Station children and their parents celebrated the end of the 2012 youth soccer season with pizza, Gatorade, awards and a waterslide at the Ramada Field on Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Saturday, March 24.
With children ages three to six attending in the morning and children ages seven to 12 coming in the afternoon, the players received trophies for their activity in the league as well as medals for teams that placed well in the tournament.
“This event is to recognize the kids from the season and all the hard work and everything they put into their soccer season,” said William Tracy, the MCAS Yuma youth sports coordinator. “Receiving a trophy at the end of the season is an acknowledgment of furthering their social skills and their gaining new abilities like dribbling or passing. It gives us a chance to show them they accomplished a job well done out there on the soccer field.”
The program aims to assist children with social and emotional growth and provide an enjoyable experience for all involved.
“What we try to do is teach the younger kids social skills and how to get along with other people,” added Tracy. “Our main concern is that the kids are happy. If the kids are happy and achieving what we want them to do, then we are happy.”
This season, which ran from Jan. 28 to March 10, consisted of seven games and a tournament played by 287 children on 32 teams. The teams were led by 50 coaches, who are mostly active duty Marines volunteering during their time off. Each team practices twice per week and plays games on Sat. Games are played by teams from MCAS Yuma against each other as well as against teams from Yuma Proving Grounds. The fee for the season is $35.
The youth soccer program is open to the children of Department of Defense employees and active duty military living on base. The basketball season will be starting soon, with its first game on April 14. Flag football, cheerleading and track and field are scheduled to follow.
For more information, contact William Tracy at (928)-269-2324.
