SOCCER CAMP BRINGS ELITE SKILLS

BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune

Northwest College soccer coach Rob Hill was in action with Park County youth in June, hosting two different Elite Soccer Camps in Powell and Cody.

Athletes ages 9-16 attended the camps, with Hill impressed with the skill sets coming up through Park County even from the youngest ages.

"The morning group, they were so good to work with," Hill said. "You can tell these are committed kids, they have a very high skill set and it's clear that somebody has been working with the kids and invested in them, and they've been working on their own as well."

Hill said he's been planning to get involved with the youth more in Park County since his return to the helm as both the men's and women's soccer coach.

"It was good getting to know them, because I want them to get involved more with our college, be more connected with us," Hill said. "I want to make more relationships with the local kids and the Wyoming kids."

He said while he has a good connection for high school girls talent, since the Trappers went to nationals with a back line and goalkeeper positions filled with Wyoming kids, there hasn't been that same connection.

"Some of the (other) schools do it better and have done a better job of it," he said. "We need to start making those connections with them."

Hill said he became more involved with the youth program with Cody this year, helping with the Yellowstone Fire program. That is part of a larger overall goal for Hill, who is hoping to help grow the game in Park County and make it competitive enough to help the Trappers in the future compete at the national level.

"I'm really trying to help grow the game overall, not just for recruiting wise, but just to make the game better. It's better for everyone when the game is better," Hill said. "Same thing with our region. I want our region to be good … I want us to be a competitive area for soccer, and the only way to do that is grow at the youth level. So I have a passion for that and helping the kids and the coaches of the area."

One of the ways that Hill is hopeful the campers grew was learning how to solve problems through a tactical setting, which will make them more competitive in the future. He also wants to ensure the athletes keep their love of the game.

"I hope they learned some new ideas in terms of tactical ideas, in terms of problem solving, and the fact that I want them to think for themselves and solve problems," Hill said. "The other thing is maybe higher expectations of their training habits. Then the last thing, the game can be fun. The game can be enjoyable. I want them to keep coming back, so I think you have to have an element of fun there. Maybe they learned some more problem solving skills, and then maybe new, fun exercises they can take back and say 'coach, let's try this, I had fun doing it.'"

Hill is hopeful that the camp brought enough enjoyment to have the kids back once again next year, as he continues to become more involved in both communities.

He is also hopeful that word of mouth continues to spread to the overall benefit of the Trappers, as he wants to see fan support increase at the games following the Trapper women's run to the Region IX Championship a year ago.

"I want them to come watch soccer, and I want that side of things to grow," Hill said. "When we had the regional final here, having 550 fans there, that was infectious. That was so nice to see. I would love to have that every single game, what an atmosphere that was. So we're going to do a better job of advertising that. I'm hopeful these camps will also bring a connection like 'oh, I want to see coach Rob's team, or I want to come and see those college kids that I met during that camp.'"

He's hoping the kids will drag their families along to watch the Trappers. 

Hill plans to host another youth camp once the college athletes arrive on campus in early August.