Rustlers soccer giving and receiving through academy

As Rustlers Soccer heads into the Christmas break with a brief rest before the futsal season, the athletes have given and received in the community.

Athletes from both the men's and women's teams helped to Run Meridian Soccer Academy this fall, which runs until early spring in 2026. Hosted at the Vault each Tuesday, it's a growing pool of youngsters of the U5-U15 age groups, learning the particulars of each skill needed to play the beautiful game.

Women's player Katelyn Dyck said the kids always show up with a positive attitude and great energy.

"Over the last few months of coaching them, they have shown determination to get better, and always find ways to improve on their techniques," she said. "I mostly see this in their dribbling skills."

Several Lakeland athletes are involved at the Academy, with several more assistant coaching teams within Meridian, training Sundays and sporadically throughout the week. The athletes operate under the direction of their college coaches.

"It can inspire young players who watch soccer and love it, as well as inform players and parents about what we are about within our programs and the kind of people we coach," women's coach Doyle Church said. "It's also a big piece for me as a coach with student-athletes coming into our program and learning about the game they play."

Hani Tekheste, like Church, has the benefit of having seen this programming as a player first with the Rustlers before taking on his bench boss role with the men's program. He said it's one of the best things his athletes can do to prepare them for leading youth in future, as a coach or a teacher.

"They're not there just because we need bodies," Tekheste said. "It's beneficial for the kids, you like to see younger adults there. For our student athletes, they work on their communication skills and an opportunity to lead on something, reps so that when they leave college, they have this confidence that they can lead in a similar setting and take charge."

Brennan Lust, a second-year player on the men's team who is taking Business Administration at Lakeland College, is one of the regulars who's particularly invested in the task of teaching young kids. Having grown up participating in the Whitecaps Academy in Kamloops, he understands firsthand what a large impression college athletes can have on youth.

"It was run by the university coach there and he brought his players from the team," Lust said. "Being a little guy there and now getting to step up in that role is awesome. I like to do it as much as I can."

In the younger age groups, the jump in skills is quite rapid for most kids. Seeing that development is the best part of the experience for Lust.

"You can see them doing it wrong at first, but once you've pointed them in the right direction, seeing them actually go that direction is really cool," he said.

The growth of the coaches is also quite apparent. Tekheste noted that he's seen a noticeable difference in how his players interact with the kids since they started earlier this fall.

"From the beginning to end, athletes start doing the bare minimum," he said. "But by the end they are really having fun, their confidence is up and do a lot more than just what they are there for."

"Overall, the group is wonderful to coach and doing so makes me fulfilled and confident as a future teacher," Dyck said.

In addition to the impact left on the children in the community, that individual growth and passion is something that Church said they hope to instill in all the Rustlers who come through the program at Lakeland. He noted that if they come away feeling good and more about the game of soccer, that breeds future success.

"Hopefully, they'll love it as much or [even more], so they can continue to play or coach wherever they may end up, big city or small town," Church said. "Every community needs good people involved in soccer who truly love the game."

The Meridian Soccer Academy starts again in January. More information is available at their website. The men's and women's team's at Lakeland will be in action on Jan. 16-18, when they take part in the first regional tournament of the futsal season.