By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – The first week of football camps at Grand Park has been a success.
The facility is hosting two camps, the Grand Park 7-on-7 Football Camp for players in grades 3-12, and the Grand Park Lineman Camp, for those in grades 7-12. Over 300 student-athletes participated in the camps on Wednesday.
“It’s been a great turnout,” said Matt Trnian, Grand Park’s Facility Operations Manager. “We had about 110 in our first group. We’re approaching the 240 mark for the second group, so we eclipsed the 300 mark today. We’re very pleased with that, very excited about that.”
The 7-on-7 camp is all about getting young athletes back on the field and having fun, and they were doing just that on Wednesday. Those players were also getting instruction from several high school coaches. Other high school and a couple of college coaches were also on hand to watch.
The lineman camp also featured three former NFL players, including Indianapolis Colts star Robert Mathis, a record-setting defensive end. He was joined by Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick and defensive tackle Daniel Muir.
While it was possible for campers to register for all four weeks of the camps, Trnian said that there have been “a lot more walkup registrations this week.”
“I think that speaks to the programming that’s been going on and the work that Lance and his SOS team has done and the work of the Gridiron Guys of Dan and Robert and Nick,” said Trnian. “It’s been a great push and really appreciate all the kids that have come out.”
The camps are happening in the age of COVID-19, so safety was of the highest concern. Many of the fans were observing social distancing, and the players also modified their habits as well.
“We’ve tried to do everything we can,” said Trnian. “With athletes playing and getting out there, there’s some things that you can’t always control, but we’re making sure that they’re not high-fiving and we’re making sure that they’re not spitting on gloves or anything like that, so we’re trying to do the things appropriate to make sure that they’re taking care of themselves and their teammates and athletes around them.”
The players also were seen wearing old-school soft-shell helmets during the camps. Since players don’t have their school helmets during this time of year, Trnian said the camp worked with a company to make sure the players had shelled helmets that would allow for their safety.
“We’re asking the players to play the ball, but the game of football, you’re trying to slow down a beast and they’re trying to make plays,” said Trnian. “We wanted to make sure that we added that level of safety and having those helmets, those soft-shell helmets this year. It’s worked out really well.”
The camps are scheduled for the next three weeks on Monday and Wednesday. The 7-on-7 camp is split into two groups, with grades 3-8 participating from 6 to 7:15 p.m. and grades 9-12 on the field from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. The lineman camp is scheduled for 7:30 to 8:45 p.m.
Anyone who wasn’t at the camps this week still has the opportunity to come out to Grand Park during the next three weeks. The cost is $50 for one week, and athletes can participate in as many weeks as they choose. Trnian is anticipating a slow week for Week 3, which is during the July 4th holiday.
“We anticipate some folks taking vacation,” said Trnian. “But that’s why we wanted to offer a four-week program where they didn’t have to be committed to all four weeks. We’ve seen already some additional sign-ups for Week 2 and Week 4, and some more additional for Week 3. We’re anticipating that number to grow, and I know a lot of the kids tonight had already said they’ve invited some of their teammates and there’s been more kids added. It’s a great thing to have. The word of mouth is spreading and we’re excited about that.”
ABOVE: Southport coach Scott Evans gives instruction to young players at the Grand Park 7-on-7 Football Camp Wednesday.
BELOW: Caleb Small (right) throws the football to a high school player during the 7-on-7 camp. Small graduated from Hamilton Heights and is an assistant coach for Ben Davis. (Richie Hall)
