Teaching youngsters the game of soccer has become a way of life for Mandeville resident Jared Montz, who played for the Major League Soccer Chicago Fire and Puerto Rico Islanders before his professional career was cut short due to injury. Montz started instructing his Pro Soccer Camps back in January 2006.

Montz, a Mandeville High grad, has a passion for teaching the finer points of the game and has a knack of making it fun for the youngsters, while imparting his professional knowledge.

Thirty-six participants, ages 5-13, took part this week (July 12-16) in the camp held at Pelican Park in Mandeville.

Camp counselor Danielle Beatty, a St. Scholastica Academy graduate and former member of the Doves’ 2010 Division I state championship team, shows Julia Chapoton the proper technique during the Jared Montz Pro Soccer Camp. The camp took place July 12-16 at Pelican Park in Mandeville. (Staff Photo by Mike Pervel)

The camp is designed to give attendees the knowledge and training that will help them reach their personal goals in soccer and in life.

Montz’s motto is “Believe in it.” Whatever that “it” might be: soccer, school, a goal, a dream, he tells kids to work hard to achieve that goal.

“It’s been a great camp this week. They have been a tremendous bunch and haven’t complained too much about the heat. Everyone worked hard and it was an awesome week with them,” Montz said.

Montz referred to a construction analogy when talking about the importance of teaching youngsters the right way to play the game.

“You can’t build a house if you can’t hammer a nail. What we are emphasizing is the individual parts of the game including how to properly pass and shoot. We teach them the fundamentals of the game that don’t always get taught in the team game because there isn’t always enough time,” Montz added.

“We have been blessed during our camps having kids, who want to be out here and are committed to improving their game. We stress to the youngsters the importance of having good attitudes.”

Montz said one of the first things he talks about to his campers is the importance of hydration.

“Hydration just doesn’t start at camp. We send them on a lot of water breaks, but before camp I tell them through E-mails to their parents to remember to drink lots of water leading up to and during the camp,” Montz said.

During Wednesday’s session, it was favorite jersey day, with the campers attired in various sports jerseys.

“Each day at camp, we have favorite joke day, favorite jersey day and favorite camouflage day. The kids can wear their favorite jersey, soccer or as most wear football jerseys of the Saints and LSU. It’s just a fun way to get the kids excited to come to camp,” he said.

Montz said he is no market analyst major, but since the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, there are more and more youngsters wearing Saints gear at his camps.

Montz said he takes pride in surrounding himself with really good, experienced camp counselors.

“We have really good coaches. I write the coaching plans and rotate around from group to group. The coaches are former players so they know how to motivate the kids,” Montz said.

St. Scholastica Academy graduate Danielle Beatty, a member of the Doves’ 2010 Division I State Championship team, served as a camp counselor, working her second camp this summer. Beatty, who will attend the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg on a soccer scholarship, worked with the 7 and 8 year-olds.

“I’ve had so much fun teaching the youngsters at camp. They have so much spirit and energy. They love playing soccer. Some of the kids come out early before camp starts and are very enthusiastic trying to learn more about the game,” Beatty said.

Seven year-old Rachel Bregnard, a Magnolia Trace Elementary second grader, said the teachers (coaches) are really nice.

“I like doing all of the drills that they teach us. It is also fun making new friends,” Bregnard said. 

“I think coach Jared is the best coach because I think he has been all over the world,” Bregnard added, while decked out in her Reggie Bush jersey.   

Julia Chapoton, a second grader, who also attends Magnolia Trace, talked about how much fun it is playing the games at camp.

“We learn a lot of stuff. The camp can help you be better in soccer if you want to be a professional player,” Chapoton said.

When asked if she wanted to be a pro, she said, “I don’t know yet.”

Chapoton, sporting her No. 7 blue Italia jersey, said she lives in Louisiana and her neighborhood is Forest Brook (off of Louisiana Highway 1088).

Eight year-old Olivia Lacava, a Magnolia Trace third grader, shared her thoughts about the camp.

“I like to play the scrimmages against each other. I like to practice shooting and the coaches are the goalies. Everybody is having so much fun,” Lacava said.

Lacava, wearing a Drew Brees jersey, said she shot a couple times, but didn’t score any goals. 

Eight-year-old Evan Louviere said he loves being at camp.

“Playing soccer is so much fun. I like scoring goals and I like playing with my friends,” Louviere said.

He said he had scored like seven goals during the camp’s World Cup games, which means he was keeping a tally.

Montz said it’s a phenomenal time to be an American youth soccer player. “The World Cup just ended and there are two major professional soccer leagues in America that are doing awesome. By the time these youngsters are out of high school and college, if they really want it, they will have a good chance of playing pro soccer in America,” Montz said.

Montz said he watched all the U S games in the World Cup and of course the finals.

“The Americans did really well winning their group, despite a couple bad calls going against us. Unfortunately, we lost in the knockout round. The Americans showed they are a good team and we are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come,” the former pro player said.   

Montz said he plans on doing overnight camps in the future bringing in some college coaches.

“We’re continuing to add in camps and in the future we are going to do some type of overnight camps bringing in college coaches. The camps continue to grow and I’m also doing private training lessons since I’m back in Mandeville full time.”

Montz is also the creator of America’s 1st Online Soccer Academy, which is OnlineSoccerAcademy.com.  He is also launching a personal College Recruiting Web site to aid players in marketing themselves later in their sports careers.