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May 7, 2009

Knox Kicks Soccer Camp Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - With its spring season behind it, the University of Tennessee women's soccer team took a break from studying to help host the first ever Knox Kicks Soccer Camp on April 25 and 26 for refugee children living in the Knoxville area. The Lady Vols volunteered as coaches, encouraging camp participants to learn new soccer skills as they practiced and scrimmaged throughout the weekend at Regal Soccer Stadium.

"My teammates and I really had a great time this weekend with the kids," sophomore defender Grace Cuenin said. "It's good for us to remember how fortunate we are and also have the chance to give back to others in our community."

The Knox Kicks Soccer Camp was developed by Sport 4 Peace and Healing Transitions. Sport 4 Peace is an organization which seeks to use sports as a tool to promote peace and empower those facing cultural, political and religious conflict and was founded by two University of Tennessee alumni and current doctoral students, Sarah Hillyer and Ashleigh Huffman. Healing Transitions is an organization aimed at improving transitions and resettlement for refugee families relocating to the Knoxville area.

"The idea behind the camp was to provide refugee children a safe place to play, be able to meet new people, and to develop friendships within the Knoxville community," Huffman said. "Many of them have gone through hard times in their lives and we just wanted to provide them a way to have a new beginning, using sports as our connection."

The children and families who participated in the camp have all recently moved to the Knoxville area from countries such as Burundi, Tanzania and Iraq. Donated soccer gear including shorts, shin guards and cleats was provided to the participants so they would be prepared to play. The campers were greeted by the Lady Vols before being divided into age groups to learn soccer skills and practice drills with the players.

"We were excited to have the Lady Vol soccer team involved with the camp," Huffman said. "It was a great opportunity for the players to really embrace an amazing group of kids. The message of the camp was bigger than skill-building and competition; it was a message of friendship and hope, and the Lady Vols did a wonderful job of exhibiting that to the fullest."

The impact of the camp was felt both ways, as the UT players enjoyed interacting with the children as well.

"The kids all had so much energy and they were really happy to be at camp with us," sophomore goalkeeper Molly Baird said. "It was fun to see how they were willing to work so hard to learn the new skills we were teaching. They thought it was so cool to be a soccer player and that excitement was fun for all of us to see."

Throughout the weekend, the Lady Vols focused not only soccer skills but also demonstrated that cultural differences do not have to stand in the way of friendships. While the children and their families have faced difficult situations in the past, the goal of the camp was to show them that their future in Knoxville can be bright.

"It felt good to be part of such a worthy cause and to play a small part in helping these families," junior defender Sarah Jackyra said. "I know I've been touched by spending time with them through this camp and I hope they see that this community is here to support and embrace them."