Learning teamwork while earning pizza and awards

NORTH CANAAN — It was cold and windy at Segalla Field in North Canaan on Friday, Oct. 4, but the youngsters running back and forth on the soccer field did not seem to mind. 

The players, all 5 and 6 years old, are members of the Kindergarten Soccer program, sponsored by the North Canaan Recreation Commission. Their season, consisting of practices, culminated with a scrimmage. It was well attended, with parents bundled in blankets cheering the action on the field. 

The players are all from North Canaan and Falls Village. Nikki Blass, who has coached Kindergarten Soccer for 17 years, followed the boys and girls around the field, acting as both a coach and a referee. 

Her son, Noah Shippa, a freshman at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, assisted. 

Blass said that it was important to start young so the kids “learn to play as a group.” She added that playing sports at a young age is also important to their development as individuals. For many, the program was their first experience with team sports.

The program was started by North Canaan Elementary School teacher Leigh Ann Merrill 20 years ago. 

Once the scrimmage ended the players were awarded medals. Not to be kept still for very long, they took off at a dash for the  nearby pizza boxes.