Lucas Adcock
Staff Writer
Stillwell Park hosted its first-ever soccer camp this summer through Pocahontas County Parks and Recreation, giving local kids a week of skill-building, teamwork and plenty of water and Gatorade under the sun. Leading the camp was Samantha Adcock, a coach whose path to soccer came by way of an entirely different sport – lacrosse.
“I coached lacrosse in the past and really loved it, so when I moved out here and there was an opportunity to coach the soccer camp, I jumped at it!” she explained.
Samantha built the structure for the week-long program, one core skill per day, building toward a final day that pulled everything together. The ages of the kids ranged from six to 10, spanning a wide range of experience and ability, but the coach made a point of holding every child to the same standard, while developing the appropriate skills for their respective ages.
“They were all at different skill levels due to their age, but I treated them the same, still focusing to enhance those specific skills for each age group,” she added.
The camp came together with support from Parks and Rec along with staff and coordination from the Community Wellness Center in Marlinton.
Above all, the coach wanted the kids to leave with something that would outlast the week itself – a sense of confidence in themselves and a firm grasp on teamwork.
That philosophy shaped the daily drills, which stayed light-hearted and inclusive while still pushing kids at their own level.
“Keep it a light-hearted competition, fun, engaging games that everyone can do, but games that also challenge them at their current skill level,” the coach said.
The approach drew directly from a lacrosse background: teach the fundamen- tals of a skill, run drills to build comfort, then let kids apply it in live play.
Surprises came constantly throughout the week.
“The kids surprised me throughout the whole camp, showing me that they’re capable of implementing the skills that I was teaching, and gaining the confidence in themselves doing that,” Samantha said. “It’s amazing what a coach’s praise will do to a kid’s confidence.”
Not every memorable moment was about soccer skills, though. One of the kid’s invitations stuck with the coach.
“One of the kids asked me if I wanted to go to their Nana’s house, which I thought was both sweet and funny. They even made me a beautiful, hand-drawn card at the end of camp. They were all so fun to be around.”
The park itself played its part in the week, too.
“Stillwell was great. A ton of space on the fields, though the shade was next to none, so we definitely had to prepare with lots of water and Gatorade.”
Seven kids from Pocahontas County took part in the camp, all with prior soccer experience and eager to get back on the field. Since this was the first camp Parks and Rec has held, the coach sees this year as the foundation for something bigger. As she’s set to coach a full team in the upcoming season, Samantha said that this should help parents and kids get to know her better, which would hopefully draw in even more kids next summer.
Early feedback from families has been encouraging.
“One of the parents said their child showed more confidence in their skills following the camp,” Samantha said.
For families wondering how to keep the momentum going, the coach’s advice would be to simply stay in contact with the ball.
“If you’re playing a sport, you should be messing around and playing with the ball at least once a day to improve your familiarity with handling the ball.”
Looking back on the camp’s first run, the coach is happy with how the structure held up and expects it to scale well to larger groups. The one change on the horizon: more scrimmaging. “With seven kids, it makes it difficult for live play,” the coach said, “but if the camp grows, we would do more scrimmaging.”
Samantha said that she’s excited now that she is expected to coach a full team this upcoming season, and encourages the kids to practice, practice, practice until that point.
