Sports
Summer Football Camp Ends
FC International's2002 Campers
The conclusion of FC International's annualsummer football camp is just another indication that summer isquickly coming to an end.
The camp, which ran from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,started on August 26th and ran through August 30th.
"This year we had 90 campers, boysand girls, between the ages of 6 and 16," says Mr. KennedyEbanks, president of FC International.
Eight years ago, in 1994, Mr. Ebanks andMr. Loxley Haylock, coach of Cayman's Under 20 football team,decided that they wanted to do something for the children of Cayman.
"Social Services does a lot, the churchesdo a lot. We thought that as footballers we too needed to makea commitment (too)," says Mr. Ebanks.
With the help of three concerned citizens,Ms. Berna Thompson-Murphy, Sir Vassel Johnson, and Mr. WilliamNixon, and Cayman Islands Football Association president Mr. JeffWebb, Mr. Ebanks and Mr. Haylock were able to turn good intentionsinto actuality.
Since its inauguration the camp has hadthe continued support of Mr. Gillie Seymour and Mr. Andy Miles,who have been serving as camp coaches for the past eight years.Mr. Albert McLean joined the team two years ago and Mr. Ebanksis pleased to say that "he does hard work with us".
One of the things that makes FC International'ssummer camp special is that the focus is not given solely to football.Like other football camps, FC International teaches campers thetechnical aspects of the game, as well as the importance of physicalfitness and healthy living.
However, camp organisers have incorporated"discussion time" into the camp curriculum as well.Campers are divided into groups according to their age and discusstopics which are relevant to them. "We talk about school,crime, things like that," explains Mr. Ebanks. "We liketo focus on life, on things they are facing."
FC International's annual football campis free of charge, and each camper is given a ball and a t-shirt,as well as breakfast and lunch each day. Mr. Ebanks would liketo thank Dr. Frank McField, Mr. Jeff Webb, and all the sponsorswhose continued support make the camp a reality each year.
He is happy to say that new ideas are instore for next year's camps, but campers will have to wait untilnext summer to find out.