Boys soccer working hard for season opener

Official practice began on Aug. 12 for the Weiser High School boys soccer team. Almost 40 boys have shown up for their twice-a-day practices.
 Conditioning happens in the morning, and then they work on skills in the evening. Once school starts for the students, it will just be one practice after school.
 Varsity coach Kathy Bokides and junior varsity coach Zach Rose are pleased with the number of boys who have shown up and their dedication to their workouts.
 Conditioning hasn’t just been your average running laps, as Bokides likes to expose the boys to new ideas. Nicole Miller took the boys through a yoga routine one morning.
 “The kids loved doing that. It’s neat for them to see how much more time needs to be spent on stretching, flexibility and balance,” Bokides said.
 Some of the boys said that even a few days later they were still sore, but had found the morning fun. Both Bokides and Rose were thankful for Miller’s time and what she shared with the teams.
 Senior Justin Estes also kept things interesting and set up a Friday afternoon at the Weiser pool, and taught a water aerobics class to his teammates.
 Bokides and Rose outlined some goals they have for the season, which include growth in the team’s communication, better ball handling skills, winning the ball out of the air, and connecting passes.
 Bokides said another goal is about them coming together as a team.
 “They have a head start because they are already friends, but to also help make stronger lifetime bonds to get them ready for life,” she stated.
 Bokides is thankful to have Rose as her J.V. coach and commented, “We have a great relationship and I couldn’t have a better assistant. The kids love him, he comes to practice prepared, is very supportive and helps in everything we do.”
 The fact that the kids like having Rose as a coach is evident in the number of freshman that came out for soccer this year. It all began last year at the middle school, where Rose is the eighth grade science teacher.
 “It started with their natural excitement. They wanted to play soccer,” Rose stated.
 He began playing soccer with them at lunch, and then after the middle school track season ended it expanded into him working with the students after school. They would scrimmage and work on skills, and that helped get a core group of the freshmen excited.
 “There is all abilities, all different experience levels. But they are happy and they are all friends,” Rose said of the group he will be coaching.
 Many of the returning players are excited for the fact that most likely the varsity team will be getting new red uniforms this year. This will happen mainly because of the boys dedication to a yard sale that was held during fiddle week.
 Because of rules on what uniforms can look like, white jerseys will be purchased next year when some new styles come out.
 The season is stacked at the beginning, with several of the weeks having three games per week, but then eases up toward the end.
 “We have a lot of kids, so that’s fine. When you have years with smaller numbers, it’s tougher, because they need more rest time,” Bokides said.
 The first game of the season is a non-conference match against Ontario on Aug. 29 in Ontario. The first home game will be against Fruitland on Sept. 3. JV will start at 4 p.m., and they will play in the field behind the high school. Varsity will begin about 15 minutes after the JV game ends. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for students without a student ID card.