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EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University/YMCA summer sports camps kicked off this week with the annual volleyball camp for kids from fourth to 12th grade with 37 kids involved in the festivities this year.

The Beacon Volleyball Camps are broken into two sessions, a morning frame for fourth through eighth graders and an afternoon camp for high schoolers. 2009, however, marked a big change for the NCU volleyball camp, as a new focus was placed on 4th-8th grade opportunities in the morning and two afternoon high school aged sections.

Camp director and NCU head women’s volleyball coach Mike Gaffaney said, “Our goal for the 4th through 8th grade levels is to let them have a great experience. We want them to have fun, learn and become better volleyball players then when they came in.”

For high schoolers, the afternoon camp is split into two sessions, an all-skills camp and a position-specific experience for those looking to refine their volleyball skills. “We feel it’s very important for our camp to be able to reach out to high school players and introduce them to NCU,” said Gaffaney. “We have a 3:1 player-to-coach ratio, which allows players to not only receive a lot of individual attention, but they also get to interact closely with the NCU coaches and players.”

This level of focus is intended to give high school aged players the opportunity to not only greatly improve their skills, but to make connections with members of the team. Both veteran NCU players and incoming freshmen put on their coaching hats and provided hands-on instruction throughout the week. Gaffaney said, “The best part of camps for me is to see our players working with these young students. They offer so much knowledge and real experience, and they are the reason that we are able to build lasting relationships in the community, creating fans for life.”

The NCU/YMCA summer sports camps continue throughout the summer with boys basketball, girls basketball and soccer camps. For more information, visit GoBEACONS.com/camps.