HEBER SPRINGS — With local interest and ties to schools and communities, in-state sports often receive a lot of recognition. Meanwhile, community-oriented sports provide recreation and entertainment for players and fans alike. But what about those teams of in-state kids who travel to national tournaments across the country?
Three soccer teams made up of Arkansas children recently went to Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports for the Disney 3v3 Soccer Championships, and each team represented the state well by competing hard and bringing home trophies.
Kathy Larios of Heber Springs coached all three teams, and she said the children worked hard for months to qualify for the tournament. The players were divided by age into three teams: Heber Springs Storm 03 players were 11-12 years old, Heber Springs Storm 06 players were 8-9 years old, and Heber Springs Storm 08 players were 6-7 years old.
The Heber Springs Storm 06 won the U9 Open Silver championship, the Heber Springs Storm 03 placed fourth in the U12 Open Gold championship, and the Heber Springs Storm 08 team placed seventh in the U7 Open championship.
“They gave up their whole summer to qualify,” Larios said. “We played 11 or 12 tournaments in the summer. The 03 team won their regional championship to go in, the 06 team won their regional championship, and the little ones placed fourth at regionals. To qualify for regionals, you have to place at least first or second in a local tournament, so it’s a lot of hard work.”
These teams are not the same as club teams that play locally, Larios said. Her club teams are all in Heber Springs, but the 3v3 circuit players come from all over the state, including Heber Springs, Quitman, Rose Bud, Beebe, Maumelle, Cabot and Jonesboro. Larios is the regional tournament director, and she has networked throughout the state to attract players for these offseason tournaments.
“They get to meet kids from all over the state,” she said. “It’s all about the kids.”
The tournament in January was the sixth time Larios has taken teams to Disney for the 3v3 championships, and she said it is always a blast for the kids to get to go to Orlando to play soccer. Even before the results came in, she knew that playing at Disney is not a memory they will easily forget.
“It’s at the ESPN Complex, so you have to go through a security line, you have to have a pass, and you have to fingerprint yourself before you go in,” she said. “Once you get in, you see thousands of kids playing soccer over hundreds of fields. That’s your first view of the event: walking over that platform and looking down over the fields. I still get goosebumps, and I’ve been six times.”
A few of the players — including Larios’ son — have gone to the tournament all six years, but this year was the first time for many of the kids to participate in the Disney 3v3 Soccer Championships. Larios said she wants her returning players to improve every year, and she hopes the interest in soccer will grow throughout the state through these experiences.
“It’s not a prominent sport in Arkansas, but it’s growing,” she said. “That’s been my goal, and that’s why I work with 3v3 now. I want to bring better competition into the state.”
The past two years, Larios’ teams have won at Disney, and that has brought a whole new dimension to the experience.
“You get to walk the red carpet,” she said. “They take you into a private room to get your photos taken with Mickey Mouse. It’s fun for the kids. I’d say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but we get to keep going back.”
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.