Willie Nickson, 9, center, runs a drill with coach Anthony Jackson, right, during the Dream Chasers Elite football camp at Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, Saturday. About 300 children and teens between the ages of 6 and 18 took part in the free camp. (Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic)
FAIRFIELD — The pursuit of dreams is an unending chase.
For young football players, those dreams might exist in front of their eyes on a TV screen each Saturday and Sunday every fall. For the grown men who have seen those dreams become a reality, a new life dream might be to help those young athletes realize the same dream-filled reality they themselves have lived.
That was the case Saturday during the second annual Dream Chasers Elite football camp at Rodriguez High School.
The camp, organized by former Vanden High School standout Demetrius Crawford with assistance from Javan Williams, a former star athlete at Rodriguez High School, hosted more than 200 children and teens between the ages of 6 and 18, all of whom took advantage of the camp’s unbeatable price – free.
“It was kind of overwhelming when I pulled up to see how many kids we had,” said Crawford, the camp’s organizer.
The inaugural camp was hosted in conjunction with the Junior Mustangs’ football program, with funds going to help support the youth program. This year, Williams said, without a benefactor partner, he and Crawford decided to offer the camp free of charge in order to reach as many interested children and teens as possible.
“The more kids we can get to come be inspired and motivated, the better,” Williams said.
That mission was accomplished, with players from all four Fairfield high schools turning up, as well as several players trekking to the camp from Vacaville and other surrounding areas.
The free price tag was part of the lure, but Crawford, who is a trainer for some of the Bay Area’s top professional athletes, attracted even more people to the program through those connections.
“That’s going to be the goal from here on out, to keep it a free camp,” Crawford said.
Several camp coaches played professionally in the NFL, the CFL or played at the Division I college level, including Dante Marsh, Cameron Morrah, Rashad Ross, Desmond Bishop and Tramaine Brock.
While football was a focus, the main intent for many of the coaches was to share tips on how to succeed in life.
“We all had to start somewhere,” said Marsh, an Oakland native. “For those of us who quote-unquote made it, I think it’s our duty to come give back not only with the game but with life skills, as well.”
Free sports camps are an exceptional rarity and to host one in Fairfield is a great benefit in a town where the heritage of success isn’t what it once was, said Morrah, who now lives in Fairfield.
“You don’t see it too often where guys that played in the NFL come back and do stuff like this, especially in Fairfield, so this is big,” Morrah said.
Crawford agreed. “All of the people that came out and supported us is something we really needed here in Solano County. With everything that’s gone on lately, it’s important for the kids to have something like this.”
Echoing Marsh’s sentiments about the camp spilling over into life success, Morrah borrowed from prominent sociologist Harry Edwards, saying, “Make every statement a resume statement because you never know who’s watching. You never know what opportunities are going to open up.”
As rare as it is for a free sports camp to exist, so too is the opportunity to interact with professional athletes for children and teens who couldn’t otherwise afford to do so. Major sports stars often host camps of their own but those camps also come with more than just a mild price tag.
Learning the lessons of hard work and technique mastery that open a path to a professional league is one thing, but learning how to deal with adversity and tribulations on and off the field is equally important for the camp’s coaches.
It wasn’t completely lost on many of the coaches that the camp coincides with a great period of tension in the nation after events in Minneapolis, Baton Rouge and Dallas. The opportunity to bridge a divide was paramount for many of them.
“There isn’t a village raising a child anymore,” Marsh said. “I was fortunate enough to have a lot of positive, black male role models showing me the right way. That’s missing right now. A lot of those programs I had are gone now.”
That’s largely where the impetus for the camp grew, to show the campers there is a method and process to achieving success. Few coaches could drive that point home, however, better than Bishop, who, like many of the campers, grew up in Fairfield.
“It’s always good to show kids positive role models,” Bishop said. “I think it will resonate with them. Being real, tangible people they can touch and talk to is always important to their success, not just in football but in life.”
As much as the coaches were intent on helping the campers pursue their own dreams, there was a strong sense that the coaches themselves were getting something affirming, as well.
“It’s a blessing,” Williams said. “To even be in a position to be able to give back like this, it’s a real blessing.”
Via: dailyrepublic.com
