The city of Sedona is bringing summer basketball and flag football camps and a fall youth flag football league to Posse Grounds Park through a partnership with Cottonwood-based Showtime Sportz. All sports are co-ed and open to all skill levels.
“We are excited to partner with Showtime Sportz to be able to bring exciting youth sports camps and programs to Sedona that otherwise wouldn’t be possible,” city recreation and aquatics supervisor Josh Frewin said. “[Sedona] will continue to offer all of our city-run programs. Building partnerships with programs like Beginners Edge Sports Training and Showtime Sportz [allows] us to expand our offerings and get top-notch coaches and opportunities for the youth of Sedona at no cost to the city.”
Showtime Sportz is also giving awards to campers, such as $20 gift cards for achievements such as doing a great play, being the hardest worker or being the fastest camper. Campers should also be prepared for an occasional water balloon fight to mix up the day.
“We’ve been doing flag football since 2018,” owner Bruce Jurecki said. “Through COVID we started doing local [events] here in Cottonwood for the kids, then Sedona just reached out, so I came recommended.”
Andre Baccellia Football Camp
Wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals Andre Baccellia will be instructing campers on playing the positions of quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. Luis Zendejas, a former kicker for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, and Marcel Shipp, a former Arizona Cardinals running back, have also committed to participating. More professional players may be announced.
“A typical day is we’ll warm up and stretch and then we’ll break them up into smaller groups and do drills to work on quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back developments,” Jurecki said. “Then get into bigger groups to do scrimmage style and keep rotating. Campers won’t focus on just one role, they’ll learn each position, because if you’re a quarterback it is good for you to understand how the defensive back position works.”
• Cost: $125 including camp shirt and autographed poster; camp size is limited to 30 participants per age group. Registration closes on Friday, June 30.
• Dates: Monday, July 10, through Wednesday, July 12
• Times: Ages 8 to 11, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.;ages 12 to 15, 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Krookid Photography will be on hand to shoot player videos.
West Coast Advantage Basketball Camp
Taught by youth basketball trainer Chris Johnson, the format of the basketball camp is quite similar to that of the football camp, in which drills will be followed by team scrimmages and individual challenges such as three-point and free throws.
• Cost: $125 including camp shirt;camp size is limited to 20 participants per age group. Registration closes on Monday, July 10.
• Dates: Monday, July 24 to Wednesday, July 26
• Times: Ages 8 to 11, 10 a.m. to noon; ages 12 to 15, 12:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• Location: West Sedona School
Sedona Youth Flag Football League
Showtime Sportz is opening up registration to kids in Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Flagstaff and Prescott as well to help offset the low number of youth in Sedona. Residents in those cities can form teams to practice in their hometowns and then travel to Posse Grounds Park in Sedona for the games.
• Cost: $90 per player; $70 for an additional sibling; includes jersey and shorts. There will also be individual and team awards as well as full statistics of play. League registration closes on Sunday, August 13.
• Ages: The league is open to youth ages six to 14. Teams are broken up into the age categories of six to eight, nine to 11, and 12 to 14.
• Dates: The season will start on Saturday, Sept. 9, and run through Saturday, Nov. 11. It will include at least nine games plus single elimination playoffs. Additionally, there will be one to two practices per week, with those times to be determined once teams are formed in late August.
“I’ve been playing flag football for 25 years,” Jurecki said, discussing his favorite sports memory. “Me and my teammates talk all the time about how we’ve traveled the nation all these years having a good time. The biggest thing that we all hang on to now is the friendships that we’ve gotten and that we’re all intertwined now. We babysat each other’s kids.”
For more information and registration, visit showtimesportz.com or contact Bruce Jurecki at (928) 254-8869.
