Soccer camp was a huge success

For the Bee

The Brian Farber Professional Soccer Camp successfully concluded recently and we are very pleased with the outcome. There was a turnout of more than 150 players when projected numbers before the first day of camp was 80. We were also able to raise more than $3,000 in scholarship funds to allocate to recreational players who cannot afford Strikers fees. My goal from the beginning was to help strengthen the local club and create an environment where our small town kids with all their talent will excel. With the scholarship funds raised, I believe we are on our way to nurturing the talent Sandpoint has to offer.

There have always been talented players in Sandpoint. There were many before myself and there have been many since. I am not the only soccer player from Sandpoint who could have done this, not by a long shot. It takes a little luck and a lot of hard work. I could name 30 or more players who came up through Strikers and Sandpoint High School who earned scholarships and could have gone even further. There is a relished tradition in Sandpoint soccer and I plan to help that tradition in anyway I can.

My staff and I saw several players in the camp with potential to move on with soccer and there are many more who are close. With a little work it can be achieved. The girls I had during the week in particular are very good. They have a very good work ethic and an “I can do it attitude,” always wanting to play against the boys to show them they can compete.

I had big plans for this camp, almost from the moment I was injured. I figured this was my chance to give back to Sandpoint Strikers and Sandpoint soccer in general. I wanted to make this camp like the ones that I see in Florida and California; the two largest soccer meccas in the country. Many outsiders voiced that it wouldn't work, but I knew it could. It meant first and foremost to deliver quality coaching, and second, not cutting corners on things such as balls, bags and shirts. However, all of this would have been more challenging without the support of the community and local businesses.

Personally, I was unsure how the town was going to respond to me asking for camp sponsors. Over a weeklong period, I went to several businesses with a proposal on the camp and asked for any amount they could give. Almost every business was excited and more then willing to help. After landing 15 sponsors (see inset box), I knew Sandpoint was the right town to hold this camp.

In addition to direct sponsorship funds, we also had more than 50 prizes to hand out, all donated from these local businesses: Ground Zero, Jalapenos, Subway, Papa Murphy's, Dubs and McDonalds. These prizes were awarded to the campers with the highest total scores on evaluation day. And our player of the day sponsor was donated by Monarch Mountain Coffee.

We want to thank all of the local business for their generosity. Without the sponsors it would have been very difficult to achieve the success we had.

We would also like to thank Wal-Mart for the grant they awarded the camp.

Lastly, we would like to thank the Sandpoint Strikers organization for helping make this camp possible. Also, a special thanks to John Rinck and Diane Rich for all of their hard work prior to, during and after camp.

I have received more than 40 e-mails of thanks from parents and players. I was handed thank you cards and drawings from some of the younger players and even a box of cookies for my staff. In my eyes that's what it's all about. I feel I made a difference in Sandpoint and I'm more then happy to help. Hopefully this is something I can do every year and continue to show our kids the possibilities that lie ahead.

Thanks to Sandpoint and all of my supporters.