Coach Emily Bobb says not only does she want to see the 60 girls attending her Seymour Owls Sports Camps softball camp to improve their softball skills, and have fun, but she also wants them to work on their leadership qualities.

“This week our theme is leadership,” she said. “We talked about what being a leader is. We had a quote about leadership. We’re trying to teach leading by example, we lead with our actions, and we show people how to do things.”

The girls closed the camp Monday by participating in a relay. There were 10 girls on a team, and they had to run up and drop a ball in a pail and run back and high-five the next girls and she would do the same thing.

“There at the end (Monday) it was just a chance to really have some fun, be a leader by working hard, be a leader by listening, following directions, and just ending the night on a good note.”

The campers range from kindergarten through eighth grade. The camp will finish Wednesday.

Bobb said she and her high school helpers are teaching the younger campers the basics. “With them it’s mainly important to get the fundamentals down, to make sure were doing the correct approach to fielding the ball, stepping and throwing, moving their feet to get the ball, just getting them comfortable with having a glove on, using a softball, throwing a softball, catching a softball, things like that,” she said.

Monday was spent working on their fielding. On Tuesday the girls worked on their hitting, from hitting off a T, to bunting, to tossing them the ball in the batting cages.

“We definitely try to make it a little more challenging for the older girls, working on forehands and backhands, working on drop steps, on catching higher fly balls, things that are taking that next step after those fundamentals,” Bobb said.

She said she would like to add pitching in future camps.

Lilli Greathouse, who will be a fourth grader at Crothersville, said she attended the camp because, “I really like softball. This is my first year doing it so I want to learn more. I’m working on catching the ball, fielding, all that stuff.

“I like pitching. Pitching is my favorite thing. I pitch and play third base.”

She said she is playing in a Seymour league this summer. “We actually played here for our championship. We got second, but it was a really close game.”

Greathouse said she also plays basketball, volleyball and she runs cross country.

She said she is unsure how many other camps she will attend this summer.

Twins Taylor and Riley Williams, who are going into sixth grade in Seymour, are attending the camp. Both girls play on the same travel softball team out of Columbus. Sometimes they make up a battery with Taylor pitching and Riley catching, and sometimes they play side-by-side in the infield with Taylor at third base and Riley at shortstop.

Taylor said, “I’m working on my hitting and fielding. I like hitting, and I just like having fun.”

Riley said the reason she attended the camp is, “I like having fun and learning stuff. I like to hit the ball.”

The girls said they have played in tournaments in Columbus, Greenwood and Shelbyville, and are looking forward to more tournaments.

Both girls also play basketball and volleyball, and said they participate in sports to have fun.