Youngsters complete an agility drill in the Agility Focused Camps (AFC) offering Tuesday afternoon.

Springing Into Action

High-octane High Velocity camps give kids alternatives to inactivity

BY ED WRIGHT
April 6, 2009, 3:15 p.m.

  You would have been hard-pressed to find a couch potato or video-game junkie within the spacious confines of Canton's High Velocity Sports complex Tuesday afternoon.

  Activity, exercise and fun were the key words for the close to 200 kids who were either participating in a specially designed camp or taking part in the HVS's multi-sports "Fun Days" offering, which allows kids to compete in a variety of high-energy competitions for just $5 an hour.

  "This week we have approximately 175 to 180 kids here every day, which is our highest total ever for spring break," said HVS's Elaine Matthews. "For $5 an hour, parents can drop their kids off any time between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. so the kids can have a lot of fun, get a lot of exercise and get off the couch. Even if a parent wants to drop off their kids for a couple hours while they run errands, they can do that for a cost that's lower than daycare or a baby-sitter."

  On Tuesday afternoon, there wasn't a soccer field or basketball court that wasn't being utilized by a well-structured camp.

  The biggest draw was Miki's Pro Soccer Camp, a five-day instructional clinic for kids between the ages of 5 and 17 years old that is run by former professional soccer player Miki Djerisilo and his staff of ex-pro players and trainers.

  Djerisilo's camp, which was filled to its 90-player capacity this week, combines the most-effective drills and methods to ensure the four areas of skill development: speed and agility; ball control; shooting; and passing.

  Djerisilo will be offering two week-long camps at HVS this summer: July 12-16 and Aug. 9-13 from 9 a.m. to noon each day. The cost is $135 for HVS members and $155 for non-members. For registration information, visit www.hvsports.com.

  Unfolding on the facility's slick new basketball courts was a Triple Threat Training Basketball Camp engineered by former professional basketball player Troy Coleman and members of his certified staff. TTT camps will held throughout the summer at HVS. To attain registration information, visit www.hvsports.com or call (734) 487-7678.

  Yet another field featured an Agility Focused Camps offering run by several certified trainers, including AFC co-founders Jeff Reynolds and Darrell Harding.

  On Tuesday, close to 30 young athletes were busy completing a series of fun and skills-enhancing drills under the guidance of AFC staff members.

  "This week we're putting the kids through some basic drills that will help them once they move on to high school athletics and even college sports," said Reynolds. "There are 16 drills altogether that will help their speed and agility, their vertical jump and broad jump. It's exciting because we actually see improvement from drill to drill."

  For more information on AFC, visit www.afcamps.com or call Reynolds at (248) 797-9419.

Participants in Miki's Pro Soccer Camp enhance their skills in a game of futsal Tuesday afternoon.