Camp Articles for 2003

The two camps (one for 8 to 13 year olds and two for 9 to 17 year olds) were funded this year for the first time by the Recreational Development Fund (Ministry of Tourism and Recreation). This funding allowed Erin Hoops to offer both week long camps free to anyone wishing to register. The result of this free offer was a virtual doubling of the number of participants registering in the 2003 camps compared to both 2001 and 2002.

Erin Hoops did have a donation jar available and did indicate that donations were requested from those who could afford to help to keep basketball in Erin supremely affordable to everyone. Donations in 2003 equalled roughly 80% of what was paid in registration fees in each of the preceding years. Overall the summer of basketball FREEDOM proved to be a success both financially and participation wise.

Erin Hoops budgeted for donations of $1,000 for the summer. Wonderland was considered to be donations between $1,000 and $2,000. La-La-Land was territory where donations exceeded $2,000. Erin Hoops level of donations almost made it into La-La-Land.

The following article about Camp One was published in the Aug. 27/03 issue of the Erin Advocate.

Wow!

WOW!

Sounds a bit like a dog barking, doesn’t it?

It isn’t. It’s an expression of awe about Erin Hoops Slam Dunk Camp One.

It’s an expression of awe about PARENTS, about KIDS, about VOLUNTEER COACHES.

Parents came out in record numbers to watch their kids in their camp antics. (Erin Hoops wants parents to watch THEIR kids play basketball. Erin Hoops has nothing to hide. It is proud of what it does to help kids play better, and what better way to share it.)

It’s about parents who stepped forward volunteering to help move Erin Hoops onward its new future involving finding significant corporate sponsorships to augment the local support already being received.

Kids played hard. Kids tried hard. Kids learned big time. Kids went home tired. (Playing basketball from 9 am to 4 pm steadily is a lot of ball for anyone.)

Parents spent their dinners, and evenings with their kids listening to ‘hero” type stories daily for hours on end about things that happened in the camp.

Kids enjoyed themselves. Kids had fun. Kids knew that FUN for them is what Erin Hoops is all about. Consider this story from Wed. afternoon when Ron and Rob from the Raptor organization visited the camp…

Ron asked the gathered campers what were the main elements to basketball. Hands flew up. “Dribbling.” “Passing.” “Shooting.” “Defense.”

One hand remained still up with another MAIN element to share with everyone. Samson, one of the Camp’s smallest, youngest and hardest working camper, had one more point to add. His waving hand was acknowledged, “Isn’t having FUN important?” Everyone smiled knowing Samson had the full essence of, not just Erin Hoops, but basketball itself.

Kids grew. Day one misses became simple, easily made shots on subsequent days.

Kids socialized. Played with friends. Found new friends. Had lunch in groups, even caught grasshoppers together after gulping down their lunch.

Volunteer Coaches were there IN NUMBERS. The camp had 15 teenagers who were exemplars. Teenagers everywhere could be proud of their peers. They hugged campers in need of hugging. They coached campers in need of individual coaching. They shared their LOVE, their unending ENTHUSIASM for the game of basketball. Their love and enthusiasm was contagious. Kids picked it up too.

Who were these volunteer basketball enthusiasts? They are the people with basketball in hand, basketball on the brain, basketball in their heart of hearts, true gym rats of Erin, i.e., Ben Foster, Matt Periera, Joe Ferreira, Melissa Sarra, Darren Short, Kevin King, Sara Doolan, Amy De La Franier, Blake Kaitting, Sam and Fredd Eyles, Joanne and Jason Carney, Jessie Baldwin and of course Chris Giugovaz.

They came out daily from eightish in the morning and stayed till the last closing bell of the day. Most are back to help and take part in Camp Two. They want more ball.

Oh! Was the camp any good? The best answer is kids from the first camp have been signing up for the second camp ever since Wednesday.

Sorry if your kids missed our camps this year. There is always next summer when we hope to again get more funding from the Ont. Min. of Tourism and Recreation so we can offer the camps free to everyone for the second year in a row.

Five participants in this camp independently asked if they could help coach next year. Naturally they were accepted and their names are now in next year's camp file. The key item here is to recognize what these five kids are saying by volunteering about the effect of Erin Hoops Camps has had on them as individuals. Thanks you five for volunteering. You know you are treasured.

Station Road Nursery School sent the Camp Two a THANK YOU card. Hand made with basketballs stuck on the card. The card from their camp to our camp read, "Thank you so much for thinking of our camp. The kids loved the basketball, they talked about it for the rest of the week! ~ FUN IN THE SUN 2003 ~" (Explanatory note: Erin Hoops annually invites the very young people in the Station Road Nursery School's Summer Camps coinciding with Erin Hoops Camps to visit when the Raptor Organization comes on Wed. afternoons. The Raptor Organization people always involve the visiting kids to take part in the afternoons activities. Everyone gains from this.)

Musical Basketball. A game variation on Musical Chairs, played by putting basketballs in the centre of the circle of paired campers. Naturally there is one less ball than pairs of players. One of each pair of players runs around the circle as in Musical Chairs, and then dives through the wide spread legs of their partner to hopefully wind up with a ball after the scramble is over. All went well with this activity until two pairs were left chasing one ball in the centre. The eliminated pairs were sitting in the stands watching. "Go." Off run two players. Dive they do. Jump ball. A tie occurred. Both players got a firm grip on the ball and neither had the ball. A tie was evident. All the other eliminated pairs suddenly left the stands to cheer their fellow campers in their tied position. The tie was broken on the next effort, but everyone, and I mean every camper, cheered and high fived each other SPONTANEOUSLY. Winning wasn't the issue. Friendship, sportsmanship, love of the game was predominant. No camp director could ask for more done without direction in any sports camp.

A shooting competition was set up with the campers having to shoot from 12 feet out at a 45 degree angle to the basket. The camp had earlier taught that this angle of shot from lay-up out to 17-18 feet should be a shot which banks off the backboard into the basket. (Information of note: rarely do visiting high school teams playing against Erin District High School ever bank this type of shot.) The campers all went at this using the banked shot. They had learned somehow that this type of shot off the board was better, and easier to score than the more commonly used shot over the front of the rim. Again a camp director felt proud of his campers.

The camp is in full flow. Everyone at all ten baskets was shooting foul shot. One camper was not being very successful. Misses were the order of the day. When the foul shooting activity was over. The camper was given special instructions by all of us at the camp and suddenly the camper had a new way of shooting that was getting the ball in the basket. Pride - everywhere.

Three campers who in years past who have been very difficult to coach suddenly in this camp became coachable. (Naturally they were guys...thanks guys you have grown more than you know.)