When summer holidays strike, smart Lethbridge parents will be ensuring their young athletes attend a Kodiaks sports camp.
“This is a very sports-minded community,” says Mark Kosak, the college’s director of athletics. “Parents want to encourage their kids to participate and want to see them improve. Our camps give them a chance to benefit from expert coaching. It’s part of our service to the community.”
The camps, says Kosak, also encourage healthy lifestyles in the young campers, and help Lethbridge College create an interest in Kodiak athletics among potential college athletes.
“If they become comfortable with our campus and our facilities, they may well want to play here someday. It gives us a recruiting edge down the road.”
Participants also learn many lessons that go beyond the court.
“Coaching in sports camps helps develop leadership skills and an understanding of the value in team play,” Kosak says. “Those are benefits that go far beyond the world of sports and can be of value throughout life.”
Campers also are exposed to positive influences, something that isn’t always available at a time when celebrities grab headlines with bizarre behaviours.
“Our camps are run by Kodiak head coaches, and employ Kodiak athletes for the summer.”
The athletes taking part are committed to their sports, but also to their education, Kosak says.
“It’s something our athletes do very well,” says Kosak. “It gives them a chance to be role models and develop their own skills along with the young participants’.”
The camps include basketball for those in grades four through 12; volleyball for grades seven to 12 and badminton for grades six to 12.
Parents can get more information on the camps from Alison Pilsner, 382-6919.
