Monday, July 22, 2013
Page 13
SOCCER
Summer camp attracts future Kansas players
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
It's a summery mid-July morning in downtown Lawrence as sophomore forwards Ashley Williams and Courtney Dickerson of the Kansas soccer team dodge the heat to grab breakfast in a restaurant on Massachusetts Street.
The two of them are taking a short break between an early morning weight lifting session and a day of working as counselors for the Jayhawks Soccer Camp.
Williams and Dickerson are coming off of a freshman season in which they each played in all 20 games and combined for 12 goals, but it was just a couple years ago that they were high school campers themselves, experiencing their first tastes of Division I soccer.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
"We got to meet older girls and they told us what to expect." Dickerson said of attending the Kansas soccer camp in high school. "It definitely helped me to be prepared."
The camp that coach Mark Francis runs each summer has become a way for current jahwakes to mentor future
Jayhawks who are already committed to Kansas, as well as other young hopeful soccer players.
Sophomore forward Ashley Williams crosses the ball during a match against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Kansas lost to Arkansas 0-1, closing the spring play for the Jayhawks.
"We know how they feel," Williams said. "We were in their situation a couple years ago. It's nice to see good girls continuing to come through."
Williams said the camp serves as a way to become familiar with the team in a soccer setting for the players who have already committed to Kansas.
"We talk with them and see how they're doing during lunch breaks and times like that," she said.
For Coach Francis, the camp is a way for committed players to be mentored and to scout potential players up close. In past years, Francis has discovered several hidden gems from watching them play in camp.
"Do they have the athleticism and the speed to play in the Big 12?" he said. "And the way we play, players have to be technically skilled with the
On a Wednesday night as campers played a scrimmage, Francis stood right in the middle of the action, watching closely as the young players showed their skills. Francis said he asks certain questions when watching potential future layhawks.
ball, so, how's their technique under pressure? How do they play under pressure?"
One of the players that caught the critical coaching eye of Francis years ago was Caroline Kastor, now a senior forward from Wichita. The coaches at the camp could see her potential in the way she played against older, more experienced players. Kastor was offered a scholarship after the camp.
"I just remember getting on the field with some of the KU players at the time and thinking 'Wow, this is really cool.' Kastor said.
Last season, Kastor lead Kansas with 11 goals. As she prepares to be
a teamleader in the coming season, Kastor said she first seriously considered playing at the college level after attending the camp as a sophomore in high school.
"The last night of the camp, when we scrimmaged, I had a really good night," Kastor said. "That was the highlight of the camp for me. I kind of shocked myself, honestly. All of the sudden I was playing really well and that gave me a boost and made me feel like I could keep up athletically with those players."
Edited by Allison Kohn