Logo?

Poet-athletes returned to fields across D.C. for the first DC SCORES gamedays of the spring season.

After a winter season hiatus, DC SCORES gamedays are back! Last week, poet-athletes in DC SCORES’ Junior, Elementary, and Middle School soccer leagues participated in their first matches of the spring season. More than 60 school teams competed at fields across the District in a series of boys, girls, and coed games.

In addition to daily soccer, poetry, and service-learning practices throughout the year, more than 3,000 poet-athletes take part in DC SCORES’ fall and spring leagues. At the elementary school level, DC SCORES operates the only consistent school soccer league in D.C.

This school year, three new schools joined the DC SCORES program, with Bunker Hill Elementary School, Hendley Elementary School, and Johnson Middle School fielding squads for the first time. This spring season, Houston Elementary School also added a Juniors team to the program, and Excel Academy began middle school programming. Middle school KIPP DC KEY Academy resumed programming, fielding a new squad in the coed league.

“Gamedays are the highlight of the week for so many poet-athletes, and it was brilliant to welcome old and new poet-athletes to fields across the city,” said Will Sutton, program director of leagues at DC SCORES.

The elementary school girls’ team from Excel Academy talk strategy at halftime.

Every season, DC SCORES ensures all poet-athletes have everything they need to participate in its soccer, poetry, and service-learning programs. For soccer, that includes providing team uniforms, shin guards, soccer balls, coaches, and referees for weekly gamedays and practices.

Thanks to partnerships with local soccer organizations and players, DC SCORES also provides cleats to poet-athletes who need them. Nonprofit Leveling the Playing Field and local travel soccer group Bethesda Soccer Club regularly gift cleats to DC SCORES, and DC SCORES board member and Washington Spirit star forward Ashley Hatch donates cleats through her Boots From Pros initiative. Hatch works with professional players nationwide to donate their gently used cleats to youth players, including DC SCORES poet-athletes.

“We’re so fortunate to work with such great partners to make sure our poet-athletes have the equipment they need, especially when they get to rock top-notch cleats worn by their soccer heroes,” said Saede Eifrig, associate manager of programs, who works on Boots From Pros at DC SCORES.

“Our poet-athletes deserve the best equipment and the best gameday experience,” adds Sutton. “From our partners and volunteers to our coaches and staff, the DC SCORES community is providing that to our youth and, together, we’re making core memories for our kids every single week.”

A poet-athlete from Lincoln Middle School takes a shot during a game against Ida B. Wells Middle School.