Rain or shine, the athletes won’t get denied an opportunity to get better.

This week, the Seymour High School football program is hosting a four-day camp for kids from third to sixth grade at Bulleit Stadium.

On Tuesday, the inclement weather didn’t stop them. They just moved everything to the Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.

Seymour’s first-year varsity football coach, Mike Kelly, is directing the camp, which ends Thursday, with the help from his assistants and players.

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“We’re working on the fundamentals of football,” Kelly said. “We’re teaching them every position on the football field. My belief is that you can’t tell where a kid is going to play as a third-grader. They’re learning all the stances for all positions and building off that. We’re teaching proper footwork, tackling, receiving — all the basics.”

When outside, the campers are suiting up.

“We do pro pads in practice,” Kelly said. “We didn’t (Tuesday) because the weather kept us inside. They’re all wearing Seymour football camp jerseys, helmets and shoulder pads. We’re teaching them how to block and tackle with helmets and pads. We’re getting them used to having it all on, which is helpful, as well.”

While some camps emphasize live games, Kelly prefers to focus on perfecting the little, essential parts of the game.

“The camp is set up to be more drill-based,” Kelly said. “At the end of the day, it’s more games. We want to make it fundamental but also fun at the same time. The final 20 minutes are games, and the rest is drills. We also do special teams, which I think is a big deal. We’re trying to get all phases of the game in here.”

A total of 27 kids signed up for the camp, but Kelly wants more participation in the future.

“Part of it for me is figuring out the best time to facilitate camp,” Kelly said. “It’s still a learning process, and maybe we can change it up a little bit to have a bigger turnout. Once I get a little more involved with the youth league, I think those numbers will change drastically.”

Incoming fifth-grader Mitchell Mellencamp said he’s learning a lot at camp.

“We’re working on our skills on football and doing skills to get better,” Mellencamp said. “I like the (quarterback) station. You get to learn what the QB does and different plays. You learn routes and things like that, working on three-step drops.”

Bret Perry, an incoming sixth-grader, likes working with the guys he sees under the Friday night lights.

“They’ve been where we are,” Perry said of the high school players. “They have a lot of experience. I want to be on the varsity team one day.”

Kelly said that having the high school players help is important for building for the future.

“We tell the high school kids that it’s a great opportunity to sell our program,” Kelly said. “Those kids coming up idolize them. They see the impact they have on these youngsters, which is important. I challenge them to encourage and get to know the kids because they’re going to be in the stands come game day because you got to know them in July.”

Kelly said the kids attending camp all are involved in the Seymour Youth Area Football League.

SAYFL, a nonprofit youth development program, has operated since 2014.

“The SAYFL has done a great job of building the program,” Kelly said. “There’s a core group of guys that understand the importance of the youth league and how that improves our high school team because of that. I appreciate everything they do.”

The SAYFL will conduct its annual two-day combine Aug. 15 and 16 to determine its teams for the season.

Information on the SAYFL can be found at sayfl.org.