European sports clinic

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appear August 16, 2007 in the News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

NEWARK — "I really don’t like baseball. This is fun," Jake Meizell, 13, said after a cricket

scrimmage at West Park Place Elementary School, in Newark.

"I hate baseball," added teammate Connor Sweeney, 9.

Both boys were attending a recent Newark Parks and Recreation multisportscamp presented by the U.S. Sports Institute, of North Branch, N.J.

Girls and boys ages 5 to 14 spent a week playing basketball, flag football, hockey, soccer and volleyball. On their next—to—last day, they played European sports like bocce, cricket and pillo polo.

Their reaction to the unfamiliar sports was mostly favorable. "I like cricket about the same as baseball," said Logan McCabe, 13, who plays left field on the Independence School’s baseball team.

Although football is his favorite sport, Ellis Dorr, 7, said he really liked cricket. He attends Newark Charter School.

Camp coordinator Doug Haines described pillo polo as “polo without the horses." "It’s pretty tiring, but it’s OK," said 9-year—old Emma Meizell, of Newark.

"I just love all the sports. I can’t wait for Friday when we play soccer," added Victoria Gonzalez, 7, of Bear.

The campers approached the European sports with the same enthusiasm they had for any American team sport. "They’re awesome. They have given 100 percent commitment. It’s just wonderful," said instructor Piotr Truty, who assisted Haines. The instructors, from Aylesbury, England, traveled the East Coast this summer conducting youth sports camps. This was their frst camp in Delaware.

Truty said American youngsters are more enthusiastic and have a better attitude about sports than their English counterparts. "They [English kids] just want to scrimmage," he said.

Truty and Haines taught the basic techniques of each sport and how the players should conduct themselves.

Drills and 30-minute scrimmages preceded the games. There were no benchwarmers; everyone played.

The instructors yelled encouragement. "Good catch, Logan." "Good shot, well done, Emma," Haines said as he drilled a group in cricket. "Oh, so close, Mary. Why don’t you try bunting it?"

Haines called the English game of cricket "a gentlemen’s game." Played by shepherds with sticks and stones, the game was later adopted by kings and queens.

It’s a non-contact sport. The pitcher is called the bowler, and rather than bases there are wickets. The bowler "bowls" the ball to the batsman. There are no strikes and balls as in baseball. Different varieties of the game have different definitions of when a match is "complete." Some can extend over several days, Truty noted.

Pillo polo was popular with the campers. Using padded sticks, they moved a ball along the ground to a goal. Younger children were allowed to keep both hands on the stick. It was a fast-paced scrimmage, with lots of cheering among teammates. Jake took a blow to the face but quickly returned to the game. "It hurts when you get hit in the face," said Emma; "I got hit [in several places] a couple of times."

After the scrimmage, Haines asked the youngsters if they were ready to play a real game. "I was born ready, coach," they yelled in unison. With that, they started a game. As with all the games, it ended with the players shaking hands in a sign of good sportsmanship.

Haines also introduced handball; he said it’s "like soccer with the hands." Players took three steps before throwing a ball at the goal. Danielle Bye, 8, of Newark, made three goals. She likened the game to lacrosse, which she plays regularly. Danielle is a student at Wilmington Christian School.

"It’s pretty good. l made a great save," said Victoria, who attends Olive B. Loss Elementary, in Bear.

Amar Truss, 8, of Newark, said he liked handball the best. He’s a student at West Park.

Alex Rash, 8, said he had been to Europe and had seen some of the non-traditional sports played there. He attends Newark Center for Creative Learning.

Haines and Truty also held a lacrosse camp at West Park. Truty has learned lacrosse since coming to the U.S. His main sport, soccer, and rugby are the most popular sports in Aylesbury. Running cricket and soccer are Haines’ favorites.

Haines is aiming for a career in sports management, while Truty will enter the tourism industry after his senior year of college.