Pioneer High School coach Chuck Willig speaks to participants during the Titan Youth Instructional Camp, which was held Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 at the Sierra Education Center.
By Eric Terrazas
www.411whittier.com
WHITTIER — About 130 youngsters looking to improve their football skills took part in this year’s Titan Youth Instructional Camp on Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30, 2013 at the Sierra Education Center.
The event marked the second year of Pioneer High School’s youth football camp, which was open to children ages 7 to 14.
The camp gave kids an opportunity to participate in drills such as speed and agility training, along with position training.
Chuck Willig, who is entering his second season as Pioneer’s head coach, helped organize the event.
“It’s nice to see our kids coach the little kids,”? Willig said. “?Our coaches work with the older kids. Playing football is a lot of fun when everybody is excited to be here. That’s the fun part.?”
Three of the children who tested their football prowess included the Hala brothers that include Touanga, 11, Sione, 10, and Rodney, 9.
“They put you in certain spots to find out what you’re good at,”? Touanga said. “?They put you into different groups and work on your basic mechanics, and how you can improve.,” Sione said, “?It gives us a chance to workout and improve.?”
Rodney added, “?I’m going to like the one-on-one (drills). It’s fun.?”
Two of Willig’s younger brothers, Matt and Greg, also served as camp instructors. All three were star football players at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs. Matt, who played collegiately at USC, went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL that included stints with the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers.
Matt Willig spoke to the young participants during a break from workouts. The former Trojan offensive lineman stressed the importance of academics among other things during his speech.
“?You’ve got to be good kids in the classroom,”? Matt Willig said. “?If you want to do something, hold on to that dream. Tell yourself you can because you can do it.?”
This year’s camp took place at Sierra because construction will soon begin on Pioneer’s new football stadium, which is scheduled to be completed for the 2014 season. According to Pioneer’s football website at http://www.wuhsd.org/phsfootball, the new stadium will feature a state-of-the-art synthetic turf field, all-weather track, two-tier bleachers on the home side, locker rooms, weightroom, coaches’ offices, meeting rooms and a press box.
Chuck Willig said that putting together the camp takes a team effort.
“It’s fun for everybody,”? he said. “?Being able to have my brothers here is fantastic as well. It’s a family atmosphere. A lot of parents put in a lot of time in this. The parents do such an amazing job.?”
eterrazas@411whittier.com
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.