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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 4, 2004 Sports program provides alternative for area youths By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Almost three decades ago, a professor at then-Southern Oregon College, sent off a grant request to the National Youth Sports Program. The funding Burt Merriman secured back in 1976 from a community-service block grant started the initial summer youth sports camp at the college. Across the United States, NYSP divides $16 million to fund camps on 200 college campuses in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The only other program in Oregon exists at Portland State University, where it's in its eighth year. Merriman ran Southern's camp until he retired in 1988. Now in it's 29th year at SOU, the NYSP has blossomed into a five-week camp with a budget of $105,000 to serve 400 Rogue Valley youth. "[Merriman] saw it as a great way to get our faculty and staff involved in the community and keep kids active," said Tom Powell, a coach and professor at SOU who has been involved in the NYSP program for 19 years and now heads the endeavor. The program at Southern, sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, aims to bring children ages 10-16 from economically disadvantaged families to a college campus for a combination of education and physical activity. Everything, from transportation to meals to physical exams to equipment, is free for participants. "The idea behind the camp is to get kids on a college campus, to encourage them to continue their education and to use sports to fill their leisure time," Powell said. "It's also a great opportunity to work with our college coaches and area high school coaches. [Participants] get excellent instruction." The five-week day camp introduces kids to tennis, golf, track and field, softball, flag football, soccer, basketball and swimming. Participants work through four sessions a day, one of which is an educational time that focuses on drugs and alcohol, career opportunities, nutrition, personal hygiene and conflict resolution. Local coaches teach each event area, while SOU students act as group leaders and mentors to participants. In fact, five of the 27 NYSP staff members at Southern went through the program as youth. "I enjoy it for the most part, teaching the kids some of the basics of track and field," SOU physical education professor and head track and field coach Mike Jones said. Jones got involved in the program in the late 1970s as an undergrad at Southern and has been a part of the program, on and off, ever since. "I just want to pass along some of my experience. It's just a way to expose them to the sport," Jones said. "I enjoy teaching them some of the events and watching them improve." Although the SOU athletic department devotes a lot of time and energy to the NYSP camp, the whole community lends a hand in making the camp successful year after year. Volunteers go door-to-door, recruiting participants from as far away as Central Point, Medford, Phoenix and Talent. Area doctors and nurse practitioners donate time to help with physical exams. Bus drivers come back year after year. And Powell looks forward to the frantic coordination of a five-week day camp like others view a relaxing summer vacation. "It's the highlight of my year," Powell said. "I love working with the kids. It's just a real joy. With national obesity rates and low activity levels, it's great to have kids get out for four hours a day." The NYSP camp begins June 14 at 8:45 a.m. Camp applications are still being accepted. For more information, contact Tom Powell at 552-6866. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams