Thousands take the field for youth soccer

SPORT | DiAnne Crown

With the end of summer come the beginning of a new school year, the harvest and the start of an area tradition that draws thousands of children away from their video games and outside onto the mown grass lawns of parks and schools across Springfield. It is the fall soccer season.

“Did you have fun?”

Paul Marconi directs YMCA recreational soccer. An average of 2,000 children ages 4 to 14 play in the spring and fall sessions, and this year the YMCA is celebrating 45 years of fun, fair and safe play in Springfield.

“The YMCA program involves everybody, whether you’ve never played, or you’ve played for 10 years, no matter where you live, or where you go to school. No one is ever turned away for inability to pay, and we guarantee all kids half a game of playing time each week,” says Marconi. As kids run to get their treats at the end of the game, they’re more likely to be asked “Did you have fun?” than “Did you win?” Weekend YMCA games for boys, girls, and coed teams ages 6 through 14 run Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Four- and fiveyear-olds play Friday evenings. Field sizes, numbers of players on the field and game times vary by age, but they’re all played on the University of Illinois Springfield east fields. None of the games last longer than one hour.

“The great thing about four- and five-yearolds’ soccer,” Marconi continues, “is everybody plays, everybody’s involved. They’re kicking, running and chasing in a pack for seven and a half minutes (per quarter). They may stop to pick grass, or watch deer in the field, or look at geese flying overhead, but they’re mobile and active,” says Marconi.

Eleven-year-old Faith McKay of Springfield plays on the YMCA’s Little Angels team as number 23. Her mother, Tammie McKay, is happy with the team and what she describes as the social part of YMCA play. “Faith has met so many kids and made friends from other schools she wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

“When I say LITTLE, you say ANGELS. LITTLE! ANGELS!”

Just after noon the last Saturday in September, the Little Angels girls soccer team gathered around coaches Mike and Carol Saltsgaver to warm up and fire up for their 12:30 p.m. game against the Soccer Stars of Pawnee. McKay loves to play, and her coaches love to win. Although McKay is quiet and the Saltsgavers are known yellers with great big hearts, it’s a good fit.

There is clapping, smiling, cheering and turning cartwheels when the girls are playing well, but shouts from the sidelines become urgent when team members start walking and watching the ball go by. “I want this win. Don’t you?,” Coach Mike yells.

“The coach gets upset when something doesn’t go right,” says Faith. “‘Ladies, we gotta get this going!’ he’ll yell. He’s really competitive. But he’s out with us at practices and games, (in the heat, cold, and rain, adds Tammie McKay) teaching us new things, and coaching, so we have to respect him, because he’s respecting us.”

“We’re supposed to get the ball and go for the goal,” Faith continues. “I can knock people down sometimes, but I’m not being mean. I’m just trying to get the ball.” Tammie McKay agrees. “The girls are sensitive with each other about not wanting to hurt another teammate or player on another team. They’ll apologize to each other and make sure everyone’s all right if someone is kicked or knocked down.”

Like all of the coaches and referees, the Saltsgavers are volunteers in the program and, like most, have a child playing on their team. They can get a little emotional. When one Saturday’s game ended in a heart-pounding tie after a saved penalty kick, former Marine Mike Saltsgaver charged onto the field for hugs and congratulations. It might as well have been a win for the girls. “I get so emo-tional because they’re all my kids,” said Saltsgaver with, believe it or not, mist in his eyes. “It means so much to me. That was better than the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) League!” In the end, says Marconi, the kids don’t pay that much attention to wins and losses. A team can have a losing season but still think they did great and have a lot of fun. “Win, lose or tie,” he says, “everyone shakes hands and cheers, the parents make a tunnel for the team to run through, they get that Rice Krispies treat and CapriSun, and life is great.”