LAURINBURG — On a hot Tuesday afternoon, a line of children clad with football cleats waited outside Legion Park’s front gate.
They were waiting for a convoy of coaches to arrive and unlock the gate, signaling the start of two hours of conditioning, strength and skill work at the Next Level Football Camp.
The camp, which is in its fifth year, runs Tuesday through Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. all summer at Legion Park. Campers ages 6 to 14 break off into their respective age groups and run through drills supervised by a group of coaches led by Bryan Dockery.
It’s hard work, especially in the humid summer weather. Activities at the camp include tire carries, agility drills, route running and sprints. There are special events lined up throughout the camp to reward the athletes for their efforts. Tuesdays, for instance, are hot dog days. Every camper in attendance was able to enjoy a hot dog at the end of the workout.
The hot dogs are free to eat, and the camp is free to attend.
“We want to keep these kids active and focused, and keep them off the streets,” Dockery said.
Dockery said different locations were used in the camp’s previous years, and around 25 participants would show up to each session. Now that the camp is at Legion Park, the camp hosts around 65 campers per day.
Helping Dockery manage that large group is a crew of coaches consisting of Jon Priest, Cory Monroe, Willie McPhatter, Al Rhett and Jamie Worth. Several current and former Scotland High School football players have helped or plan to help with the camp as well.
Dockery is happy to watch the camp’s turnout grow. He said he “always had a vision” for the Next Level organization, and getting local children a chance to improve their skills was a big part of it.
But another part of that vision is making sure sure the participants have the tools they need to succeed off of the field. Dockery said events like school supply drives are usually planned near the end of the summer to make sure the campers are ready to return to the classroom.
The Next Level organization’s work will continue after the summer camp concludes. Next Level’s Scotland County Steelers, a group that is set to include three teams (8U, 10U and 12U), will compete against AAU football teams in Fayetteville, Richmond County and Moore County this fall. The organization had two teams (10U and 12U) compete in a league at the Westover Recreation Center this spring.
“We have coaches who have been so dedicated to our youth,” Dockery said. We have jumped off to a great start, hopefully, we can keep things going and take it to the next level.”
