It rained. It poured.
But the fun didn’t stop for 2000 Kentwood High graduate Mike Karney on Saturday at French Field, where he played host to the third-annual Karney’s 44 Kids Camp. Roughly 140 youngsters between the ages of 8 and 16 showed up for the one-day event, which featured a handful of NFL players, including Seattle’s Owen Schmitt, St. Louis linebacker James Laurinaitis and kicker Josh Brown. The total number of attendees is down slightly from last year, which drew roughly 200 kids, but that didn’t take away from the enthusiasm, Karney said.
“The last two hours of the camp, it just rained straight. Then it started getting a little cold,” Karney said. “I thought the kids did a great job fighting through it. We had a good time.”
Karney, a 5-foot-11 fullback, currently plays for the St. Louis Rams. He assured the camp will return next summer for a fourth straight year.
“We will definitely be back,” he said.
Grand Slam Camps
It began nearly two decades ago as a way to supplement income.
Little did Kentwood High assistant baseball coach Mark Zender realize at the time what the future had in store for Grand Slam Camps, which he established in 1993.
“I had thought about it pretty seriously for two years and had worked a baseball camp and thought it was done very well,” said Zender, who teaches Marketing and coaches the freshmen baseball team at Kentwood High. “I thought if a camp could be done right, it would be a really good thing. As an instructor, you want to teach, but you want it to be fun, too.”
Zender’s baseball camps, which stresses fun and fundamentals, will be returning to the Kent Valley in July. The camps, which features specific instructions for baseball and fastpitch, will be held at Petrovitsky Park from July 12-15. From July 19-22, the Grand Slam Camps will be held at South County Ballfields Park in Federal Way.
One of the aspects that sets Grand Slam apart from most other camps is its versatile and professional coaching staff, Zender noted. The staff also has a local feel to it as well. Among the coaches this summer will be 2006 Kentlake High product Ryan Voelkel, who set the home run record at Green River Community College in 2007 and later spent a season in the Atlanta Braves organization.
“Most of the coaches are or were college players,” Zender said. “They’re dedicated and know the game. But they also have a lot of fun. And if the coaches are having fun, the players will have fun, too.”
For more information on Grand Slam Baseball Camps, log on to www.grandslamcamp.com.
Football at French Field
Kentridge High’s Marty Osborn will be hosting the 16th annual Puget Sound Football Camp from Monday (June 28) through Wednesday (June 30) at French Field.
“We’re excited,” Osborn said. “This has always been a good camp for kids, and has been a good experience.”
The camp, which costs $90 per player, is aimed at student-athletes from fourth through ninth grades. The non-contact camp will run each day from 9 a.m. to noon. The camp typically draws between 40 and 60 players. For more information on the camp, contact Osborn at 253-891-2294.
Volleyball at K-M
Kent-Meridian’s Michael Christiansen will be hosting the Kent-Meridian Volleyball Camp, which ranges in ages from “Little Royals” and Elementary School players to middle school and advanced camps. The first slate of camps is set for June 28-June 2 and will be geared toward Elementary and Middle School players along with “Little Royals.” Christiansen, who has coached the K-M team for the past four years, will hold a freshman camp (July 5-9), an advanced camp (July 19-23), and a high school team camp (July 26-30). For more information, log on to www.kentmeridianvolleyball.com.
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