Sports Camp doesn’t just benefit the participants

The annual Summer Youth Sports Camp is back in the swing of things this year, and the camp volunteers are getting as much out of the program as the children enrolled. All of the volunteers have their own reasons for entering the program, but the overall feeling of satisfaction derived from teaching the children is shared by them all.

Joseph Aguon wasn’t planning on becoming a part of the camp until he heard through a friend that there was going to be a paddling class. Aguon is a first year volunteer, but has been paddling for eight months now and thought this would be a good opportunity for him.

“I got involved the night before it started because of the outrigger, and it was a good thing too because I can steer and there was only one other guy that could,” said Aguon.

Joe Fitial is an 18-year-old senior at Kagman High School, and became involved in paddling only four days ago. This is his first year in the program, but like the others he sees the benefits of educating local youths about activities to which they might not normally have the opportunity to be exposed.

“It’s fun and it keeps me out of trouble. It is especially fun for the kids because they get to try out all different kinds of sports,” said Fitial.

The children engage in a variety of activities between the hours of 8:30am and 11:30 am. During the first week, children in the program had the chance to learn about music, dancing, weaving, bead making, swimming and canoeing. When they show up for the camp tomorrow, the children get to discover the finer points of golf, baseball, basketball, and martial arts.

Alvie Sanchez is a junior at Kagman High School and has been a volunteer with the program for the past three years. Though she is not sure if her career path will take her into the field of counseling or architecture, she knows that as long as she spends her summers in Saipan that she’ll be willing to volunteer.

“When you first start out, the kids are shy and are resistant to the program, but at the end the kids are very close to you. It really helps their communication,” said Sanchez.

First year volunteer, 14-year-old Shawn Mendiola also enjoys working with the kids, saying that “They’re cool and they are fun to hang around with.”

According to the volunteers, they didn’t know of any camp of this kind available when they were younger, but they would have definitely joined if there were.

When asked to describe the sports camp, 16-year-old Mike Romolor of Kagman High School said, “Fun, pure fun. I mean, just the thought of having fun playing sports and getting paid at the same time—and you get to help the kids. It’s a good program to have.”

If you are interested in more information about the 2004 Summer Youth Sports and Day Camp, contact Elias Rangamar by calling 664-2503/8 or Benilyn Mettao at 664-2550.