Published: July 04, 2008 10:41 am      

Camp to benefit participants, community

Weatherford High School head football coach Kenny Wheaton and his staff didn’t have much time to prepare for their first summer camp in Weatherford last year, but now, in year No. 2 at the helm of the Kangaroos, Wheaton and company are in high gear.

“Last year, we had 75 kids and we just did the incoming seventh, eighth and ninth,” Wheaton said. “Of course, this year, that first week, we’re going to do a peewee camp for the little ones and the following week, we’re going to do a camp for seventh, eighth and ninth.

“It’s a skills camp where we meet and watch film every morning, give them a little motivational talk and actually watch tapes of drills and stuff, kind of like what we do with the high school kids. Then, we split them into offense and defense. They’ll work an hour on each side of the ball and then we’ll flip, take a little break and switch sides so every kid can get some work on offense and defense.”

The football camp will be held over two weeks to allow for the most opportunity for individual instruction. The first session is Monday through Wednesday for students entering grades 1-6. The camp will run from 6 to 8 p.m. An additional camp is set for July 21-23 for students entering grades 7-9, which also runs from 6 to 8 p.m.

Since Wheaton took over the Weatherford football program, he has been trying to get the entire community on the same page when it comes to Kangaroos football. It is for that reason Wheaton and his staff are trying to work with not only the high school and middle school kids, but also the elementary and youth kids as well.

“We want to get them used to being around us and visa-versa,” he said. “We want to get to know some of those kids and some of them hang out at practice anyway in the spring. It’s all about making it fun and developing relationships with them, getting it started and doing things right.”

Wheaton said he would have liked to have offered the expanded camp last summer, but admitted it was difficult to do because he had just taken over as head coach. Now that he and his staff are settled and have a year under their belts, the entire community can benefit from the efforts of the WHS football staff.

“Last year being our first year, it was hard just doing one camp and we’ve always done a peewee, but our first year it’s always difficult to do that,” Wheaton said. “We’re excited to get to do that and get those guys going.

“I think it’s huge, just like I said, getting them involved and teaching fundamentals and getting to know those kids and keeping them involved in football and everything else they want to do. We want to encourage them and have fun doing it.”

Like most camps around the area this summer, the players who participate in the football camps will have their chance to show their stuff with an end of camp demonstration on the final day.

“Last year, we did a 7-on-7 deal and a lineman challenge kind of like we do with the older kids so the big guys can get involved,” Wheaton said. “Like all camps, they get a certificate and a T-shirt and we do a group photo. We hope our numbers are up. Last year, 75 for the first year wasn’t too bad, but we hope more kids come out and get involved in it.”

For more information about the football camps or how to register, contact Community Services at (817) 598-2806.