Many past Modocers came together this last week to train and teach local youth at a football camp held at Ed Carver Stadium. The camp, led by current football players and coaches, focused on mentoring young athletes and developing their skills.
Leaders of the camp expressed their gratitude for the dedication and turnout, highlighting the event’s potential as a foundational experience for future footballers.
MHS Principal Kristen Budmark states, “putting on any type of event is never easy, but camps are even more so. There are tons of moving pieces in the planning & implementation process that most people don’t even think about. That is just another reason I am so proud and honored to be a part of my MHS Family. Nicole Addison went to Coach Valena with an idea to build bridges between our older and younger youth and our programs while making some money for our football program. Wyatt agreed and here we are. Nicole worked hard to facilitate and organize this event that gives our students the opportunity to give back to our community and build some healthy bonds with younger kiddos. Our students are so caring and acting as mentors in this camp is just another example of them building and supporting our BRAVE culture and becoming the role models they are born to be. Thank you to our Nicole, Coach Valena & ALL of our MHS Football Staff, our MHS Football Players, participating campers, and our community members who trusted us with your children. I think a lot of good is being done here.”
Nicole Addison, organizer of the camp who is also SPED Instructional Assistant on the MHS campus tells families, “we have created this camp fundraiser in efforts to raise funds for our Football team, our hope with the camp is to give our mentorship through our experience in the sport as well as to physically and emotionally enrich the youth of our community by offering; physical conditioning, Fundamentals of all skill positions, offense and defense strategies, Game-like scenarios but most importantly responsibility, accountability, sportsmanship, teamwork, the importance of education and respect not only for their team and coaches but also for the community that supports them. Our Football team has put a lot of work into where we stand not only in our sport but as well as how we represent our community, without our love for athletics and the support of our community our camp wouldn’t be possible. We hope that our efforts in this event help shape some of our younger community peers as we remember what it was like for ourselves to be younger, watching and looking up to the high school athletes. We live in a community where there are disadvantaged youth and by offering our camp for what would be more affordable to some it allows some of them to still have that experience and be a BRAVE with us while allowing our team to build relations with the people in our stands.”
The football camp is seen as a building block for many aspiring athletes, fostering not only their athletic abilities but also a sense of community and teamwork.
