A taste of Italian calcio

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This article was published 18/05/2018 (2725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alex Reveco, a proud soccer dad, is organizing a world class soccer camp at Anderson Park (900 Raleigh St.).

From July 16 to 20, and 23 to 27, boys and girls between eight and 16 years old will have the opportunity to train with fully licensed coaches from Res Roma, a Serie A women’s football club based in Rome, Italy, and Pro Calcio Academy, an international soccer academy in Frosinone, Italy.

Players can register for full or half days, and can take part in either, or both, of the week-long sessions.

They’ll also get some help from some young local players who have gone pro and benefitted from coaching opportunities like the ones available at the camp.

“Your knowledge will build as you keep going,” said Emily Scharikow, who trained and played with Res Roma this past season, of the upcoming camp. “The coaches are wonderful, they encourage you to get out of your comfort zone.”

Scharikow, a 17-year-old from Lorette, Man., will be volunteering at the July soccer camp before returning to Rome in September to play full time for Res Roma.

“You don’t have that many opportunities to get coaches form Europe coming,” said Alejandro Vasquez, a 22-year-old professional soccer player from North Kildonan.

Vasquez got his start playing soccer as a North Kildonan Cobra when he was five. From there, he played for Phoenix FC before he started chasing his professional soccer dreams halfway across the world.

“I’ve been all over,” Vasquez said with a laugh.

Starting with a couple of stints in Brazil at age 15, Vasquez went on to train in Slovakia, Spain, and Toronto before signing his first professional contract at age 18 with Deportes Limache, a Tier 3 team in Chile. He recently completed what he considered a good season with Deportes Rengo, another Tier 3 Chilean team, where he posted six goals and eight assists.

Following his season with Deportes Rengo, Vasquez went to Italy to train at the Pro Calcio Academy. He has been invited back to Italy in the summer to try out for a pro team there. But before that, he will be helping out at Reveco’s soccer camp.

“The best advice I can give kids is just to enjoy yourself, work hard, and take it from there,” he said.

“Even if you’re not wanting to go super far (with soccer), it’s just a great experience,” Scharikow said. “(The coaches) can really get you to where you want to go if you are serious. They want to invest their time in you to get you to where you want to go.”

Along with Scharikow and Vasquez, Reveco’s son Diego Enrique Reveco, who plays for the Fondi Racing Club team in the Italian Serie C league, will also be on hand to help young players at the camp in July.

As a bonus incentive, two players from the camp will be selected by the coaches to spend a week training at the Pro Calcio Academy in Italy for free.

The deadline for registration for this summer’s soccer camp is June 15. Cost for either week of half days (9 a.m. to noon) is $400, full days (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an hour lunch break) is $545. Included in registration is a Nike Pro Calcio uniform. Discounts apply when registering for both weeks.

For more information, call 204-339-0746 or 204-295-0746.