DVIDS – Information – Fort Drum youths have summer time of enjoyable at CYS Sports and Fitness camps

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Aug. 20, 2025) — A bunch of Fort Drum youths launched into a whitewater rafting journey alongside the Black River on Aug. 19, as a part of the Fort Drum Child and Youth Services’ Sports and Fitness Adventure Camp.

They discovered find out how to correctly put on security tools, fundamental paddling methods, in addition to the significance of working as a workforce.

“We need your cooperation and participation in today’s event, which means paddling together,” one of many guides instructed the children. “The better you paddle together, the less you are going to have to paddle. But it’s going to be a workout.”

The voyage started quietly on calm waters as the kids focused on working the paddles to the cadence of their guides. They roared with shock and laughter when their information “surfed the rapid” – plunging the entrance finish of the raft downward to present all of them a face filled with water.

“I was just scared at first because it felt like we were going to go underwater,” mentioned Aleena Gonzales, 10. “When I saw the wave going over their heads, and I was like, ‘Is it going to come for me next?'”

It wasn’t the first thrill of the summer for Aleena, who also attended the first iteration of the Adventure Camp in July.

“I really like whitewater rafting,” she mentioned. “It’s tiring, but it’s also really fun.”

Fellow rafter Ace Gage mentioned he requested his dad and mom to signal him up for the Adventure Camp so he might attempt one thing new.

“It was like hitting speed bumps in the car, but you get splashed every time you hit one,” he mentioned. “It wasn’t hard, but this was definitely a workout.”

A summer time of enjoyable and journey concludes this week for kids taking part within the 2025 CYS Sports and Fitness Summer Camps Program. From archery and golf, to pickleball, soccer and flag soccer, there have been loads of choices to maintain members of the family lively earlier than the brand new college 12 months begins.

“We teach a lot of the fundamentals of the sport at each of the camps,” mentioned Ed Malinowski, CYS Sports and Fitness assistant director. “But a big part of it is trying to make it fun, and that’s what I tell them on the very first day. At the end of each day, and at the end of the camp, my goal is that they enjoyed playing the sport so they want to keep playing.”

Moving from one sport to the subsequent, week after week, requires a flexible and educated workforce of camp coaches.

“They do a great job preparing well in advance to make sure we are on track to have a well-run program,” mentioned Michael D’Augustino, CYS Sports and Fitness director. “Our team also does a great job bonding with our youth, which helps the overall effectiveness of the program and makes it a better experience for everyone.”

This was the primary summer time camp season for Madi Staples, who began working as a CYS sports activities specialist final 12 months.

“I grew up playing sports, and for my degree in physical education they taught us every single sport you could think of and how to play it,” she mentioned. “They wanted us to be proficient in coaching, playing and teaching.”

Staples mentioned they start every camp with a broad lesson plan – to incorporate warmups, drills and video games – after which alter primarily based on age teams and expertise ranges.

“The older kids don’t require as much guidance then the younger kids,” she mentioned. “You can give them a drill and they’ll do it on their own.”

In addition to conventional sport camps like archery and soccer, new ones resembling pickleball and wrestling had been added this summer time.

Josh Herzig, CYS Sports and Fitness assistant director, has been teaching wrestling for a few years and was excited to deliver the game into the summer time camp program.

“We did this once before, maybe six years ago,” he mentioned. “One of the reasons why we brought it back was we had a huge following this year for our winter wrestling program. The parents were really pushing for this to happen, so a lot of the kids were here for the summer camp.”

Dan Hanifin, with tenth Combat Aviation Brigade, volunteered to assist coach the wrestling camp.

“I used to coach before I joined the Army, so I figured I could help out here and do some volunteer coaching,” he mentioned.

It additionally gave him an opportunity to see his son Jacob develop his personal wrestling abilities.

“This is the first time we’ve been in a spot where he’s old enough to participate, which is great,” he mentioned. “He did the winter wrestling program, and that’s how we met Coach Josh and Coach Nick (Huff). That program was a lot of fun – it had just the right amount of instruction and intensity for that age group – and he wanted to keep doing it this summer.”

Stephanie Stoltz registered her sons, Vincent and Raymond in wrestling … and golf, and gymnastics, and archery, and baseball.

“The camps are great, and they have really enjoyed the time playing sports,” she mentioned. “It’s a good way to break up the summer days.”

Children additionally had the chance to hitch a health camp and gymnastics camp (see associated story at www.dvidshub.web/information/545443/fort-drum-children-build-balance-confidence-with-cys-gymnastics).

D’Augustino mentioned the summer time sports activities camp program serves as a very good introduction and studying alternative for quite a lot of sports activities.

“Our mission is to serve the military community, and I think camps are a great way at meeting this goal,” he mentioned. “Having a diverse offering of activities ensures we have something for everybody. In many of the camps we focus on the basics and teaching the skills to the youth. This will then hopefully blossom into them continuing the sports throughout the years.”

To study extra concerning the upcoming fall sports activities leagues, name (315) 772-6718, or go to and www.fb.com/FortDrumYouthSports. The CYS Sports and Fitness Center is positioned in Bldg. 10790 on Chapel Drive.