Kit Carson Shootout is this weekend

A showcase of top youth soccer talent will be on display when the annual Kit Carson Shootout takes place this weekend.

About 85 American Youth Soccer Organization all-star teams from the Carson, Bishop, Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Reno areas will participate in the tournament. Games will begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and every team in all the divisions will be guaranteed at least three games.

Championship games are scheduled to begin around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. All of the games will be played at the 10-field Edmonds Sports Complex.

Boys and girls ages 8-18 will play in the event. There will be boys and girls divisions for under-10, under-12 and under-14. There will also be a co-ed under-19 divisions.

About 50 of the teams competing in the event will be coming from out of the area, meaning a huge windfall for local hotels and restaurants this weekend.

"It's a big ecomomic impact," said Eric Ingbar, who is one of the three officials' coordinators for the event. "The tournaments are a pretty good deal for Carson City."

But with so many teams coming, there's always the challenge of finding enough officials to cover all the games. The tournament tries to have three officials for each game and with at least 126 contests, there are at least 378 slots for officials.

While Ingbar said "we're delighted" with the number of qualified officials that serve in the event, "we can always use more."

A big drawing card for the event is the Edmonds facility. Ingbar said one would be hard pressed to find a similar facility.

Tournament director Kelvin Hickenbottom said the work of the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department in preparing the fields is another reason why Carson can host the tournament.

"We couldn't do it without them, basically," Hickenbottom said.

Most of the games in the tournament are competitive and Carson and Carson Valley teams traditionally do well in the event. "It should be fun and entertaining," Hickenbottom said.

In addition, a drawing for a 2002 Coleman Taos Tent Trailer donated by Carson RV will be held at noon Sunday. Tickets are $2 and can be purchased at the tournament.

Anyone who wishes to be an official or a volunteer in the tournament can call Ingbar, 885-2864, Traci Ferranti and Bill Collins, 782-1055, or Hickenbottom, 882-2791.

Charles Whisnand is the Nevada Appeal Sports Editor.