A farewell to Ian Cameron
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| Photo Credit: Luke Martin Ian Cameron at Tormenta practice in June |
It was probably 2023 but maybe late in 2022 and I'm on the field at Tormenta Stadium interviewing Ian Cameron after a game. The details of the game aren't important, which is good because I don't remember them anyway. We're maybe a minute or two into the conversation when his daughter, who was likely three or four at the time, runs up to give her dad a hug, not caring that he's in the middle of an interview as no kid that age should care about that. All she knew is that daddy was done with the game and she wanted to run up and give him a hug.
Cameron pauses the interview, talks with his daughter for a few seconds and then sends her off to kick soccer balls on the field while we continue our interview. As she runs off in that awkward way that little kids who are still figuring out the mechanics of running do, he smiles and with a laugh jokes "she'll never be a proper footballer, look at that form."
Of all the memories I have of interacting with Ian Cameron, who as you likely know, stepped down as Tormenta's Head Coach on Friday, that is the one that sticks out the most.
I spent the weekend thinking about why that moment is the one that comes to mind when there were so many others. You'd think the 2022 Championship that he coached Tormenta to would come to mind first. To be honest with you, I have no recollection of my postgame interview with him from that night. I'm sure he said something smart or insightful or funny, but I couldn't tell you.
Or maybe a preseason interview where he's talking about how excited he is about the upcoming season would be a highlight.
But no, a 30 second interaction with his daughter before sending her off to play and a throw away joke about her running is what I remember most.
Maybe it's because Cameron always focused on family and community and was fiercely loyal to his players. Cameron was reluctant to talk about individual players, instead choosing to keep the focus on the team performance. At times, that was admirable. At other times, I really wanted him to talk about individual performances. And to his credit, as time went on he was more willing to do that when asked. He was never, voluntarily, going to single out a player performance, good or bad.
He always knew the strength of Tormenta was predicated on community support and buy in. But more than that, Cameron believed in Tormenta being a part of the community, not something separate from South Georgia.
You've probably noticed following Tormenta home games the team huddles on the field for a quick debrief before coming over to greet the fans and community. That's something that is very important to Cameron. Like VERY important.
"Let me tell you something (Ian's) never missed," said Tormenta Co-owner and President Darin Van Tassell said of those postgame huddles. "'Right now, the single most important thing we can do is we need to thank the people that are here. And right now is a hard time to do it, but everybody over there doesn't care how you feel right now. You need to get over there and see them.' And that mattered to him. I've never been around a coach where that mattered to them."
"That tradition of fan interaction after the game stems from the belief that if you're going to be a part of the community, and ask the community to be a part of you, then you better go be a part of it and you need to live and be a part of where we are," Van Tassell said.
The second thing that stood out to me about the little interaction with his daughter was his playful critique of her form. While it was obviously a joke, it also showed a little bit of the type of coach Ian Cameron is.
Above all else, he's a teacher of the game.
Even just watching his daughter run off to go play after a game, he was looking for ways he could teach and instruct players.
"Teachers know that you don't just talk about what something is and you don't just talk about why something matters. Teachers know you show people how to do it and then talk about why it matters, Van Tassell said, saying that not all coaches understand that but Cameron was elite at teaching his players.
I saw it at practice where Cameron would get on the field and demonstrate what he wanted the players to do, or he would serve as a defender and simulate what he expected their opponents to do so that players would be prepared for it. I was fortunate enough to be able to bring my oldest out to several Tormenta practices and even though we'd just watch, we would pick up on different things that he could apply to his high school teams. Even something as simple as "if you make them make three passes to get there instead of just one, do that," was something even I could take away from watching practice.
I learned a lot from Cameron over the years. I'm pretty sure I got to start covering Tormenta because I had a base level of soccer knowledge from playing in high school and had done some freelance work for the newspaper. Friends, that's not really enough of a background to start covering a professional team. I'm pretty sure I've talked before about that 2022 season just trying to hang on for dear life as I started covering Tormenta. I know I asked dumb questions then. I'm pretty sure I still ask dumb questions now.
But through it all, Cameron was patient and would answer my questions and take the time to explain things to me. And I know that talking to me after games wasn't always what he wanted to do and, like anyone who had a rough day at work, there were times he just wanted to get the postgame interview over with and be done with it. But to his credit, he came over to talk to me after every game and answered whatever inane questions I might have asked.
Former Tormenta great Jake Dengler asked me in 2024 about covering the team how long it took to feel like I knew what I was doing or something like that. I told him the entire first two years I covered them I didn't really feel like I knew what I was doing. And despite that, Cameron was always took the time to teach and explain things to me to make me a better reporter.
The final aspect of that little encounter with his daughter that stood out to me is that after he sent her on his way, he turned back to give his attention to, well, I was going to say the assembled media, but it was just me and my oldest. Cameron understood that sports is entertainment and he knew part of his role as Head Coach was promoting Tormenta every chance he could.
If a drum line from one of the local high schools was performing at the game, he would mention their impact on the atmosphere. If there was a certain promotion or group in attendance, he would talk about their support and how it all fit in the larger Tormenta community.
On a personal note, one aspect I've always appreciated about Cameron is that he welcomed my oldest and made him feel like he was there too, not just a kid tagging along while his dad did interviews. He'd asked how cross country practice was going or to give a self-scouting report on himself and what he was working on for soccer season to get better. He joked that one day he was going to make my oldest ask a question during the postgame interviews. Looks like my oldest escaped that one.
Cameron told me he hopes I'm there to cover the completion of Tormenta Stadium and another playoff and championship run. Those things, he said, are part of the entertainment that comes from sports and he wants to see that happen in Statesboro even as he's no longer here.
Because even though he's stepping away, Cameron said Tormenta has had a huge impact on his life. How could it not? He was in Statesboro for seven years. He lived and breathed South Georgia Tormenta FC. His oldest child was three weeks old when they moved to Statesboro and now she's entering first grade. As someone who also has a kid starting first grade this year, I can tell you that's a long time. He credited Tormenta with making him a better leader, teammate and person.
I don't know what's next for Cameron. He said he doesn't have a job lined up but certainly is excited for whatever comes next. He is looking to remain in coaching and I am sure he'll land somewhere soon.
I reached out to Cameron on Friday to see about a quick interview about his departure, but he asked if we could do it Saturday. I was ok with that as Friday was an emotional day for him. I asked if we could do Saturday morning.
I called him at 10 a.m. and he didn't answer, but text right back to say he'd call me in a few minutes as he was busy getting his daughter's soccer practice underway. Always coaching. Always teaching.
He told me that practice was going well. "Some goals have been scored with our feet. Some goals have been thrown in with our hands. We're working on it," he said.
"Which is harder?" I asked. "Coaching the wee little ones or coaching the pros?"
I can tell he smiled before he responded. "That's the million dollar questions, isn't it? They both come with their own challenges and their own rewards."
Maybe Cameron's daughter will be a proper footballer after all.
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