The Pittsburgh Flag Football League’s participation in the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Summer Dreamers Academy began on June 27 and next week is the last week of the summer program. In their 6-week crash course, campers learned the game of flag football, in terms of knowledge and skills, were taught valuable lessons such as sportsmanship and respect.
Each of the three camp locations has a PFFL Coordinator assigned to it, along with coaches and referees. The camp coordinators serve as overseers and organizers. Their job is to make sure things run smoothly at each location, assign daily tasks, and even fill in as a coach or referee here and there as needed.
Devin Swain Camp Carmalt Site Coordinator
Devyn Swain, the coordinator at Camp Carmalt, feels the camp has been a great experience for the kids involved. He says the kids truly look forward to coming to play flag football at the end of the day.
Camp King’s coordinator, Zach Troy, describes how the environment of the camp really changed from Week 1.
Zach Troy Camp King Site Coordinator
“The first couple of days were really chaotic. The kids didn’t want to listen or play football. But going into Weeks 2 and 3, the campers began to listen and show teamwork, commitment, and sportsmanship. I think a lot of them were unsure at first (about flag) but I’d say now 95% are excited to play every day and love it.”
Troy adds that a lot of kids have really improved on the basic skills of flag football, like catching and throwing, over the course of the camp.
Dennis “Shor D” Wolford, coordinator at University Prep, believes the kids are also learning more than just the game of flag football.
“Besides the football skills, I feel these kids have learned teamwork and fellowship, learning to root each other on. I think the coaches have done a good job teaching them how to be losers – how to handle themselves when they win and when they don’t.”
Dennis "Shor D" Wolford Camp Uprep Site Coordinator
Wolford says coaching has been a key not only for the players but to the camps’ success as well. He feels the coaches add another level of competition and are really helping each kid find what works best for him or her. He enjoys seeing them interact, have fun, and be excited about the game of football.
However, all three of the coordinators have one thing in common when it comes to their expectations for this weeks playoffs: competition, competition, and more competition.
