Greg and Teresa Adams have been hosting fundraising basketball camps for 25 years. The money raised each year at their camps has gone to support Colton Booster Club – about $130,000 over those 25 years.
This year the Adams’ offered three camps: Mount Hood Team Camp, Colton Hoops Camp and Colton Offensive Skills/Shooting Basketball Camp.
The team camp is for high school teams from around the state. The girls’ teams camp had eight teams participating - Days Creek, Dufur, East Linn Christian, Molalla and two teams each from Colton and Country Christian. The boys’ camp had 11 teams - Days Creek, Dufur, Elkton, Horizon Christian, Joseph, Spray, Taft and two teams each from Colton and Country Christian.
Two college coaches were invited to give presentations at the team camps. Jimmy Smith from Warner Pacific offered advice on the rules and fundamentals of the offensive side of the game and Leslie Reinecker from Linn-Benton showcased defensive concepts.
The teams played competitive games throughout their time at camp, with the championship game played on the last morning of each camp. This year the girls’ camp championship was won by East Linn Christian. Taft High School won the boys’ camp championship title.
During the team camp, 12 of the teams from distant towns spent their nights at Camp Adams. Lodging and food for those teams was provided with an additional camp fee. Breakfast was made at Camp Adams and Colton Boosters picked up food for lunch and dinner, and Andrea Smith came by with the Papa Murphy’s food truck.
Kids camp offered basketball fun along with teaching basic shooting and defensive skills through instruction designed for each age level.
Adams said his goal for the camps is to encourage kids to be active and have fun while learning and practicing skills. He said one mother told him that her son had never played basketball before attending camp and now he wants to play basketball all the time.
“I like the whole camp,” 9-year-old Harrison Jakobsen, said. “But the best part this year was learning how to do dribbling and ball handling drills. We learned to pass the ball between our legs and around our bodies. And I always like playing the games.”
The Offensive Skills/Shooting camp was held July 1-3 in two sessions, fifth through eighth grade and ninth through 12. This was an advanced camp for serious competitors and more rigorous demands and dedication is needed from each participant. The enrollment was limited to 24 for each group.
“We focused on shooting form,” Adams said. “Kids worked on shooting the ball from different areas on the floor using the correct shooting form and taking hundreds of shots a day. We also spent time on ways to attack the hoop using different moves to get open against a defender.”
Along with Teresa and Greg Adams, the camps had three Colton High School student volunteers helping, Addison English, Eli Pierce and Taylor Quintana.
Camp sponsors were Whalen Construction Company and Hot Shot Coffee. Money raised through team camps supports the Colton Boosters and funds raised at kids camp support the Colton Youth Basketball program.
Most Popular
Comments / 0