By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
For nearly a decade, Clark County Parks and Recreation in Moapa Valley has been hosting a weekly summer Sports Camp. Each year, the program grows and evolves. But it continues to achieve the same goals and provide local youth opportunities to stay active in the summer.
This year, around 35 kids signed up to participate in the program which was held at the Logandale Fairgrounds.
In the blistering Nevada heat, the summer can be a hard time of year for young kids to stay active and moving. But, according to Recreation Specialist Lauralyn Robison, Sports Camp is meant to do just that.
“The kids are able to be active outside and out of the heat,” Robison said.
The participants in Sports Camp range from ages 8 to 14. They are given the chance to play various games inside the Fine Arts Building at the fairgrounds.
On days where the weather allows, perhaps an overcast day or when temperatures fall, occasionally the kids in the camp are able to play outdoor games. That only adds to the variety of games that are played. While the children play everything from basketball to spikeball, and flag football to kickball, the obvious camp favorite is dodgeball.
“I know when this camp was first created, it was made so kids could play as much dodgeball as they want, for as long as they want,” Robison said.
A typical day at Sports Camp kicks off with playing different variations of dodgeball, such as medic-ball, Thompson-ball, and the Frankenstein’s monster of all dodgeball games: Super Ultra Mega War Ball.
For the rest of the day, usually the camp focuses on one sport to learn and play different versions of.
Because of this, every kid gets an opportunity to play their favorite sports as well as learn new ones.
One important part of Sports Camp that Lauralyn Robison emphasizes is the differences in how competitive each kid might be. “There are different types of kids that come,” she said. “Some kids are really competitive and some are not. This teaches kids to get along with others at all levels.”
Parks and Recreation also employs local teenagers to be leaders for the kids participating in the camps. One of those is Chase Kruse. Kruse, who has been around Parks and Rec’s summer programs for multiple years, said, “The best part about being a leader for the Parks and Rec camps is by far being able to make an impact on the lives of all the participants. It’s awesome to be able to teach important qualities like sportsmanship and respect, and it’s even greater to be able to watch these kids become better athletes and individuals.”
Sports Camp continues to be a place where Moapa Valley’s youth can come and participate in a variety of sports and socialize with their peers in a time of year where both can be difficult. The benefits of Sports Camp are important to realize and they hope to continue to positively impact the lives of kids in the Logandale area.
