On a comfortable Sunday afternoon in early October, a white-haired man of average build toted an armload of plastic pipe toward the outfield of the baseball diamond at the Wheeler Farm in Seekonk. Assembled, what looked like gigantic PVC staples stuck in the ground actually served as undersized soccer goals.
High-school kids usually do that chore, but help is hard to find these days so Rick Clarkson did it himself. Then he turned and walked back to the soccer field where organized chaos reigned. At least 100 little kids ran up and down 16 little fields booting little Size 3 soccer balls through little PVC goals.
Most of them were having a blast, which is what Rick Clarkson likes to see every Sunday afternoon from mid-September to early November. He operates East Side Sports, a recreational program that attracted 490 young soccer players from kindergarten to 5th grade this fall. He just concluded his 24th season.
“I stumbled into this. I like kids, and I like sports,” Clarkson said.
He was working at the R.I. School for the Deaf and had moved his family to the East Side of Providence, where Brown coach Cliff Stevenson ran a soccer program for kids on a small field across from Brown Stadium.
“I knew a little about soccer, not much. I’m not a soccer guy. I took my oldest son, who was 6-and-a-half, to soccer and met two guys who didn’t know anything about soccer or about coaching but were nice guys. So I started coaching,” he said. The 6-year-old kids played 11 versus 11 on a 100-yard field. Clarkson took notes.
He and Stevenson became friendly to the point that “he asked me to keep an eye on things” when Stevenson went to Florida in late fall. Eventually, they negotiated a deal.
“He sold me the league. There was nothing there. A couple of balls,” Clarkson said. He took over in 1999.
While keeping his day job at the School for the Deaf and later West Bay Christian Academy, Clarkson researched youth soccer. He learned the value of tailoring the program to different age groups. He moved games from the Brown field on Elmgrove Avenue to the Wheeler School’s farm in Seekonk. He switched to Sunday afternoons to avoid conflict with church services and to promote a family activity. He took a regulation field and divided it into mini-fields. He provided clinics for preschoolers, 3 on 3 play for little kids and 6 on 6 for kids in 3rd to 5th grades. He welcomed parents as coaches.
Clarkson’s message has remained consistent. East Side Sports soccer is all about fun, being outside, running around, being a teammate, learning fundamental skills.
“It’s been a good model, a fun model. I so enjoy walking around and talking to the parents. Their kids are having fun, and learning that their self-worth is not determined by whether they win or not,” Clarkson said.
There’s no doubt he is in charge. As he strolls the perimeter of the pitch or wanders among the players, he scans the scene with a sharp eye, ready to offer a tip to a third grader, tie the shoelaces of a kindergartner, or assist as a referee. He will help grandparents locate the patch where their grandchild is playing, a challenge with so many youngsters running about. When time is up, Clarkson raises his air horn for the game-ending blast.
Despite the organizational challenges and worries about weather, Clarkson smiles a lot on these Sundays, and with good reason. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles sit along the sideline a few feet from their little stars. On the baseball outfield they set up camp in front of a row of trees. There’s plenty of room for toddlers to wobble about and kids who have finished their game to kick a ball back and forth. When the games are over, a designated parent breaks out snacks for the players, often the day’s high point.
“I wanted it to be a family thing. Sunday afternoons. Wheeler is a beautiful facility. It’s a leisurely atmosphere for the family, like a big block party. I wanted to keep the competition at a very low level,” Clarkson said. Kids he coached years ago have returned with their kids.
Fees range between $50 and $135 per player depending on grade in school and cover the cost of field rental, uniform T-shirts, trophies and insurance. Clarkson makes a few dollars. “I get paid for doing something I enjoy,” he said.
How much longer is the big question. He is 74 and juggling East Side Sports soccer, partnering with One one One basketball during the winter since 2005, teaching a psychology course on youth sports at Salve Regina University, and directing the Corliss Institute in Warren, a nonprofit organization devoted to assisting deaf people and deaf people with developmental disabilities.
Clarkson pondered the question for a moment and then mentioned his oldest son Brad — that 6-and-a-half-year-old boy who played on the full-sized soccer field many years ago — who coached the Providence Country Day School girls to the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Division IV volleyball championship this month. Brad also is an assistant baseball coach at PCD. Dad has yet to negotiate that deal.
The best day of the season for Rick Clarkson is the last Sunday afternoon on the schedule. After the final dash upfield, the last shot through those PVC pipes and the air horn blast, coaches gather their players for brief but touching ceremonies. The really good coaches take the time to say something positive about every player, summon the player to the front of the gathering and present each one a trophy. Clarkson rejects arguments against awarding trophies just for showing up.
“The trophy is the vehicle for letting the kids remember what a good time they had,” he said. “To see all the parents standing around, it’s a great bonding experience.”
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
Mike Szostak can be reached at mszostak@thepublicsradio.org.
