TIM WEIGHT/For The Express Youth campers kick the ball around to themselves during a warm-up drill on Wednesday morning at the camp.

LOCK HAVEN– The West Branch Soccer Club held its annual youth soccer camp from August 7-11 at its club fields on Havenview Drive across the bridge of the Susquehanna. The club had a record number 163 campers attend the camp, including 12 “walk-ups” the first day of camp.

Operating in its 42nd annual year, the Abe Stauffer-led camp not only had the most boys and girls ever seen this year, but the growth in numbers and quality of campers continues to increase each year. Moreover, the coaching by camp staff rises to that occasion to make for a successful week.

Wednesday’s theme was Wacky Wednesday and campers from kindergarten through eighth grade were seen in various colors from head to toe. Coaches worked with campers on numerous drills from passing to dribbling and shooting, including fun scrimmage competition games to end each day.

“The more kids we have playing the more talent we’ll get out of it down the road,” Stauffer said. “But it’s not sheer numbers, there are quality (kids). The old adage is the more you play the better you get, but you have to have good coaching. At this camp we have some good coaches.”

Back in 2021, 152 kids attended the camp. Just last year, the camp continued to increase its numbers and reached 157 campers. And just when Stauffer thought the numbers may become stagnant–or even possibly go down–the number of campers continued to climb. Stauffer explained that kids came from State College, Lock Haven, Williamsport and Avis to name a few locations.

TIM WEIGHT/For The Express. One camper kicks the ball around while others attempt to steal it during a drill on Wednesday morning.

“The numbers are great; it looks good for soccer in the future and the more kids we have playing now the more that’ll play in the future. The better ones will elevate to our travel teams and then to the high school teams and some will go on to play in college,” Stauffer added.

This year, coaches who helped out at the camp included Chase Tackett, who is a graduate assistant for LHU’s men’s soccer team, Alex Terry (two-time all-state honoree and scholarship player at Duquesne and current assistant coach at Central Mountain High School), Haley Myers (former Central Mountain standout and former player for LHU women’s soccer and former coach at Penns Valley) and Billy Hook (current Central Mountain head coach).

There were also two LHU women’s soccer players, including former LHU player Kathryn Myers and Kolachi Pombor, a Williamsport native who is the oldest of three brothers, all on the LHU men’s soccer team.

The rapport that Stauffer has to bring in a variety of coaches to staff the camp each year is valuable to the kids in terms of how they’re processing the game of soccer for the week. And rightfully so, it contributes to what skills they are taking with them for travel and soccer clubs.

“I have several kids here who came to camp as a five-year-old and aged out when they turned 13 going to ninth grade,” Stauffer said. “If they’re good kids, I ask them, ‘do you want to work the camp?’ and they say ‘yes’ so they’ve been coming for 15 years as a camper and then as a coach.”

TIM WEIGHT/For The Express Lock Haven University Graduate Assistant Chase Tackett (far right) instructs campers during a drill on Wednesday morning.

Stauffer is a local product of Lock Haven who played collegiately at the university from 1973-1977 and is a life-long soccer guy who looks forward to giving back to the community. The 2018 PSCA Hall of Fame inductee coached for over 35 years between Lock Haven High School and Central Mountain boys and girls soccer, so seeing both the numbers and improvement from the kids is a good thing.

Part of giving back for Stauffer happens directly with the kids, but it also happens when Stauffer gives various coaches an opportunity to work with campers for the week. Some coaches come back annually to help the camp, but some don’t, leaving room for others to staff and play a role in enhancing the camp.

“It’s fun, I enjoy it and soccer was good to me in high school and college, so I want to give back to the sport. It’s also a good fundraiser for West Branch soccer,” Stauffer mentioned.

TIM WEIGHT/For The Express Three campers compete in a drill to get the ball on Wednesday morning at the youth camp.