Having a ball

Young Chang

Mady Renn, a dainty young girl whose brunet curls burst out from

beneath her denim cap, got dirty with the boys Monday for the first and

rather chaotic day of soccer camp.

There was hollering. Nose-diving into the grass. Shorter falls and

minor knee scrapes. Accusations shrieked at the top of little lungs that

members of the opposing team were being “Cheaters!” And two seemingly

endless water breaks every hour during which children sat beneath the

arms of a big tree and gulped from thermoses packed from home.

Mady, despite the rowdy play of tripping and kicking and whamming the

ball into goals, held her own. She defended as if it were her own home

being invaded and passed the ball to teammates with the fire of a pro.

At just 7 years old, Mady admitted to not knowing which city she lives

in, but she knows she wants to devote six hours each day this week to

soccer camp.

“It’s fun,” she said shyly.

Running back and forth during drills, games of tag and, of course,

intermittent soccer matches, 26 children turned Mariners Park into a

field of competition Monday at the Newport Beach-sponsored, weeklong

Skyhawks Soccer Camp.

Kids ranging from ages 6 to 14 sweated through the heat, some wearing

shinguards and red knee socks while others went barelegged and bore the

pain of getting kicked.

Nirran Hebron, 11, said he was there out of love for the sport.

“It’s a game of speed and skill,” he said. “And I like these games.”

Patrick McMahon, an 11-year-old from Colorado, admitted he’d probably

be playing Zelda on his Nintendo 64 if he were not out kicking the ball.

“We make them have a ton of fun,” director Gavin Reath said. “It’s a

good way to get them out, to learn soccer and make friends.”

Patrick said he’d like to play professionally one day. Gabrielle

Rader, 9, said she’s practicing to play soccer in the fall -- not at

school, but on a separate team.

Nirran said he hopes it’ll rain.

“I like playing in the rain,” he said. “And I want them to turn the

sprinklers on!”

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which the Daily Pilot visits

a campus within the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and writes about

the experience.