Grace College men’s soccer head coach Matt Hotchkin watches over campers during the 2017 summer soccer camps. (Photo by Jeff Nycz, Mid-South Images)

WINONA LAKE – The Global Sport. The Beautiful Game. The World’s Game.

Soccer has a lot of monikers, a lot of hyperbole. But one thing soccer has maybe more than any other sport is community. That being said, Grace College is looking to reinvigorate a savvy soccer community in and around Warsaw with a series of summer camps.

Lancer women’s head coach Michael Voss and men’s head coach Matt Hotchkin will oversee a series of four camps. The four opportunities span all grade school ages from kindergarten to high school, creating an option for any age – and more importantly for Voss and Hotchkin, any skill level – to grow with the game by being in the game.

“Come to camp, come better yourself in the game,” Voss said. “Sure, we understand not every kid coming in will go to Grace College. We find so many kids who come really want to make something of themselves in soccer. But not every kid has the means, or their parents don’t have the money, or whatever. Just come be part of it. We have scholarships that help cover those avenues. Kids in junior high are either going one way or the other. With these camps, you get to train with a college level player, college coaches. You get that exposure.”

Added Hotckin, “In every athlete that I coach, we try to look for what strengths he has. He may not be as strong as the next guy, as fast as the next guy. But he will bring in something. So what I’m looking for, given they all come from different styles and programs, but can we plug them in and see value. I bring that to the camps, all of these kids have value. All of them can do something special. We want to be able to bring that out of them, even if they think they don’t have it in them.”

The kindergarten through third grade camp is June 4-7, a day camp from 9 a.m. to noon. A fourth-sixth grade overnight camp is June 10-13. Both camps will have combined efforts in coaching from both men’s and women’s staffs and players, the overnight addition giving campers a unique chance to bond over soccer and fellowship. Grace does offer scholarships for those who cannot afford a full cost.

“The younger kids get a lot of fundamentals,” noted Hotchkin. “We make the game as fun as possible that we can make it for them. But still bring in an aspect of fundamentals and training. And we’ve got our own players guiding them along, which is two-fold for us at Grace, both in serving the soccer community but also getting our players to teach and lead at the same time.”

From June 16-19, Grace will host its high school boys camp, an overnight camp overseen by the men’s program, and the June 20-22 the girls high school camp, also an overnighter, will be overseen by the women’s program. Both coaches noted background checks are made on all staff members and players helping with the camps, and the dorms are split in half, adding a layer of privacy for the kids.

Mix in all of the experience the college players bring, some from the area, some from international backgrounds, and it’s a unique scenario in which to be immersed.

“I feel like I learn something every year, especially from the kids,” Hotchkin said. “Our guys coming in are also learning. In the case of a college player from Europe working with a school kid from Indiana, you have to really build that level of trust, both on and off the pitch, to really get through. It’s can my players show humility to work with younger kids. And will the little kids be teachable. I think the cool thing about this camp is you get that direct interaction, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Voss, himself as hearty a soccer soul as you will find in the area, noted himself having four kids, understanding in today’s society finance and attention spans are always at play with kids. The environment both himself and Hotchkin look to provide in the four weeks of camp should bring a complete soccer feel. Mix in the opportunity to watch and break down World Cup games in real time, which will be going on throughout June, it’s a unique chance to bring the global passion right to each player coming to Winona Lake.

“We have the ability to break down 1v1 situations, 2v2s, 5v3s, because we have them all day long,” Voss said. “And we can then watch it with the World Cup teams. Watching actual games. Sixth graders, who get a chance to see it played out in real time. That’s a special thing I would have loved to have been able to do as a kid.

“We want to prepare them to be ready for whatever situation it is in soccer that these kids want to be.”

For more information on the Grace College soccer camps, visit the Grace Camps tab on the Lancers athletic website.