Fort Calhoun High School coaches Liz Sevcik and Eric Jones hosted youth sports camps both Monday and Tuesday.
Sevcik said she had about 75 girls in grades 3-8 take part in the volleyball sessions, while Jones had 55 shoot hoops during basketball time.
“Fifty of mine did both,” Jones explained.
Overall, both coaches noted attendance increases year-over-year.
“Coach Jones and I have seen an increase in the number of kids doing both, which is exciting,” Sevcik said. “We're a school that relies on multi-sport athletes.”
She believes having both camps on the same day has continued to be a benefit as in years past.
“I think it's fun for the kids to do a day-long camp,” the coach said. “It kind of keeps it fresh by switching it up between volleyball and basketball.”
The volleyball camp used up both FCHS gyms to close out its session Tuesday before a lunch break. Coach Jones then got all of the girls together on one court for the start of the second day of basketball work.
High school athletes put in effort
Notably, several high school volleyball and basketball athletes helped with the week's Fort Calhoun youth camps. They, too, have been at work preparing for the new school year.
On the volleyball side, Sevcik said offseason preparation is going “great,” noting how her senior class athletes were freshman when she first took over the program.
“We have a bunch of girls who've been playing together for a long time,” she said.
The Pioneers will start offseason league play in July, which is a change from past years. This way, the girls have been able to get into the swing of things and ready themselves for the upcoming exhibition matches.
“We, I think, have elevated just how we want to play,” Sevcik said. “Going for the ball. Being a little more aggressive about things, and I think the girls are going to set some big goals for themselves for the year.”
Jones was optimistic about the Pioneers' basketball progress this offseason, too.
“We have had a really good summer so far,” he said. “We've gone to some team camps and beat some teams that gave us a lot of trouble last year.”
That's even without a full FCHS roster given some of the other obligations some of his players have had.
“I had eighth-graders with us one time,” Jones said. “But we're really having a good summer so far.”
The Pioneers will continue with skill work during the summer months as the next school year approaches.
