Lady Hornets host Wayne County Commissioners girls soccer camp

HONESDALE — Scholastic soccer season is still two months away, but preparations for the 2022 campaign have already commenced at pitches all over Wayne County.

This week in particular, the Honesdale High School complex was buzzing with activity as boys and girls gathered each day to take part in the Wayne County Commissioners summer camp.

This year’s edition of the clinic was overseen by Lady Hornet varsity skipper Becky Kretschmer, members of her staff and player volunteers. Youngsters from first through eighth grade attended, a fact that left Coach Kretschmer smiling from ear-to-ear.

“I’m proud to say that we definitely have the biggest camp that the Commissioners offer this summer,” she said during a break in the action Wednesday afternoon. “We’re growing every year and that’s something I really hope continues going forward.”

For his part, longtime Commissioner Brian Smith is thrilled with the turnout along with the level of dedication shown by campers and counselors alike.

“We really love seeing so many boys and girls at our summer camps,” he said. “As Commissioners, we’re always going to support positive activities like these soccer clinics because they teach kids valuable lessons that they can use all throughout their lives.”

At the Helm

Kretschmer is a versatile athlete who graduated from Bloomsburg High School in 1997.

Becky was a four-year varsity starter in soccer and also played for travel teams in the Bloomsburg area. She excelled in track and as a member of the swimming and diving teams as well.

After graduation, Kretschmer continued her studies at Bloomsburg University. In 2002, Becky received a pair of Bachelors degrees in Biology and Secondary Education with a minor in Chemistry.

Kretschmer’s coaching career began in 1999 as a counselor at Camp Starlight. Her first job at Honesdale High School came as an assistant to varsity skipper Eric Eisele.

In 2003, Becky started a six-year stretch at Wallenpaupack Area where she coached junior high boys and girls teams.

After a brief hiatus, Kretschmer returned to the coaching ranks at Honesdale once again at the junior high level. She then joined the Honesdale Soccer Club staff, mentoring players at the U-8, U-10 and U-12 levels.

Kretschmer stepped up to the varsity ranks for a second time in 2019, serving as an assistant to Lesley Freer. Becky was eventually hired as the Lady Hornets head two years later.

“I feel that I was very well prepared to step into this role,” Becky said at the time of her appointment. “I put in a great deal of groundwork over the years, learning a lot from my predecessors and colleagues from all of the Wayne County programs that I’ve been a part of.”

Building a Foundation

One of the many lessons Kretschmer learned during her years of teaching and coaching is the value of building a reliable feeder program.

Honesdale’s varsity soccer team rises or falls in large part due to the quality and quantity of young players who come up through the ranks. Club soccer, travel teams and especially summer camps serve as valuable tools in attracting athletes.

“There’s no question that COVID set us back a little bit, but we’re really starting to see the numbers bounce back now,” said Coach Kretschmer. “We have kids who’ve never even participated in rec soccer, but we also have some who are already pretty polished players. It’s great to see them all out here having fun!”

This year’s Commissioners Camp featured nearly 100 boys and girls. There were two sessions each day at the varsity complex, one in the morning for grades 1-4 and one in the afternoon for grades 5-8. All told, nearly 100 campers participated in the eight sessions spread across four days.

Cost for the clinic was $80 for the first child and just $70 for each additional sibling. That fee entitled each camper to four days of top-flight instruction, a soccer ball to take home, t-shirt and snacks.

In addition, Wednesday’s session featured guests speakers and clinicians from Penn State-Scranton. Head Coach Amber Smith and Paul Moyer shared their experiences at the collegiate level with a wide-eyed attentive audience.

“It was so great having them there,” said Coach Kretschmer. “I can’t thank them enough for taking the time to coming over and working with the kids.”

One of Kretschmer’s favorite aspects of the 2022 Commissioners Camp is the level of participation she saw from her own players. Last year, there were at total of 60 girls from grades 7-12 and an eye-popping 30 of them volunteered to help out.

“That makes me so happy!” Becky exclaimed. “Half of my kids dropped what they were doing to show up here every morning this week. I’m so grateful to them and everything else who donated their time. This camp couldn’t happen without them.”

After attending Wednesday’s session and speaking with campers, Commissioner Smith was effusive in his praise of Kretschmer, her staff and players.

“There are a couple of really important things you have to do in order to be successful in life,” he said. “One of those is teamwork and the ability to get along with different types of people. Another is being able to listen and communicate well.

“Playing a sport really helps develop those skills. These are qualities I see being taught at camps like this and the Commissioners are proud to help support them.”

Looking Ahead

According to Kretschmer, two of the main aspects of any successful soccer camp are teaching fundamentals and having a good time.

With that in mind, Becky structured each session around learning the basics of the sport through enjoyable activities which stressed teamwork and fun. It’s an approach that was well-received as parents began showing up the next day with even more eager would-be campers.

“I really love that!” Becky said with a smile. “I just kept telling them ‘Absolutely. We’re happy to have them.’”

It’s enthusiasm like that which seems to indicate that Honesdale’s girls soccer program is on the right path. Numbers are up and there’s an aura of excitement in the community.

The Lady Hornets have struggled to post wins consistently in the always-rugged Lackawanna League. They went 4-9-2 last fall, finishing sixth in the Division I standings.

While the local lasses did qualify for the District 2 tournament, they were ousted in the Class AAA quarterfinals by perennial powerhouse Abington Heights.

Nevertheless, Kretschmer is excited and optimistic about the future … especially considering how the school district and community has stepped up and shown their support.

“I’d like to thank the Wayne County Commissioners for continuing to sponsor the youth summer sports camps through the Wayne highlands school district,” Becky said. “I’d also like to say a big thank you to the families and Honesdale community members for supporting our program.”