THOMASVILLE- It’s almost summertime in Thomas County, which means the kids are out of school and looking for ways to beat the heat. One great way is playing basketball, which is why Thomas County Central High School’s basketball team is holding a boys and girls basketball camp at the Weston YMCA.

The camp is facilitated by TCC’s Head Girls Basketball Coach and physical education teacher Stacy Masten, along with girls basketball players and staff.

The camp is open to members and prospective members, and costs $75 or $85, respectively. It’s available for children ages 6-14 and runs from Tuesday to Friday. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon and offers campers both breakfast and lunch.

Currently, there are approximately 30 participants in this week’s camp. During this program, the children practice various drills and techniques, including dribbling, shooting and passing. Each child gets a chance to practice their skills, both with individual shooting time and partnered tasks.

A focused group of kids sat criss-cross at the beginning of camp, learning the basic rules and purposes of basketball. Once the camp gained more momentum, the children were giggling as they missed shots off the backboard–or rather, missed the backboard altogether—and high fived their peers for making impressive shots.

During these drills, the coaches and players guide the children through the activity and offer words of encouragement. Some even joke with the campers and dance to grab their attention.

Danae Peterson, a student and basketball player at TCC, is one of the four student coaches helping at the camp. Peterson plays on the JV basketball team and has experience dating back to elementary school.

Peterson believes the children have a lot of potential and that many are already talented on the court. During this camp, she hopes to “get their mindset [for basketball] right, in case they want to do this in the future.”

Another facilitator helping at the camp, Travesha Giddens, is a girls varsity player and she is excited to participate in the program because she loves basketball and working with kids.

“They really do have talent,” Giddens said. “[With] that work out there, they’ll get somewhere.”

Staff like Peterson and Giddens are currently working with the children for the rest of the week as they improve their basketball skills and get more experience on the court. This week’s camp runs from May 30 to June 2. There is another upcoming camp on June 26-30.