Michael Stuart, 8, drives for the goal with his eyes closed as Kelly Brewer, 9, also closes her eyes and laughs while she traps the ball during a Cannon Soccer School drill at Bovina Tuesday. (The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

[08/01/01] Cannon Soccer School campers are mixing it up this week. And that’s just fine with them.

The co-ed camp, which began Monday and ends Friday, includes 95 players ages 6 to 15 and an almost even spilt in girls and guys. Boys barely outnumber the girls, 50 to 45. They play on teams together.

“We don’t see any reason not to do it,” said camp director Jay Harrison, boys coach at Warren Central. “There’s not much difference (in ability) between the girls and guys at these ages. It helps them … because the guys are a little faster and the girls are a little more under control. Both benefit from it.”

The boys say they can learn from the girls.

“They do stuff that we don’t do. They seem more active than us,” Rusty Waites, 13, said. “Sometimes we get caught just standing and watching them. They just don’t tire out as fast.”

Rob Heltzel, 14, says the guys are more active, but he can still learn from the girls.

“It teaches us not to be too aggressive,” Heltzel said.

Andrea Harrison, 13, in turn, likes the challenge of playing against guys.

“I like playing on a team with the boys because it is a challenge,” she said. “The guys push us to be better and we don’t back down from the challenge.”

Haley Davis, 10, and Shelby Wells, 9, don’t see much difference in the competition.

“Playing with the guys is just the same as playing against girls,” Davis said.

Wells, competing against boys for the first time, doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.

“This is my first time playing soccer with boys and it doesn’t seem different,” Wells said.

The campers learn skills such as heading, dribbling and juggling in the morning. In the afternoon, the campers’ teams play against one another in games.

“All it takes is organization,” said Jay Harrison, who is being assisted by Hinds Community College coach Doug Williams, Jason Hopkins and several other Cannon “graduates.”

“Every coach here has either played or coached Cannon except Jennifer Ray, but she played at Hinds for two years. I couldn’t run the camp without the other coaches.”

Different mini-drills included activities such as racing with the ball, a game of tag the last one not tagged wins and keepaway. The drills are a fun way of teaching the kids different skills.

“Cannon camp is so much fun and they’ve got lots of stuff to do for us today. You never have to sit around and wait on stuff to do,” Terrell Williams, 12, said.

Because of the heat, the coaches make their groups take regular water breaks during the day.

“I think soccer is the best sport and don’t mind playing it even when it is hot,” Morgan Marble, 10, said.

Waites also felt the camp was worth attending despite the heat.

“It’s a little hot. I still enjoy learning new skills, so that makes it worth it,” he said.

Coach Harrison, in his second year as camp director, is happy with the increase in numbers from last year.

“Going from 75 to 95 in one year is great,” he said, adding that novices are welcome at the camp.

“We want the ones that have never played, but are wanting to learn,” he said. “We will try to offer good technical training and teach them skills. Maybe a week’s worth of it will help them this year.”