By Kim J. Harmon

When a dozen or so kids hit the ground on Monday morning at the Newtown Middle School, screaming in agony as if they had all been gored by some invisible bull, you might have felt there was cause for alarm.

That is, until you quickly remembered that this was the Major League Soccer Camp and this was just part of the many, many drills that youngsters from age 5 to 18 would be learning throughout the course of the week.

Hey, it wasn’t just passing and shooting and defending that the MLS Camp instructors were trying to teach hundreds of soccer hopefuls – there was also the fine art of trying to draw a foul by collapsing on the ground and screaming.

Oh yeah, MLS Camp has it all.

From July 10 through July 14 MLS Camps, er, camped out at the Newtown Middle School. From 9 am to 12 noon every day, players ages 5 to 9 took to the field. From 1 to 4 pm every afternoon, it was time for the players aged 10 to 18 to take the field.

All the players who participated in the camp received a snappily-designed MLS Camps t-shirt and a new soccer ball.

More than 60,000 athletes in 1,100 communities around the country have been instructed in the finer arts of soccer by MLS Camps, the exclusive camp of Major League Soccer (the 12-team professional league which debuted in 1996) and the official camp of the American Youth Soccer Organization.

MLS Camps is associated with the Dallas Burn, San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, DC United, New England Revolution, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, and the Miami Fusion of MLS. The camp is also associated with the Arizona Thunder of the World Indoor Soccer League and the Connecticut Wolves of the A-League.

MLS Camps also works with organizations such as England’s Football Association, SAY (Soccer Association for Youth), and JCC’s (Jewish Community Centers) of America.

Players of all ages and abilities are served through a unique, child-centered Kidriculum©, which is tailored to meet the emotional and physical development of players as they grow. More than 550 instructors certified with any one of five different licenses (United States Soccer A or B, European Union Football Association A or B, or NASC coaching certification) teach the young athletes all year round.

MLS Camps has also created SAFE (Safety Advisory Board Focusing on Education), a program that is chaired by MLS Camps CEO Dr. Gary F. Russell.

“All parents and their children seek sporting programs that provide a safe, fun experience for everyone involved,” said Dr. Russell. “MLS Camps recognizes the importance of the physical and emotional safety of our players and how they are affected by all facets of our programs.”

With the curriculum, SAFE makes sure the training is geared towards players of all abilities and ages, making everyone feel welcome and part of the group. With respect to coaches and instructors, all are not only licensed but also trained in aspects of child psychology.

And for MLS Camps, it isn’t just about a week-long summer soccer camp. MLS Camps provides year-round services – such as coaching clinics, parents clinics, team clinics, 1-on-1 clinics, player and team assessment, 10-week self help courses and booklets, and seasonal trainers.

When kids are home, on the computer, they can also access the MLS Camps website at www.mlscamps.com and link up with The Kid’s Zone. A number of activities are right at the fingertips – such as So You Think You’re Funny, Huh? which asks kids to e-mail their funniest joke (the funniest jokes win prizes). Then there is Snap Happy Campers for players who have a picture of themselves, with their Major League Soccer Camps t-shirt, next to a famous celebrity or landmark.

Or how about Seeking Junior Journalists or Is Your Coach Awesome? or even MLS Camps Trivia Challenge.

MLS Camps has proven to quite an experience for the hundreds of athletes who have attended in the past several years in Newtown – learning and refining the skills they take to the field with the Newtown Soccer Club and beyond.