For Darcy Smith, the saying thereB次元官网网址檚 no B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址� in team has never rung more true than this holiday season.
Smith, the head coach of the Juan de Fuca Soccer AssociationB次元官网网址檚 U14 gold boys team and the U16 gold girls team, has donated dozens of toys to the annual Santas Anonymous campaign B次元官网网址� all thanks to the hard work of 32 young players.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 overwhelmed and surprised about what a great experience it was for the kids. It worked out better than I ever thought,B次元官网网址� said Smith, a Highlands resident, whose son and daughter play on the teams.
B次元官网网址淚t think it had a bigger affect on the kids in a positive way, not only for individual kids, but on a team basis as well.B次元官网网址�
At the beginning of the season, Smith set goals for each team as a way of bringing them closer together B次元官网网址� a tactic he learned during a keynote speech at a soccer conference about a year ago at the University of British Columbia about building positive team culture in communities. If they reached the goal by December, the players were able to pick out toys to donate to Santas Anonymous.
Each week, Smith, along with the help of his wife Bry-Anna, set out a new goal. But rather than focusing on winning or losing, they focused on reaching a certain number of passes in a game, seeing a certain number of players taking shots or only allowing a player to score one goal per game. And week after week, the teams continued to reach their goals.
Earlier this month, the players got to see the results of their hard work. The two teams picked names from the Santas Anonymous tree at Westshore Town Centre and fanned out to choose gifts for 65 children in need this Christmas.
B次元官网网址淭he parents will a lot of the time donate things [to Santas Anonymous] themselves and not many kids get that opportunity to be able to give back themselves. I think a lot of the kids were excited to get the opportunity to have the responsibility to be giving back,B次元官网网址� Smith said. B次元官网网址淚t was team-building as well.B次元官网网址�
Team manager Maria Madison, whose daughter is on the U16 girls team, said Smith has made an impact on the players.
B次元官网网址淚 thought it was amazing. I think itB次元官网网址檚 great that heB次元官网网址檚 always trying to think of these neat things and give back to the community,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 a great coach.B次元官网网址�
And the teams arenB次元官网网址檛 stopping there. Smith said heB次元官网网址檒l continuing the initiative into the second part of the season as well.
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