Junior Rams Camp the biggest in Canada

By Greg Urbanoski

Slowly but surely, the University of Regina Rams Junior Rams Camp has become one of the biggest and best of its type in Canada.

The camp, which wrapped up August 6, attracted 189 football players from ages 10-14 who wanted to further develop their football skills. The Camp, presented by McDonald’s Canada and Western Cycle Source for Sports, saw Rams players and coaches join forces with coaches from Regina Minor Football, to provide instruction for four days, culminating with a game scrimmage where everyone got a chance to play.

“This is one of the biggest football schools in Saskatchewan, if not in Canada,” said Scott MacAulay, Rams marketing director and organizer of the school.

“We were really happy and the kids were thrilled that the Investors Group, one of our major sponsors, brought out (Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback) Kerry Joseph to talk to the kids about dedication and conviction as being important to achieving their goals.”

MacAulay said the camp, which has grown quite a bit over the last three years, was successful due to the work of volunteers and coaches. He said Ram volunteers helped ensure a steady supply of water to keep the players hydrated in the heat, were owed a great deal of thanks for helping make the camp a success.

“We also had a lot of help from guys like Dan Tonge of Winston Knoll High School, Bernie Schmidt and Paul Dawson of the Rams who were really instrumental,” said MacAulay. “We had two trainers and four equipment people out there who were making sure the kids were safe and ready to perform at their best.”

The Junior Rams Camp is another way the University of Regina Rams is working to build bridges in the community. In addition to sponsors McDonald’s Canada and Western Cycle Source, the Rams worked with Notre Dame College in Wilcox who provided information on their school in a flyer the Rams sent out seeking registration for the Junior Rams camp.

“I talked to dozens of parents and we got nothing but glowing reviews for this camp,” said Rams Head Coach Frank McCrystal.

“I think we have to appreciate the numbers in this camp, with 40 coaches, we had a coach to player ratio of 1-5, so players were either learning or doing, they were not standing around. People should compare that ratio to something like hockey to appreciate the specialized instruction the kids receive at the camp.”

The camp attracted 130 players last year, but with the increasing popularity of Regina Minor Football and football as a sport across Saskatchewan, the numbers interested in getting better at camps like the Rams is likely to continue,

“I think we are going to see growth at this minor camp spill over into our high school football camp,” said MacAulay. “There are a lot of people interested in playing football and a lot who want to get better and we want to help them.”

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