Miami Dolphin Davone Bess's Skills & Drills Football Camp

You could not have asked for a more perfect afternoon.  Hundreds of high school football players showed up ready and eager to learn.  Classes are over for the summer, but for these young men in helmets and cleats, the journey for knowledge and experience is just beginning.  Thursday was the first day of the Remember The Children Youth Services Skills & Drills Football Camp from Mullins Park in Coral Springs, Florida.

Sponsored by RTCYS, HANDY (Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth), Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits, Title Sports Drink and SOC Specialty Orthopedic Center of Boca Raton, current Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess, former Dolphins center Jeff Dellenbach, former Atlanta Falcons safety John Dale Carty and current Washington Redskins DE Chris Wilson joined forces with high school, college and professional coaches to share their knowledge and resources.

They provided invaluable guidance and encouragement to the young student athletes of South Florida.  They promoted athletic and academic achievement while keeping the main focus on character building and positive community involvement. 

From the moment they stepped onto the field, the players were visibly appreciative of the tremendous opportunity.   Various position drills and strength building exercises were spread across the yard lines.  There was not a single episode of slacking off, fooling around or not taking the days actions just as seriously as their final exams or SATs. 

The coaches and scouts came from around the country, not only to help the athletes, but also to help brighten the future of college sports for many years to come.  South Florida is a known breeding ground for collegiate and professional talent, and they wanted to do everything they could to help mold their future players into not only outstanding athletes, but also upstanding members of the community.  The skills learned at the camp are valuable life skills that these young men will carry with them throughout their adult lives, and pass on to the next generation.

The players were able to give it their all on the field, due in part to the knowledge that a board certified orthopedic surgeon and his staff were on hand to oversee the action. Dr. Manish Gupta of Boca Raton is a graduate of Coral Springs High School and was first in line to donate his time and services to such a worthy cause.  His dedication to serving the youth sports movement and the community in general was felt throughout the afternoon by the athletes and coaches.  He spoke with the student athletes in between drills to stress the importance of healthy living and injury prevention. 

RTCYS’s Youth Development Director Julie Corona, brought the event back for the second straight year to Coral Springs, and with the help of the Specialty Orthopedic Center’s Media Department and Jonah Woullard of Generation Nexxt Sports Network, is working to bring more notice to this wonderful community event. 

Also donating his time to the event was Forest Bates, President of the Coral Springs Chargers Tackle Football Club, which is affiliated with the American Youth Football League, where many of the young men got their first taste of tackle football, prior to starting their high school careers. 

There are were many outstanding student athletes on hand demonstrating their already stellar athletic ability and showcasing their strong character, but one young man stood out among the pack.  Already a local celebrity in the high school athletic circles, Dillard High’s Wayne Lyons was front and center to set an example for his fellow players and classmates.  Not only is he an All-American defensive back and the top rated high school player in the state, he sits atop his class with a 4.9 GPA. 

But aside from his academic and athletic honors, he demonstrates the exact characteristics that the professional players, coaches, doctors and sponsors strive for when setting lofty goals for these young men.  When not hitting the books or the practice field, he spends his time helping the youth of his community through his personally developed RAM Program.  Standing for Reaching And Mentoring, the program has done exactly that, reaching out to children and families and guiding them on the right path that he continues to set on a daily basis.

Friday will bring another day of drills and lectures and positive contributions from the staff and players alike.  The community benefits from events such as this in ways that are immeasurable in the long run.  They are not only helping the players that will succeed athletically at the next level, but the ones who become lawyers, doctors, businessmen and other community contributors will be able to look back and say that this was a valuable building block in their lives.

For more information on Dr. Gupta and the Specialty Orthopedic Center of Boca Raton please to go SportsOrthoCenter.com. For more info on the even and others like it please go to RTCYS.org. For more info on South Florida Youth Sports Network pleas go to GenNexxt.com.