Fun, fundamentals highlight Bulldog Baseball Camp
BURBANK — Caden Sanrow can’t seem to get enough of baseball.
The 10-year-old had spent his share of time the last few months on the diamond playing for the Burbank Little League Minor Dodgers team. But Sandow was back on the field for more baseball when he took part in the Bulldog Baseball Camp at Burbank High.
“I just love to play baseball,” said Sanrow, who lives in Burbank. “This is my very first camp and it’s been really fun.
“I have gotten better at a few things the past few days. Definitely it has helped me be better at hitting and fielding. I want to try and get better with my throwing because I’ve been a little off with that lately.”
The Bulldog Baseball Camp, under the direction of longtime Burbank High coach Bob Hart, is held in two sessions during the summer, with the latest installment having concluded Friday.
“The moments I live for in this camp is seeing improvement in some of the players from the first day they got here and seeing them really working hard to get better,” Hart said. “You see a kid swing and miss 10 times in a row on the first day and by the last day he’s four or five for 10. And you can see how much that elevates his self-esteem and his self-image, and that’s great to see.
“The other thing is that these kids are sponges and they are willing to listen and learn, they want to please and they are very enthusiastic. But some times I have to tone them down in games because they can get out of their minds with the competition.”
Eighteen players ages 6-10 took part in the first installment of the camp, which accommodated athletes of varying skill levels and experience.
“I could run a far more intense and demanding camp, but I just don’t think the players are ready for that at this age,” Hart said. “We want them to learn and we teach them discipline that goes along with the game of baseball, but we also want them to have fun. If they aren’t having fun they won’t want to be here and they won’t get anything out of it.
“Every kid that signed up showed up and every kid who showed up has stayed here every day. This has been a great group and I think a lot of people don’t give kids this age the credit they deserve. I think the kids of today are more focused in a lot of ways than they were in our time. I think they are super smart.”
The camp provides athletes with a heavy dose of baseball, from learning fundamentals to taking part in games. Players participate in hitting, base running and defensive drills, as well as the correct way to handle relay throws and other fundamentals. In addition, the athletes take part in a soft-toss scrimmage and games like over the line.
There is also a session every day in which Hart talks to the players about things outside the realm of baseball, like the importance of keeping up their grades and respecting others.
Assisting Hart for the camp is a group of current Bulldogs players. One of those helping out is senior Joey Clark, who enjoys working with younger players.
“It’s fun helping them play the game correctly and maybe show them what it might take to play at the high school level,” Clark said. “It’s nice to see the game of baseball still alive and growing with the younger players.
“I went to some camps when I was younger and I really enjoyed it, so it’s nice to look at the players and see where I used to be and it’s great to be able to teach them like I was taught.”
Preston Dumani, 10, of Burbank said taking part in simulated games is what he enjoys most about the camp.
“I really like when we have scrimmages because It’s fun and and you get to play in a game,” Dumani said. “They make it fun here and it’s not all just hard work, so that’s good.”
Cruz Severo, 7, of Burbank said he learned a valuable lesson about baseball.
“I learned that you can’t always let your emotions get to you a lot,” he said. “That is very important in baseball.”
There will one more Bulldog Baseball Camp session, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 30-Aug. 3. Sign-ups can be made at BurbankHighBaseball.org or on site the first day of the camp.
Twitter: @jefftsports
