PITTSBURGH (May 1, 2017) – This past April, members of the Riverhounds Academy staff were joined by Pittsburgh Riverhounds professional players, and headed out to Sto-Rox Upper Elementary School (SRUE) for the official launch of a new community support program called “Riverhounds Sub In for Gym Class.”
As the name suggests, the Riverhounds became the substitute teachers for the day, leading students through a unique spin on Physical Education classes by integrating soccer-centric exercises into a fun hour of teamwork, exercise, and smiling.
The program has seen the Riverhounds work with approximately 300 students at Sto-Rox, located just minutes from Highmark Stadium. While the students are different from class to class, the end result remained consistent throughout the 14 sessions: students thoroughly enjoying the game of soccer alongside the Hounds.
Members of the Hounds pro team rotated throughout the weeks, with two or three players joining Sporting Director Jason Kutney and other Academy staff members each day for two classes per day, and nearly 25 students per class.
While the exercises are introductory by nature, they always involve students with a soccer ball. In most cases, the students have not yet been exposed to the sport of soccer, so all challenges are new. The response thus far has been nothing short of amazing.
“Sto-Rox Upper Elementary students had an amazing experience when the Pittsburgh Riverhound players and Jason Kutney visited our school to provide soccer clinics for our third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade students after several long weeks of testing,” said SRUE Head Teacher Heather Johnston. “The students and players made an instant connection. Jason and the players kept the students actively engaged in the game and made the experience fun for students to learn the game of soccer.
“Students in the Sto-Rox area do not have access to a soccer organization, so this was a new experience for them and they took a lot out of this opportunity. Many were learning about the game of soccer for the very first time. We have students now at recess, who would normally just walk around, rushing to get the soccer ball to practice the moves they learned. This experience has opened the doors for our students to learn the sport of soccer. One thing for sure is all students left exhausted, excited to learn a new game, and had smile on their faces.”
The program, which is offered at no cost to the schools, is intended to introduce soccer training to students who, in many cases but not all, are rarely exposed to it through their communities or schools. Sto-Rox School District, which offers a Primary Center (K-3), Upper Elementary School (4-6), and a Jr./Sr. High School (7-12), does not currently offer soccer as a sanctioned, competitive sport. School leadership is exploring the opportunity to do so on a trial basis, thereby adding to the purpose of the Hounds immediate integration.
While the “Sub In” initiative has many goals, including attracting local companies to support the program in order to provide additional opportunities for training as well as soccer equipment for schools in need, the initial goal is simple: to show young students how much fun soccer can be.
“Pittsburgh’s next greatest young soccer player is currently in school right now,” said Kutney, who designed the program and began discussions with various districts in late 2016.
“That student might be in a school with all the resources or a school with fewer. The beauty of soccer is that you just need a ball and some motivation. The goal here is to simply offer children a chance to experience the game in a fun way, and maybe, just maybe, they want more.”
The club is also working on ways to welcome students out to Highmark Stadium for a professional match in the future. Faculty is exploring ways to secure buses in order to transport the students, staff, and parents to and from the match.
There are plans to enter the Keystone Oaks School District this month. While a few, additional school districts are in discussions with Riverhounds Academy leadership, plans are to keep the program small out of the gate.
“We want to make an impact and so it’s important that we devote our time and attention to smaller pools of children, initially,” Kutney said.
For more information about “Riverhounds Sub In for Gym Class,” contact Jason Kutney at jkutney@https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/riverhounds.
