Camp Kick-A-Lot kicks summer soccer up a notch

Published 4:44 pm Wednesday, July 30, 2025

 Costumes, running, soccer skills and an end-of-practice water fight. These are some of the words one could use to describe Wednesday’s three-hour soccer camp session at Camp Kick-A-Lot in Warrenton.

Camp Kick-A-Lot was back for another year and veteran director Justin Gagnon led it once more. The camp took place over the last two weeks at a cost of $100 per week or $160 for both. With over 100 kids from Clatsop County attending this past week, the camp started by Jerry Boisvert in 1984 shows no signs of slowing down.

“Jerry is the godfather of Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association,” Gagnon said. “He’s the one who started this camp. He didn’t want the camp to be a money maker for the league; it’s really just about getting kids out here and all of the proceeds that come from it go back to buying equipment, snacks and anything else the field maintenance crew might need.

“The field that we play on is dedicated to him,” Gagnon said, “and to just keep the tradition alive is important to me.”

In a lot of ways, Gagnon is the epitome of Boisvert’s dream.

Gagnon started off as a young player, then moved up to counselor — and he has been the director for the last 11 years. In total, Gagnon has been involved with camp Kick-A-Lot for 26 years.

 “Seeing the kids enjoy my favorite sport is what really matters to me the most,” Gagnon said.

The camp age range is 6-13 and has a total of around 200 kids over the two weeks. According to Gagnon, some kids attend every day of the camp while others will only participate for a week. With not a lot of youth soccer opportunities in the area, Camp Kick-A-Lot serves as the perfect chance for kids to try out the sport.

“The young ones are trying it out for the first time,” Gagnon said, “so we try and introduce the game to them in a silly and fun way. For the older ones, it’s about sharpening and improving their skills for when soccer starts in the fall.”

Wednesday saw the campers dress in water clothes and play water games afterwards. Kids would each get their own water bottle and the goal was to splash each other and the counselors as a fun way to end the day.

Former and current high school soccer players also have the chance to serve as camp counselors. High school students from Astoria, Seaside and Warrenton help coach and mentor the young kids at the camp.

 “A lot of the counselors have been doing this for a few years,” Gagnon said. “We get some kids who do their senior projects in the summer from Astoria and years past (from) Seaside. Just getting them to spread the word is a huge thing.”

Paul Matli