Final approval for the Don Ross Secondary School (DRSS) soccer academy arrived at the school board meeting on April 9 and by Monday (April 14) it was apparent the demand is there.
According to Tanya Babuin from Pelada Soccer Academy, the company partnering with the Sea to Sky School District to run the academy, 40 students had registered for the Grade 8 and 9 program on the first day of registration on Monday. She noted that one person was ready to hand in registration forms at 5 a.m. and 25 people had signed on the dotted line before 8 a.m.
DRSS hosted a parent information night for the academy on Thursday (April 10) and Principal Nick Pascuzzi said bringing this type of academy can only be a positive for his school.
“We want another reason for the kids to be excited to come to school and this academy will be one,” he said.
DRSS PE teacher Bill Rizun, who will be heavily involved in the program, said all students will be graded the same way they are in regular PE classes. Marks will be based on how their abilities — both on and off the pitch — have improved, he said.
Jonas Worth from the Pelada will be behind the majority of the technical aspects of what the students will learn and he said he’s looking forward to being back in a classroom setting.
“The desire to get back into a teaching situation was massive for me,” he said. “I’m not a certified teacher but I do have a background in ESL, so to be back in an education setting is big for me. This all falls in line with our holistic philosophy — it’s not just about kicking a ball up and down the field. Any level of soccer player will benefit from the knowledge of sports psychology, nutrition and looking at the game from all angles and that’s how we do it at Pelada.”
The academy will run for the entire school year and occupy two blocks of class time every other day. Most of the individual and technical lessons will take place on the field but students will also learn those aspects in the classroom, as well as nutrition, sports psychology and long-term health.
Worth said the academy is not necessarily for elite athletes and anyone can benefit from what will be taught.
“We want this to be accessible for everyone in the community and we’ve done that by making the price point literally a fraction of the cost of a similar program like [West Vancouver’s] Sentinel offers,” he said. “It’s a broad-based program and we want everyone, boys and girls, involved and enthusiastic about this program without breaking their wallet.”
The program costs $750 for the year plus a $300 staffing offset fee that may be refundable, depending on enrolment numbers. Worth noted that Sentinel will set you back $450 for one month.
“We did this because the community feedback told us to please do this,” he said. “We don’t understand why we have to send our kids elsewhere and this will change that.”
Before the opening of registration on Monday, it was unclear whether there would be enough demand for two classes, but according to Babuin that will likely be the case due to the high demand on the first day.
The most that can run will be two classes of 28 students.
For information on how to register, visit www.peladasoccer.ca.
