For parents looking for a different kind of youth sports camp this summer, St. Charles Parish Parks and Recreation Department recently announced its Ochsner Sports Agility Camps will be held at the Edward Dufresne Community Center in June and July, with registration now open until May 31st.
Unlike typical sports camps that focus on fundamental techniques geared toward a specific sport such as soccer, basketball or baseball, the Ochsner Sports Agility Clinic is taught by professional sports trainers and focuses on improving sports movements and techniques for youth athletes – techniques that can be applied to any sport. After spending time in their Sports Agility Camp, Destrehan Ochsner Performance Training Facility Supervisor and Head Coach Alex Romero says “athletes will run faster, jump higher and move more fluidly in space.”
The program will offer camps for two age groups: Group A, which is youth athletes ages 7 thru 10, and Group B, youth ages 11 thru 14. The program includes training sessions three days per week, and offers one, four and six-week training options.
The program is a departure from the several other summer sports camps St. Charles Parish offers, which Parks and Recreation Director Dwayne Foret says was an intentional decision.
“We were looking for something a little different than normal sports camps and clinics that focuses on doing sports movements, and finding the fundamentals to perform skills without injury,” Foret said.
Organizers of the Ochsner Sports Agility Camps say their camp teaches youth athletes how to move properly, helping them to enjoy and excel in their respective sports. Sprinting, jumping, landing, bounding, start and stop and other sports movements are taught in the program.
“We work in three different planes: running, jumping, landing and cutting in different directions,” Romero explained of their program. “During the clinics we start with very basic techniques and progress them throughout the six-week program.”
The program also teaches basic body weight exercises athletes can perform later on their own, including push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges and body control exercises.
“For many kids, they use this as a springboard before getting into competition,” Foret said. “It’s almost like a training camp, but some do it to enhance their skills in competition, some do it to remain active.”
As head coach of the program, Romero has assembled a core team of capable sports trainers to run the program. Romero, who himself coached Hahnville High soccer for almost a decade, is a former Nicholls State football player and trained kickers for years before taking his current Ochsner position. His fellow sports trainers include LSU Exercise Science graduate Julius Medina, a former soccer athlete who specializes in working with elementary and middle school athletes. Another sports trainer many locals would recognize is St. Charles Parish native and Hahnville High standout athlete Brandon Singleton, who was a state track champion and later a collegiate wide receiver for Cal Berkley.
Romero had only positive comments to make regarding the recent Oschner and St. Charles Parish partnership that birthed this Sports and Agility clinic for St. Charles Parish youth athletes.
“The partnership with Saint Charles Parish Recreation Department has been amazing,” Romero said. “They have helped us grow our business while allowing us to work with kids in their community. We look forward to a continued program and hopefully expand what we can offer.”
Director Dwayne Foret says Parks and Recreation and Ochsner will look to offer additional shorter duration Sports Agility camps later in the year, commenting that their summer camps offered extended time for additional training versus other Sports Agility camps they will schedule later in 2023.
Parents of local youth athletes seeking more information on the Ochsner Sports Agility camps, or to register, can visit the St. Charles Parish Parks and Recreation website at www.scpparksandrec.com.
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