Youth Camp Teaches Lessons

The footballs were flying around the Ravens' indoor fieldhouse last Saturday. With shrill whistles stopping and starting sessions, people were bumping into practice dummies and consuming gallons of Gatorade.

But with training camp nearly one month away, there were no professional players in sight, as the team hosted the Ravens Rookie Youth Football Camp for 200 area children.

Boys and girls ranging from 6-years-old to 14-years-old enjoyed a day of instruction on the basics of football from local coaches, a group headed by Maryland chair of NFL Youth Football Tom LaNeve.

Speaking with vocal chords that could double as a megaphone, LaNeve led the kids from drill to drill, taking time during breaks to also stress life lessons that he said were just as important as the football.

"That's really why I do this," he said. "It's about the kids and having fun."

Fun was in no short supply. After participating in drills like running receiver routes and closing in on a running back, the 200 participants split up into separate teams for 12-consecutive games of flag football.

Of course, just because the Ravens minicamps weren't in session didn't mean that the players' work in the community was done. In a special appearance, running back Musa Smith and return specialist B.J. Sams joined the group to sign some autographs and hold a question-and-answer session around lunchtime.

There, the toughest questions dealt with how much money they made, how long they wanted to play football, and if Smith and Sams could say hello to Ray Lewis for them.

According to Damone Jones, the Ravens youth marketing and promotions coordinator, the event has exponentially grown from a modest 25 children over the span of two years. He attributes much of the success to the commitment from the Ravens and LaNeve.

"Coach Tom does a phenomenal job both engaging the kids and teaching them," Jones affirmed. "We appreciate his message about life off the field.

"This year, the camp went at smoothly as possible, and that's a tribute to everyone - the coaches and the team - involved."

That message was expertly related to the children, who crowded around the coach for a final thought at the end of the day. Holding a football, LaNeve pointed to the four panels that could not be held together without the laces running down the middle.

"Those laces are your parents," boomed LaNeve, as he was surrounded by the group of guardians that had come to pick up their kids. "There is nothing more inspiring than watching your parents carry you through life."

No matter how accomplished the Ravens Rookies were coming in to the Youth Football Camp, it's pretty certain that they left with more knowledge in football and life. On a day with spirited competition from start to finish, there were no losers - only winners.