HHS coaches hold summer sports camps
By SARA HILL
Staff writer
Some Hillsboro High School and Middle School athletes who are looking to hone their skills need look no further than right here in Hillsboro. Most HHS coaches host a sports camp which is inexpensive and a convenient way for players to get a head start on their specific sports season.
Since 1993, Kansas State High School Activities Association has permitted Kansas coaches to organize and administer one-week camps per sport for their players only. School districts cannot be involved other than approving use of facilities and dates. According to KSHSAA guidelines, the school facilities must be leased by the coach per board of education policy.
The camps have to be conducted in the time frame between one week following the conclusion of the second semester of school and before July 31.
HHS girls' basketball camp was held June 13-24, while the boys' basketball camp is scheduled for next week, Monday through Friday.
Boys' basketball players will meet from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday in Brown Gym. Middle school boys will meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
"The school has nothing to do with the camps," said HHS/HMS activities director Max Heinrichs. "We only rent the facilities to the coaches."
Under KSHSAA rules, school uniforms and player equipment may not be used.
"Darrell Knoll coordinates the liability insurance which runs about $5 a student," Heinrichs said. "Most camps cost students between $15 and $20 which includes insurance and maybe a T-shirt and a water bottle."
Coaches are not paid to run the camps, but if the coaches bring in outside help, those people may be paid. If there are profits from the camps, they go into an activity account which the school uses to buy athletic supplies.
"Summer camps are good for kids," said Heinrichs. "They give athletes an opportunity to work with coaches and give coaches the opportunity to introduce plays and skills."
Although coaches encourage players to attend camps, the camps are not mandatory. KSHSAA rules state, "No coach or other school representative may directly or by implication direct a student to attend a sports camp as a condition for team membership."
"The camps are voluntary," Heinrichs said. "If we can get the kids in, we want them. But we also realize there are other activities in the summer."
Head boys' basketball coach Darrell Knoll held his first camp in the summer of 1994 and said it is important to get the team together in the summer.
"I like summer camps. They give coaches a chance to get next year's team together," said Knoll. "We focus on skills and set team goals."
Knoll expects 30 of the anticipated 32 boys' basketball players to attend camp next week. His staff will include assistant coaches, Heinrichs, and former players.
"It is a great week for us. We accomplish a lot," Knoll said. "It is a time to help players understand what our purpose is and understand how to work out."
The boys' camp also includes a couple of nights of scrimmages. According to Knoll, the film sessions showing clips of past teams are a favorite with players. This year, campers will receive a basketball and a shirt.
This is the second summer for middle school boys' basketball camp. Knoll and head boys' middle school basketball coach Dennis Boldt run the camp.
According to Boldt, the middle school camp started when Tabor College stopped hosting a junior high level basketball camp.
"One advantage of our camp is it gives sixth and seventh graders an idea of what to expect in middle school basketball," said Boldt. "We go over the offense and defense and new drills instead of introducing those items at the beginning of the season."
The middle schoolers spend time on individual shooting techniques, and the players get one-on-one attention.
Boldt expects between 18 to 20 middle schoolers at camp.
"The players will get individual attention and more instruction," he said. "We also do a video analysis of each player."
There are no KSHSAA guidelines for middle school sports camps, but Hillsboro's middle school camp follows the activities association rules anyway.
Volleyball campers will report at 8:30 a.m. July 11. Head coach Sandy Arnold will run a two-a-day camp Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. in Brown Gym.
"The camp is a good place to look at players and what we need to work on," Arnold said. "We can work on offense and defense, conditioning, and skills."
Arnold also sees the personal side of summer camp which gives her a chance to keep in contact with her players. She expects most volleyball players will attend the camp.
"When we were setting up camp dates, we tried to work around other camps and vacations," said Arnold. "I think we will have a good turn out."
Arnold, like the other coaches, sees the camp as a positive for the team.
"The camp helps us get a head start, review skills, and look ahead at possibilities for the season," she said.
Arnold has enlisted the help of college coaches Bev Mayer of Bethel College and Amy Ratzlaff of Tabor College. Each coach also will bring college players with her.
The high school football camp is scheduled for July 25-29 at Jefferson Field. KSHSAA rules mandate that football camps must be non-contact.
"The football camp is about two weeks before the first football practice," said Heinrichs. "That's a definite benefit for coaches and players."
Head coach Len Coryea sees his camp as a way to get his players thinking about football. The camp also gives coaches and players an opportunity to get a feel for how the system runs.
"We work on fundamentals. During camp, we can try some different things, and if they don't work, we haven't wasted the first week of practice," Coryea said.
Coryea also likes to do some "fun" things at camp.
"Last year we had a Father's Night," he said. "I'm not sure what we'll try this year, but I like to do 15 to 20 minutes of fun things each night."
Coryea sees the advantages and disadvantages of holding a summer camp.
"A disadvantage is that kids are busy enough as it is," said Coryea. "However, all of our competitors are holding summer camps. If we don't, we'll be behind when the season starts. Holding a summer camp is necessary to stay competitive."
According to Heinrichs, Hillsboro Recreation Commission provides summer camps for tennis players and high school coaches work with those programs and the cross country team is traveling to Colorado for a summer workout.
Whatever a student's sports interest is, Hillsboro coaches provide opportunities to learn fundamentals, have some fun, and improve skills.
