Soccer is a game taken very seriously in Folsom Ca. thanks to one council member, Ernie Sheldon, who also happens to be running for a city council seat next week. According to the Folsom Soccer Club website there are over 3300 children playing soccer in Folsom every week from August until December depending on which level of play they participate. 

There is an adult soccer league as well and if I remember correctly there are men over 50 still playing (go figure!) Matter of fact, the registration deadline for the 2009 adult league ends on Dec. 05, 2008.

This is a game that challenges every child to participate and eliminates most children by the time they reach high school. I know that I was one of “those” parents who would scream from the sidelines for my children to kick the ball…what else would they do?  Anyway, my 6 year old son set me straight his very first game. This little guy comes walking off the field, straight up to me and declares for all to hear…”stop yelling my name, it distracts me!” I was effectively barred from ever calling out his name for the entire season. The next year all four of my children started tennis lessons. If I couldn’t scream like a lunatic (and all the parents qualify here) then I would simply require the rest of the parents to behave as well…and they are supposed to behave while watching tennis!

Folsom ranks as one of the largest leagues in northern California and the growth isn’t expected to stop for another 10 years. There are more parks scheduled to be built, and with the expansion of the south of Hwy 50 area, more teams will develop as new subdivisions get built and parks open. The next couple of parks to open will be in the Empire Ranch area and will definitely include soccer fields although most will cater to the youth leagues.

There is one synthetic field located at Kemp Park in the Broadstone area that is the first of it’s kind in northern California. I usually see the adult leagues playing there and have been astonished to see guys playing during their lunch hour…those Intel geeks take their soccer very seriously…seriously!

Great Lifestyle and Amenities

The name Rocklin translates to “rock pool” which is a very accurate term used to describe this area as granite outcroppings seem to dominate the landscape. Rocklin CA got it’s humble start as a quarry town and as is typical of small towns the local streets are named after the town fathers who settled here and got things rolling. Most of the city sits on the very land that George Whitney owned (Whitney Oaks Golf Course) and passed to his heirs. The Rocklin History Museum offers lots of interesting facts about this area and it’s worth the read especially if you are interested in Native American History and the Transcontinental Railroad.

Rocklin is home to Sierra College which is nestled in the Sierra foothills and has a solid reputation preparing students to continue at the university level  offering three campus’ stretching from Rocklin to Lake Tahoe. On the weekends the college hosts a used car sales lot which I have found to be handy for selling and buying used vehicles, both land & water. There also is a private college, William Jessup University, that just opened and is located at Hwy 65 & Sunset.

Recreational activities in Rocklin range from baseball to rock climbing and the park & rec offers leagues for children and adults in addition to the local sports stores and athletic clubs. The hills prove an acceptable challenge for bicycle clubs and the Quarry Classic is a must see for soccer fans. Sunset Whitney County Club has been a fixture here since the 1964 and is a private country club offering golf, swimming and the usual amenities and currently open to the public for golf.

West Rocklin borders Hwy 65 and the hills are covered with homes as far as you can see offering the complete suburban lifestyle. East Rocklin borders Loomis and Granite Bay along Sierra College Blvd and is home to more rural living on larger acreages and close proximity to Folsom Lake. There are farm stands selling local produce and orchards growing everything from olives to persimmons. Variety in lifestyle is the constant in this community and Rocklin is ever changing to meet the needs of the community.