Kids who dream of playing in the pros – or, kids who just love to play – can get registered now for the free New Orleans Saints & Pelicans/Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Junior Training Camp on Saturday morning, July 29 on the Northwestern State campus in Natchitoches.
Parents can visit the LaSportsHall.com website, or call 318-238-4255, to complete a registration and waiver form for the JTC, which provides two hours of full throttle fun alongside Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members and NSU coaches, and staff from the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans community relations department.
The LaSportsHall.com website has the full schedule for the Induction Celebration next weekend, July 27-29.
The camp runs from 9-11 a.m., starting with registration between 8-9 a.m. at the Webb Wellness and Recreation Center (WRAC) gymnasium. At 9 a.m., campers get introduced to the sports stars who will be coaching them for the next two hours, inside focusing on basketball skills, and outside at Turpin Stadium, with football and general sports skills instruction.
Kids ages 7-17 are welcomed at no charge. The registration and waiver form online should be submitted in advance through the LaSportsHall.com website. The camp is open until filled to 300 capacity and anyone who registers after capacity is reached will be on a waiting list. So far, there’s plenty of room.
Every camper gets a free T-shirt and a coupon for a meal at Raisin’ Canes. Photos from the camp will be posted on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Facebook page, and so will a highlight video.
The goals of the JTC are simple – a fun, and thrilling, experience for the kids, free of charge; skills instruction from some of the best to ever play, or coach, the games; and promotion of health lifestyles and positive life choices.
The campers are separated into two groups. One stays inside for the first hour for basketball instruction, while the other is next door at Turpin Stadium, having football fun. The groups switch locations in the second half of the camp.
The kids will enjoy a star-studded lineup of celebrity coaches, including:
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning;
Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears;
Duke women’s basketball All-American, WNBA All-Star Alana Beard, whose parents are from Cloutierville and Bermuda in Natchitoches Parish;
Record-breaking LSU and NFL receiver Wendell Davis;
Two-time USA Track and FIeld Olympian Walter Davis;
Atlanta Braves coach, former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington;
Former LSU, big league pitcher Paul Byrd;
Retired LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri.
Several past Hall of Fame inductees are also expected to be there.
Parents are welcome to watch, and take photos and video.
And it’s all FREE!
