SPORTSBEAT BY PETER JAKEY: Soccer Mom
It was getting to be too much for Melanie Kaszubowski and her family. Melanie?s daughter Hunter loves playing soccer and got her start in the well-established soccer program in Alpena. Melanie, who works in Alpena and goes by the nickname of Buffy, would leave work, pick up her daughter in Posen, and drive back to Alpena. That would add about 100 miles to the odometer of her vehicle each and every trip. There were a lot of hours, miles, and tanks of gas, running back and forth for games and practices. This ?soccer mom? knew it wasn?t going to work this season. She was tired of the baby of the family, Gage, living his life in their vehicle.
ABOUT FIVE weeks ago, Kaszubowski asked herself why Posen couldn?t start its own soccer program — but the question had to run through her mind: with all that?s going on in the lives of children in the spring, with Little League, T-ball, dance classes, Cub Scouts, karate, etc; Who would be interested? She would soon find out. ?You?ve got to start somewhere,? she said. First, Kaszubowski went before the Posen Consolidated Schools Board of Education and received permission to use the practice field adjacent to the football field. The district is financially strapped, but school officials have gone out of their way to assist in any way possible. They?ve offered the use of equipment, and following Wednesday?s Presque Isle County track meet, lines were to be sprayed on the field. With approval of the field and the use of equipment, the next thing to do was to was get the word out. THE PROGRAM would be available to kindergarten-aged children through 6th grade. Notices went out in the Posen schools, but word-of-mouth was incredible. ?I was shocked at the amount of kids that signed up,? said Kaszubowski. As of Tuesday the number had reached 62, which included Posen students, home schoolers, parochial school kids, as well as one young person from Rogers City.
Kaszubowski wants the Soccer Club to be affordable and to not interfere with the other programs and activities going on in the area. To do that she scheduled practices and games immediately after school. For parents of Posen students who live at Grand Lake, or work and can?t drop their child off, it works out really well. A soccer clinic was conducted last Wednesday to evaluate players? skills, so the teams could be evenly divided. The youngest player so far is five, while the oldest is 12. There are three divisions. One for five, six, and seven-year-olds, another for eight and nine-year-olds, an
THE REGISTRATION fee of $15, which is $25 less than Alpena, covers the cost of a trophy and T-shirts. Everything seems to be coming together remarkably well. Practices have started with the games soon to follow. ?It?s been busy getting started,? Melanie said, but she needs more help. Kaszubowski is coaching a couple of teams, not including her daughter?s, but she needs head coaches, assistant coaches, time keepers, and officials. Some of the reasons people don?t want to help is they don?t know the game. ?We?ll teach them,? Kaszubowski said.
Buffy also would like to see other communities such as Rogers City, Hillman, and Onaway start their own soccer clubs, much like the successful county basketball program, so there will be more teams to play, and the families won?t have to travel far. Sometimes all it takes is one person with a little motivation and a lot of desire, trying to make a difference in the life of their child. In this case, it?ll make a difference in Melanie?s daughter?s life, and the lives of 62 families as well.