Soccer on an this island can be challenging. Coordinating ferries, finding and organizing teams to play, tournament times, and arranging transportation can present problems, even to the most organized of organizations.

Our solution is to keep kids on island for as long as possible, playing other island teams which we create.

What does this look like? For the U-8 league (that's kids who are under age 8), we make teams of 6 kids each, with boys and girls playing together. They play 20 minute halves with a 5 minute halftime.

The U-10 teams play 30 minute halves with seven a side. In 2002, we had enough kids to make six separate teams, meaning the teams got to play each other twice. At the U-12 level, we separate boys and girls, making 3-5 teams of each.

Once kids get older than 11, the teams go to 11-a-side teams. Also because of the need to play on a larger field, teams usually have at least 15 kids. The U-14 girls have one pre-high school team. The boys, usually having more numbers, make a U-13 team and a U-14 team. They play off-island, once a week..

Saturday for the traveling teams becomes a long day, as teams usually leave on the 8:00 A.M. ferry and often returning about 6 or 6:30.

All three of these teams travel for half the season - with the other half played here - and tend to play mostly Skagit County teams, since we're in the Skagit Valley Youth Soccer Association.

Parents usually come, and carpooling is easily arranged.

This is the last step before our kids go to Friday Harbor High, which currently offers varsity soccer for both boys and girls.

Adults play around here, too. Island Rec offers an indoor program at the Fairgrounds during the winter and early spring. There have been a regular pick up games at either the high school field or the elementary field, usually around 3pm on Sundays.