When the final bell tolls to signify the end of the school year, children begin thinking about the beach, a family vacation, staying up late, and the fact that their next homework assignment isn’t due until September.
With the Little League season finished up in June, most youth baseball players put the gloves and cleats away for the year. However, at , the fun starts on the very first day of summer vacation as the annual Viking Baseball Camp begins.
Seaford varsity baseball coach Mike Milano, along with all of the coaches in the district’s baseball program, along with current and former Viking players, carry out three one-week sessions for boys in grades one through eight. The camp has been a tremendous success since its commencement in 2007, and continues to grow, according to Milano.
Find out what's happening in Wantagh-Seafordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“It’s about improvement, fun, and exercise,” said Milano. “The idea is for the boys to improve their skills, have an enjoyable time out on the field, and get plenty of exercise. It’s a very positive baseball experience.”
The summer heat didn’t stop the young men from working hard and learning more about the game of baseball on the diamonds on the grounds of Seaford High School, which saw plenty of action as 40-100 campers attended each session. The camp is skills-based, and focuses mainly on the fundamentals of throwing, running, hitting, fielding, pitching, and catching.
Find out what's happening in Wantagh-Seafordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
It also enables the players to become familiar with the coaches that they may be playing for down the road. “The camp is well-attended and gets bigger each year because of a supportive, tight-knit community,” said Milano. “The Seaford Little League, with guys like Jim Coakley and Jim Roell, and anyone who has been involved with youth baseball in Seaford, has been a tremendous help in making the Seaford baseball program successful.”
The strong support from the feeder programs has helped the Vikings pick up three conference titles and make a pair of trips to the county semifinals since Milano was named varsity coach in 2004. The Vikings in the 2011 playoffs before falling to top-seeded Plainedge in the Class A Quarterfinals.
The current and former players who work the camp each year are selected carefully. With tremendous demand to be part of the staff and only so many positions to fill, it’s truly an honor to be selected as a coach/counselor, Milano said.
The coaches spend much of their time teaching basic skills such as proper fielding, throwing and batting techniques, how to run the bases, and how to play the outfield, and then reinforce the skills during the daily games. On Friday, the last day of each session, the young ballplayers finish off the week with evaluations and ice pops.
Milano was very pleased with this summer’s camp. “So many great things come out of the camp,” he said. “The players get exposure to all positions, and get a lot of at bats in each game. The young coaches really want to work with the kids and give back to the program. It’s all very positive.”
For further information on the camp, log on to www.vikingbaseballcamp.com or call 917-847-4949.
