BELLEVILLE – Seventy kids are headed to a one-week sporting camp held by the Loyalist Lancers at Loyalist College this summer.
The sporting camps are being brought back this year after a one-year hiatus due to a lack of registration of kids around the Quinte region.
“Due to low registration numbers, our sports camps did not run last year. We’re very excited to have them back up and running this year and to see our numbers getting back to what they used to be” said Amy Hoskin, an Athletic Assistant at Loyalist College.
This year marks the first year that the Lancers have been partnered to run the sports camps. Lancers coaches and varsity athletes will be working with the kids to improve their skills
There are a total of three camps offered to kids that live in the Belleville area. These include a basketball camp, volleyball camp, and a multisport camp. The multisport camp consists of basketball, volleyball, soccer, rugby and tennis.
The hopes of the instructors are that the children gain a wealth of knowledge and sporting experience from head instructor Jim Buck and his team.
“We hope the kids increase their skills, but most importantly have fun doing it! If the kids enjoy playing the sports they’re more likely to stick with it in the years to come,” said Heather Cockerline from the School of Continuing Education at Loyalist.
Hoskin hopes that the sporting camps will get more kids into sports at a young age and that they will stay in the sports outside of the camp setting. Hoskin also hopes that the camps will help set up healthier lifestyles for the kids.
“We hope the kids increase their skills, but most importantly have fun doing it! If the kids enjoy playing the sports they’re more likely to stick with it in the years to come,”said Hoskin.
The week at the sporting camp costs a total of $145 for the week. Although the fee may not be payable for all families there is support says Cockerline.
“There are many agencies in the area that do sponsor kids to attend our summer camps. If someone is aligned with CAS (Children’s Aid Society) or another type agency, it is worthwhile inquiring to see if their child is eligible,” said Cockerline.