HAPPY CAMPERS: A VARIETY OF SUMMER CAMPS HELPS KEEP AREA YOUTHS BUSY WHILE STILL HAVING FUN

Southeast Missouri parents don't have to send their children to far-away summer camps to help them learn new skills and have fun.

Locally, the area offers a wide variety of camps for youth, ranging from fitness to athletics to, most recently, recreation.

Camp Capaha was held for two different weeks this summer at the Student Recreation Center, and provided recreational games from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day for children ages 6-12. This was the first year for the program, and coordinator Julie Spretz said it was started to fill a need within the university and area communities.

The 34 children played games ranging from floor hockey to dodgeball.

"Overall, we had a very positive experience," Spretz said. "It was very encouraging. The kids are here to have a good time, and that was our goal."

Athletic opportunities

Older children involved in athletics have plenty of opportunities to participate in university summer camps as well. A boys basketball team camp for junior high teams is going on this week, and Southeast men's basketball head coach Gary Garner hopes that the teams involved will have a positive experience not just playing games all week, but on the Southeast campus in general.

"We really hope that they as a team get better through the week," Garner said. "These camps also give us a chance to evaluate prospective players for Southeast. We just hope that they all have fun."

Garner said that the camps usually draw teams from all over Missouri, Arkansas and Southern Illinois. He estimated that 400 athletes already attended the first high school team camp, while 100 attended the individual skills camp held earlier this summer.

The camp is run by Garner, his assistants and former and current players. Garner said one of his assistant coaches, Keno Davis, is the one who does the most work on the camps. "He's just great," Garner said. "He does a great job. He's a real organizer."

A gymnastics camp run by head coach Patty Stotzheim is also going on this week. She is being assisted by Southeast assistant coach Tom Farden, Hamlin University head coach Doug Burns, former All-American gymnast Jackie Bannett of St. Louis and Stacy Johnson of Paducah, Ky.

Stotzheim said the goal of the camp is to expose the gymnasts to new skill levels. "Obviously, by the end of the week, they won't have mastered them, but Tom, Doug and I are all very good spotters," she said. "We want to make it safe for them, but at the same time expose them to some of the fun, exciting stuff."

Stotzheim said they have groups from Ellisville, Mo., Dyersburg, Tenn., and St. Louis, as well as many gymnasts from the area.

O'Mara Ryan, 16, flew all the way from Morehead, Minn., to take part in the camp, which she heard about from one of her coaches in Minnesota. She said she is considering attending Southeast, but is keeping her options open.

"I didn't want to go to camp at a huge school," she said. "A lot of girls in my gym went to Arizona, but I wanted a smaller environment, and this was recommended."

Cheerleading camps

Juan Crites, host for the 25th annual National Cheerleaders Association camps to be held at Southeast, said that the cheerleading camp offered by the university is among the largest in the United States. Crites estimated that over 1,800 cheerleaders from high schools in Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee will be on the campus.

"It's a very major responsibility and opportunity for students to get such national exposure and training so close to home," Crites said.

The NCA camp has managers and college cheerleaders who are among the best in the nation teaching cheerleading techniques to the participants, and includes a section for coaches.

"I really hope they all have a great time," Crites said. "I hope their squads become cohesive units. While they're here, they can focus exclusively on cheerleading without distractions and bond together as a unit to be better."

Community fitness

Southeast Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center are also sponsoring camps for youth in the coming weeks. St. Francis Universal Health and Fitness Center will be sponsoring a golf camp for ages 11-15 from Aug. 6-10.

Participants will learn basic rules of the game, golf etiquette, and swing and grip techniques, said Program Coordinator Lance Gragg. "They'll get a little hands-on training each day," he said. "We'll go hit balls, go to the driving range and play a par-3 course."

Gragg emphasized that the camp isn't for mastery of the game. "Golf isn't a game that you can learn right away," he said. "But if the kids get the knowledge and enjoy it, if they wish to pursue that and get better, we can direct them to several area professionals who can help them take their game to a higher level."

Southeast Hospital is also sponsoring Adventures in Fitness, a summer day camp series to be held at Main Street Fitness in Jackson, Mo. A sports camp and a fitness camp still remain.

Debbie Leoni, camp director, said the fitness camps are always very popular. "We always have lots of kids come through, some even at the last minute when they're not registered," she said. "It's a very busy, very full time for the kids. They go from one activity to another, and test a lot of different skills. It's a lot of fun for them."

WANT TO GO?

Athletic camps:

Boys Basketball: Team Camp III, July 30-Aug. 1 for high school varsity and JV teams, $100 for day campers, $150 for resident campers, staff includes Southeast head coach Gary Garner, his assistants and current and former players. For more information, call 651-2917.

Girls Basketball: Team Camp II, July 19-21 for high school varsity and JV teams, $110 for day campers, $160 for resident campers, staff includes Southeast head women's coach Ed Arnzen, his assistants and players. For more information, call 651-2646, 651-2943, 651-2113 or 651-5030.

Football: 7 on 7 Passing Camp July 21 at Houck Stadium for boys entering grades 9-12, $150 for team (guaranteed four games). For more information, call 651-2861. Summer Day Camp July 28 for boys ages 6-12, non-contact, $20, camp staff will include Southeast head coach Tim Billings and his assistants. For more information on the Summer Day Camp, call 986-6165.

Soccer: Resident Camp, July 22-27 for girls ages 13-18, $300 for day campers, $370 for resident campers; Evening Camp, July 30-Aug. 2 for boys and girls ages 5-8, $75; Day Camp, July 30-Aug. 3 for girls ages 8-12, $150. Camp staff includes Southeast head coach Heather Nelson and assistant coach and former professional player Paul Nelson. For more information on all camps, call 986-6014, 986-6013 or 651-2113.

Cheerleading: National Cheerleaders Association high school squad camps: July 22-25 and July 26-29, cost $198 for residents, $125 for commuters. Spots are very limited. Call 651-2509 for more information.

St. Francis Universal Health & Fitness Golf Camp

Aug. 6-10, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Universal Health & Fitness, 505 S. Mt. Auburn Rd. Ages 11-15, only 15 spots available, $35 cost. For more information or to register, call 335-3355.

Southeast Hospital "Adventures in Fitness"

Sports Camp, July 23-24, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day at Main Street Fitness Center in Jackson for ages 7-13. Fitness camp Aug. 6-7, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day at Main Street for ages 7-13. Cost of each is $30 for both days. For more information, call Scott Givens at 334-9355.