ROCKINGHAM — Richmond Senior High School’s campus has been abuzz the last two weeks as the annual youth soccer and volleyball camps returned after a summer off.
Head volleyball coach Ashleigh Larsen held a three-day camp from June 14-16, while head soccer coach Chris Larsen hosted the program’s 20th summer camp four days last week.
Both coaches, who are entering their fourth year at the head of their respective programs, said the focus was to help build the sports’ interest in the area while giving local athletes a chance to have fun and develop their skills.
The Lady Raider volleyball camp welcomed in 55 campers ages seven to 14, and Ashleigh Larsen said it was a good mix of elementary and middle school athletes. That number was about 15 more campers than in 2019.
“I thought that camp went really well and all the girls seemed interested,” Ashleigh Larsen said. “The number of younger girls who attended was good and we saw some familiar faces from our last camp.
“Everyone was eager and excited to participate,” she added. “The younger group was loud and had a lot of fun, while the older group fed off the varsity girls’ energy.”
Several current varsity players assisted with the camp, while second-year assistant coach Madelyn Chappell worked with the younger campers. Larsen spent the three days coaching the middle school players and rising freshmen.
The first day focused on bumping, setting and other basic skills, since Larsen said the sport was new and unfamiliar to many campers after a full year off because of the pandemic.
Over the next two days, players developed their hitting and serving techniques, before bringing it all together on the final day with a series of games and match-like activities.
“Being back in the gym was sort of an unreal feeling,” Ashleigh Larsen explained. “Last year we were going through the motions with temperature checks and only having 25 fans in the gym. It was great to see so many people being able to participate in camp.
“Camp made the older girls eager to get back into the season,” she added. “Even though we don’t have a definitive idea of what the season will look like, I noticed the girls had a whole different mood about them.”
While camp is over, the Lady Raider volleyball team will continue offseason workouts Mondays through Thursdays from 9-11 a.m., save for the two mandatory NCHSAA dead periods this summer.
Assistant coach Madelyn Chappell (left) works with the younger campers in Richmond’s gymnasium. (Contributed photo)
Last week, the soccer and football fields at Richmond saw a record number of youth athletes come out to participate in co-ed soccer camp.
Chris Larsen said 160 campers, ages five to 18, showed up for the four-day camp. Approximately 100 of those participants were with the younger age group, which ranged from five to 11 year olds.
“The whole week was a really positive experience,” Chris Larsen said. “I was happy to see a great turnout from the community. Coach Bennie Howard started this camp 20 years ago and the biggest group we’ve ever had before was 130. It’s a great feeling to have that many kids involved.
“A lot of kids seemed to enjoy being out there kicking the ball around, and for the most part, we had really good weather that allowed camp to be a success.”
Working with the younger campers were assistant coaches Michelle Denson, Tad Hamilton and Howard. Larsen also brought in coaches Colin McDavid (Hoke County) and Jeremy Blake (Pinecrest) to help build up the boys’ and girls’ junior varsity and varsity teams.
“The biggest thing we focused on with each group was working on fundamentals at the appropriate skill level,” Larsen explained. “The groups worked on trapping and dribbling, and basic concepts in soccer like defense and knowing how to work with pressure.
“For everyone, we wanted to build up into the playing stages of the game,” he continued. “The younger group was all about getting the kids to kick the ball around and for it to be a positive experience to encourage them to stick with it and keep playing.”
Bringing in coaches like Blake and McDavid, Larsen explained, was beneficial to give Richmond players a fresh perspective that will hopefully help them out in the upcoming seasons.
The Richmond boys’ soccer team will begin offseason workouts on Monday from 5-6:30 p.m., which is open to all eligible JV and varsity players.
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