NativeVision sets a high bar for sports camps

FRUITLAND

Many different summer camps are held throughout the Four Corners area, but this year, NativeVision Camp may set the bar high.

The 22-year old camp, which will be held in Shiprock for the fourth summer this year, will see some high registration number and will host some new activities featuring high-profile sponsors.

Kathleen Norton, field director with Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, which hosts the camp, said the numbers continue to grow and might reach a record high this summer.

“We’re thrilled to see so much interest in preregistering. Right now about 500 kids registered,” she said. “Everyone is welcome. This is camp for our kids in our Native community, but everyone is welcome. We encourage everybody with an interest to come.”

The camp will run from June 28-30 and is free to all participants ages 7-18. The camp will be held at Shiprock High School and at facilities surrounding Shiprock High School.

Online and on-site registration will be available, as well as volunteer opportunities for those who are 18 and over.

The camp will begin on June 28 with breakfast from 7-9 a.m., followed by registration up to 11 a.m. An opening ceremony will take place at 12 p.m. followed by break off session that include sports clinics and workshops.

Sports featured in the clinics include: football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, running, and lacrosse. The workshops include topics such as nutrition, team building, and stress management, to name a few.

Norton said the sports clinics are unique in that they are not so much about competition as they are about learning.

“Although this is a camp that is framed around five different sports, it really isn’t geared towards kids who are highly athletic or skilled in a particular sport,” she said. “We want to encourage kids to take baby steps, but we also want kids who are not as athletic.”

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