ThunderWolves go camp crazy

CSU-Pueblo athletic department offers plethora of individual and team camps for the summer.

By JEFF LETOFSKY
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

The upgrading of facilities on the campus at Colorado State University-Pueblo has created a boon for summer athletic camps. And everyone is a winner.

"Getting the new facility (at Massari Arena) opened up has helped us get our camp programs going again," CSU-Pueblo Athletic Director Joe Folda said. "We've put more emphasis on building up all of our camps for all of our sports. With the improvements at Massari as well as improvements in our outdoor facilities, we can really develop our summer camps."

More than 30 camps are being offered on campus this summer, ranging from baseball to volleyball. And the camps are geared to a variety of age groups and costs from team camps to individual instruction.

Folda said the camps do a number of things for the programs and the university.

"Our summer camps are used to enhance each of the programs through recruiting and fundraising," he said. "The money coaches raise from their camps goes directly into their program, so there's some incentive there. Plus, we try and get as many kids and their families on campus in the summertime (as possible). That will help with our enrollment. "In addition, these summer camps not only bring in revenue to the campus but to the community as people are staying overnight in hotels and eating in town. That generates even more revenue."

Pat Eberhart, who is entering his fourth season as the head men's basketball coach at CSU-Pueblo, uses the camp format for a number of reasons.

"It's first and foremost a recruiting tool to get kids on campus," Eberhart said. "We want to get some kids from up north to see our facility. Once they get here and see what we're trying to do and what we're trying to accomplish, they are impressed.

"The camps are a source of income, to continually run our program and help our scholarship budget."

Eberhart's program offers both team and individual instruction camps.

"The overnight camps are community-based," Eberhart said. "The individual and overnight camps are going by the wayside a little bit more because more kids are playing on summer and AAU teams. It's more tournament-style with the team camps, but there's still a niche for individual instruction."

Eberhart added that Massari Arena's renovation has been a big boost.

"Having three wood courts and the end zone bleachers pulled out provides a very good setup for tournament style basketball," he said. "Plus, Massari is air-conditioned and provides a great venue."

Kip Drown, the women's basketball coach at CSU-Pueblo, agreed.

"I've always been a big camp person," Drown said. "In terms of what it can do for our university and program, the exposure we get throughout Colorado is tremendous. We get kids on campus at age 11, 12 and 13 and they get to see the facilities and everything we have to offer. It makes a big impression on them. Many of the kids we (recruit) will come here first through a connection with a CSU-Pueblo camp.

"We get some financial benefit from the camps and it takes a lot of hard work running the camps," he said. "It is a fundraiser for us but that benefit is secondary to the exposure we get from all the kids we run through the camps."

Chris Jonson, who is entering his second season as the head women's volleyball coach, is running seven different camps this summer.

"We're excited about having all the camps," Jonson said. "It's a bit of a fundraiser plus it allows us to bring in recruits, kids who might come here in the future. Plus, it's an opportunity to get into the gym and teach the sport we love."

Jonson said he's running a high number of camps for a couple of reasons.

"We haven't had many camps recently and we want to try everything to see what works," he said. "We are trying to find what works best and what people in the community like and focus on those."

As for the response, Jonson said it has exceeded his expectations.

"The response is better than what I imagined," he said. "We've already surpassed the proposed numbers we anticipated."

 2008 CSU-Pueblo Summer Camp Schedule