With state tournaments galore as of late, it’s important to remember that many of the athletes have their roots in beginners programs – similar to the Duluth Public Library’s Kickstarters program for youth soccer players.

“It’s adorable. It’s one of my favorite days at work I think,” shared Carmella Hatch, an Early Literacy Coordinator.

Kickstarters soccer is a non competitive way to introduce those between the ages of 18 months to seven years old to the world’s most popular sport – soccer.

For the youngest group, it’s not so much about the sport itself as it is about getting energy out, for both the child, and the hopeful parent.

“It’s really nice,” said Amy Kinney, a Duluth parent. “I have a lot of older kids, too, and so it’s nice to have something for the little guy to do that’s not necessarily a team, but it’s like a one time thing to go inside and get the wiggles out of you.”

At such a young age, it’s important to get that energy out, but also to begin to understand the way your body can move and feel during sports. For many, this is the first time they have a ball in front of them, and what to do with it.

“I think it’s a great example of how kids learn everything through play and just watching them, figuring out how they can, you know, navigate the activity, learning about how their body works, not through exercises and worksheets, but through getting up and moving around. It’s great,” said Hatch.

Whether it was physically touching the ball;

“Auggie just wants to kick the ball,” said Kinney. “There were flashcards and really cool interactive stuff, but he’s just here for the physical-ness of it.”

Or learning some lessons that will help later down the line.

“Things like crossing the midline of your body and learning to coordinate those movements between the left and the right, those things actually translate into skills that they need to really begin to learn and all those things as well,” added Hatch. “The younger you can get to practice with those the better.”

Tt’s safe to say goals were met, literally and figuratively.