A little rain? They still came out

Good attendance in poor weather helped validate the enthusiasm for these camps

We had our largest camp to date in June, another low (low!) cost week of soccer for kids in Pleasant Grove. For a similar camp further north in Dallas, the cost would easily top $250 for the week. We charge $30 for the week – and certainly don’t turn away any families that might struggle to meet even that cost.

We had 108 registered players during the week. But here’s the thing: a couple of days we got hit with morning rain. So I really wondered on those days what attendance might look like. I mean, three hours is a long time to be wet!

We did get fortunate in that, on both mornings, the rain was forecast to end around the time we’d be getting started. So we set up in the rain and had hope. And you know what … 

They all showed up! Even on the Tuesday of the camp, when storms were still pretty active about an hour before our 8:30 a.m. start. By around 8 a.m. the lightning was gone, so we knew it was safe to be outside. And by 8:30 we still had light rain.

So we pushed back the start by 30 minutes and when I called everyone out … Yep! They were pretty much all there. By a few minutes later, we were full.

The point is this: It drove home the need and the enthusiasm for what we’re doing. The young soccer players in Pleasant Grove, who just don’t get a lot of this, were thrilled to keep playing, rain or shine. (And by the last two days of camp, there was plenty of “shine!” The Texas summer reemerged. And just like the cloudy days, the kids kept coming out.)

It was a great week of camp – complete with a cookout at the end.

Big thanks once again to WW Samuell High School and DISD for the facility use and all the great support. And big thanks to our collection of awesome coaches!