Youth camps coming soon

Published 1:38 am Tuesday, July 9, 2019

By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

It’s that time again.

For the past decade, Callaway head football coach Pete Wiggins has been offering a youth football camp.

This year’s camp will be held on Wednesday from 9 a.m. until noon at Callaway’s practice field.

The camp is for boys and girls ages 8 to 14, and the cost is $10.

The instructors include coaches and players from Callaway, including Wiggins, who is heading into his 15th season as the team’s head coach.

“We want the kids to come out and enjoy the day, and hopefully pick up a skill,” Wiggins said following last year’s camp. “It’s always fun getting to know our kids, and them getting to know our coaches, and seeing what a great family we have at Callaway High School.”

Wiggins always makes it a point to involve his players in the camp.

Jabari Smith, who’ll be a senior on this year’s team, was one of the players who helped out ast last year’s camp.

“It means a lot, especially knowing I went to this camp when I was younger,” Smith said last year. “It was a lot of fun seeing the kids working hard.”

To register for the camp, call the Callaway High athletic department at (706) 845-2074.

SOCCER: The LaGrange Girls Soccer Camp will be held from July 15 to July 19, and it’s open to girls ages 4 to 14.

Players of all skill levels are invited to participate, and no previous soccer experience is required.

The hours are from 9 a.m. until noon each day, and the camp will be held at the Troup County Soccer Complex.

The cost is $80 per camper.

To register, go to lagrange.soccer/about-the-camp

When the camp was created in 2016, the idea was to make it for girls only, so that’s what it has been for the past few years.

“They usually have to play on a co-ed team, which is fine,” said Andy Fritchley, who coaches the LaGrange girls’ team along with Colin Ross. “But I want to introduce them to the concept of girls’ soccer is important, and its own thing. It can be separate from boys.”

A handful of current and former players help out with the camp each year.

One of those former players, Hannah Asbell, said last year that the idea is to make it a relaxing, fun week for the campers.

“I think it’s a good way to relax,” Asbell said. “It’s the fun side of soccer. We always see the serious side of it. It has to be perfect. But this gives you a week to see that everything doesn’t have to be perfect.”

BASKETBALL: The Blue Star Summer Basketball Camp will be held from July 15 to July 17 at the Mike Daniel Recreation Center.

The hours are from 9 a.m. until noon each day, and it’s for boys and girls ages 5 to 13.

The cost is $50, and each camper will receive a T-shirt.

Campers can register the day of the camp at the recreation center, or by emailing coach Mark Veal at vealms@troup.org

The instructors include LaGrange’s coaches, as well as current and former players.

A handful of the former Grangers who are now playing college basketball are expected to lend a hand.