On Saturday October 17th we held a soccer camp at Pelton Park in Yonkers, New York.  The camp was overseen by Janine Gaffney.  Janine has played soccer for nearly 30 years.  She played center back for four years while attending Valparaiso University and has recently coached at Waynedale High School.  

There were 16 campers in attendance as well as a several off-duty officers from the Yonkers Police Department.  The officers assisted Janine in conducting the camp.  Janine and the officers ran and guided the campers through numerous drills.  After the drills both the campers and the officers participated in various soccer-based games.

The highlight of the camp was provided by Officer Theotokatos during Sharks and Minnows.  Officer Theotokatos dribbled towards the campers as they locked arms and made a wall in an attempt to steal the ball from him.  As the campers fast approached, Theotokatos lifted the ball over all the campers’ heads and raced past them to regain control of the ball and dribble safely to the end line.

A few on-duty officers played goal keeper as the campers lined up to try to score on them.  The campers then showed off their skills.  

The day ended with all campers taking a picture with their parents.  The parents expressed appreciation for the organization of the camp.  As COVID-19 has limited organized sports and the camp gave the children an outlet to safely interact with others while developing their soccer talents.

We conveyed our gratitude to the parents and campers for their participation in the camp and affording us the opportunity to bond with them and for making our first event a success.