Photo courtesy of Will Matsuzak
With the regular batch of students off-campus for the summer, the Connecticut College Lacrosse and Soccer programs opened their doors to talented youth, fostering the next generation of student-athletes on the field and in the classroom.
The Connecticut College Men’s Lacrosse team hosted Harlem Lacrosse for a weekend-long training camp from June 18 to June 20.
The purpose of the camp was greater than coaching lacrosse. According to Connecticut College Lacrosse’s mission statement, tasking Camel lacrosse players with the responsibility of combating systemic racism found in predominantly white environments, like that of Connecticut College and the sport of lacrosse, will give students an active leadership role in “inspiring an inclusive culture on campus and in the lacrosse community.”
Harlem Lacrosse was founded in 2008 with the intention of pairing lacrosse and academic support to best serve the most at-risk youth facing both learning disabilities and poverty in Harlem, New York. By initially establishing relationships with the first eleven students in the program as their coach on the lacrosse field, co-founder Simon Cataldo found that leading students to success in the classroom, on top of coaching lacrosse, was second nature.
Today, Harlem Lacrosse has expanded to serve children in five cities, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Their student-athletes have earned over $40 million dollars in scholarships to premier academic institutions, including Connecticut College.
The camp was free of charge for members of the Harlem Lacrosse program, providing sixty of their student-athletes with the full services of Connecticut College, including dining halls, athletic facilities, and dormitories. In addition to the lacrosse coaching offered by Head Coach Jim Nagle, staff, and players, Connecticut College Dean of Academic Support Noel Garret was a featured guest during the packed three-day schedule. Garret emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the academic resources that Connecticut College will now be offering to the Harlem Lacrosse athletes at least through this entire upcoming school year, presumably in a remote-learning fashion. In addition, Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion, John McKnight spoke to players on the “context of being black in a sea of white.” The weekend included other guest speakers such as Harvard University’s Director of Lacrosse, Lars Keil, and concluded with the Harlem Lacrosse players putting their skills to the test in a scrimmage against the North Shore Sharks, a local travel lacrosse team that has sent many players on to play at the collegiate level.
The Connecticut College Soccer program, for the first time since 2019, got to continue their Camel Elite Soccer Academy and Connecticut College Soccer Camps.
The Camel Elite Soccer Academy, formerly an overnight camp, was held as four separate day camps to minimize the risk of possible exposure to COVID-19. The camp functions as a recruiting showcase, allowing Connecticut College to host and evaluate high school players with the hopes of being recruited. The camp is coached by the Connecticut College soccer coaches, guest coaches, and current members of the team. Many current, former, and incoming Camel soccer players are a product of these camps, including Jack Kelesoglu ‘24, who was featured in a February 2021 article by The College Voice on athletic recruiting amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Each day hosts about 50 players.
In addition to the recruiting camps, which are informally referred to as the “ID camps,” Conn has once again been able to host their Connecticut College Soccer Camps. They are described by Connecticut College as a “fun learning environment to youth interested in honing their soccer skills.” Each Connecticut College Soccer Camp is coed, lasts four days, and hosts about 40 children ages five to fourteen. Two Connecticut College Soccer Camps were held this year, one from July 6th to July 9th and another from July 12th to July 15th. The camps are formatted as day camps, in consideration of the younger kids participating and COVID-19. According to former varsity soccer captain Chris MacKay ‘21, most of the children who attend are from the Waterford and Colchester area.
The Connecticut College Soccer Camps are run as a whole by Reuben Burke and Norm Riker, the head coaches of the Conn Men and Women’s teams. Each day of the camp has a unique focus, with one day dedicated to passing, another dedicated to shooting, etc. The camps also include scrimmages and smaller break-out groups for each age, run by players on the Conn Men and Women’s soccer teams. MacKay, who has been working the camps since 2017 remarked that it’s “exciting to see such young kids being introduced to the game.”
Both camps were a smashing success and are a tribute to the many student-athletes who made the effort and sacrifice to stay on campus this summer to work and share their knowledge with the younger generation. With the fall semester right around the corner, we look forward to cheering on our camels in all of their athletic endeavors!
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