Youth soccer program for 3-4-year-olds a big success

The real measure of any successful sports program lies in a very
simple premise- it has to be fun. That fact is especially true for
pre-school aged kids, whose mission of discovery and natural
curiosity make them experts in the field of play. Throw in a warm
summer evening and a soccer ball and you have the perfect formula
for an hour of unbridled excitement.  
One local program is providing just that for 3-4-year-olds, many
of which are getting their first introduction to the world of
soccer. 
Sponsored by the WESCO youth soccer organization and spearheaded
by coordinators Noelle Rudolph and Debbie Bauman, the group
includes up to 14 pre-schoolers that meet every Monday from 5-5:45
p.m. on the upper field at Apple Blossom Elementary School in
Sebastopol.  
The large, grassy field surrounded by tall trees has few
distractions- an ideal venue for small children with notoriously
short attention spans. 
“I started with the six-week summer program to determine the
interest it would generate,” said Rudolph. “There were no other
local programs that involved 3-4-year olds, and I think playing
outside is very important for young children.”
The practices are conducted by former Analy and University of
Maryland soccer star Melissa Heintz, and the program is already
flourishing at the halfway mark of its summer schedule.  
Heintz, whose roster of soccer students includes her two young
sisters, skillfully puts the kids through a series of fun drills
that focus on running, footwork, and improving motor skills.  The
practices are perfectly tailored to the kids’ abilities. 
“It’s definitely all about having fun,” said Heintz, a 2002
Analy graduate and a veteran among the coaching ranks at WESCO.
“All the kids are playing soccer for the first time, so it’ neat to
introduce them to something that is so special.”
For more information on the soccer program, contact coordinator
Noelle Rudolph at 533-7160 or Debbie Bauman at 823-2443.