Photo By Michael Strasser | A summer of fun and activity awaits children at Fort Drum as the Fort Drum Child and...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (July 9, 2024) -- It can be difficult for a family to go an entire summer without hearing the occasional, “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do.”
The Fort Drum Child and Youth Services Sports and Fitness staff has a solution.
“Summer camps are a fun way to keep kids busy,” said Arnika Brown, Fort Drum CYS Sports and Fitness director. “We wanted to give them something to do, kind of give the parents some down time, and get the kids outside and active.”
The first camps of the season started July 8 with the timeless games of kickball and dodgeball.
“This gets us back to the roots of things, you know, the old-school games that everybody loves to play no matter your age,” Brown said.
The three-day camp began with light cardio drills, stretching and some game fundamentals before children divided into two teams for friendly matches.
Coaches Nicholas Huff and Gabrielle De Leon kept the games safe and fair with plenty of water breaks throughout the sessions.
“I just love seeing kids playing sports,” said Huff, a CYS sports specialist. “I would have loved to do this when I was a kid. I had football, and that’s basically all I did all summer.”
Huff said the variety of activities keeps things interesting, because children can go from shooting archery targets one week to hitting golf balls the next.
“I think this is great because a lot of times when kids are bored, they’ll just want to stay inside and play video games because there’s nothing else to do,” he said. “Being here in the CYS Sports and Fitness Center, there is always something to do.”
This is Huff’s first summer as camp coach, but he has seen a lot of familiar young faces during kickball and dodgeball camps from the CYS homeschool program and the soccer league.
Next on the summer camp calendar are archery and volleyball, July 15-18, before the CYS team gets a little adventurous with Mountaineer Camp, July 22-25. This includes a fishing trip, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and a high ropes course. A second session is scheduled Aug. 19-22.
They are also offering a new four-day lacrosse camp, Aug. 12-15.
“We are still providing the sports everybody knows, like basketball, soccer and baseball, but there’s nothing wrong with changing things up and trying different things,” Brown said. “The way I see it, these are all life skills. Being younger, they might not understand everything about it, but they will learn. And as they get older, they can improve on these skills.”
CYS coaches will instruct fitness classes for different age groups, starting with Summer Tumbling, July 15-18. Other classes include Get Fit Zumba and Get Fit Yoga in August.
“Our staff here is excited about these summer camps, and they are very dedicated to the children,” Brown said. “So, the parents know that their kids are safe when they turn them over to us.”
Brown said she arrived at Fort Drum in February, after transferring from Fort Stewart, Georgia, where she helped facilitate youth and adult sports.
“Since I’ve been here, I really appreciate the CYS staff, and the management and leadership here for supporting me in what we are trying to implement,” she said. “They are like, ‘Come on, Arnika, we’re going to take you under our wings and welcome you to the Fort Drum family.”
Brown said that she wants other family members to feel that welcome when they visit the CYS Sports and Fitness Center and register for one of their programs.
“At the end of the day, we just want to give back to the Fort Drum community by doing what we do best at CYS, which is providing service and support for Soldiers and their families,” she said.
For more information about the summer camps, call (315) 772-6718 or visit the CYS Sports and Fitness Center, Bldg. 10790 on Chapel Drive.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2024 14:11 |
| Story ID: | 475774 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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