A SMART Football Camp
If family time for you is not sitting in front of the television watching reality shows, then perhaps one of summer’s litany of camps is what your child needs for stimulation. News Five Isani Cayetano reports on a football camp.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Dog days for primary school students are usually accompanied by a cornucopia of activities, a wealth of things to do that keeps them busy while parents are away at work. From remedial classes to summer camps for everything imaginable; think aviation 101, GPS mapping, self defense and even the world’s religion. As common as it may seem football camps have proven to be among the most engaging leisure interests for children.
Giovanni Fuentes, Participant
Giovanni Fuentes
“Dehn teach wi di basics ah football, how fii dribble, how fi pass round di ball and how fi play di game. Like fi example directly wi wahn play a lee tournament ’gainst Third World ahn we ah step up wi game.”
Fourteen year old Giovanni Fuentes is taking full advantage of all recreational activities being made available to him. The past few weeks have seen him taking on a complete schedule, basketball in the mornings and football in the afternoons.
Giovanni Fuentes
“A lot ah we like join up go go play ball, basketball [and] football. Da just fi get wi act together and laan more about di sports.”
Stanley Reneau, like his student Giovanni, has been with the program since it started in summer 2008.
Stanley Reneau
Stanley Reneau, Organizer, Smart/Crime Stoppers Summer Camp
“Over the past three years has been good under us because we have tournaments like under-fifteen [and] under-fourteen. We just recently had an under-fifteen under Crime Stoppers for the Easter. As you know one of our main sponsors is Crime Stoppers and through the initiative they get to the crime before with the kids doing sports.”
Also sponsoring the summer camp is Smart. According to public relations manager, Ian Courtenay, the camp has grown impressively since it began.
Ian Courtenay, PR Manager, Smart
Ian Courtenay
“It has grown in terms of the size and the amount of children that are taking part and of course that creates a higher financial burden for us as sponsors but we think it’s worthwhile. One of the things we’re looking at to talk to the coordinators about is that, you know, after the summer these things die off and you don’t hear anything about it and we’re looking to see how we can maybe create some sort of a little championship league or something like that for these kids to continue honing their sports on the weekend and getting recognition from their communities and so on.”
At the end of the two-week camp participants were awarded with medals and trophies. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
