Kids carry on camping at Concordia

By John Austen

The hugely successful Concordia Junior Stingers Summer Sports Program has a new look this year, as local children age seven to 16 can now participate in soccer, football — and bicycle safety.

The program provides a unique opportunity for children to learn, participate and discover the shared passion of sport.

Women's hockey coach Les Lawton, who is the director of the camp, says the format is a little different.

"We had an all-sports program before, but we decided it would make sense to streamline things to maximize our strengths," he said. "We now are sports-specific, and the kids and teenagers in our community can really benefit from that."

In previous years, Concordia had to rent space from outside the university to handle all the activities offered. Now, everything takes place at the Loyola Campus.

There are three weekly sessions for soccer (July 4-8, 11-15 and 18-22). Football, which includes an overnight option, takes place June 27 to July 1. The bicycle safety program will be offered around the same time.

"We'll have seminars on bike safety for the kids and their parents," Lawton said. "This is extremely important for young people, because almost everybody rides a bike."

Care and maintenance of a bicycle will be part of the program, as will safety aspects such as rules of the road and proper gear.

"This camp has many purposes but community outreach is certainly a big one," Lawton said. "What's also great is that it's the Concordia coaches, staff and students who are teaching the kids."

The camps will feature an on-site athletic therapist, before and after camp care, an easy pick-up and drop-off location, and Concordia's state-of-the-art playing fields and other facilities.

The soccer program will be run by the coaches of the women's soccer team. The sport's simplicity and beauty has made it the top recreational activity for Canadian youngsters from coast to coast.

Sessions will include ball control, shooting, striking, goalkeeping, defending and passing. There will be many mini games played so that the youngsters can practise their newly found skills. More than 60 kids are expected to sign up for the sessions.

More than 100 participants are likely to sign up for football. Stinger coach Gerry McGrath and his crew will be instructing kids from all over the province at this week-long camp.

“All the programs are designed to make the sports both fun and educational for the children and teens,” Lawton said. "The key is that we have qualified personnel who enjoy what they do. As the father of four kids, I know how important is it is to make the atmosphere enjoyable."

For information on the Junior Stingers Summer Sports Program, call 848-2424 (ext. 3859).