Kelowna Capital News , for September 8th, 2003
By Warren Henderson - Staff reporter

Always searching for ways to further sharpen her soccer skills, it was a camp Jen Woods didn’t feel she could miss.

The international flavour has simply been an added bonus for the 13-year-old from Kelowna.

Woods has been at the Rutland sports fields this week gathering tips from some of Italy’s most qualified coaches.

Francesco Micheli, Marco Stoini, and Antonio Saviano of the Perugia Scuola Calcio soccer club in Italy have been sharing their expertise and advice during daily sessions with more than 75 young players from the Central Okanagan.

“It’s been really good,” says Woods. “I’ve learned how to be more consistent on passing the ball, when to pass, and have just learned about a lot of different skills.”

The camp, being held for the time in Kelowna, is a joint effort between the Perugia club in Italy and the Excel Soccer program out of Vancouver.

Another camp will be held next week in Vancouver where the Perugia coaches will continue to instruct and evaluate B.C.’s best young talent. The Italian club will eventually form a team of under 13 boys players (born in 1991) from the province to compete at an international tournament next June in Rome. At least three of those players are expected to come from the Central Okanagan Youth Soccer Association.

“It’s an awesome opportunity for our youth players here,” said Alan Ryder, the chairman of Rutland Youth Soccer who brought the camp to Kelowna.

“They have this camp last year in Vancouver and we thought it was time for Kelowna to be involved.”

Ryder is a firm believer in exposing young soccer players to various coaching styles, just one more reason he believes the camp will pay dividends for the sport in Kelowna.

“Kids benefit from seeing different styles and it really adds another dimension,” added Ryder. “We have great coaches (Andrew Latham and Shawn Flanagan) at the Okanagan Regional Training Centre, too. We’re pretty fortunate. This just gives the kids another perspective.”

Joe Cuzzetto and Tony Pensato, the directors of the Excel Soccer program, have also been lending their expertise to the local players this week and communicating. Like Ryder, Cuzzetto has recognized a somewhat different approach to Italian style of coaching than what is typically seen in Canada.

“Players here in our country tend to be a little bit rigid and stiff,” said Cuzzetto. “The coaches work a lot with balance, coordination and agility. They believe strongly in those fundamentals. Our players here can learn a lot from it.”

And Jen Woods is one of those players who intends to absorb even more next week when she travels to the Lower Mainland to take in the Vancouver version of the Perugia-Excel Soccer camp.

“Now that I’ve come out and seen what there is to learn, I want to come back and learn more,” she said.