No station breaks at Falcon Summer Baseball Camp
A few minutes from getting set to go through a series of drills, Crescenta Valley baseball coach Phil Torres played the National Anthem over the loudspeaker at Stengel Field.
About 85 participants, who were on hand for the eighth annual Falcon Summer Baseball Camp, removed their caps while lined up on the left-field foul line or in the spacious outfield as the sun broke through the clouds.
Once the anthem was finished, the campers went to their assigned stations to go through fielding, hitting and agility exercises.
It was another opportunity for the participants to learn about different aspects of the game from Torres, who led Crescenta Valley to a second straight Pacific League championship in the spring. The camp, which featured Torres’ assistants and former and current Crescenta Valley players, began Monday and concluded Thursday.
“Once the National Anthem is over, they run to their station and start to get loose,” said Torres, a former All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year who runs a similar event in December. “We mix things up a little bit. One day they’ll start a fielding drill and the next day they’ll work on their hitting or pitching.
“You want variety, so they are learning and having some fun at the same time. It’s great if they can go home after the camp and continue to work on a lot of different things. You can see how you are getting better at something or if you need to continue working on it.”
A drill typically lasts between 20 to 30 minutes with each participant having a chance to field a ground ball, turn a double play, catch fly balls and more.
Then Torres, who has led the Falcons to 14 league titles and one CIF championship, will blow his whistle to end the drill before rotating the campers to another.
“You see some drills being done with regular baseballs for the ones who have a little more experience and then some times we’ll use a tennis ball with the beginners,” Torres said. “You want them to be excited.”
Torres’ point seems to be taken by many of the participants, some of whom previously attended the camp.
Grant Smith, 9, made another appearance to the event. Smith, who attends Valley View Elementary School, planned to improve his defensive skills.
“I just want to get better at fielding ground balls and work some more on my pitching,” said Smith, a La Crescenta resident. “It will help me out being able to learn from coach Torres and I’ll go home and keep practicing and do the things they are teaching us.”
Allison Godley, 9, came back to the camp to hone her skills as a catcher.
“It’s a big position to play,” said Godley, a Montrose resident who goes to Lincoln Elementary School and has attended the camp four previous times. “You learn how to block a pitch [in the dirt] or how to catch a pop up near home plate.”
Torres said there’s always an eagerness for the campers to grasp the concepts of baseball.
“Baseball should be fun for them the way it was for us when we were growing up,” Torres said.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
