POCATELLO — The first annual East Idaho Plummer Skills and Thrills Challenge Camp will be held at Alameda Middle School on Aug. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon. It is for ages 8-14 and is free to all.
Taryn Sorrell, the camp’s director and a Pocatello native, has wanted to bring the Plummer Skills Challenge to East Idaho ever since she took over the role. She is excited to give back to the Pocatello community.
“The big idea behind the camp is we just want to get kids off of video games, off the phones, get away from all the electronics and just get them out playing,” Sorrell said. “One of the mottos we go by for the Plummer Challenge is, ‘A buddy, and a ball is all you need.’ I’m excited to continue to grow our organization and to grow our ability to help people and grow the experience of youth sports in the east side of Idaho.”
Jake, Eric and Brett Plummer started the camp. The brothers grew up and played various sports in the Boise area.
They and the Idaho Sports Commission set out to help shape young lives through sports and to give every kid a chance to have fun and play the games and sports they love.
Former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer began on the fields at Capital High School. After four years with the Eagles, he earned a scholarship to Arizona State University, where he was a first-team All-American, the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, finished third in Heisman voting and played in a Rose Bowl. It all led to him being taken in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals of the 1997 NFL Draft.
After a 10-year NFL career with the Cardinals and the Denver Broncos that saw him make a Pro Bowl and throw for more than 29,000 yards and 161 touchdowns, Plummer is excited to give back to his home state of Idaho and provide kids some of the same opportunities he had growing up.
“This has been a brainchild of mine, my brothers and a couple of coaches I had throughout my career,” Plummer said. “They knew the importance of training for a sport and during the season, but they all also understood that diversification is really important in the growth of athletes.”
“Our idea was to create a camp that was (geared) more towards playing tons of games, (and) while you’re playing these games, you’re enhancing your skill set through fun and enjoyment and competition with other kids trying to strive to be the best. It’s about reintroducing play and games back into these kids’ lives.”
The camp debuted on June 1, 2017, at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise. Two hundred fifty kids and 35 volunteers came out that day. Since then, the camp has grown.
In a world where kids are pushed into competitive and single-minded sports at a young age, the Plummer Skills and Thrills challenge camp offers a refreshing change.
“We always got to pull back as parents and understand and maybe ask our kids, ‘Is this something that they like doing?,’” Plummer said. “Are they having fun? I think a lot of them do. They have a lot of fun competing. They have a lot of fun being with their friends. They enjoy it. But that’s an important thing.”
“I want to encourage these kids to learn something new, but to believe that all of these things we’re going to show them − the skills and thrills are for your hand-eye coordination, for your physical abilities, for your mental toughness − correlate and benefit the sports you play in an organized fashion. But to also take away from this game, they can have fun with a ball, a wall, and a buddy.”
Sometimes, sports become an obligation or a job rather than fun, and the truth can be said not just for a professional athlete, but also for Sorrell.
Sorrell, who played sports growing up, coached youth sports, and has kids who play youth sports, thinks that people forget to have fun when playing sports. She wants to be part of the mission to help kids discover the fun of youth sports.
“Sometimes we lose the fun in it, and so this is a way just to come out and play games and meet new friends in a no pressure, non-competitive atmosphere,” she said. “We’re all competitive when we participate in sports, but it’s a way for them just to come and enjoy and have fun and play games and meet new friends and learn new skills.”
Sports has come a long way since Plummer and Sorrell were playing and having fun. Now, sports are more serious and all about competing. But Plummer wants the participants to know that sports can be fun if they get up and use their imagination and make it fun.
“Yeah, that’s the real issue we’re facing. What are we competing for? What are these kids playing sports for? Is it because they want to, and it’s fun, and they enjoy it?,” Plummer said. “Whether they win or lose, it’s no fun losing. Winning is a lot of fun, but it should always be fun.
“There’s a lot of things I want them to take away from the camp, but the one thing I want them to take away is to get out of the house, get off the TV, get off your butt and be active because you’re only young once. So enjoy it.”
Sports can be challenging, cutthroat and cruel, but when you’re growing up, the game should be fun. The Idaho Sports Commission and the Plummers are trying to get that message across. This camp is the perfect way for kids to forget about training, winning and losing. It’s for them to just play the sports and games they love playing.
Participants are not required to register beforehand. They can sign-up the day of.
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