When I was a kid, going to basketball camps was an annual
tradition in the summer.
Hosted by high schools, universities or corporate sponsors, most
of the camps I attended were a blast.
When I was a kid, going to basketball camps was an annual tradition in the summer.
Hosted by high schools, universities or corporate sponsors, most of the camps I attended were a blast. I loved the competition of playing against other kids my age, the different styles of teaching from coaches, staying up late in dorm rooms and eating at cafeterias where conversations centered strictly around hoops. These camps were a huge asset in my development as a player and make up some of my fondest sports memories.
But very few of the camps I attended put too much of an emphasis on what kind of person, rather than player, I should be once camp was over.
After attending the final day of the sixth annual Myles Brinson and JR Adams Football Memorial Camp at Anchorpoint Christian School, I believe the roughly 125 kids who attended will be taking away much more than just the fundamentals of how to punt, pass and kick.
While I don’t claim to be especially religious, it wasn’t hard to feel comfortable due to the genuine spirit of goodwill being shown by the camp’s organizers.
Coaches KC Adams and Marlowe Brinson both gave emotional speeches about their departed sons, their faith and their love of family at the completion of the camp, forcing the hairs on the back of one cynical sportswriter’s neck to stand in attention. Hearing about the pain and grief the two men and their families had gone through, as well as the joy and hope the camp was providing, was cathartic for the speakers as well as the audience.
“When we first started this camp, our kids were alive,” Adams said. “(Now) it helps with the grieving process.”
Grief, however, was in short supply as smiles crossed the faces of coaches, parents and kids throughout the evening.
Guest speakers talked to the campers throughout the week, encouraging them to show passion in everything they do, from making a tackle to telling a family member ‘I love you.’
At the end of the camp, parents and kids were asked to hold hands as a prayer was said. I quickly looked for an escape route but found myself surrounded by people on all sides. I exchanged an awkward glance with a kid to my right, before he extended his hand.
Goodwill was in surplus.
“We may not know everyone’s name, but every kid got a hug and handshake at least three times (over the course of the camp),” Brinson said.
“It’s a family growing experience,” Adams told me. “We gained more family members (this week).”
One father who showed jubilation that rivaled that of his eight-year-old son Jordan, was Nick Pennucci. Nick and his family won a raffle for a laptop computer and printer. When asked how pleased he was with receiving such a prize, he replied, “I was happy just seeing them taking good care of my boy.”
The same response came from other parents who were asked to fill out a comment card on what they thought of the camp and if there were any ways it could be improved.
Brinson even offered to add another member to the coaching family tree, telling me I should expect to see a t-shirt and whistle waiting for me at the start of next year’s event.
At first, I shrugged off the idea. But on second thought, I always did love camp.
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