My Experience at the Under-14 National ID Camp
Experienced by Cecilia Knaub
This year, the Under-14 National ID Camp took place at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon. For me, this experience was more than just another soccer camp. It was an opportunity to fly across the country and train with- and compete against- one hundred of the top soccer players in the country in my age bracket. Also, this was my chance to learn from top coaches and former national team players who gave their time because they care about the development of the beautiful game in our country.
On an average day at camp, we woke up and headed for breakfast at 7 a.m.. This was followed by a 90 minute training session. Our training groups were made up of teams with players from every region. After our morning session we would head back to our dorms, hand in our training jerseys, and then head to lunch around noon. Lunch was a great place to mix with other people in different regions. After lunch, we were able to rest before we had our afternoon meeting with the sports physiologist. We discussed topics varying from warm up mentality to concentration.
The afternoons were all about the games. Each team played one game per day. As the week went on, the teams got better as you got to know all of your teammates. When games were finished, we again handed in our training kits and then headed down to dinner at around 6 p.m.. Dinner was again another chance to mingle with other players and get the proper foods we needed- emphasis goes on proper because, like regional camps, coaches watch everything you do! It may sound crazy but trust me, every little thing matters.
To round out the day, the whole camp would meet together. Each night served up a different topic. We talked nutrition with the U.S. women’s national team nutrition coach. We met with a current Under-17 national player. And we watched “Dare to Dream,” a movie that highlights the careers of great female soccer players who pioneered the sport in America.
Now this camp wasn’t all business. There were many fun and unforgettable moments that occurred along the way. We all had the chance to meet players and build friendships with people from all over the country who had one common interest, soccer. And when talking to these people from across the country you need to realize that if you tell a person that they have an accent they will automatically deny it and start to poke fun at the way you-yourself say things. We also got to play and eat at Nike’s world headquarters which is secretly tucked away, separated from the rest of the world.
At the last event of the week, even the nicest person turned really competitive. It was skit night! Each region got tasked to come up with a skit and perform it in front of every other region and all the coaches. Let me tell you, it got intense.
All in all, National Camp is an experience that can be the highlight for any young player who dreams to represent our country’s dream. So if, or when, anyone gets such a chance as I did, the only thing you can do is work hard, give it all you’ve got, and just have fun playing the game of soccer.