12 -The Michigan Daily Summer Weery- Wednedy, July 8,1992
Sports campers invade 'U' residential halls
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by Mike Hill
Daily Sports Writer
If you've beenanywherenearSouth
Quadintheepastmonth,it'sbeenhardto
miss the swarms of kids flocking down
State Street.
Where are they coming from, you
might ask. Well, simply put, these are
kids whoseparentsshelledoutbig bucks
to send them away for a week to Steve
Fisher's Basketball Camp, Bill
Freehan's Baseball Camp, or Wolver-
ine Football Technique School, among
others.
These few weeks during the sum-
merresultin big business. Coachescan
earn more in three weeks of camp than
theymakeallyear.The basketballcamp,
forexample,hasrun the last four weeks
including this one with about 420 kids
per week.At$195apopminusminimal
overhead costs, Fisher and his crew are
making a tidy sum. You figure out the
math.
We know their parents enjoy the
weekofpeaceandquiet,butdothekids
think the camps are worthwhile?
"The camps are really helpful," 13-
year old wrestling camper Jason
Waldroup said. "The coaches were
pretty cool and I leamed a lot of new
techniques. I think it was worth the
money. I had a lot of fun."
You might wonder what these kids
actually do during their week long stay
here. So here's a run down.
Sundays are registration days. Par-
ents pass over their last dime and then
their children. With an additional $100
to $150, the kids have the luxury of
housing and eating in the confines of
South Quad.
Campers generally have one ses-
sion on Sunday evenings, but the real
training begins early the next moming.
Campers awake for breakfast between
7-8:30 am. and begin their firstof three
daily sessions at approximately 9 a.m.
Morning and afternoon sessions
generally focus on basic skills training,
while the night sessions are usually
geared toward competition and game
situations. Sessionsendatabout9p.m.
Then the kids are put under the supervi-
sion of the South Quad housing staff.
Program coordinator Bill Vlisides,
43, oversees six camp coordinators,
eightofficestaffmembers,and51 coun-
selors who hope to do more than act as
vises 20 to 40 campers a week, but
every week that hall changes. We run
activities, counsel campers, sometimes
wehave to discipline, butgenerally we
facilitate in helping them have a good
time."
Between 9 and 10:45 p.m., the staff
encourages campers to participate in
activities which include food runs, a
jello snarf competition, a talent show,
become a big pick-up joint, like a Vic
Tanny for prepubescent 12 year olds."
At 10:45, the campers are asked to
calm their youthful hormones and sent
to their halls. Each hall is controlled by
one counselor who actually lives on
thathallfor the summer. This counselor
then attempts to get each camper in his
or her room by 11:15 and lights out by
11:30 without going insane.Sometimes
easier weeks of camp by counselors
because of the lack of female campers,
this was not the case this year because
of unexpected outside influences.
On Wednesday night before bed
checks, the south side of South Quad
played audience to a fireworks display,
thanks toresidents across the street. But
campers on the north side were witness
toabitmorerevealing show. The camp-
ers were treated, you might say, to a
strip show of sorts from WestQuad that
evenYpsilanti'sDejaVumightbe proud
of.
"The girls were high schoolers here
for the Women and Science Program
and were staying in the upper floors of
West Quad," counselor Edward Yun,
19, said. "My campers were screaming
out their windows 'Take it alloff!' with
theirnosespressedupagainsttheir win-
dow screens, salivating."
"Chaoticis the firstwordthat comes
to mind," counselor April Groff, 19,
said. "I had to get the help of other
counselors to help patrol and control
my hallway. Everyone was yelling out
their windows. It was hectic."
Mostnightsarenotlikethatthough.
The campers are usually quiet by mid-
night, resting up for the next day of
camps.
"All of the camp staff have done an
excellent job," Vlisides said. "They're
a lot more dedicated and concerned
than most of the coaches would give
them credit for. I don't th-ink (the
coaches) know the level of dedication
thatis putintothesafety, the well-being
and the contentment of the campers."
Finally, on Fridays, the campers
have amorning session which includes
a possible awards presentation and a
chance for coaches to give their final
words of advice. The campers then
check out of South Quad and the camp
staff has a few moments to relax ... until
Sunday, of course, when it starts all
over again.
saryall-starteam, theonlyactiveplayer
accordedsuchhonors.Someothermem-
bers of the illustrious group? Mark
Aguirre, Kenny Anderson, Adrian
Dantley, Patrick Ewing and Chris
Mullin.
Livingston was tabbed by one pub-
lication last fall as the top player in the
country, andhe substantiated that claim
by going out and bringing back Parade
co-player-of-the-year honors (with Ja-
son Kidd) following the 1991-92 cam-
paign.
So Wolverine watchers sitback and
hold their breaths. Can another star-
studdedrecruiting classbeinthe works?
If Livingston does visit Ann Arbor this
fall, fans will catch aglimpse of a fourth
shiny head walking aroundcampus with
Messrs. Webber, Rose and Riley.
Just like oneof the fellas.Surely this
mustbeasign from the basketballgods?
"No," laughs Livingston, whose
head was shom for the Louisiana state
tournament in March, "I got mine be-
fore they did."
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Michigan assistant basketball coach Jay Smith addresses a group of campers from Steve Fisher's Basketball
Camp. The various sports camps at Michigan provide an educat; campers, relief for parents and money for
coaches.
nightly babysitters for the campers.
"It's definately not babysitting,"
registration coordinator Victor Chen,
21, said. "I'd compare it to part time
R.A.s. It's a living, working environ-
ment wherea single counselor super-
WHAT'S
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Entries open: Monday, July 13,1992
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and a weekly dance.
"The kids participate in some of the
activities," counselor Matt Ludwa, 20,
said. "But at night they're generally
more interested inmeeting membersof
the opposite sex. This place can kind of
UVINGSTON
Continued from ,,age 11
Livingston told trhe Daily he was al-
ready down to x schools - North
Carolina, Louisiana State, Michigan,
Duke, Kansas and Tulane - and that
"it's still wide open."
But Lvingston, much lip e
Michigan's Chris Webber did when ne
was being recruited as the top player in
the country, seems to have tired of the
constant queries regarding his future,
and may have taken to a little melia
manipulation.
"Everyone asks the same question,
so I tell them," said Livingston, who
last season received Shootout MVP
honors asa sophomorezafter leading his
team to the title over a Chicago entry
paced by Wolverines center Juwan
Howard. "Butit'snot always the same
group of five or six schools."
So although no one but Livingston
knows where Michigan falls on his
order of preference, it seems likely the
Wolverines arein therunning. He says
he has always liked Michigan and feels
this is easier said than done.
Like two weeks ago, when 1475
football and boys' basketball campers
flooded South Quad and some of West
Quad during football's only week of
camps. Usually considered one of the
he would complement the curent
nucleus as a playmaker.
"I haven't really seriously thought
aboutityet,butwhenIdo, it'llprobably
-be one of the five schools I visit," he
said.
Livingston's rise to the top of the
prep basketball world has been close to
meteoric. He began playing at age nine,
and by the time he reached 12, he was
earning national recognition. He led
Louisiana to four consecutive national
AAU titles and was tournament MVP
each year.
He has enjoyed similar success dur-
ing the school year. Newman has wjn
back-to-backstate titles,withLivingston
as the MVP both times.Butitwasat last
year's Shootout that he made his big-
gest splash, averaging 27.7 points and
7.3 assists agameinleading his team to
the title.
Forhisperformancehebecamethe
only sophomore to be named Shootout
MVP, and he was selected before this
year's tournament to the 20th anniver-
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