Pro football stars to help at summer clinic
FARMINGTON – For kids, two weeks can feel like an eternity.
For local students like Justin Richards and Drew Blanchet, who have 11 days to wait until they get to play football with some of their heroes, these next two weeks might well feel like forever.
On Friday, June 23, the boys are going to Waterville to participate in the Central Maine Youth Football Clinic, where they’ll get to practice drills with the likes of Patriots great Ty Warren.
Blanchet, 11, took part in the clinic last summer, and said Monday he is “very excited” about going next weekend. “It’s real fun. It’s great for people who play football, but even if you don’t play football, it’s really enjoyable because you get to practice pre-season with the pro players,” he said.
Camp organizer Whitney Draper said last week his clinic stands out from most others like it for the reasons Blanchet described. “It’s basically not your average clinic,” Draper said.
Along with former Patriots star Ray Hamilton, Draper says he organizes the clinic to be welcoming to all sorts of kids. Girl or boy, those with football experience and those without, even handicapped kids are encouraged to come out and play with the stars.
“It’s a fun thing, and it’s unique,” Draper said. “There’s no embarrassment here at all – no child is singled out” if he or she has trouble with a drill. And if a participant does get down, as often happens at sports clinics, “the players put their arm around them and talk to them. It’s very unique because it’s one-on-one,” Draper said.
Blanchet raved about his experience last summer for the very things Draper described. “What I like best about it is the coaching, because they don’t really push you that hard, but they make it fun and enjoyable for you, because it doesn’t matter who you are,” he said.
Next Friday will be 10-year-old Justin Richards’ first time getting to play football with an NFL player.
“I’m excited about the football but mostly I’m excited about meeting the Patriots players,” he said.
“I don’t know, I’m just glad that I get to meet them,” he added. “I’m pretty sure that they’ll be nice and I’m hoping that they’ll be nice.”
The clinic is scheduled to begin Friday, June 23, and run from 5 until 7 p.m. The next day, it is scheduled to run all day, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., with a two hour break for lunch at 11. On Sunday, the clinic starts at 9 a.m. and ends by 11. It costs $10 per day.
According to Blanchet, “three days at the cost of $10 isn’t that bad. The second day you get a barbecue and stuff. It’s really fun, and you get to do drills.”
For more information about the clinic, call 873-0684.
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