British soccer trio hosts camp

Sisters youths learned a lot about soccer from British pros. photo by Charlie Kanzig

They come from a land where the game is called football. In America it's soccer.

So, starting with terminology, three English coaches from the UK International Soccer program and the 28 Central Oregon kids they worked with in Sisters last week learned a lot about the game and another's culture.

Suzy Peterson and her husband Mark coordinated the camp after hearing good things about the program. UK International is the largest traveling soccer camp on the West Coast.

Ian Fern from Birmingham, Dan Meese from Worcestershire, and Oliver Smith who all play semi-professionally in Britain during much of the year, jumped at the chance to come and see America this summer while passing along skills and knowledge about the game they love so much to young people.

"Our focus with the kids is technique, tricks, skills and enjoyment of the game," said Meese.

Fern stayed with the Petersons while Smith and Meese were housed next door with Chip and Robin Dickinson. During their free time, the "Brits," as Suzy affectionately came to call them, got a chance to golf at Aspen Lakes, swim at Black Butte Ranch and wakeboard at Suttle Lake.

Of the 28 participants, aged 6-18, most came from Sisters, but a group of five traveled from Burns and there were two from Bend.

Suzy Peterson said the experience was good in every regard.

"I got nothing but positive feedback from the kids and their parents," she said.

"My family got a little glimpse of what life in England is like and I think the young men had a good experience in Central Oregon."

The trio, which coached a week in San Diego and a week in Monterey on the first two stops, spent a week in St. Helens before coming to Sisters.

They left Saturday for a camp in Portland, but weren't certain of the plans beyond that.

"Our company doesn't let us know in advance where we'll be going," Meese explained.

"That makes it a real adventure for us."