Summer is a time for students to relax on the river, work to pay rent during the school year, travel to different locations or catch up with friends who go to various universities. For student-athletes at Ferris, however, summer is full of summer camps they put on for kids of varying ages. Summer camps help the kids gain experience from Ferris athletes and coaches to try and take their game to the next level.
There are eight sports that offer summer camps: men’s and women’s basketball, football, hockey, golf, soccer, tennis and women’s volleyball, along with a softball Winter Instructional Camp.
The Ferris football team will hold a prospect camp on June 18 for all high schoolers that wish to attend.
“Basically we all go to the field, meet all the kids as a group, separate by positions and do different agility drills,” Ferris junior defensive end Jordan Cobbs said. “It shows them the basics of college football and a little bit of what it is like playing at the next level. It also shows us how agile they are and how committed they are to the game. Us players like it because if they try hard and put in all of their efforts, it shows us they truly want to play at the college level and we really like to see that. Personally, I think it is great for the kids and a confidence booster because when they go back, they can say, ‘Yeah, I went to a Division II camp and the coaches saw me perform,’ which makes them strive to reach the next level.”
The men’s and women’s golf team hold several camps in June, July and August. The first camp on June 20 is for girls going into their junior or senior year of high school, as well as graduating seniors to showcase their skills through testing and on-course tournament play. The next two camps are co-ed camps for ages twelve to eighteen on July 9-12 and July 25-28. This camp teaches the individuals different skills of the game where they can improve themselves for the future.
The final camp is on August 8 for boys going into their junior or senior year of high school, as well as graduating seniors. Just like the girl’s camp, this helps the boys attending showcase the skills that they have through tournament play and testing.
“They’re just a great way to showcase your skill set to college coaches and find out what college golf is really all about by interacting with the players and just spending time on the golf course with all the college athletes and their coaches,” Ferris men and women’s golf head coach Kyle Wittenbach said.
The first Ferris sports camp is held by the Ferris women’s basketball team on June 2, while the sports camp season concludes on August 8 as the men’s golf team hosts the Boys’ Player Showcase.