Stronger and faster

Volunteerism sparks success of Speed-e-Camp

ONEKAMA — Ben Acton blazed through every variation of the ladder drill camp counselor J. J. Randall could throw his way Wednesday.

Left foot only.
Right foot only.
Both feet together.
An alternating combination of all three.

The 10-year-old Acton, who said he loves to play football, basketball and baseball, is getting used to these types of training drills as a second-year participant in the youth development program, dubbed Speed-e-Camp.

And the hope of the program’s founder, Bear Lake cross country coach Eric Ross, is that campers like Acton will continue to return — even when they’re prep careers are over.

“That’s the only way this program will continue, is to have these (graduated athletes) willing to come back and help out,” Ross said. “And what we’re really hoping for, in the future, is all these kids participating in the camp now will want to come back and do the same thing.”

The free, non-sport specific, physical fitness camp that started Monday and will conclude today at the Onekama football field is heavily based on the volunteerism of past and current Bear Lake and Onekama athletes, who help council the 10- to 14-year-olds.

“The fact that they’re willing to give is great,” Ross said. “For these guys here, it’s summer time. It’s prime time they are giving up to be here. For them to give their time like that means a great deal to me, and I know it’s huge for the kids they’re teaching in this program.

“To me, that’s what this is about,” he added of the second annual camp. “You can see the kids really pay attention to who’s teaching them. It’s evident that these athletes are role models.

“We could do this with a bunch of old coaches, like myself, but I don’t think the effect would be the same.”

Thirty campers participated in the four-day event this week, and have been taking lessons from the 12 current or recent prep athletes volunteering their time as counselors. Randall, a 2008 Bear Lake graduate who went on to play basketball at Alma College, and Patrick Spalding, a 2010 Bear Lake graduate who participates in track and field at Michigan Tech, represent the camp’s collegiate expertise.

“It’s just an awesome opportunity give back to the youth of your old program,” Randall said. “I’m able to share with them what I’ve accumulated over the years, and show them how to develop into an athlete.”

Both Randall and Spalding expressed the importance of the agility and speed drills, as well as the vertical training being taught at the camp.

“The stuff we’re doing here, professional athletes do daily,” Randall said. “If we get these kids going at it early, that’s just going to help them in the long run. It’s just great to see the athletes from a smaller school, a smaller area, learning this sort of thing.

“If they continue doing this, rather than playing video games, they’re going to develop into really good athletes.”

Ben Acton, 10, goes through plyometric box jumping while being supervised by 2010 Bear Lake graduate Patrick Spalding. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate)

Ian Weaver, 9, does a ladder drill while 2008 Bear Lake graduate J.J. Randall looks on. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate)

Spalding, who spent most of Wednesday at the plyometric box jump station, said most of the drills they are introducing to the campers aren’t any different from his collegiate training.

“A lot of this stuff we’re teaching them is stuff I still do, personally,” he said. “We’re helping them learn the tools they can use at home. Most of these kids are middle school age, and it’s a little too early to be in the weight room. This just gives them some things they can work on that will help them get ready for sports — all sports.

“I’m already seeing a lot of them improve from last year. And it’ll be nice to kind of come back in the winter and see some of these kids really doing well in the sports they’re playing.”

Today, campers will put all the drills together in a timed agility test — an addition from the program’s inaugural camp last year.

“This year, we added an obstacle course at the end of camp — added one more day — so they’re able to apply what they’ve learned in the week,” Ross said. “That’s the one thing I thought was missing from last year. We did all the right things during the week, but should have had a day to apply them all at once.”

And application of the athletic training will likely come natural for the campers when they take to their respective fields of play in the future.

“What we’re trying to show them is basic athletic fundamentals that apply to all sports,” Ross said. “It’s coordination for their upper and lower body, and that’s what is so important to develop at this age, 10 to 14 — coordination. If they were to continue to do this … their athletic ability will be off the charts.”

  • Article posted by Matt Wenzel, Manistee News Advocate
  • Photos taken by Dylan Savela, Manistee News Advocate
    and Sheila Falk

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