Four courts will be used to accommodate roughly 60 players at the seventh annual Four Corners Volleyball Camp on the campus of Mancos High School on Monday through Wednesday, June 27-29.
Mancos Lady Bluejays volleyball coach Ramona Shepherd is the camp director, and she will once again partner with Adams State College coach Lindy Mortensen for the three-day higher skills camp for grades six through 12. Mortensen, along with her assistant Amber Mortensen and three Grizzlies volleyball players, will oversee the camp.
We always look forward to going over to Mancos. Ive known Mona (Ramona Shepherd) for years. She has a good program, Lindy Mortensen said.
The athletes will be divided into four courts between the Mancos Performance Center and Historic Gym: higher skilled varsity, less experienced varsity and junior varsity, higher skilled middle school, and less experienced middle school and beginners.
We make sure that we teach every skill in volleyball. Mona has the younger kids in a separate gym, and we always put an experienced coach in that gym, Lindy Mortensen said. (Its) just so the young kids will feel not intimidated in an environment to learn. The top-two courts we try to keep pretty competitive.
Camp times will be 8 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 4 p.m. daily, except on Wednesday when it will be completed at 11:30 a.m. The cost has remained the same at $80, which is a price that Shepherd encourages young athletes to jump on considering many college camps charge $200 to $300 per athlete.
I can take my kids to camp anywhere. Every college has a camp, but you ought to see the prices, Shepherd said. Why cant I have the same thing here for the same price of $80? Its a great deal. Kids stay in their own house with their own affordable food for 80 bucks.
Shepherd and Lindy Mortensen have been friends for more than 20 years and the two developed a working relationship when Lindy Mortensen coached the Montezuma-Cortez Lady Panthers from 1996 to 2004, before taking the Adams State job in 2005. Thats when they decided to start the Four Corners Volleyball Camp.
When she (Lindy Mortensen) made that move to Adams, knowing that we have a lot of things in common, philosophies and things. I just thought, that if I can help do this (camp) to promote Southwest (Colorado) athletes and get other schools active and if we all improve, the state has got to notice somebody, Shepherd said. The camp has always been great for my kids.
The Mancos volleyball team has advanced to the state tournament five of the last six years.
Since 2005, the camp has grown from less than the minimum of 24 campers to 55 last year. Shepherd expects around 60 or more this year.
As the years have progressed and the word has gotten out, other schools have gotten to realize, that, I dont need it just for us, Shepherd said about the camp welcoming campers from all areas.
Kids have signed up for this years camp from Dolores, Cortez and Dove Creek, in addition to Mancos. Shepherd hopes to see the Four Corners Volleyball Camp eventually bring in athletes from all four states.
For more information about the Four Corners Volleyball Camp, please contact Shepherd at 560-1411.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at [email protected].
