For the past nine years, Mr. Chuck Rypstra, teacher and coach of the junior varsity boys basketball team, has put on a basketball camp for the fourth, fifth and sixth grade boys. Each year, the boys that wish to participate in the camp show up every Saturday at 10 a.m. to work on specific skills, compete in competitions, and play games against each other. However, Mr. Rypstra is not the only one who runs the camp. He is aided by eighth grade boys basketball coach Mr. Mike Schanhals as well as five players from the varsity and junior varsity teams. Those players are myself, Greg Sischo, Graham Preston, Spencer Krannitz and Curtis Taylor.

"It’s real nice to have those guys up there to help out. They make my job a lot easier and the little kids really look up to them, so it’s good to have them there to help those guys out and make it more exciting for them," Mr. Chuck Rypstra said.

Throughout the camp, the varsity players are very busy; they help run stations focusing on specific skills, like dribbling, passing, shooting, and making a lay-up. They also keep score for the campers while they compete in different competitions that test their ability to do things such as shooting, and making lay-ups. At the end of the day the campers are divided into teams and get a chance to play against each other. The varsity players contribute as referees.

"Camp is very fun, I like it because I get to compete against my friends in games and competitions. It really helps me get better for my basketball season and get good at different skills. I also like having the big guys there

because they help us a lot and we get to throw basketballs at them," sixth grader Joe Osborn said.

However, Saturday is not the only day that the younger kids get to play. Mr. Rypstra has set up two dates where they will play during the half time of the junior varsity, and varsity games. The fourth and fifth grade player’s play at the half time of the (JV), and the sixth grade plays at the half time of the varsity basketball game.

"The camp is a great thing for the youth players, it’s a nice way for them to touch up on their skills before their real seasons start," junior Graham Preston said.

These varsity players are role models for the younger and up coming basketball players.

They are setting a good example and illustrating how players should not only play, but also act on the court.