At first glance, Josh Hovey and Judy Johnson have little in common.
Hovey is single, 24, and working as an assistant to Lansing Mayor Virgil Bernero.
Johnson is married, 64, with three grown children and a couple of careers behind her.
Although Johnson and Hovey don’t know each other, two nights a week both will spend a portion of their evening running up and down fields inside
SoccerZone, one of three Lansing-area soccer arenas. For both, evenings sometimes end at nearby Leo’s Lodge for a celebratory beer.
Young professional sceneFor Hovey, soccer is part of his social life. He shares a Southside Lansing house with three roommates, in the area known as Colonial Village. All are teammates in a coed league, and he and his two male roommates also play on a men’s team.
The house is a haven of young professional talent, right in the heart of the city. Besides Hovey, there's Scott Dane, 26, a Lansing native and Executive Director for the Capital Area Soccer League; Ryan Hosler, 25, a graduate of East Lansing High School whose pursuing a kinesiology degree; and Josanna Sutka, 31, who works at local software giant
TechSmith.
“For me it’s a chance to stay in somewhat decent shape and also hang out with my friends and bond with my roommates,’’ says Hovey. “For Lansing, it’s great to have a recreation that everyone can get involved with, whether you’re 40 or 50, or 9 or 10.’’
Hovey grew up in
Eaton Rapids, playing soccer with his friends the way an earlier generation played sandlot baseball. He played on the Eaton Rapids High School team. While attending
Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in sociology in 2005, he played on recreational teams and worked at SoccerZone.
Soccer also plays into his job as an assistant in the mayor’s office. It’s part of Hovey’s job to work on ways to attract and retain young professionals in Lansing. For example, Hovey helps develop job shadow opportunities for MSU students in downtown Lansing, so they are exposed to the capital city’s offerings.
As for nightlife, Hovey says Lansing offers plenty of entertainment and recreation, including soccer, but many young professionals think they must go to Chicago or New York City to find it. Hovey says he’s living proof that Lansing offers a cool city atmosphere.
“I have something to do every single night and weekend,’’ he said.
For soccer lovers, Lansing has plenty of outdoor fields as well as the indoor arenas.
Michigan State University teams offer high-level spectator events for soccer fans, Hovey says.
Hovey says he appreciates the game’s fast pace and the quick thinking required.
“I love the game because it’s very free flowing. There are no set plays. There are no time outs. It’s up to the player,’’ he said.
Hooked on soccerWhile Hovey has been playing soccer his whole life, Judy Johnson grew up in an era where young women had the choice of cheerleading or marching band for physical activity. She was 57 before a friend asked her to join a women’s team and asked her husband, Bill, to coach it. Although she understood rules and strategy from watching her three children play, it was the first time in her life she played a team sport.
“I thought I was going to die,’’ she recalls about her first game, an outdoor game played on a field the size of a football field. Her team’s motto was “have fun and no broken bones”
Instead of lining up to slap hands with the opposing team when the game ended, Johnson recalls flopping on the group and extending her hand into the air to connect with the other players, unable to finish on her feet.
But she was hooked.
“I love the sport itself and I love the physicality of it,’’ she says. “You have to be fast on your feet and even faster in your head. . . . It’s a great game, and it’s not for the faint of heart.’’
At 64, Johnson, a former teacher and community education director, among other careers, is one of the older players on the field. She hesitates to tell her age, not because she’s embarrassed about it, but the other players act “as if I’m going to break” she quips.
“It makes me feel good that I am 64, and I can go out there and run,’’ said Johnson, who lives on Moores River Drive on Lansing's Southside.
Soccer revolutionIn 1994,
SoccerZone was the first in the Lansing area in to open a soccer field allowing year-round play. It has two fields and a smaller practice field with walls or “boards” so players can bounce the ball off the wall, allowing for fast-paced play. Anywhere from 80 to 90 men’s, women’s and co-ed teams, each with about 10 players, play.
The
Lansing Indoor Sports Arena, starting its third year, has one field that has no walls and a soft turf that simulates playing outdoors, said General Manager Todd Derby. About 40 men’s and co-ed teams play at his facility.
Derby sees a growing demand for adult recreational soccer.
“I think you’re seeing more adult soccer participation. You’re looking at a 30-plus and early 40s generation that grew up playing soccer,’’ he said. “It’s a life sport.’’
In Dimondale,
The Summit, is a 10-year-old facility with two large soccer field that are three-quarters the size of a football field and allow outdoor-style games, said Betsy Smith, fieldhouse operations director.
Friday night co-ed soccer draws 10 to 15 teams, while men’s soccer has six to 10 teams.
Smith says she sees a steady interest in adult soccer in Lansing.
“Besides the camaraderie, it’s great aerobic exercise,’’ Smith says. “It’s great for the lower body—the upper legs, the thighs, the glutes. It’s wonderful.’’
Interested in finding out more about soccer? Soccer Zone and Lansing Indoor Soccer Arena run instructional classes and The Summit has soccer coaches available. All three have men’s and co-ed teams. In addition, Soccer Zone has women’s leagues, including a 40-plus League.
No team? Join a house team. Games, depending on the size of the team, generally cost about $8 to $10 per game.
For adult outdoor soccer starting in the spring and summer, contact
Lansing Area Women’s Soccer or
Mid-Michigan Men’s Soccer League.
Judy Putnam is an East Lansing resident who enjoys playing soccer. This is her second feature for
Capital Gains.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Action at Soccer Zone
Roommates Josh Hovey, Ryan Hosler, Scott Dane
Soccer action
Lansing Indoor Sports Arena
Dan Jury, Heather Stewart, Jeff Hosler, Ashley Clark
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie