, and we love reuniting with Berky families. Because we miss everyone so much, we go on the road visiting tournaments, conventions, and plenty of soccer games to see our Berky girls. Our “Director’s Tour” gives us an opportunity to travel to different places to meet new athletes and visit with BSA campers and coaches all around the U.S.
Liz & Eric setting up for the tournament
On a beautiful, sunny October weekend, Eric & I found ourselves in Farmington, Connecticut for the CFC Columbus Day Classic. After wrapping up our fifth fulfilling summer of camp at the Academy, we were excited to get out and share what is to come for summer 2016. We had an absolute blast watching some great competitive soccer, seeing many Berky families, and meeting new friends.
Seeing teams like CFC, FSA, and South Shore Select while watching games at the Tunxis Meade Soccer Complex brought me back to my own playing days. I grew up playing soccer in Cromwell, CT and played club soccer with FSA Soccerplus until I continued my career, playing at Merrimack College. The Greater Farmington area is a hotbed for local youth soccer talent. This area is also home to a legendary women’s soccer coach, Tony DiCicco. Tony led the U.S. Women’s National team to one of the greatest World Cup victories of all time in 1999. Coach Tony also happened to be my club soccer coach at FSA for 7 years. We played most of our ‘home’ matches at Tunxis Meade, before the FSA outdoor fields were built.
Berky Girl Goals
With 65% of our Berky families hailing from the Northeast, we were able to catch up with SO many of them. We were also lucky enough to watch many of our athletes play. Emily, Sophie, Lindsay, and Georgia from South Shore Select stopped by before their game and we were talking about how cool it would be if one of them scored while I was watching. And then, like it was meant to be: Emily crossed it to Sophie, who scored! I saw a live Berky girl-to-Berky girl assist for a goal. The girls were even kind enough to snap a photo with me after the game! We saw many Berky girls from lots of different clubs, but South Shore Select brought 22 of their girls teams to this tournament!!!
Liz with South Shore Select girls Emily, Sophie, Lindsay, & Georgia
#BerkyShirtSaturday?
Eric & I spent all day Saturday and Sunday at Tunxis Meade. It wasn’t #BerkyShirtFriday, but we still saw many Berky girls, like Sofia (pictured below), who was rocking her Berky shirt! Sofia plays club soccer for CFC and came to the TeamFirst session this past summer with Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, and Tish Venturini-Hoch.
A Fun Game (Fun Game) for Tournaments
While at camp, we love playing games, both on and off the field. In fact, over 200 games of ping pong, 451 games of “World Cup” during Soccer Elective, and 190 games of box ball on the Rec Deck were played this past summer at BSA. The Columbus Day tournament was no different! Parents, players, and siblings all played our Berky “Dice Game” while visiting our tent. The girls pictured below from the Wilton Soccer Club loved winning Berky tattoos. Big winners get an autographed item from one of our Visiting Pros like Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Kristine Lilly, Heather O’Reilly, or Yael Averbuch.
We Miss You
Did we miss you during our visit to CT? Don’t worry. We have a few more Director’s Tour events planned. We would love to see you soon:
Connect with us on Instagram to see what we’re up to: @BerkySoccer
About The Author: Liz Hopley is a full-time Program Director at the Berkshire Soccer Academy and a Cromwell, CT native. Learn more about Liz.