A hit for summer sports

With summer well under way, the Churchill County Parks and Recreation Department’s summer sports camps have taken off as a way for children and teens to stay active and enjoy sports during vacation.

This year’s calendar featured camps for tennis, soccer, football and volleyball. The tennis camp completed in June, and others are coming in July. There are also adult and community events going into August.

According to Danny Gleich, recreation supervisor for Parks and Recreation, their tennis camp went well. He said it was a strong year with 10 participants. The youths learned the rules and etiquette of the sport as well as had an opportunity to practice playing.

“Everyone had a blast,” Gleich said. “Everyone there was happy.”

Still to come in July are the youth football and soccer camps as well as the second session of the youth volleyball camp. All three camps will teach the participants the rules of the game and let them practice their skills.

Gleich said the first session for volleyball, which was held last week, went well. He said instructor Jen Buckmaster was happy with how the participants did.

The first volleyball camp had a good turnout with 22 participants. The second session runs July 25 to 27. Gleich said many of the same youths go to both sessions, but new people are always welcome.

The football and soccer camps kick off in mid and late July, respectively. The parks and recreation department has already received a number of signups for soccer, though not as many for football. Gleich added, however, this isn’t too unusual — historically, most participants sign up closer to the camp starting.

Also coming up is the Dust Devil Sprint Triathlon in August as well as the adult volleyball leagues. Gleich said the numbers for the events are looking good so far, and registration is still under way. The director noted they have a variety of participation for the triathlon with lots of people involved.

“Sometimes people are really excited about running events, but not so much for biking events,” he said. “We’ve seen our numbers stay pretty consistent … we’ve been pretty pleased with how the year’s gone.”

Overall, Gleich said the summer has been going well for their sports activities. He noted they have events right up to school starting in mid-August and hopes they will continue hosting strong numbers all the way through.

More information on upcoming county events can be found at the Parks and Recreation page of the Churchill County website or by calling the department at 775-423-7733.