Photos by Robert Hubner, WSU Photoservices
PULLMAN — When Cedric Price hears kids who are 10 to 14 years old sounding like grownup weekend warriors, he has to laugh.
“They complain about sore muscles!” he says of the 45 participants in the first Washington State University/Coeur d’Alene Tribe summer sports camp, which began July 13.
WSU’s director of physical education activities will send the youngsters home July 28 with more than aching muscles. They’ll have memories of whacking a tennis ball for the first time, walking into Martin Stadium in the footsteps of Cougar football players, and finding out how fast they can run. They’ll have new friends and, Price hopes they’ll have developed the habit of healthy fun. “We want them to become lifelong athletes.”
The “we” includes his wife, Associate Professor Paula Groves Price, who, like her husband, works for the College of Education. The two-week, tribe-funded camp is being held for the first time, but the Prices have a lot of experience working with Coeur d’Alene youth. For five years in a row, they’ve run a leadership camp on campus for tribal teenagers.
“When it comes to leadership role models, you couldn’t find a better pair than Paul and Cedric. They are a dynamic duo!” said Arlene Hett, director of WSU’s School & Community Collaboration Center, which works with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to organize the leadership and sports camps. “By funding these events, the tribal council shows true vision. Their investment in today’s youth will be felt for decades.”
While the leadership campers stay in dormitories, the sports campers are bused in daily from Plummer, Idaho. They go to Smith Gym for a morning stretch, then participate in baseball, swimming, soccer, track and field, basketball, football, Frisbee, and volleyball.
“Each Friday before we send the kids home, we present them with T-shirts and other awards for competing,” said Groves Price. “We make sure every kid leaves the camp with at least a shirt, regardless of whether they win an event.”
During the second week, Groves Price will give presentations about drug and alcohol abuse. “We’ll be talking about the traditional Native American medicine wheel, and the four areas for holistic health: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual,” she said. “The kids will make their own medicine wheel and identify positive and healthy activities they can do to support those areas in their own lives.”
The campers also heard presentations on health and nutrition by education doctoral students Paul Mencke and Henry Averhart. But mostly the camp is about sports, sports, sports.
Price directs the basketball portion of the camp. Other leaders are Ellannee Richardson, assistant coach WSU Track & Field, Lindsay Henahan, assistant coach WSU Swimming, Gabe Boruff, assistant coach WSU Baseball, Willie Jude, former WSU strength and conditioning coach and current Gray “W” Coordinator, Ryan Smaha, assistant coach WSU Football, Aleksandra Stefanova from WSU Tennis, and what Price describes as “a host of other current and former WSU student athletes.”
Camp counselors are Jason Sievers, executive director of WSU’s Clearinghouse on Native Teaching & Learning, and WSU Athletics graduate assistant Andrew Rossetti.
Price smiles at the notion some campers will return as WSU students. “We’d love to have them back,” he said
