Comstock Shootout gets kicking

Blue skies and sunshine greeted the thousands of soccer players and spectators who converged Saturday on the Edmonds Sports Complex for the 17th annual Comstock Shootout.

"This is probably the best weather I've seen in Carson City so far," said Carlos Gomez, 16, who has traveled from Concord, Calif., to the tournament for several years to watch his sisters play.

The beautiful weather was matched, said Gomez who also was working as a referee, by the quality of play.

"Everybody's being aggressive and playing hard and having fun," he said.

The shootout began Saturday with 81 teams, ranging from under-10 divisions through under-19, competing in the girls tournament. The championship round will begin at 8 a.m. today with medals going to first and second places for each division.

The boys tournament, consisting of 80 teams, will begin next Saturday with the championship round the next day on April 25.

The shootout, organized by the nonprofit Comstock Sports Organization, raises money for local youth soccer leagues.

As the largest annual sporting event in Northern Nevada, it will be a boost to local businesses as well as youth soccer clubs in the area.

"One hundred percent of our proceeds go back into soccer," said Joe Briggs, director of the girls tournament, in an earlier interview. "It's a profitable event. It brings in about $3 million to $4 million in tourist revenue. It's great for the state of Nevada as well as Carson City."

While some, such as Gomez, stayed overnight in the capital city, some teams woke up early to make the first day of play.

"We had to get up at 5:30 this morning," said Annika Winans, 13, a Truckee Avalanche player. "But it was worth it."

Teams play two to three games a day, but the pace is not overwhelming, players said.

"It's normal," said Micaela Herman, 14, a Carson Demolition player from Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School. "I've been playing soccer since I was like 5, so I'm used to these tournaments."

With a 10-hour day, there's also plenty of downtime, which Coco Yanez-Montiel, 12, and Lupita Ibarra, both Carson Middle School students who play for Carson Impulse, made the best of it.

"We go and watch older girls than us and just see how they play," Ibarra said. "You sometimes learn new skills."

The time between his daughter's games doesn't get boring for Alberto Ortega, of Pittsburgh, Calif., either.

"For me, it's a way of life. I grew up watching it," he said. "You always find something interesting."

Yanez-Montiel said she liked the convenience of having the tournament on her own turf, but preferred going on the road.

"You get to bond with your team in the hotel," she explained.

But Morgan Weston, 12, of the Carson Demolition, said she appreciated the hometown tournament.

"It's close, and there a lot of good fields here," she said. "I've heard a lot of good things (from other players) about Carson."

The distance, however, made no difference to 13-year-old Makenzie Milner, a Truckee Avalanche.

"It's soccer," she said. "Soccer is fun."