Bellmore-Merrick players hit the soccer field

With the fall soccer season fast approaching, Bellmore-Merrick players took to the fields this week at a camp sponsored by the East Meadow Soccer Club.

The camp, which began on Monday and will wind down on Thursday, comes just before the club's Covanta Tournament on Aug. 28 and 29, the largest soccer tournament in the Northeast, which this year has attracted more than 430 teams, many from the South Shore.

Jeff Gross, the East Meadow club's coaching director, ran the camp at Speno Park in East Meadow, along with a number of the club's trainers and older players. More than 80 children, most from the Bellmore-Merrick and East Meadow-Levittown areas, took part.

Players ages 9 to 11 worked hard in the 90-degree heat, running through drills and playing any number of games. At the same time, Gross said, the objective was to make the camp fun. Players were broken into small teams and competed for prizes in a mini-World Cup. Prizes were also awarded for spirit and appearance.

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