Keeping the ball rolling: Arlee woman fights to keep soccer program alive
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Shannon Buhr is afraid that without volunteers, the Mission Valley Soccer Program she worked so hard to create could dissolve when she moves away from the area. When she first moved to the Mission Valley in 2002, the Ronan YMCA had folded, forcing her to take her children to Missoula to play soccer.
According to Buhr, she was very unfamiliar with the sport at the time, having never played it growing up. But she didn’t let her inexperience get in the way.
“Something had to be done about the whole situation,” she said.
So Buhr founded the Mission Valley Soccer Association, along with Tom Trickle and Eric Poole, to give youngsters in Lake County an opportunity to learn how to play soccer in a family atmosphere.
The organization began with an active board of directors, but over time, as their children grew up, and moved on, board members dwindled, eventually leaving the entire program on Buhr’s shoulders.
“I’m totally fine running the soccer program all by myself, since I have been here since the beginning,” Buhr said, “but if I can’t find volunteers to take my place (when I move), it will die.”
Buhr and her son will soon move to the Bitterroot Valley following her son’s graduation from Arlee high school. In the meantime, Buhr currently lives part-time in both Arlee and Victor.
If the Mission Valley Soccer program were to die, Buhr says that approximately 375 kids would be affected. The association currently serves the communities of Arlee, St. Ignatius, Charlo, Ronan, and Pablo. Each town has one to four teams for each grade level.
Joining the league is $25 per player, and $40 for two or more children.
“A family with seven kids could all play for just $40,” Buhr said.
All games are held on Saturdays in St. Ignatius throughout the day.
“Having all our games on one field at one place makes it a family-oriented event,” she said.
“That way, parents don’t have to run from game to game in the valley,” Buhr said. “It makes for a fun family day outside.”
The soccer association is self-sufficient in terms of money. All that’s needed is help.
So far, Buhr has had minimal success, in terms of finding dedicated parents to help run the organization. She says she has been contacted by two people in Arlee who are interested, but she still needs four more people for the board. From her experience running the program, Buhr knows it will take a board of directors for things to run smoothly once she leaves.
“It is so much work,” she said, “We would have to form a group again. It’s too much pressure for someone new to take over all on themselves.”
She says that she needs people to step up quickly, since there is much to learn before the season begins this fall.
“We need to get something going in April so that they can have time to transition,” she said.
“We are very understanding,” Buhr explained. “It’s a gradual game, where the farther along they go, the more rules they learn.”
According to Buhr, the association has been extremely successful in getting young children to be active, but in a more gradual way than school-organized sports.
The Mission Valley soccer season runs eight weeks, starting the Saturday after Labor Day, weather depending.
The program currently serves kindergarten through eighth grade players. By the time players reach high school, they have gradually learned the rules and regulations, and are able to play at the high school level if they desire.
Those interested in volunteering for the Mission Valley Soccer Association, contact Buhr at (406) 842-0114, or at Shannon.buhr@gmail.com.
