{"id":12461,"date":"2024-07-25T13:55:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T17:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=12461"},"modified":"2024-07-25T13:55:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T17:55:33","slug":"soccer-games-build-community-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/soccer-games-build-community-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"Soccer games build community connections"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Virginia Beach Middle eighth grader Jonatan Garcia juggled a soccer ball after playing in one of the Wednesday night soccer games at his school.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Virginia Beach Middle counselor Ed McClendon helps organize the weekly soccer games at the school.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The soccer teams playing at Virginia Beach Middle School on a recent Wednesday evening were all winners.<\/p>\n

Ed McClendon said the players \u2013 most who live in two nearby trailer parks – scored not only in the games, but in the chance to connect with peers and mentors.<\/p>\n

Many speak Spanish, but it didn\u2019t matter because communication was through the love of the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how important it is for kids to be active, involved and part of something,\u201d said McClendon, who is Virginia Beach Middle\u2019s school counseling chair.<\/p>\n

Trinity Church\u2019s oceanfront campus arranges transportation to Virginia Beach Middle and brings the post-game pizza. The school hosts the festivities and provides the equipment.<\/p>\n

No referees, just fun. McClendon said everyone knows the rules, which include no cursing, no aggression, staying positive and having a good time.<\/p>\n

The church came up with the idea for the Wednesday summer soccer games. Student minister Justin Talk credited member Parker Hannahs. \u201cHis dream and vision helped get the resources,\u201d Talk said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The church established a relationship with the families who live in the trailer parks through backpack giveaways, free sports camps for kids and offering English classes for the adults who don\u2019t speak English.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to give them some hope and tools to be successful,\u201d Talk said. They realized how much the kids like soccer and reached out to Virginia Beach Middle with the idea for weekly games during the summer.<\/p>\n

McClendon immediately jumped onboard. Virginia Beach Middle counselors have worked tirelessly to connect with those families, too.<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, they visited families to make sure students had the necessary supplies and equipment to be successful in virtual learning.<\/p>\n

All it took was a flyer about the weekly soccer games, and dozens took advantage of the free bus ride provided by the church. Each week numbers have increased.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On a recent Wednesday, approximately 50 players and volunteers were divided into four teams to play two games simultaneously. McClendon said some players are skilled enough to play on their middle or high school soccer teams, but just need the opportunity for some training. Others just want to have fun.<\/p>\n

Volunteer Nicolas Kane played soccer in college. He is a finance professional who lives nearby in the ViBe Creative District. \u201cI wanted to give back to people who live close to me,\u201d he said. \u00a0Kane said he enjoys sharing his knowledge of the game and getting to know the players.<\/p>\n

Virginia Beach Middle eighth grader Miranda Camargo learned to play soccer from her two older brothers. She likes playing on a team each week. \u201cIt\u2019s really good we get to know each other,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Jordy Leon Hernandez prefers playing defense. The First Colonial High School freshman, who attends Trinity Church, was chosen to share an encouraging message with the group after the games ended. He focused on having strength and faith when times are difficult.<\/p>\n

McClendon said it\u2019s important to connect with students and families. \u201cWhen you develop relationships, good things happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Approximately 50 players and volunteers participated recently in the Wednesday evening soccer games at Virginia Beach Middle School.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The soccer teams playing at Virginia Beach Middle School on a recent Wednesday evening were all winners. Ed McClendon said the players \u2013 most who live in two nearby trailer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":12467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12461"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12472,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12461\/revisions\/12472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}