By Steven Zaitz
The Smithtown Kickers youth soccer league, in conjunction with Alyssa Faro, a sophomore at Smithtown High School West and aspiring Eagle Scout, put on a free youth soccer clinic on March 9-10 at the New York Avenue fields on the campus of the Smithtown Central School District Administrative offices.
Over 50 children received instruction from Faro and eight of her soccer friends and teammates as the Kickers Spring season will get underway in less than two weeks. The girls ran drills on both Saturday and Sunday for three hours despite stretches of inclement weather on and off throughout the weekend.
Faro, who managed the project from inception to execution, did so as a part of her ascension to the elite rank of Eagle Scout. If she is fortunate enough to achieve this high honor, Faro would be one of only six female Eagle Scouts at Troop 539 of Kings Park.
“I can remember being on this very soccer field when I was five years old and I love to pay it forward,” said Faro. “It’s important to me to make a positive impact in the community and doing it through soccer is such a great feeling.”
The budding soccer stars, who ranged in age between four and ten, also had a great feeling learning the game from Alyssa and her staff.
“I had a lot of fun and I scored a lot of goals,” said a seven-year-old boy named Daniel. “I can’t wait for the season to start.”
The Smithtown Kickers season will kick off on March 23 at various locations throughout Smithtown.