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The Dynamic Development Soccer Camp worked through rain and a new wave of coaches to host another successful edition as about 185 kids learned from the area’s best coaches and players at Thompson High School.

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – Bouts of rain couldn’t stop another fun week of soccer and games as Thompson High School hosted another successful edition of the Dynamic Development (D2) Soccer Camp from June 16-20.

“The camp went great,” Thompson varsity girls soccer coach Dan DeMasters said. “We had about 185 campers and tons of energy. The weather hit us a little bit, but we somehow finagled to work around it all and got all the soccer in.  So it was really good.”

Much of the camp was still the same as the campers split across two soccer practice fields to learn skills from coaches. They also played camper-favorite games like World Cup and Dutch 3-on-3.

Another year also brought the return of the non-soccer events that campers love, including theme days like Wacky Wednesday and Thursday’s Uniform Day and special competitions like the bubble-blowing contest.

DeMasters said the campers always get excited over events like that. While he stands behind the level of coaching that the campers get on the pitch, he believes it’s the non-soccer events that truly help the camp stand out and make it a fun and memorable week for the kids.

“We do want to make sure that we’re not just doing non-soccer stuff and not focusing on the soccer because it’s a soccer camp,” DeMasters said. “We want them to leave like learning soccer skills and getting better and improving with that. And then we add the (non-soccer stuff) make it enjoyable. But yeah, like a little bit of extra icing on top is just the non-soccer stuff. So just make it fun, especially the kids that might not be as good at soccer, it’s sort of a time for them to shine.”

However, this year brought a few changes.

One of the biggest ones came from the frequent rainstorms throughout the week. That forced the coaches to get creative and move around some of the events to maximize time on the dry pitch.

One of the casualties of the poor field conditions was Parents Night, the annual Thursday night tradition where campers face their parents in games after the regular camp ends. DeMasters said the parents understood the cancellation, but they made it up to the families with a free Kona Ice truck during closing ceremonies on Friday.

Another big change was the absence of longtime coaches like Keegan McQueen, now the head coach for Oak Mountain boys soccer, former Chelsea Gatorade Player of the Year Haley Duca and Thompson alum MP McDonald.

While some coaches like Vestavia Hills’ David DiPiazza, Thompson’s Alex Levinson and Homewood’s Sean McBride returned, a new wave of recent graduates stepped up to join them, including Oak Mountain alumni Aidan Riley, Nate Taylor, Luke Jovanovich, Roy Soldevilla, Madi Dunaway and Gabe Capocci, Thompson stars Dia Montiel-Duenas, Shea Eichelberger and Guilia Wekesa and Chelsea’s Natalie Peacock.

Combined with camp veterans like Alabama midfielder and former Gatorade Player of the Year at Oak Mountain Kierson McDonald, DeMasters was impressed by the level of professionalism by the newcomers even though some like Taylor and Capocci were former camp MVPs and knew the camp well.

“They’re 18 years old, but they acted a lot older and they were very mature about like teaching these kids like the soccer,” DeMasters said. “And it wasn’t just about like, let’s go kick and be unorganized. So I definitely had to teach them a little bit and kind of be there with them. But a lot of them have already texted me. They’re like, ‘I can’t wait for next year. I know how the camp runs now.’ So, yeah, it was fun. It was fun to get sort of the new crew in.”

DeMasters even received positive feedback about the coaches from the parents, some of whom emailed to compliment a specific coach. He said emails like that where parents thank him for teaching new skills or rewarding campers with an MVP trophy or event championship like Wacky Wednesday or the bubble-blowing championship.

Even 12 editions into the camp, DeMasters is still blown away by the reception from the community each year. He chalks up much of the success to the strong foundation of camps he used to work at as well as the support of Alabaster City Schools, BUSA and local communities around Birmingham.

“We have the vision and we have the blueprint, and these coaches just execute through it,” DeMasters said. “And it really went well again this year with a lot of new staff members. So, I guess that’s it. I don’t know how I keep getting the camp to be so big. We market it a good bit, but I think it’s just a lot of people just enjoy it and it’s like a word of mouth thing by now.”

That word of mouth helped them get more than 200 registrants and about 185 attendees, making it another successful edition of camp even with the changes.

“It’s incredible,” DeMasters said. “I still can’t believe we get that much these days, so it’s humbling.”

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