July 18, 2007 - Bloomfield, MI ~ It was a hot day at Sauk Valley Resort but that didn't keep the kids of the Bloomfield Force from having a great time. The campers had been expecting us and couldn't wait to try on some First2s and T90s and play 6v6. When they weren't playing soccer they hung out in the players lounge and designed some totally original NikeiD shoes, had tank tops customized, played intense games of foosball, and sang with the music that was blasting from the speakers all day long. They just couldn't believe it when they found out that Lindsey Tarpley was from Michigan too!

We had lots of girls design shoes for the NikeiD contest. Everyone was shocked when they found out that not only could they design their own shoes but they can order them for themselves at NikeiD.com! There were plenty of original designs, making it difficult to pick a winner, but at the end of the day one stood alone. Congratulations Amanda Simpson for winning! Amanda's shoe design will be entered into the regional competition, and she might just win the shoes she personalized.

Of course, the highlight of the day was playing soccer in the new boots. Haley Silver and Jackie Short gave them an intense test run before trialing them for the day. With T90s and First2s on their feet there was no indication that players had already had a long week of camp, the skill level was high and the games were fast. The finals were of course the most intense match ups of the day! First up were "the youngers," with a showdown between Apple Pie and Germany. The scoring for Apple Pie opened up with a terrific effort by John Whiting, first putting it off the post with his left then collecting his own rebound and burying it with his right. The game winner was put away by Rachel Lefevre who had an impressive match, putting away not just one but two high-quality goals. Despite the efforts of Leah Hill, this Apple Pie was just too much for the Germans to overcome and at the final whistle the score was 3-1. We'd also like to congratulate team Dank on winning the "Olders" final by a score of 3-1 against Bramm +C.

Another special moment was when we got the chance to meet some of the U18 Bloomfield Force girls heading off to the national finals next week. Good luck girls! We'll be watching!

The coaches even got into the action with a competitive staff game at the end but it was clear who the boss was as Head coach Andy Wagstaff net some spectacular goals. But not be outdone, another one of the coaches neatly put a bicycle kick in the top corner.

At the end of the day it was hard to leave but the campers had a talent show to put on. We said farewell with the hope of seeing them all soon. Thanks Bloomfield Force for joining in the fun and making this one of the best stops so far! Girls remember to visit Soccer Plus to pick up your free Women's National Team gym bag. While you're there, don't forget about the First2s you tried on! If you want to see pictures from the event, click on the photo album at the top of the page. You can download pictures and even add them to your Facebook or MySpace pages.

Keep training hard and don't forget to watch local hero Lindsey Tarpley and the rest of the Women's National Team this summer as they fight for the Cup in China! You can follow them the whole way at nikesoccer.com.