Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Athletics Offer A Variety of Summer Camps
July 23, 1999 | General
July 23, 1999
Instead of rooting for their favorite Cowboy or Cowgirl team children have the opportunity to learn the skills that make Oklahoma State athletic teams so successful.
Nearly 30 different summer athletic camps were scheduled to take place in Stillwater throughout the summer.
The camps are intended to appeal to all different age groups and talent levels. Camps were held for baseball, basketball, football, golf, wrestling, soccer, and softball.
Many of the camps scheduled two or more sessions. Certain sessions were for younger children who aren't as skilled or experienced as most older players. The other sessions were reserved for more advanced athletes.
The OSU women's Soccer team held two summer camps in early June.
"The first camp session that we held was for boys and girls ages six to ten. Most of the camp was spent working and focusing on individual technical skills. In the second session, which was for girls ages twelve to eighteen, more time was spent focusing on more advanced team concepts," said women's soccer coach Karen Hancock.
The OSU Baseball team has held several camps this summer. Some of these focused strictly on pitching and hitting, where others were total skills camps that focused on all baseball skills.
"We hold so many camps during the summer and through out the year that it's difficult to be specific about what any one camp offers," said baseball administrative assistant Ryan Folmar.
Many of the coaches working the camps use this time as a recruiting tool, and a chance to see athletes they otherwise would not have a chance to work with.
"Baseball season is in conflict with high school baseball seasons. Due to our schedule it's difficult to go out and recruit," Folmar said. "These camps are an integral part of recruitment for us."
There are several different people that assist in instructing the camps held during the summer. Camp instructors are not limited to OSU coaches and players.
"We had five NCAA Division I coaches, another three or four coaches from smaller universities, and about ten golfers from OSU or other universities near by assist in the instruction at the camps," said OSU men's assistant golf coach Mike McGraw.
Advertising plays a huge role in attracting campers. The advertising done for the camps varies depending on the particular sport that the camp is focusing on.
"I sent out about 40,000 brochures to all kids that are registered through USA Wrestling," said assistant wrestling coach Mark Perry. "We also did some advertising on the Internet."
Some of the camps rely on word of mouth to attract campers to their sessions.
"The bulk of our campers are former campers or those that heard about our camp through other people. I also have some connections with businesses that offer softball lessons. They help with advertisement," said assistant softball coach Margaret Rebenar.
The numbers of campers that attend the camps also vary from camp to camp, and from year to year.
"This was the third year we've held our soccer camps," said Hancock. "We had about 80 campers for both of our sessions. The number tends to go up and down a little each year."
The success of some of the camps can also be traced to the tradition of the camps and the length of time they have been held.
"Coach Holder has had this camp going on for 25 years," McGraw said. "We send brochures out and advertise in three major golf magazines, but a lot of people already know about this camp."
Many campers attend camps based on the success of the program and on the instructors that work the camp.
"For our individual camp we had about 480 campers and for our team camp we had about 32 teams," Perry said. "I think the success of our wrestling program helps to attract campers."
For more information about camps going on during the summer or those that will be available next summer contact the OSU Athletic Department at (405) 707-7820.
