CRESTVIEW — A rainy Monday didn’t dampen participants’ enthusiasm during last week’s Crestview Bulldog Baseball Camp. But then again, it was only one day of rain.
The camp was forced inside to the Crestview High School field house, but it returned outside to sunny and warm conditions Tuesday and Wednesday.
Photo gallery >>> Crestview Bulldog Baseball Camp
Bulldog baseball coach Tim Gillis and his players taught the game’s finer points to about 60 campers.
"It's been great," he said following Tuesday's session. "The kids have had a lot of fun. We've all had fun. It's been a little hot … but that's the way we like it.”
Monday's inside session focused on hitting. Tuesday’s session included a mix of hitting and throwing. Wednesday’s lesson included fielding and base running using a Slip and Slide.
Gillis was impressed with many of the youngsters.
"I think, for young guys, a lot of them are pretty polished," he said. "There are some things we work on that will kind of enhance what they've got.
"They listen pretty good, and that makes it fun."
Not long ago, Crestview sophomore Corey Armstrong was attending the camp. Now he's enjoying taking his turn as an instructor.
"It's a good feeling, being able to help the kids learn about baseball," he said. "It teaches a lot of fundamentals in fielding and hitting that will help make them better players."
Gillis said that while the camp helps him identify future players, he knows most of the 60 or 70 campers in any given year will never suit up for the Bulldogs.
His goal is to make the game he loves as enjoyable as possible for campers, no matter how long they play.
"Ultimately, we are trying to have fun, and the camp is great for our community," he said.
Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Camp seeks to keep baseball fun (photo gallery)