Members of the SU men's soccer team visited the Salvation Army After School Program on April 24.
SU Soccer Gets Out In The Community
4/26/2010 4:42:41 PM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Friday, April 24 wasn't a typical day for the children in the Salvation Army After School Program. In addition to their usual routine, they were paid a visit by a group of special guests - the Syracuse University men's soccer team.
Team members gathered at the program's headquarters on Warren Street in downtown Syracuse to teach the children basic soccer skills as well as supervise informal games. The goal was to teach the fundamentals of the sport while keeping things fun and energetic.
In the process, the student-athletes took an active role in their community, a fact that wasn't lost on them.
“It's important to be involved in the community,” goalkeeper Ryan Jones said. “This is where our school is and we want them (the kids) to feel a part of it.”
The Salvation Army After School Program is a licensed daycare center for children 5 to 12 years old that provides after school supervision and activities. Most of the time volunteers help children do their homework, assist with mobile computer labs and other various arts and crafts.
On Friday, the children put away their books and instead received a heavy dose of outdoor activity. For the first hour, they were broken up into three groups based on age. Each group was supervised by four to five SU student-athletes and the groups rotated through three stations.
The first station was run by midfielder Charles Schoening and featured relay races and small group dribbling competitions. Forward #L.J. Papaleo# ran the second station and led the children through a variety of “tag” games utilizing a soccer ball. Jones supervised the final station where the children played small-sided games to get a feel for the team aspects of the sport.
Following the skills sessions, the children played actual games on a larger field. In all, the student-athletes spent approximately two hours with the children. At the end, members of the team stayed to sign autographs.
In many cases, the student-athletes had just as much fun teach the children as the children had learning.
“It's a lot of fun working with them,” midfielder Geoff Lytle said. “They have a lot of fun and we do, too. A bunch of the kids come to our games all the time when it's freezing out and it's nice to give back and show them that we care.”
The men's soccer team recently completed a set of four spring matches. This weekend it will hold its annual Alumni Game before wrapping up spring workouts. The Orange returns to action this fall with preseason training starting in August.
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