The Courier

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I am pleased to offer a short article highlighting the St. Mark’s Soccer Camp event that took place here at 4 Wing 10-14 July 2023. St. Mark’s has been hosting a Bible soccer camp for the past six years and we were pleased to do so again this summer. This year, we had over forty children attend, many of which came from military families, and twelve volunteer soccer coaches. A big shout-out of thanks to our military members who volunteered their time to coach throughout the week and a big thank you to our military leadership for their support of the event.

Each camp day was separated into three parts. After a morning huddle with the kids, the coaches started each day leading soccer drills. For the five-to-six-year age group, games were utilized to encourage ball handling skills while the older groups practiced kicks, drills, and dribbling. After a short snack and water break each group separated into their age categories to play scrimmage games. The scrimmage games were the highlight of the day for many of the children as they were able to put the new soccer skills they learned to practice. The final third of each day was spent inside St. Mark’s Chapel for a time of singing/dancing and teaching from the Christian scriptures, often with a soccer sports story to highlight the main lesson of the day. 

All the training led up to July 14th, the last day of camp, and a full day of scrimmage games followed by a teaching time and family BBQ. The children played hard the last camp day and really showed us all the soccer skills they had learned throughout the week. The wrap-up BBQ was a time of celebration for the children and their families, and we were pleased to see the St. Mark’s courtyard full of kids and adults enjoying a well-deserved BBQ. A big thank you to the 4 Wing kitchen staff for providing and serving the meal. 

There is often a feeling of sadness when a big event ends but in the case of St. Mark’s Soccer Camp 2023, there comes also a feeling of joy knowing that many children and families were well served by the military community of Cold Lake. Kids, keep practicing those soccer skills and we hope to see you next year!

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