If there is any indication of the town’s commitment to athletics, look no further than the Cardinal Tower soccer camp, which recently completed its ninth annual edition earlier this month. Held at Hershfield Park, 166 kids, from K through 12th grade, took part in the weeklong festivities where the goal is to maximize learning and fun.

"It goes to the value of embracing tradition. You can be progressive without shunning tradition," says Ron Bivona, who has been running Cardinal Tower soccer camps since its inception. "The youth programs are entrenched here and I think psychologically our teams win games they may not have without that tradition and belief that goes a long way."

Another part is how the town and parents accept the role of athletics that filters down to the kids who are then encouraged to take part in the various programs offered to them up through the high school.

"There’s a certain fanaticism about it that’s great," says Bivona. "I think you have stability with the coaches at the high school level which helps, but also this is the only town where you’ll see a parent wearing a Cardinal badge or jacket."

Along with a talented coaching staff, the camp has a full-time trainer on hand as well as a speed and agility coach. That all sounds well and good but the proof of its efficacy is in how the camp is viewed, and the feedback has been tremendous.

"I think the success is found in the coaches we bring in. We bring in soccer people. We have a coach from the Red Bulls soccer academy, and everyone is a soccer person trained in coaching," says Bivona. "What we hear from parents is that their kids are learning and that they’re having fun. Those are the two ingredients they are looking for."

The camp has had over 100 attendees the past couple of years but this year the number exploded so much so that for the first time, Bivona had to shut down registration, something that he didn’t want to do but because of the layout of the facilities, he had to.

"I think it comes down to the curriculum we offer, the coaches, word of mouth, and also the working relationship with the soccer association in town," says Bivona.

The makeup of the campers is diverse with some of the younger kids never having played before while others are already playing on travel teams.

"It’s a mixed bag, we have kids at every level," says Bivona. "Some of the high school kids are here looking to get ready for the varsity and JV seasons and are looking for fitness and also to pick up new points from these coaches."