POULSBO — For North Kitsap Pee Wees Vice President of Football Dan Snelson, kids and the gridiron are the perfect tandem — put them together and you have a magical concoction.

“I just love kids and I just love football,” Snelson commented. “And when they make that performance happen on game day, that alone is the reward in itself.”

That said, North Kitsap is entering what must be one of Snelson’s favorite times of year — the beginning of football season, the start of all-things pigskin.

Conditioning camp for the North Kitsap PWs organization has already taken place, having been held Aug. 1-5 at Hamilton Field. And this week marks the beginning of regular practice, held at 5:30 p.m. each day.

The program grew to its largest levels last year, with enrollment at an all-time high of about 120. This year, a similar number of kids, from ages 5 to 14, will be hitting the field for the Pee Wees.

More than likely, there will be seven teams — one at the A level (13-14 year olds), likely two at the B level (11-12 year olds), two at the C level (9-10 year olds), and two at the D level (7-8 year olds). For those even younger, there will also be a flag football team — so those 5-6 year olds can play but without the tackling.

The age requirements are more of a guideline and not the letter of the law, Snelson said. For safety reasons, the Pee Wee Organization ensures that regardless of age, each team members’ weight and height be consistent across the board.

As the players move along the different Pee Wee levels, different aspects of the game are emphasized.

At the beginner’s end of the spectrum, Rich Gill, also the vice president for basketball in the NK Pee Wees organization, is coaching a C team this year. Just as important as fundamentals is confidence, he said.

“Our biggest pressure is trying to get them confident at that age,” Gill said. “Pat them on the back, and as long as we’re having fun, it doesn’t matter, win or lose.”

However, Rob Johnson, the Pee Wees’ Athletic Director and coach of the A squad, has a bit different task ahead of him. As the skipper of the final team his kids will play on before junior high school, he must ensure the basics are down-pat and the skills are developed.

“They’re going into the school system, so we have to get all the rough off of them,” he said. “That means working the fundamentals. Whether they’re playing Pee Wees, junior high, high school, college or pro, fundamentals are the most important thing.”

Snelson has talked with Steve Frease, the new head coach for the North Kitsap Vikings football team, about what plays and sets the kids should be working on so that they’ll be prepared when they hit high school — no matter how many years away.

“We’ll run similar systems here,” he said. “They’ll learn it now, so by the time they reach the next level, they’ll know what they’re doing.”

Snelson knows very well what it takes to get prepared. A 1995 North Kitsap graduate, he played for 32-year coach Jerry Parrish, who championed the “Wing-T” offense. First year coach Frease has asked for a few different sets this season, he mentioned, such as the “power I” and the “wishbone.”

But many of the coaches out on the field at Hamilton played at NKHS and know first hand how to move from level to level in preparation for what most will see as their most important games — at high school. Maintaining a local feel is also a priority among the Pee Wees, Snelson added.

“We try to keep it community oriented,” he said.