Girls get their gridiron game on in Bristol
BucksLocalSports Editor tho says girls can’t play football?
At Bristol Borough sports campsI girls CAN play football. Almost half the kids who signed up to participate in the camp are females.
Some boys in the borough say the girls can’t play.
“f came to the camp because f love football and f don’t get a chance to play that muchI” said hendell iewisI 12.
“The boys are always playing and they don’t let us xplay] because they say we CAN’T play.”
iewis likes learning the game at Bristol’s camp. Thus farI she’s learned how to set in offensive and defensive stances and the many formations used on the gridiron. fn a game of two-hand touchI she proved she can play by latching onto a pass thrown by an opposing quarterback and running it back for a touchdown.
Two other girls caught touchdowns thrown by their own team’s quarterback including Hailey SweeneyI 11I and hacie minelliI 10.
“dirls can playI tooI” stated Sweeney.
“She’s the best girl hereI” said Dylan l’NeillI of Sweeney. “She always plays football and kickball with us at recess.”
“f didn’t really wanna play footballI” admitted minelli. “But stillI f was happy f caught it and scored a touchdown.”
“f like sports camp because f get to get out of the houseI” said oachel helleyI 10. oachel particularly likes catching the ball and scoring touchdowns at the foot- ball camp though she’s yet to score six this week.
Hosted by the 21st Century Community iearning Center in cooperation with the United tay of Bucks CountyI the camp was directed this year by ieo
tol High School who’s just been appointed to coach the varsity Warriors.
“We have six stations set up in the morning that the kids rotate in and out of that teach them what they need to know to play in that spot,” said Plenski.
“We try to give the kids examples of every position Rn WKH IRRWBDLL fiHLG.”
“And this way, every kid gets a chance at every spot.”
Passing and kicking competition splinters off into a game of two-hand touch with the younger kids facing off in one game and the older ones doing battle in the other.
While 70-plus kids attended the recent camp in milder temperatures, there were 60some children participating in the hot summer heat on Wednesday, Aug. 8.
“This group is brave; they’ve been out here since 8:30 Ea.m.), said Plenski, an offensive tackle and longsnapper at Division I-AA Lafayette from 2005 to 2009.
Some campers didn’t mind Wednesday afternoon’s heat and humidity.
“If you keep on playing,” you don’t even notice that it’s hot out,” said Scott Trezise, 9.
Brian Doyle, 11, likes everything about the camp, but especially when he gets to play quarterback. He threw for four touchdowns in this year’s camp, he says.
Andrew Vera, 10, likes to run with the football and wants to be a running back someday, possibly at the high school level. At this year’s camp, he learned how to play defense, however.
Carter Kelley, 11, says he feels his hands are his best DVVHW Rn WKH IRRWBDLL fiHLG.
“When I see the ball coming my way, it just feels like nothing can ever get away from me,” he said.
“It’s a good experience for people who wanna learn different sports and how to play better,” said Parker Kelley, 13.
For some, football camp is tiring.
“They do a lot of different drills,” said uavier Corbin, 13. “They wore us out good.”
But camp is more than learning the physical aspects of the game.
“They teach a lot of stuff about being supportive of your teammates and having good spirit,” said Lucas Bogarde, 11.
Isaac Vera, 12, says it’s all about improving your skills. That’s important, says the pre-teen who has his eyes set on playing middle school football.
A few weeks ago however, he lined up with the girls at Bristol Borough football camp, brought to area youth with help from the Manto Sports Group.
And let’s face it guys, can’t be all that bad.
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