2013 Summer Choices: Fun at Sports Camp!
This article was originally published in the spring 2013 Harker Quarterly.
Basketball Camp Focuses on Fundamentals
Harker’s popular summer basketball camp will be back again this year, providing boys and girls in grades 4-8 and boys in grades 6-9 with a fun and rewarding experience for players of multiple skill levels. Held at the middle school campus, instruction will be led by Harker’s varsity basketball coaches and players who will focus on fundamental skills such as ball han dling, shooting, rebounding and basic defense. Campers will also participate in five-on-five games coached by varsity players.
Mark Collins, Harker’s varsity basketball coach, played at the professional level in Denmark for 10 years; he was named a five-time All-Star before going on to coach for two years. He also spent six years directing the training camp for the Golden State Warriors.
New Softball Camp Offering
This summer, Harker will offer its first-ever softball camp for girls in grades 4-8. Open to players of all skill levels, the camp will cover offensive and defensive drills and simulate in-game situations to help players build confidence and improve their skills on the field.
Students will work on fundamental skills such as throwing, catching, fielding, hitting and base-running, all in a fun, positive environment managed by trained and experienced coaches.
“This is the first year for our summer softball camp so we are excited and ready to get it going,” said softball coach Raul Rios, who led Harker’s upper school varsity softball team to its first CCS playoff appearance in 2011. “I am looking into getting some guest college players to help us with the program and also to speak to the players about being student athletes at the college level.”
Water Polo Camp Great for Newcomers
In late June, Harker will again offer its summer water polo camp to students in grades 4-8. Directed by Harker water polo coaches Allie Lamb and Ted Ujifusa, this camp is geared toward beginners who wish to learn more about the sport.
Students will learn about the rules and history of water polo as well as basic skills such as treading water, eggbeater and scissor kicking, passing, ball handling and shooting. They will also learn proper conditioning both in and out of the water. Campers must be able to swim a minimum of 25 yards to participate.
In her 15 years of water polo, Lamb has played for some of the sport’s top coaches, including former Olympic coaches Rich Corso and Ricardo Azevedo. She also played at the Division I level for four years at Santa Clara University. Ujifusa began his water polo career in 1964 and in his senior year at the University of California, Berkeley, he helped the Golden Bears win their very first NCAA championship. Since his coaching career began in 1974, he is the only CCS coach to win championships at two different public high schools and has coached more than 45 All-American players.
New TRX Camp a Unique, Innovative Fitness Approach
This year, Harker is adding a special TRX workout camp to its summer program options for students in grades 6-12. TRX is a form of suspension training developed by former Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick. By using gravity and the trainer’s own body weight, the TRX training system grants the user access to hundreds of exercises. By adjusting their body position or resistance settings, users can control how much they are challenged by each exercise.
Coach Karriem Stinson, who leads the camp, said it is an ideal training system for people who prefer not to use weights, because “this is an apparatus that deals with the person’s body. It’s more fit for everybody.” Among the system’s benefits are a stronger core, greater muscular endurance and better overall athletic performance.
Stinson, a certified TRX group instructor, coaches Harker’s middle and upper school wrestling teams as well as middle school football and track. He has coached three wrestlers to California’s national wrestling team.
Ever-Popular Soccer Camp Returns
Harker’s summer 2013 sports programs will again feature the popular soccer camp that has been a fixture of its summer programs for years. Campers will become immersed in “the beautiful game,” with instruction from professional coaches that is tailored to the needs of each camper.
Each camp session will include drills in futsal, tactical skills, psycho-motor training, and small and large games. Skill stations will allow campers to work on passing, dribbling and shooting. Campers will be placed in groups appropriate for their skill levels.
As in past years, the campers will also have the opportunity to learn from professional and college-level players who will visit to teach and offer their advice.
Volleyball Camp Great for Multiple Skill Levels
Volleyball camp, a mainstay of the Harker summer program, returns this year to provide students in grades 4-9 with top-level instruction in a fun and positive setting. This camp is designed for players of all skill levels and will help both beginners and experienced players improve their abilities through drills, exercises and game play.
Highly trained coaches will work with students on fundamental skills such as passing, setting and hitting, as well as strategies on both offense and defense. Individual teaching and evaluation also plays a vital role in the camp. College players and coaches will also be visiting the camp to enhance the overall experience.
Coaches Dan Molin and Theresa Smith bring with them more than 40 years of combined experience. Molin, the upper school athletic director and boys volleyball coach, has more than 20 years of coaching experience and was named one of Volleyball magazine’s “Fab 50.” In addition, the American Volleyball Coaches Association has recognized him as a 200-win coach. Smith, Harker’s grade 4-8 athletic director, was a member of the U.S. Amateur Olympic Volleyball team in 1990 and was chosen as the Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double Goal Coach of the Year and Mercury News CCS Volleyball Coach of the Year in 2007.
Swim School Trains Swimmers of Nearly Every Age
Swimmers of all skill levels at this camp will learn and improve their aquatic abilities in a fun, non-competitive environment for ages 3 to adult. Both private and group lessons are available and will be held at the Singh Aquatic Center at Harker’s upper school campus. Friendly and experienced instructors will guide swimmers through a sequence of lessons in 10 different skill levels. Swimmers aged 5-18 have the option of private and group lessons. Adults and children aged 3-4 may only take private lessons.
Novices and Advanced Competitors Welcome at New Wrestling Camp
Whether novices or experienced competitors, the Harker summer coed wrestling camp will offer students in grades 6-12 the chance to improve their skills and physical conditioning to help maximize their performance. Wrestlers will participate in a meticulously planned series of teaching sessions, drills and evaluations.
Students will learn and practice skills such as takedowns, positioning, escapes and reversals, in addition to applying their skills to wrestling matches. This camp will also integrate the TRX suspension training system and include visits by college-level wrestlers and coaches.
Harker wrestling coach Karriem Stinson and coach Shawn Henebry of Prospect High School will direct the camp, bringing their years of experience and success to a fun and positive environment. Stinson has coached at Harker since 1995 and has coached three members of the California national wrestling team in addition to many who have placed in the Central Coast Section. Three-time CCS participant Henebry has held coaching positions at California State University – Fullerton, West Valley College and Generation 2020 in Spain before joining Prospect High School. Wrestlers under his guidance include a CCS champion and several state championship qualifiers.
Tags: Sports