When Burnaby RCMP Insp. Peri Mainwaring went to check how the detachment's first all-girls soccer camp was going this week, she said she was wiped because she'd had a busy weekend.
But it didn’t take long for the 60 girls at the camp to put the wind back in her sails.
"It was amazing. I was so inspired," she told the Burnaby NOW.
After six years of hosting free summer soccer camps for kids, Burnaby RCMP has added an all-girls camp for the first time this year.
The decision came after feedback from campers, parents and RCMP staff volunteers at the camps.
"The kids in our camps are eight to 13 years old, and during previous camps we have seen differences in how boys and girls like to learn and play sports at these ages," said Mainwaring, who is in charge of Burnaby RCMP's community programs.
In earlier camps, she said she had seen girls hang back and not join in.
That's all changed at the all-girls camp.
"They were all playing; nobody was standing on the field looking lost," Mainwaring said. "There's some really good players, some that obviously play on a team and others that don't, but they were all playing and respectful of each other and including each other, which I thought was kind of cool."
Campers like the new format too.
Charlotte Wright, 11, said she attended one of the co-ed RCMP camps in 2022 and was the only girl in her group.
"The boys were not really passing, but now that it's all girls, I feel like everyone's more engaged and actually trying," she said.
When asked if the wide range of skills among the girls was an issue, she said no.
"Everyone gets better, and it's mostly drills, and when they split up teams for games, they make it really fair," she said.
Danica Cikes, 13, agreed.
"The people who don't have as much skill, they get to learn more and you can teach them new things," she said. "I love it. It's so much fun. You get to meet new people and you get to have fun."
Launched by Const. Kwame Amoateng in 2017 as a way for police officers to connect with local youth in a positive way, the RCMP soccer camps focus mostly on soccer skills and teamwork but also include special presentations from emergency services, including the Burnaby Fire Department, Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service (IPDS).
Coincidentally, the police dog handler who presented at the camp this week was a woman.
And Mainwaring herself raised eyebrows when she took to the field in her RCMP uniform to play.
A lot of campers hadn't realized many of the female coaches they had been working with are also police officers wearing civilian sports attire.
A number of the moms asked Mainwaring to pose for photos with their daughters, she said.
Mainwaring said she gets a kick out of all the soccer camps the detachment puts on and will visit them all.
The all-girls camp is just the latest in Burnaby RCMP's efforts to keep making them better every year.
What started with 18 kids in the Edmonds neighbourhood seven years ago has grown into three free camps filled to capacity with a total of 180 participants, most of whom have been referred to the program through their schools.
Each camper gets a T-shirt, a medal and certificate at the end of camp, and a free lunch every day.
Five players per camp who show exceptional leadership and teamwork are also awarded a new soccer ball.
The camps are made possible through a grant from the province's civil forfeiture office and with help from the City of Burnaby, which provides field space.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
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