Soccer fever takes over Sandpoint

SANDPOINT - The thud of a ball kicked up field. The screaming parents packing the stands or nervously pacing the sideline. The thrill of a last-minute point to end the match.

These are the ingredients that make up the Pend Oreille Cup, a smorgasbord of youth soccer that streamrolled into Sandpoint Saturday for the 27th consecutive year.

Girls and boys from Idaho, Montana, Washington and Canada took up residence at nearly every empty field in town, all of them fighting for a year's worth of bragging rights by besting their competitors and winning the tournament.

As their children sprint up and down the field, dribbling the ball between defenders, nervous parents sit in the stands, often barking out directions or words of encouragement.

"This is the best sport ever," said Jodi Bice as she cheered on her daughter's U13 Moscow United team in a match against a Coeur d'Alene squad. "The kids really have to work as a team. It's not a sport where you can showboat or be the star."

Like all soccer moms and dads, Bice and the rest of the United parents have formed a tight bond through years of traveling to weekend tournaments. Their familiarity with each other acts as a calming agent and helps them enjoy the matches without too much anxiety.

While some parents, like Bice, are able to keep relatively calm during a match, others are tightly wrapped in a blanket of nerves.

David Grebe, whose son plays on the U13 Coeur d'Alene Sting, is almost too tense to make it through a game.

"I can't really enjoy myself," Grebe said. "I take it very seriously. More than serious, I'm obsessed."

Grebe and his wife Beth have traveled throughout Idaho, Washington and Montana to watch their son Hunter play his favorite sport, but even after three years of games, Grebe cannot find a way to relax. Even when the Sting are up by six, Grebe is still nervous, still trying to find ways for the team to improve.

Not every spectator watching a match is a seasoned veteran of the sport, but that doesn't stop them from cheering on their loved ones.

New York resident Karla Faggard happened to be in town to see her brother Nathan and his teammates from the U11 Sandpoint Strikers play the Post Falls Thunder.

Not normally a soccer fan, Faggard could still appreciate the heart and effort the kids were playing with.

"They're playing hard. These kids really put some chutzpah into it," Faggard said.

As an outsider to the world of soccer, Faggard summed up the competition best, saying, "They really don't like to lose, but the most important thing is that they play their best."ww