Heat Can't Beat Kids' Eagerness to Learn from Wave Stars

Maybe Wisconsin kids are just hardier and more resilient than most. Despite the heat – which is predicted to get worse as the week wears on – a group of about 50 area youngsters were out Monday on the fields for the first day of a weeklong soccer camp sponsored by the Milwaukee Wave.

"I was in Minnesota yesterday for the USA Cup (International Youth Soccer Tournament), and they canceled it because of the heat," said Wave player and youth coach Nick Vorberg. "But it was worse than this. We've had some sprinkles this morning, and it's been overcast and breezy.

"The heat makes it a little tougher on the kids, but we just take more water breaks."

Vorberg said that if the heat gets dangerous or just unbearable, the group can adjourn to , just around the corner from the camp playing fields off Portland Avenue.

The Wave camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day through Friday, with kids 9 through 13 years old learning the intricacies of the sport from three Wave player-coaches.

"I learned using the sole, and the outside and inside of the shoe, the scissors and other moves," said Rudy Virnig, 10, of Jackson. "And that soccer is fun!"

Sylvia Rothe, 9, of Elm Grove learned the basics on her first morning.

"Passing – that if someone's by you, you can kick it to them – if it's your teammate."

Sylvia wore a water bottle on a lanyard around her neck, and as one of the smallest kids on the field, she served as a bellwhether for Vorberg on break times. When Sylvia started to look gassed, it was time for everyone to take a breather and suck down more water.

Vorberg pointed out a beat-the-heat accessory he was familiar with from hiking – a backpack full of water – but one he had never seen a kid actually wear while playing soccer.

"It's a camelback," said Lucas Nyhus, 12, of Milwaukee. "It's just a huge pouch with a straw, like a juice box on your back."