Success secrets helped UVA reach Top 10

Success secrets helped UVA reach Top 10
April 20, 2011

As a program that made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, the Virginia Women’s Soccer Team is a prime example of good soccer.

And in that same vein of reaching for success, the Virginia’s summer soccer camps are all designed to make up and coming players the best they can be.

Virginia hosts three separate camps over the summer: A youth center for girls June 19-22, and a pair of advanced camps, one June 25-28, and the second July 17-21.

Find out more about the camps here.


The youth center will be held at the Graves Mountain Lodge, a 135-year-old retreat nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Syria, Virginia. The camp is for girls in grades 4-7, and is divided by skill level and age to help ensure that each camper gets instruction specifically tailored to her needs.“

(The camp) is for the aspiring player who wants to develop and hone in on her skills,” said Jaime Frias, One of the staff members for the UVA Women’s Soccer Program

virginia women's soccer campCampers practice their skills.
The youth center also is designed to show players what it’s like to be part of a team, with team building exercises each day to bring the girls closer together.

Later in the summer the program will host the advanced camps, for players who have their sights on playing soccer at the collegiate level.

“The curriculum is designed for the more dedicated and advanced player,” Frias said. “You still hone in on the fundamentals, but the skills taught might be more advanced, and the training session will be more competitive in nature.”

The first advanced camp will be held at Virginia, and is for girls in grades 8-12. Attendees will get to use many of the same facilities used by the Cavaliers.

“The campers will have the opportunity to do some team building activities and sometimes even play at Klöckner Stadium,” Frias said.

The stadium can hold upwards of 7,000 fans, and has been used in the past by the United State Soccer Federation for Olympic qualifiers.

The second camp, from July 17-21, will be held at Episcopal High School in northern Virginia and is for girls in grades 5-12. The expansive campus has been around for more than a century, and also has top-flight facilities.

Part of what makes the Soccer Centers of Excellence so unique is the amount of on-field coaching the Virginia staff puts into every camp.

“Every coaching staff member involved with our women’s soccer program is actively involved in the coaching aspect of the camp,” Frias said. “I think that’s something that’s very different than any other camp in the country. You actually get one-on-one interaction with everyone on our staff.”

Virginia head coach Steve Swanson has been coaching at UVA for 11 years, and has led the team to the Elite 8 twice, Round of 16 six times and the NCAA tournament every year he's been at Virginia. Swanson also coached at Stanford, where he won a pair of Pac-10 championships, and at Dartmouth, where he led the Ivy League school to the NCAA tournament twice.  Swanson is currently the only coach in Division I history to win titles in three different conferences.  He has also been involved as a coach with the U.S. U16, U17, U18, U19 and U20 Youth National Teams

“Steve goes out almost every day and does technical work with the campers, so they get to interact with him and our staff during the afternoons,” Frias said. “And at night we play games.”

Finally, Frias said that while each camp is professional, that doesn’t mean campers won’t have fun along the way.

“We want our campers to learn and become better players throughout the week, we want to be passionate and detailed with our coaching, and at the same time I think the fun aspect comes from our coaching personalities, the camper’s willingness to learn and have fun, and the time dedicated to team building activities,” Frias said. “At night we bring the camp together, and dedicate time to activities that will enable the kids to interact with coaches and campers outside of their group.”

Find out more about the camps here.

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