News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Youngsters will learn good fundamentals at the Outlaws Football Camp in July.
Young Sisters athletes will learn from some of the best in the Outlaws Football Camp set for July 22-25 at Reed Stadium in Sisters. Registration is underway for the camp, which will accommodate youngsters in flag football (1st- through 5th-graders) and tackle football athletes in 6th-8th grade (must be registered for Sisters Middle School football to participate).
Camp organizer Randy Gardner, who has served as an Outlaws assistant coach for several years, is looking for the camp to help revitalize the Outlaws football program.
"My goal is to build the program from the ground up," he said. "My goal is for the kids to leave the camp saying, 'I want to be a football player.'"
Participants will learn fundamentals from first-class college and NFL coaches. University of Oregon offensive line coach Steve Greatwood will be on hand, as will former U-of-O and NFL and arena quarterback Tony Graziani, and Sisters' own Dan Fouts will be a featured speaker. Todd Marinovich was slated to participate, but will not be available this summer, Gardner noted.
Gardner has connected with the Oregon Football Association (OFA) to bring other UO veteran coaches into the camp, including Ryan DePalo, Keith Lewis, Brent Haberly, Michael DeLaGrange and Rasuli Webster. OFA reconnects former Oregon football players to give back to local communities through mentoring and sports training.
Learning strong fundamentals in a camp like this one has more benefits than simply learning the game, Gardner noted. Learning good technique enhances safety, and kids learn respect for the game and for themselves.
Instilling values of teamwork, perseverance and strength of character can have lifelong benefits.
"The reason you do this, I know how important the football experience was for me," Gardner said.
Gardner says he is trying to instill the Outlaws sports culture into young players as they get started in the game.
"I want to get the program integrated with the youth program. We're going to implant our system in this camp," he said. "No matter what you do, you build it from the ground up, whether it's a house or a football program."
Gardner has secured strong sponsorship support, and opportunities are still available (inquire at Sisters
Bend/Sisters Garden RV Park is a title sponsor, providing housing for coaches, and providing the food for a fundraising dinner scheduled for July 24 at The Belfry. Fundraiser dinner tickets will be available at http://www.outlaws
football.org.
Cost for the camp is $75 per athlete. To sign up for the camp, contact Sisters Park & Recreation District at 541-549-2091.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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