Story time at a soccer program? A library, too? And players who read 20-30 books each season?
Hot Shots Soccer for Girls is all of that.
And much more (read about how we use tutus, tiaras, puppets, & pillow fights to teach soccer here!).
Every week, Hot Shots girls, ages 2-10, take home four books from the Hot Shots Library. When they return the next week, they bring those books into the middle of the gym, hold them up, and everyone cheers their accomplishment.
And this year, Hot Shots is instituting a story time at the beginning of each session. In collaboration with ButtonWood Books in Cohasset, Hot Shots chose some very large-format illustrated books (some are three-feet wide!) that have fun familiar stories and poetic cadences that the girls can repeat with the story reader.
Hot Shots is committed to developing a love of reading. In addition to reading during the program, Hot Shots sells souvenirs to fund our Reading Is A Kick program that has donated more than $15,000 worth of books to local grade school libraries.
Hot Shots reaches out to elementary school librarians to get their wish lists of books they couldn’t purchase due to budget restrictions. At Hot Shots graduation, each girl signs the books going to the school she attends or will attend. After graduation, Hot Shots delivers the books to each grade school library in a ceremony attended by dozens of current and former Hot Shots girls.
There are literally hundreds of books donated by Hot Shots in each Marshfield grade school and dozens in schools beyond Marshfield. So many, in fact, that the librarians say girls regularly check out a book and are delighted to discover their own name inside the cover.
Lately, Hot Shots has been virtually the only source of new books for the Marshfield Elementary Schools due to budget cuts. The Reading Is A Kick program is also supported by generous donations from the Tri-Town Rotary of Pembroke, Norwell, and Hanover.
To get a real feel for the program, watch this video about the impact of Hot Shots on the girls and their families.
Hot Shots, which runs on ten Sundays from Jan. 13-Mar. 31 (with Mar. 24 off), is based in Marshfield but is open to girls from all South Shore communities.
The 2019 season begins Sunday, Jan. 13, and there are openings in all the sessions. For girls ages 2-6, the sessions are at 9AM, 10AM, and 11 AM. For grade school or especially skilled young girls, there is an advanced skills session at noon.
The sessions are held at the Furnace Brook Middle School gym in Marshfield. The fee is $125 (with discounted rates for more than one daughter) which includes a T-shirt and medal.You can register online or download a registration form at the Hot Shots website (www.hotshotssoccer.org).