ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s youth soccer and volleyball players will have the opportunity to learn from local coaches and high school players this summer.
Finalized this week, the Richmond Senior High School soccer and volleyball programs will be hosting their annual summer camps after missing out last year.
Fourth-year soccer coach Chris Larsen and fourth-year volleyball coach Ashleigh Larsen both use the summer programs to help boost local interest in the sports, while also teaching area youngsters the fundamentals of the games.
The camps also serve as fundraisers for the Richmond programs, another aspect of the pandemic that hurt the teams during the 2020-21 school year.
Larsen’s second volleyball camp set for June 14-16
Since she took over the program at the start of the 2018 season, this will be Ashleigh Larsen’s second volleyball camp. She helped revitalize the summer development program in 2019 and had over 40 players attend camp.
“I am really excited to have camp back,” Larsen said. “I felt like missing the opportunity for our players to meet with the younger clientele in the county last year took a toll on our program.
“We were not able to make a connection and gain interest. It really spilled over when we were extremely limited to our fan base in the gym as well,” she added. “I am just excited to be able to have some type of normalcy back inside the gym.”
This year’s camp will run from Monday, June 14, through Wednesday, June 16, from 8-10 a.m. in Richmond’s gymnasium.
It’s open to players ages seven to 14, and the cost is $45 per athlete and includes a t-shirt. Face masks will be required for players and coaches, and it’s recommended that campers bring their own water bottles and knee pads, workout attire and sneakers.
Volleyball camp participants must be pre-registered by June 8 to be guaranteed a t-shirt. Any registrations after that date can be made in check or cash.
Payments can be made online by clicking here. To register, login as a guest, click “North Carolina” and search for “Richmond Senior High School.” Once there, locate “Raider Volleyball Camp.”
Larsen noted that adding assistant coaches Melissa Dennis and Madelyn Chappell to her staff “has definitely been helpful since they share a similar passion” for the sport. There will also be several current players helping with camp.
“Having the girls attend camp allows us to provide them some insight on basic fundamentals and hopefully lets us get them excited for volleyball,” Larsen shared. “Since I have moved here, my goal has been to grow the interest in volleyball since it was kind of an unknown territory for many.
“The numbers expanding have really been awesome to see in other sports, but looking back it kind of makes me sad for our season,” she added. “We were very appreciative of the opportunity to play, but I hated to limit who was in the gym at any given time.
“I think camp starting off our summer can get our returning players excited, as well as get the younger girls eager to reach their status of becoming a Lady Raider volleyball player one day.”
20th annual Richmond soccer camp slated for June 21-24
The annual Richmond soccer camp is one of the biggest camps in the Sandhills region to offer players development within the sport.
The continued success of the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams under Chris Larsen and former coach Bennie Howard sees between 100 and 130 athletes come out each summer.
“Camp is a great way to get kids involved in the game from any age and help build the enthusiasm that seems to be on the rise with soccer in the community,” Chris Larsen said.
“This will be the first opportunity that many kids have had to be able to have an organized way to participate in soccer for a long time. I am looking forward to continuing the success we have had in camp from the past and looking to grow it moving forward.”
The four-day camp is slated for Monday, June 21, through Thursday, June 24, and is open to boys and girls between the ages of six to 18. Camp will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 12 noon.
For one participant, the pre-registration cost is $65 and includes a t-shirt, and for two participants, it’s $120. If more than two campers from one family are attending, contact Coach Larsen. Day-of registration will be $70 per camper.
The camp’s mission statement is “to teach, educate and raise the level of soccer skills for the campers” as well as teach them the concept of playing on a team. It also says “this will lead to success on the field” and encourages local youth to stay active this summer and be a part of a winning tradition.
This year, Larsen is using a Google Doc to register campers. Payment information is included and can be found by clicking here.
“Our biggest goal of the camp is to help develop the growth and enjoyment for the game of soccer.” Larsen closed.
“From the youngest to the oldest camper, we hope that they are able to learn a few new moves or fine tune a certain skill, as well as find the passion to get back out and work on developing into the best soccer player possible.”
