By Randy Whalen

High schools routinely hold sports camps for their athletic programs during the summer. 

But the Joliet Township High Schools do something unique in the summer by hosting an all-sports youth camp between the two high schools. 

This summer's all-sports youth camp was another success. This one took place between Monday, July 8, and Thursday, July 11. It was open to any junior high students who reside in the Joliet High School District 204. The first two days were held at Joliet Central with the final two days at Joliet West. 

"It was a fun couple of days," Joliet Central Athletic Director Kevin Fitzgerald said following the opening two days. "Our coaches did a great job and we had 10 sports offered per day. We had our coaches and also student helpers and it went really smooth."

Most of the sports that are offered at the high schools were provided. But, due to a lack of close facilities, golf and swimming couldn't be coordinated for the camp. 

Everything else was done on campus, however. Except for baseball and softball, which were provided at nearby Duly Health and Care Field. 

"It's great because it focuses on students, not the student-athletes," Joliet Central boys' basketball coach Lawrence Thompson said. "It's a novel concept because it gives the kids an opportunity to see what they would like to do.

"We have our own basketball camps for junior high students and incoming freshmen. So we keep this one to drills and some game settings. But again it's great because it allows kids who might not know a sport to be able to see what they'd want to do."

Boys basketball was a success between the two schools last season as the Steelmen and Joliet West, which won a regional, combined for 40 wins.

With both morning and afternoon sessions, the kids were encouraged to try different sports and not stick with the same one all day.  

"They had the opportunity to do eight different sports if they'd like to," Fitzgerald said. "It was open to anyone in the district who is entering sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. 

"Lunch is provided. Because of the (rainy) weather (on Tuesday, July 9) we had to move soccer indoors. But our coaches did a great job of adjusting. We had a really great group and I was happy for the kids."

Transportation was also provided as school buses picked many children up at various preset locations throughout the district. The Wednesday and Thursday sessions at Joliet West had 250 in attendance on both days. Some more rainy weather had some outdoor sports stay indoors each morning. But they were back out for the afternoon sessions.

A successful sport at Joliet West has been boys' wrestling. This past season, a trio of Tigers wrestled on the final day at state with Carson Weber, placing third in Class 3A at 144 pounds. Weber will be a senior this season and his younger brother, Coehn, who just missed placing at state last winter, will be a sophomore. They both look to place this season as the elder Weber aims for a state title.

In the meantime, Tiger boys' wrestling coach Chuck Rumpf enjoyed perhaps having the future Weber brothers at camp.

"It was good," Rumpf said. "I'd say we had 40 kids total between the morning and afternoon sessions. We kept it at drills and got them some experience. 

"Some kids already had experience wrestling. But a lot of them were trying it for the first time and got that experience. The camp is great because kids can try a sport for the first time and it opens up young people to the possibilities in our schools. That's a cool thing."

In the past couple of years, volleyball has taken off at both Joliet schools. The Tiger girls have captured two straight sectional titles and registered a school record 36 wins last fall. The Joliet West boys team had also set a record with 30 victories this spring and both squads won Southwest Prairie Conference titles for the first time. 

So the seeds of success were there for those kids who tried volleyball. As with the other sports, some current athletes were helping out. Most importantly, they had fun.  

"The All Sports Camp was a blast," Joliet West boys' volleyball coach Tara Litwicki said. "We had large numbers for both morning and afternoon sessions. These kids were locked in, competitive, and learned a lot! 

The camp is a great opportunity for future Tigers and Steelmen to get a feel for all sports at our schools. They love being able to hang out with high school athletes who help teach them along the way!" 

Kevin O'Connell will take over as the girls' volleyball head coach at Joliet Central this fall. He guided the boys' team to 14 victories this spring, the most by a Steelmen team in years. O'Connell saw a great interest in the sport during the camp.

"The All Sports Camp for girls’ and boys’ volleyball was a success," he said. "We had about 80 junior high girls and 40 junior high boys attend the camp throughout the day. We worked on basic skills and played different games. The campers had a great time learning more about the sport, spending time with their friends, and meeting new people, including coaches and high school athletes! 

"The All Sports Camp is a great way for junior high students in the area to come into our schools, have the opportunity to choose different sports or activities, and learn from a variety of coaches. This camp brings awareness to our incoming students about the different opportunities they have when they come to high school. It also brings our community together!"

It's the third straight summer that Joliet Central and West put on the camp. It's been a success and will certainly continue. 

"It's a great event for our community. Joliet West Athletic Director Steve Millsaps said. "It's great to see our coaches interacting with the future JT athletes. The main goal is to get Joliet athletes on our campus to get familiar with our schools."