Sports Camp Steps Game Up

With a collective cheer, eager day campers scattered across the fields behind Concord-Carlisle High School. A few dozen to the baseball diamonds, a few more to the softball field and some to the lacrosse field.

Bob Starensier had just concluded his morning pep talk and sent the campers off for another sports-filled day.

This is the 28^th year Starensier has put on his Star Camps week-long sports camps. Open to all children ages 6-15, Star Camps offer athletes of all ability levels the opportunity learn and play a number of different sports.

"We're trying to bring sports back to what it should be, which is kids having fun," Starensier said.

Starensier is also director of athletics at the Fenn School. He started Star Camps in 1983 and has held them at CCHS for much of that time.

This week is the third of four week-long sessions. Sports offered to campers this week are baseball and softball, boys' and girls' lacrosse and boys' basketball.

On Wednesday, athletes, decked out in an array of colored T-shirts bearing the Star Camps logo, received instruction on their specific sport and played in scrimmaged games. Camp staff, which consists of local coaches and college players, ran campers through drills and refereed while offering tips on how to properly swing a bat or take a lacrosse faceoff.

Starensier's reason for starting up Star Camps is simple.

"Our goal is to teach kids the sports that they love," he said. "And to enjoy it and have fun with it."

A strong belief of Star Camps is to give every kid a chance to play, Starensier said. And that has proved especially true this year.

With the economy still lagging and unemployment rates holding steady, some parents found it difficult to come up with the $375 for full-day sessions ($275 for half day). So Star Camps stepped in and has awarded $20,000 in scholarships this summer, Starensier said.

There's one catch. The campers have to want to be there, he said.

"That's the world we live in now," Starensier said of giving out the scholarships. "No child is ever going to get denied camp.

"I love sports and I want to give kids the opportunity to play in an atmosphere that's enjoyable, that's fun, that's positive and will really help them grow."

That didn't seem to be a problem this week. There was hooting and hollering on the lacrosse field with each goal, cheering from the sideline of the baseball diamond and words of encouragement for a young camper swinging a softball bat for the first time.

In fact, the only hint of shyness came when campers had their individual photos taken. Of course, that was only after taking a break for water and Freeze Pops.

"It's great," Star Camps boys' lacrosse coach Nat Carr said. "It's great for the kids to have some fun and play a little lax."