WHEN SUMMER gets going, the kids get going to camps, plural.
Cynics might call camps glorified baby-sitting for households with working parents, but few are the accomplished teenage athletes who haven't benefited from the skill development attainable at well-run camps.
Now, what's new: The county's Department of Recreation and Parks suspects that camps aren't just for kids. The department is signing up participants for its first adult summer camp - in soccer.
The three-hour sessions each evening from July 19 to July 23 will be conducted on the soccer fields behind the county library branch in Columbia's Owen Brown village. The British Challenger sports organization, which brings English coaches to the United States to teach the game, will provide coaching. Price: $137.
"We really see a need for it," said Janell Coffman, a rec department sports supervisor who not only coaches women's soccer but also oversees the extensive Howard County Women's League in the sport.
"We get a lot of first-time players, or people who haven't played for a long time who want to brush up on skills and their knowledge of the game," said Coffman. "It's hard to learn the game only by playing once or twice a week in a game. So we figured, why not? Let's try it."
With a few weeks left before camp starts, Coffman said 10 adults have signed up and many more have inquired about the sessions. She's hoping for about 20.
The summer camp idea builds on a phenomenon of teaching soccer to adults that has been going on indoors, mainly, with the Soccer Moms and, more recently, the Soccer Dads programs at SoccerDome in Jessup.
More soccer
Summer's also the time for small-side soccer - meaning fewer than the normal 11 players for a team. It's equal parts fun, skill-builder, recreation and, in one instance, a chance for adults to pocket some money.
5-on-5 tournament: The rec department, with ASG Sports conducting the event, is having its first such event, called Turf Wars, for teams with five players each, at Centennial Park on July 10 and 11.
Mostly, teams will compete for trophies. But in the open division - for adult teams - the winning side will split $1,000, with the loser in the title match taking home $500. Info: www.hcrpsports.com, the rec department's sports Web site.
3v3 tournament: The Soccer Association of Columbia-Howard County's new complex at Covenant Park will again be the site for the annual Baltimore-area Got milk? Soccer Shootout, part of a promotion that produces national age-group champions in Orlando, Fla., each January.
SAC-HC is expecting about 180 teams of all ages to compete July 24-25. Play is fast-paced and intense, with no goalkeepers but a premium on skills and off-the-ball movement, on offense and defense. Entry forms can be obtained from SAC-HC or off the Web at www.sac-hc.org.
Bricks for Kicks: SAC-HC is starting another fund-raiser likely to appeal to the legions of former players. For a plaza at Covenant Park's new headquarters, which begins construction this week, you may buy a brick and have your name or other info inscribed on it for the ages. A regular 4-by-8-inch paver goes for $60, and a foot-square brick will cost $200. Details: www.sac-hc.org.
Footnote: Sunhee Muhlbock of the Blue Devils, in the Under-19 Girls League, scored the first goal in a regular-season game played at Covenant Park this month.
Softball tourney
Five state age-group champions in girls fast-pitch softball, governed by the National Softball Association, are to be determined today, as a two-day tournament that began at Centennial and Rockburn parks yesterday wraps up.
All play today is at Bachman and Randazzo parks in Anne Arundel County.
Besides state bragging rights, the 83 teams that started out in five age categories, ranging from 10 to 18, in the double-elimination tournament are vying for berths in NSA's A and B world series in Columbus, Ohio, and East Peoria, Ill.
The field included eight teams from the Howard County Youth Program. The Maryland Chill, a softball club with many Howard County players, entered teams in the under-10, under-14 and under-16 competitions.
Call the writer at 410-332- 6525 or send e-mail to lowell. sunderland@baltsun.com.
