For Canton Girls, Youth Soccer Taught Life Lessons

As they enter 9th grade this fall, a group of Canton girls will look back fondly at their years of soccer league play, including a U14 championship earlier in the year. 

They beat a tougher Wethersfield team 1 to 0 on June 8 to claim the championship but the girls will tell you something more important took place during their time on the field. It had a lot to do with how their teammates and coaches approached the game with a life philosophy of fun, calmness, respect and self worth no matter what the score.

“For me the childhood screaming and yelling and forcing you to do something didn’t work,” said coach Mike Kadis. 

It's a quieter style of coaching, but always positive, team members said - with girls giving high fives even when they’re not winning and coaches recognizing progress when a player gave her all.

Kadis had coached the group for years. He had coached boys soccer but began teaching the girls when his daughter Devin started playing.

He learned that girls responded differently but that the group was also willing to listen, especially to a more conversational style.

“For me it was an amazing way to get things done. Since it was my style anyway it worked well. It they want to be there, they will learn about the sport along the way.”

The more recent addition of second coach Olivia Kravitz also made a huge difference for the team, which had struggled with few wins since 2009, Kadis said.

 When she came in with plenty of high school and soccer experience, bonded with the girls and also kept it fun, Kadis said.

Kravitz said the culture came through to the girls.

“I think it’s a lot about respect,” added coach Olivia Kravitz. “I would never hear anything negative from the girls.” 

Devin Kadis, a player and Mike’s daughter, said she saw many other coaches lose it and other teams who formed cliques and in some cases didn’t know each others’ names.

Kravitz, a more recent coaching addition, kept the game fun but also pushed the girls to have more confidence. Her style was simply and created almost a game within a game to keep the ball moving. 

“The girls really grew tremendously,” Mike Kadis said of Olivia's influence. 

The girls on the team also had a lot of fun and there’s no denying winning was sweet.

“It’s cool to see how we improved over the years,” said player Emily Mitchell.

“It felt good,” said player Elora Rosedale. “We could work together and really achieve.”

As the girls go into high school, some are staying in Canton and others not but they say the lessons will stay with them. Kadis said he is proud of his team and enjoyed a coaching stint that in total stretch back to 1996. 

“It was great to be part of it,” Kadis said. “Now I get to sit on the sidelines with the parents.”