Martina Franko is stepping away from the Quest women's soccer team but she'll continue to hit the pitch at Quest University field when her former assistant coach, Craig Smith, takes over the program this fall.
The 麻豆社国产resident has transitioned from head coach to head instructor at the Quest U. soccer academy and said she's excited to help youth in 麻豆社国产excel at the sport.
It's a university and they really should have a strong program up there, she said. It'll be great to be able to use the Quest coaches, the student-athletes and of course our great field. It's a good fit for us to be there.
Franko, who ran the womens program from 2008 to 13, helped lead the Kermodes to silver and bronze provincial medals and has an outstanding r茅sum茅 full of experience on the field.
She played for the Canadian women's national team from 2005 to '09, including an appearance for Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and she was also voted onto Canada's All Time XI in 2012 for the Canadian Soccer Association's centennial.
The academy will ramp up activity with a spring break soccer camp from March 17 to 21. Children aged five to 15 will hit the pitch for two hours a day over the five days and learn all aspects of the game. Age groups will be separated, with those under 10 learning from 10 a.m. to noon and over 10 hitting the pitch from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Franko and Smith will lead the sessions. They'll be joined by Quest student athletes Charles Impey, Tatiana Bliss and Evan Cross.
The academy is also offering six-week Monday night sessions starting on March 31. Kids will again be separated by age and skill level.
Franko pointed out that there will also be a goalkeeper academy running on Monday nights and said the brand new Quest Cubs program for three- and four-year-olds has been a success in the winter session.
It's something that's been missing in Squamish, she said of the Cubs program. My four-year-old is in it and it's amazing how much I've seen him improve in just a few weeks. I can never get him to practice when it's just the two of us but when it's a group of kids all together, they seem to want to learn. It's really cute.
For more information or to register for the program, visit www.questu.ca/soccer_academy/index.php. Those interested can also contact Franko at [email protected].
