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Kids Have A Blast At Eric Bell Camp
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jchambers@oakdaleleader.com

There is no easier way to determine if a kid is enjoying himself on the diamond than to take a peek at his face, and the ear-to-ear grins sported by nearly every kid in the Ninth Annual Eric Bell School of Baseball Camp held at Rainbow Fields in Riverbank was enough to show how much fun they were having.

Young players from Oakdale, Modesto, Escalon, Riverbank, Ceres, Stockton and other surrounding communities flocked to Rainbow Fields by the dozens to get personal insight and professional training from Bell and some of his friends from professional baseball.

Kids worked on every facet of the game during the three-day camp, July 21 through 23, and got a chance to put their skills into action with a scrimmage like drill to close the camp's final session.

Confident teenagers and frightened four-year-olds alike all paid close attention to Bell and his associates each time the professional ball players delivered instruction. The learning of the game was coupled with the light heartedness that only a close-knit baseball group can provide.

None of the several dozen campers were left seeking attention; Bell has perfected the art of getting the most out of the campers by highlighting the kids' love for the game. Even in the situations where direct tutelage was necessary, it never infringed upon the kids having a good time and enjoying the waning moments of summer vacation.

Campers came away from Rainbow Fields completing a heavy crash course on the do's and don'ts of America's Pastime. Throwing the right way, bunting the right way and even sliding techniques were all funneled down from Major League Baseball certified talent.

More so than the camp shirt and the ball campers normally receive, this group of young baseball players left with more than a replica souvenir of the camp that they attended; these kids were able to leave Eric Bell's School of Baseball Camp with a refueled love for the game.