By:Jennifer Marino
The Rockville Centre Soccer Club held its 14th annual community camp in partnership with the soccer-promotion company NOGA Aug. 9-13. Rockville Centre families once again had the opportunity to host the coaches in their homes for the week. The Hines, Stetson, Murray, Malizia, Leboff, Armellino and Breyer families all adopted coaches.
ÒItÕs lovely,Ó said Madeleine Hougham, who, along with fellow coach Kelly McCullock, stayed with the Murray family. ÒThey ask to do our washing.Ó Hougham is from Edinburgh, Scotland, where she is studying to be a phys. ed. teacher.
After spending seven weeks in dorm rooms at Adelphi and Hofstra, the coaches look forward to spending time in real homes with families. There are home-cooked meals, trips to the beach and barbecues with the host families. Hougham said that when one family does something, they invite all the ÒadoptedÓ coaches along.
McCullock is spending her third summer as a NOGA coach, and is also studying to be a teacher at home in Brighton, England. She stayed with a Rockville Centre family last year, too. After her week in Rockville Centre, she was back in the dorms at Hofstra. Hougham said that stories from weeks spent with host families usually make other coaches jealous, but they have a good time in the dorms, too.
ÒTheyÕre tremendous fun,Ó said Jackie Stetson of the coaches. Stetson, her husband, John, who is an age-group soccer coach, and daughters, Laura, 11, and Amanda, 8, hosted coach Robyn Kirstein, of Scotland, for a week. The NOGA coaches earned some notoriety in the area for being fun, and were even recognized when they went to beach clubs with their host families.
StetsonÕs father is from Scotland, and she grew up being visited frequently by family members from the United Kingdom. She wanted her children to be exposed to other cultures as well. This is the third year the Stetsons have adopted a coach. Jackie said the coaches are very appreciative, and she wants to continue hosting them in the years to come.
This was the first year the Stetsons had a female coach as a guest, which was exciting for Laura and Amanda. The coaches make things fun for the kids on the field and off, said Jackie. Her girls got to learn about growing up in Scotland, and Kirstein was happy to see the extensive soccer program that exists for young girls in the U.S., something she doesnÕt see at home. The Stetson girls had fun, learned new things, Òand they love the accent,Ó said Jackie.
The coaches also learned a lot about teaching kids and keeping them entertained. They receive training from NOGA and learn how to set scenes for their campers. The Rockville Centre camp was a positive and memorable week for coaches, campers and parents. ÒI would recommend it to other families,Ó said Jackie Stetson.
