Athletics & Academics Camp Recap: Oakland

By Chris Navalta

Each year, Adonal Foyle's Athletics and Academics camp appears to outdo itself. What began as a two-day camp outdoors at a school in Oakland has now turned into a series of two-day camps held at various cities all over the Bay Area.

This year, the first installment of the camps reached another precedent. The camps have moved indoors, beginning in Oakland, where his first camp of the summer was held at the 24-Hour Fitness on June 19-20.

The camps continue to present an intimate setting, allowing Adonal and his staff to have valuable one-on-one time with each and every camper. And though the number of signups continues to grow, Adonal intends to continue giving quality time to his participants.

"Getting 60 kids to sign up for the first time, that is a very good number," Adonal said. "It really allowed us the opportunity to have a lot of one-on-one situations. What was more exciting for me was the academic component of the camps. We fully integrated sport psychology as part of the academic component. And that's what I wanted. I wanted that seamless transition of basketball tutelage and academics - but not in the traditional sense. I didn't want kids to think they would be doing math and English. For us, we teach non-traditional academic lessons - things you wouldn't learn in a school classroom."

Among the academic components in the camps was teaching campers how to check their heart rate while working out. Adonal and his staff also taught campers how to handle themselves while giving interviews. As kids grow up to become high school basketball players, they may asked to give interviews to anyone from the local TV station to the local newspaper.

"We taught them the art of the interview and what makes a good interview," Adonal said "We tried to put kids in front of the camera and give them a sense of calm and practice. A lot of kids are shy in front of a camera. At the same time, they may be in a situation where they may be interviewed for something. So, we wanted to let them know that they can relax and give a good interview at the same time. We taught them how to stay loose, how to answer questions. That was the second academic component of the camp, which I thought went really, really well."

Former Harlen Globetrotter Roy "Zazu" Byrd was also on hand to speak to the kids about reaching the top (when he made the Globetrotters), when he sank to the bottom (when he was released) and his journey to get back on his feet and make the transition away from sports.

"Those kinds of lessons are important because the kids tend to try and make a living out of sports alone," Adonal said. "And they have to know that for every athlete, who relies on sports as a way to earn a living, there is always an end in sight. And it's important for kids to understand that. So, I was very ecstatic with the quality of the camps this year. We have some really great teachers to help teach the basketball part of it."

Next stop for the Athletics and Academics camp is San Ramon, where Adonal and his staff will be at the 24-Hour Fitness on July 7-8.

There is still plenty of space in San Ramon. Cost is $100 per camper. If you are interested in taking in the Athletics and Academics experience, call (510) 465-5267 or log on to www.athleticsandacademics.com.