Seymour hosts youth football camp at Bulleit Stadium

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At Seymour High School’s football camp, kids had the opportunity to try out all of the different positions in the game.

Campers, ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade, took to the turf at Bulleit Stadium to learn and improve on their skills Monday through Wednesday.

Seymour varsity football coach Mike Kelly, his staff, and players, went through drills and games to teach the game.

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Kelly said he has all of the kids try different positions for a reason.

“You never know what a kid is going to be become,” Kelly said. “You don’t really know how they will mature, so I want to give them access to everything that football has to offer. I don’t want to put them in a lane and tell them they will be a quarterback, linebacker, or receiver.”

Above all else, Kelly made sure the kids are learning the fundamentals.

“I think one of the most frustrating things to do as a football coach is to watch a team not in a fundamental stance” he said. “We taught stances for every position on the field. We then worked on the first progression out of that stance.”

Cameron Carpenter, an incoming fifth-grader at Cortland Elementary, said he attended camp because he loves football.

“I love playing and I wanted to learn more about it,” Carpenter said. “I worked on getting better at everything. I loved doing the drills. I liked using the pads and hitting them. I liked punting, too.

Emerson Elementary third-grader Max Payne said it was his second time attending the camp.

“I thought it was fun and stuff,” he said. “My favorite part is playing flag football (at the end). My favorite drill was the punting. I liked working with the (high school kids). I want to play here one day. I want to come back next year because it will be fun.”

Kelly said he is encouraged the kids to stay active this summer and play multiple sports.

“It seems like in this day and age we have a motivation to move towards a single sport,” he said. “My goal is to try and get our kids to believe they can play every sport. In most cases, the best high school athletes are multi-sport athletes.

Most teams that have success are successful across the board at a school. It helps them learn to compete, keep a schedule and be coached. I tell them at this camp I want them to be basketball and baseball players because it will make them better athletes.”

Seymour Area Youth Football League is currently registering interested incoming third through sixth-graders. Kelly said a flag football league will also open registration soon.

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