ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, June 5, 1996 TAG: 9606050023
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Community Sports
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
``Frustration'' and ``boredom'' are but a couple of words high school athletes may occasionally toss about once school ends and there are no more games to play.
Some athletes find summer months without the constant action and excitement of competition to be all but devoid of life.
For those who would rather work on their game rather than in restaurants and department stores, a popular choice is one of the many summer athletic camps. Camps sponsored by colleges and universities as well as by athletic-clothing manufacturers such as Converse and Nike offer young people a range of choices.
Athletes in the New River Valley don't have far to travel if a camp is in their summer plans. Both Virginia Tech and Radford University offer a variety of camps including baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball. Tech, in addition, offers football camp.
Radford women's basketball coach Lubomyr Lichonczak views the summer camps as an excellent opportunity for players to benefit from the experience of a collegiate coaching staff.
"You want to try to accomplish several things with your camps," Lichonczak said. "Most importantly, you provide your expertise to the campers. Our job is to help kids who want to become better players. We're trying to help them fulfill a dream by making them stronger in different aspects of the game."
That opinion is shared by Tech football administrative assistant Chris Robinson.
"I think one of the really big draws here at the Tech football camp is the opportunity for players to learn from a quality coaching staff," Robinson said. "We've seen a rise in the number of kids we've had over the last couple of years because of the success we've had on the field. A good number for us is 300-350 kids."
Lichonczak, whose Lady Highlander teams have enjoyed success as well with three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, said providing instruction, not turning a profit, remains the No.1 goal of his camps.
"We're not like the camps at North Carolina or Indiana where the coaches make thousands of dollars," Lichonczak said. "It is our viewpoint that we're here to provide a service for the community. We have a really fun atmosphere in which to learn. We have kids that are repeat players at the camps. They keep coming back because they have fun and learn."
Most camps are divided into team and individual formats so players can develop the one-on-one and group skills necessary in sports. Lichonczak has gone so far as to offer camps that focus solely on shooting and position play.
"We've broken our camp down into several areas because I feel it's difficult for a player to learn a lot of different skills in a week," Lichonczak said. "It works out better for the kids if you concentrate on just one aspect of the game."
One of the challenges for camp organizers is to find ways to make them fit into tight family budgets.
"It's become really difficult to keep camps like these affordable. That's one reason we've gone to the three-day weekend camp format," Lichonczak said. "In areas like this, sometimes people may have a hard time affording to send kids to the traditional six-day, Sunday to Friday camps."
Robinson said the Tech camp is one of the best values around.
"Our camp costs $205 for overnight campers and $125 for day campers, but when you compare that to other camps, ours still costs less," Robinson said. "Insurance and other factors have driven costs up a little, but we're still a great value for the kids who come here."
Lichonczak's camps start Friday at Radford's Dedmon Center and run through the summer. Tech football camp runs July 14-17 and is held on the Blacksburg campus.
These two are but a sampling of what may be had at Tech and Radford. Contact the athletic departments at Radford (831-6246) and Tech (231-6726) for more information.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 linesby CNB