"Kick in the Grass brings 110 teams to Tumwater...Youth soccer tournament begins Friday night" -- July 20, 2006

BY CALEB BREAKEY
THE OLYMPIAN


About 3,000 people and 110 soccer teams will trek to South Sound by 6 p.m. Friday for the start of the 27th annual 2006 Kick in the Grass tournament in Tumwater.

The tournament runs through Sunday.

The Tumwater Soccer Club uses the tournament -- which will include about 200 games for children between 11 and 17 years old -- as its only fundraiser.

"We don't ask the kids to make cookies or do car washes or anything, we just have this tournament," tournament director Tabitha Townsend said.

The club grants four college tuition scholarships to Tumwater school district students each year and supplies the teams with game balls and uniforms.

The scholarships, worth $500 each, go to Tumwater students graduating from high school.
"This is a nonprofit thing," Townsend said. "All the money gets thrown right back into (the club and community)."

The tournament is played on soccer fields at Tumwater High School, Pioneer Park, East Olympia Elementary, Black Hills High School and Kenneydell Park -- a total of about 15 fields.

Townsend said the club sometimes plans more activities to build its funds, "but this way they have money to get uniforms and shirts and stuff."

Townsend said the tournament includes select teams but not premier teams, so teams that qualified at the state's top level don't participate in the tournament.

Team sportsmanship is the tournament's focus, graded by volunteer field marshals, Townsend said.

"It's actually one of the highest-valued awards at the tournament," she said. "Everybody is out to get the sportsmanship award. We try to have the family- friendly atmosphere."


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Kick in the Grass
When: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Fields at Tumwater High School, Pioneer Park, East Olympia Elementary, Black Hills High School and Kenneydell Park
Parking: Limited spaces. Carpooling is encouraged.