Hawaii's best gather for ODP camp

THE annual Olympic Development Program camp was held from last Saturday through Tuesday with approximately 425 of Hawaii's best soccer players participating at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park when the weather permitted.

The players received instruction and an evaluation from mainland college and local coaches and U.S. Soccer staff coaches. Not only were the players striving to improve their skills and understanding of the sport, many of them were hoping to be rated high enough to be eligible to attend the Region IV camps on the mainland this summer.

It was also another opportunity for this year's seniors to be noticed by the college coaches.

The coaches working this year's camp were Paul Bravo, UCLA men's assistant coach; Sean Bushey, head men's and women's coach at Whitworth; Brandi Chastain, assistant women's coach at Santa Clara; Lisa Cole, Florida State assistant women's coach; Glenn Crooks, head women's coach at Rutgers; Dan Donnigan, men's head coach at St. Louis University; and Josh Fouts, Hawaii Rainbow Wahine assistant coach.

Also, Mike Haas, U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV ODP Head Coach and Colorado Youth Soccer Director of Coaching; Manni Klar, U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV Staff Coach; George Kuntz, UC Irvine men's head coach and Hawaii Youth Soccer Association director of coaching/technical director; Ralph Perez, U.S. Soccer men's staff coach; and Cameron Rast, head men's coach at Santa Clara.

And, Lawrence Smalls, UC Irvine men's assistant coach; Jerry Smith, Santa Clara head women's coach; Stephanie Gabbert, U.S. Soccer women's staff coach; Thomas John, U.S. Youth Soccer assistant director of coaching education; Dan Tobias, head women's coach at Arizona; and Eric Yamamoto, Santa Clara men's assistant coach.

» Four Hawaii players from the 2005 ODP Region IV Player Pool -- Meleana Shim, Lauren Wong, Kaitlynn Holt and Kirsten Adams -- are on the roster of the region's under-14 team that will tour Costa Rica, April 17-27.

Thirteen players from Hawaii were selected for the 2005 Region IV pools after last summer's camps.

» The Hawaii Youth Soccer Association, in conjunction with the Powder Edge Soccer Club, will send an under-12 boys team to the Saitama International Junior Soccer Tournament in Japan, July 26-30.

Tryouts for the 18 roster spots are being held at Kapiolani Park today and tomorrow. This is the third summer HYSA has sent a team to the tournament.

» Congratulations to Jack Sullivan, who was inducted into the United States Adult Soccer Association Region 4 Hall of Fame at the annual general meeting of U.S. Soccer in Las Vegas on March 11. Sullivan, the first from Hawaii to be inducted, was honored for 30 years of service in numerous capacities to soccer in the islands.

Just for Kicks runs every other Thursday in the Star-Bulletin. Al Chase can be reached at achase@starbulletin.com.