Whether you love these camps or not, even very young children register for them. Last week at one in Mill Valley, California, two boys, seven and eight, were hidden inside helmets, masks and absurdly large shoulder pads. They lay on their stomachs, lacrosse sticks at their sides.
As soon as Ogelsby, the director of All West Lacrosse Camps, threw a fast grounder, the boys leapt to their feet to chase the ball. The younger one snagged it, causing his opponent to unleash a series of persistent and fierce whacks to his stick. The seven-year-old persevered, perhaps because he had an advantage: this was already his fifth camp this summer. He passed to Ogelsby, who cheered loudly.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” he said to his rapt audience of 60 boys. “When you get to college, it’s not easy to get on the lacrosse team. Who gets on? The one with heart and desire. And the one who gets the ground balls.”
The campers in their gladiator gear nodded solemnly.
In addition to interminable drills and scrimmages, pearls of wisdom like this, imparted by pro players like Ogelsby, or college players, like his assistant coaches (who hail from Harvard and Duke), are what proponents believe justify the time and expense of sports camps.
Roger Anglum, the basketball player from Novato, hopes his training at camps will help him earn an athletic scholarship. So this summer, he’s crisscrossing the country to attend three. “It definitely beats sitting around making lanyards,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Or gathering around a campfire singing Puff the Magic Dragon.”
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