Summer fun with the Rush at the BMO Kids Lacrosse Camp

by Bruce Rakoczy

Edmonton, AB --It was hard to tell who was having more fun -- the instructors or the campers.

That was an observation at the Edmonton Rush practice facility at the Leduc Recreation Centre as Rush players hosted the BMO Kids Lacrosse Camp this week.

There was an abundance of smiles on both the campers and instructors' faces as the National Lacrosse League club held their kids summer camp for field and box lacrosse players in Leduc featuring Rush stars Jimmy Quinlan, Brodie Merrill, Gavin Prout and Ryan Ward as the main instructors.

The Rush foursome guided the 90 campers through lacrosse fundamentals and skills as well as drills, exercises and games, both indoors on the carpet and outside on natural turf.

"The big thing here is getting the kids out and teaching them the right way the game should be played and teaching the kids how fun the game of lacrosse can be," said local product Quinlan. "It's our way giving back to the game that's given us so much."

Players, ranging from ages 5-16, were put through the paces by the Rush stars as the club hosted the off-season camp for the fifth year, teaching the basics of the game and the enjoyment of lacrosse to another crop of youngsters.

"My favourite thing is seeing the kids," Quinlan added. "The kids are happy to be here on the floor learning from you. Overall, it's a tremendous experience for us all."

Quinlan, a veteran of Rush camps, was also pleased to see returnees from previous camps as well as many new campers from Edmonton's outlying area.

"Being in Leduc, we're starting to see many new faces from the smaller communities," said the Sherwood Park Titans product. "We're seeing players coming from Leduc, Beaumont and Ponoka. It's nice being able to offer the players something they can't get in their own communities."

"It's a lot of fun and we've had a great group of kids," said all-world player Merrill. "A group that's relatively new to the game, really hungry to learn and have been really receptive to our coaching."

The interaction between the two sides should leave a lasting impression on the young players as the professional stars combined the valuable teaching of fundamentals and the elements of fun at the camp.

"We want to make sure we're creating a fun environment for the campers, but we also want to make them better players and develop their skill and it's been a success," said Merrill, who recently represented Canada at the field World Championship in England. "It's been fun working with Jimmy, Gavin and Ryan and the kids have been great. We're having a lot of fun."

Sure looked like it, too.