CWU Football hosted their annual kids camp on April 29 at Tomlinson Stadium. The camp began from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the campers brought excitement and energy on a Saturday morning.

Head Coach Chris Fisk and Assistant Coach John Picha both spoke about what their goals were going into the camp and how they can leave a lasting impact on the kids who attend the camp. 

“I think the goal is to have fun and gain a little connection to the football players. I think it’s a good opportunity for the community to come out, see and talk to our players,” said Picha. “It’s really our duty to grow the game…I want these kids to come out here and have a great time,” said Fisk.

According to Picha, besides having fun, he mentions that he wants the kids to come in and get a good experience of playing football by the drills and activities that they do during the camp.

“We have a circuit where they get to catch balls, kicking balls, throw balls, tackle…and we think the players love teaching it. We’re not looking to teach them the X’s and O’s of football because we only have them there for a short time.” said Picha. 

Junior safety Tanner Volk said he was excited to be a part of the camp and spoke on the importance of hosting a camp in the first place. 

“It’s good to see the kids in our community, they’re the future of not only football, but the country,” Volk said. “We make sure these kids are coming out here having fun and getting well developed by guys like us who have made it to the next level.”

According to Fisk, the CWU Football players have an opportunity to make an impact on the kids during the camp, but also to help around and take action in setting up the camp as well. He makes sure that the players bring enthusiasm and passion to the camp.

“We got a lot of different jobs. [They] help with registration…we’ve got a group of guys over there cooking pizza for the pizza party, and then we’ve got a group of guys that run all the drills,” said Fisk. “I think the main thing that we talked to our guys about in terms of their participation in camp is enthusiasm. Lots of high fives and lots of encouragement.”

The camp focuses on giving the community’s children a place to learn from athletes that have made strides in their sport and have ultimately found their way to the next level of sports. For the players on the team, this time of year, and the camp itself are an enjoyable experience. 

“We’re just having fun really. When we put on camps like this we just really enjoy the moments, and at the same time helping them learn,” Volk said. “They’re super young kids and they have a lot to learn so putting them in the right direction as far as life goes and building character is the biggest thing.’’ 

This time of year holds events other than the kids camp and spring game, as spring training as a whole can bring a variety of new situations. Spring training is often a period where new players are making their way to the team and building connections. 

“As a team, I think getting to know each other’s tendencies and every year you start from ground zero. You got new players at different positions and you’ve got the same players at new positions,” Volk said. “Getting back to learning each other’s tendencies and figuring out how we work well together… you wanna know each other on and off the field and it’ll help develop chemistry on the field.” 

As the team gears up for the Spring game, Coach Fisk knows that this group is still finding their footing and they are working to reach their goal of winning the Lone Star Conference.

“I think we’re in a development stage,” Fisk said. “We are replacing realistically both defensive lines and offensive lines…and utilize our fall camp for development as well.”

According to Fisk, although he seeks the development of the young guys, Fisk stated that he wants to see the continued growth from his returning players and have them exceed a high level.

“We really want to see some really good execution in the passing game,” Fisk said. “We want to see our secondary continuing to do what they have done last year and into this year, and just see those guys executed at a high level and put themselves in a good spot to hit the summer to continue to grow.” 

The spring game takes place Saturday, May 6 at Tomlinson Stadium, and kickoff begins at noon.