Recently, the Bryan College Women's soccer team went out into the Dayton community to help the local YMCA with a soccer clinic. Working with sixteen teams, the girls paired up to help jump-start the YMCA soccer season by coaching children ranging from the ages of three to fifteen.
Assistant coach of Bryan women's soccer and director of the soccer program at the Dayton YMCA, Renee Delmotte, thought the clinic would be something the girls would enjoy and give them a chance to reach out to the children in the community. Head Coach Mark Sauve asked the girls to be a part of the clinic and with much anticipation, the girls prepared games and drills to help the clinic run smoothly. "The soccer community in Dayton is growing so I thought this would be a good way for us to use the resources we have to help the people around us. It is always beneficial when the team is together, and serving others gave us a chance to grow as individuals as well as a team," says Sauve. The girls were excited about the opportunity to combine soccer with service, and looked forward to teaching and interacting with the kids.
The night was filled with skill sessions and games and as the evening came to an end, players were thankful for the girls' time and wished they would come again. Renee marked the clinic a success because the kids had a good time and were able to learn a few new skills to prepare for their season starting the following week. Bryan team captain Chelsey Morris said, "I remember what it was like to have older girls teach me when I was younger, so being able to give that feeling to those kids was a highlight for me. Seeing my teammates let their guard down to love the kids by teaching them and just having fun was what made it a successful experience for our program. It was great to for us to work together as a team to pass along the skills we have learned over the years, and I really hope we get a chance to do something like this again."
