Annual Camellia Bowl camp set for June 29
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By Tim Gayle Huntingdon College football coach Mike Turk and his staff will direct the fourth annual Raycom Media Camellia Bowl Youth Clinic on June 29 at Cramton Bowl. “Coach (Mike) Turk and the coaching staff at Huntingdon College is going to host a half-day camp for kids in the eighth grade and younger,” said Camellia Bowl executive director Johnny Williams. “He’ll teach them a little bit about the game and feed them lunch and give them all a T-shirt.” The first clinic was held at ASU Stadium in 2014 while Cramton Bowl was receiving a new artificial surface. Pro Start Academy director Gary Burley enlisted the help of several former Alabama and Auburn players to conduct the clinic. The last two have been under the guidance of UAB coach Bill Clark and have been held at Cramton Bowl. With Clark focusing on the Blazers’ return to football this fall, Williams turned to Turk to direct this year’s clinic. “It’s a good opportunity for us, but we have our own youth camp (at Huntingdon) we do and it’s something that is near and dear to all of our hearts,” Turk said. “The game of football is a special game to all of us and it’s under attack right now, especially at the youth level, so we want to take any opportunity we can to teach the kids how to play the game the right way and all the values associated with it.” Registration will be held at Cramton Bowl on June 29 at 8 a.m. The clinic will run from 9 a.m. until 12, followed by lunch in the Multiplex. More than 200 participants are expected to attend and will be divided according to age groups so more focus on fundamentals can be directed at the younger participants. “He hasn’t given me a number yet, but our plan is to utilize our staff and some of our players to make sure we have enough hands on deck to make sure our ratio is where it needs to be,” Turk said. Bowl officials partner with the city of Montgomery’s parks and recreation department for many of the clinic’s participants, while bowl sponsors provide some of the others. “For us, it’s giving back to the sport of football,” Williams said. “It’s vital for us to keep the game healthy.” |
