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NPU Students Get a Kick Out of Coaching Kids
CHICAGO, IL (July 20, 2000) - North Park University (NPU) soccer teams are "getting a kick" out of coaching local youth in a summer soccer league, thanks to a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.
Soccer league activities are centered in a new soccer/track complex at West River Park, located two blocks from the NPU campus. Nearly 100 youth ages 11-17 play in two-hour increments. Boys use the field Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with girls using the field Tuesdays and Thursdays during the same evening hours. Approximately 15 minutes of each hour will be used for instruction, with games following shortly thereafter. The league concludes August 17.
The grant allows NPU to charge just $5 per player. More than a dozen players and coaches from NPU men's and women's programs are coaching various teams. For men's soccer head coach John Born, the opportunity to run the new league is an exciting way to get to know his neighbors as well as expose his players to the game in an enjoyable way.
"This is our way to reach out and show we're committed to the neighborhood," Born said. "It's not only going to help out the neighborhood, it will help our programs. It'll help kids get to know us a little bit and we may get a player or two from our own backyard," he continued.
"All of the students who are working are excited about it. It's their passion, and for a lot of them it's the first experience with coaching," Born added.
The university plans to develop mini-camps and clinics in the future - the cross country and track and field teams, headed by Kari Nethery-Kluckhohn, will provide similar activities for interested individuals.
For more information on NPU's soccer programs or the summer youth league, contact Born at 773-244-5771 or women's coach Julie Lamm at 773-244-6251. For more information about NPU's cross country and track program, contact Nethery-Kluckhohn at 773-244-5678. Additional information is also available by visiting the university's web site at www.northpark.edu. Select the Student Life link and visit the athletics page.
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