Sea Warriors Slate Summer Camp To Nurture Soccer Skills
HPU women’s soccer head coach Gina Brewer
As a youth, soccer helped to fill out Gina Brewer’s summer calendar. “Going to soccer camps was always a great experience,” said Brewer, who went on to play for University of Washington and is currently the women’s head coach at Hawaii Pacific University.
“You would get to meet new people who weren’t part of your usual club, and get to work with new coaches who would teach the techniques in a different way.”
Brewer’s own experiences are part of why she set up HPU’s popular youth soccer camps. The 2014 Sea Warriors Summer Soccer Camp will run from June 3-6 at Atherton Soccer Field on the Hawaii Loa campus. Now in its fourth year, the camp is open to boys and girls ages 6-12 and will run from 9 a.m. to noon each day.
The camp is designed to help younger players learn and develop soccer skills and techniques through age-appropriate training. Campers are generally separated into groups by age and skill level.
On a typical camp day, Brewer and her staff teach parts of the whole as it relates to soccer.
“We focus on having a theme of the day or a technique,” said Brewer, who is assisted by coaches Carianne Makino and Joelle Sugai. “With dribbling, we’ll break that down into moves and turns and teach how to beat an opponent in a one-on-one situation. Passing and receiving is another technique we’ll focus on. The two (skills) go hand in hand. Also, shooting and defending (are areas of emphasis). We have fun drills and small games for the kids where they can work on technique.”
Both beginners and youths with a soccer background are welcome. “It really doesn’t matter if they are beginners or more advanced,” Brewer said. “Everyone needs the reps as far as the techniques go.”
Atherton Field also boosts a unique backdrop with lush surroundings, she noted. “It’s definitely an amazing place to play soccer and be outside.”
Brewer will begin her fourth season as HPU’s head coach in 2014. She led the team to a 5-5-2 record last season in the ultra-competitive PacWest conference. Prior to taking on the HPU program, Brewer also was an assistant coach at University of Hawaii, Utah State University and University of Idaho.
Sugai, who is a former standout at Aiea High School, was a two-time All-Conference player as well as an academic All-American while playing for UH. “Joelle is very knowledgeable about the game,” Brewer said. “She was a hard worker as a player, and so she has high expectations as a coach.”
Makino, who tutors the Sea Warriors goalkeepers, had a stellar college career at Saint Mary’s as well as for HPU, where she finished. “She’s very knowledgeable in teaching all of the techniques.”
Interested youths can register at goseawarriors.com (camps tab) or email Brewer with any questions at gbrewer@hpu.edu. For additional information, call 236-3544.
