Hampton Roads Youth Foundation Football Camp Highlights 2018. “HRYF” bring lessons to life and help to improve the lives of youth in the Hampton Roads community for over 22 years with volunteers that give back to their community.
At 8:00 am on July 14th, 2018, the Hampton Roads Youth Foundation hosted its twenty-second annual football camp for young athletes in the Hampton Roads at Christopher Newport University’s Pomoco Football Stadium. Coaches and athletes from all over the Hampton Roads district were present and active, excited to be part of the event. The camp provided athletes time to develop their skill, as well as interact with National Football League players like Michael Vick and B.W. Webb. A question-and-answer session in the auditorium provided many young athletes with insight and encouragement to put forth their best effort.
“I used to come to this camp about sixteen or seventeen years ago,” one spectator recalled with a grin. “It does a good job at making sure their skill sets get better.” Indeed, the athletes spent hours on the field, practicing their techniques, drills, and running exercises. Coaches from all over the district assisted with instructing and advising the players on building stamina and taking care of their bodies. “The biggest part of the day is in the auditorium where they do a Q&A session,” he continued. “You can ask questions like ‘what did it take for you to get here?’ and things like that. It touched me as a kid because these individuals came from the same place as I did. And now they are successful in one of the highest ways.”
The camp is spoken of highly due to its interactive nature and empowering curriculum. Thomas Reamon, the head football coach at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, said, “Just coming to the camp and hearing stories and the testament from these NFL players can be everlasting impressions as well as having the opportunity to athletically work on their skill. It’s a bond we’re attempting to create in the community. For twenty-two years, we’ve wanted to make that kind of imprint.” Reamon’s son now works as a recruiter for the New Orleans Saints and also attended the camp growing up.
I ran into an older woman who was spryly pursuing young players and encouraging them to put forth their best effort. I learned that her name was Ms. Webb, and that her son was the New York Giants’ B.W. Webb. Ms. Webb explained that she would bring her son to the camp when he was young, and now that he’s made it to the silver screen, she comes back to work with younger generations because she sees the value in what the camp teaches. “You can use football to learn the game, just like you learn a book.” She then emphasized the importance of education, just as the camp itself did. “As long as he had the grades, he could play any sport he wanted,” she recalled. “Before he could put his hands on the ball, his grades had to be right. That came first. Education had to balance it out.”
The camp was a success. Coaches went home satisfied with the results and athletes take life on, more confident in their abilities as football players and young men. The camp will likely see a twenty-third year next summer, with many new faces, but with the same fearless, determined potential.
