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Show Summer showcase Camp buffs up wrestling prospects and program By GANT STOKES Sports Writer .111116P 111 "OP Gilbert Cisneros/UVU Review Wrestling head coach Greg Williams ran his annual summer camp this month. The week-long learning experience featured participants ages 5-18. Wrestling head coach Greg Williams held his annual wrestling camp this month, marking the first year the camp was held at UVU. In previous years the camp was hosted in St. George. An NCAA rule change helped with moving the camp to Orem. The Wolverine wrestling room played host to the technique camp and Mountain View high school pitched in, volunteering their gym for other portions of the camp. Running July 5-9, three options were available to participants: a team camp, technique camp and an intensive camp, offering a more tailored experience for each level of competitor. The camp is designed to create the "total wrestler," focusing not just on moves and technique but goal setting, stress management, nutrition, weight training and positive thinking. "Every camp should have a philosophy," Williams said. "Our philosophy is to get these kids to learn how to set goals and technique and then take it back next year. We ask them to bring a note pad and pencil, to take the knowledge beyond the mat." Williams tries to tailor the instruction to the needs of the individuals. As coaches express their wrestlers' needs, he takes mental notes and makes sure to focus on those aspects in the training portion of the camp. Ryck Astle (Layton, UT), who sent two boys to the camp this year, was very impressed with the Williams' coaching style. "It's kind of like a personalized camp. Greg knows the kids by name," Astle said. "I just know it's going to be a good experience." Bringing talent from all over the state, the camp serves as a great recruiting tool also. "We have a lot of kids who come here wanting to look into Utah Valley as a potential college," Williams said. "And it gives us a chance to look at some really good kids." One prospect at the camp this year was Carlos Turner, I want to be an All-American and wrestle for UVU. -Carlos Turner who will be a senior at Layton high school and a state champion contender. Three consecutive years at Williams' camps has Turner already looking forward to donning Wolverine green after high school. "I want to be an All-American and wrestle for UVU," Turner said. "They show new stuff and work the fundamentals real hard and its great conditioning," Turner added. Lofty goals were not on the minds of just the older campers. Younger wrestlers come to the camp with high aspirations. 13-year-old Taylor LaMonte, from Mapleton, expressed his hopes of becoming an Olympic wrestler. LaMonte said "good competition, good coaching, and good technique from the college kids" keep him coming back. Looking around the gym, the goal stated on the camp website was already in motion. "The most important goal we have for each camper is that they have fun while learning how to be a better wrestler," Williams said. Low-key camps produce deep recruiting pools confirm what Madsen's staff thought about a certain player. Redshirt freshman catcher Court Zollinger was one such case. "Court came to our showcase and prospect camps in the past, and he was a guy who we liked," Madsen said. "When we saw him and how he handled things, how he handled other players, pitchers and guys he didn't know, By MATT PETERSEN Sports Editor For some programs, summer camps are a last resort to fill out rosters. For Wolverines baseball head coach Eric Madsen, they are a steady source of legitimate talent. "The camp's a big part of our recruiting process," Madsen said. The results support the argument. Senior Jake Rickenbach was recruited after attending a summer camp. Three years later, the shortstop was named to the Great West All-Conference first team. That year saw Rickenbach hit .390, average 1.51 runs per game and hit 19 doubles on the season. Jace Brinkerhoff was another camp product. The sixfoot third baseman hit at a .456 rate in 2010, good for second in the nation. His 88 runs scored were the most in the U.S. Brinkerhoff became a staple of the nation's most potent offense, and was named Honorable Mention All-American that season. Not only were Richenbach and Brinkerhoff both camp products, but they also came from Madsen's local recruiting ground. Rickenbach is from Pleasant Grove, Brinkerhoff from Spanish Fork. The need to see players up close keeps Madsen's camps a relatively low-key affair. As opposed to larger camps featuring many players and little actual coaching, Madsen and his staff make the camp a smaller affair to promote more personal communication. We see how [the players] interact and how they fit in our program. Everett & Jamie Shell WE'LL MAKE A OUT OF HIM -Eric Madsen UVU Baseball Head Coach Gibert Cisneros/UVU Review Prospects from three different high schools pause at first base during UVU coach Eric Madsen's summer camp. "It's open to everybody, but we hope some of the better kids are coming that we have seen," Madsen said. "They get a chance to meet us, we get a chance to see them more than just on the field. We see how they interact and how they fit in our program." It's an approach the high school players appreciate, as opposed to being lost amidst hundreds of other campers at other universities. "I think they try to spend more time with you, just teach you more," Maple Mountain senior Weston Carter said. The up-close exposure over the three-day camp can help we thought that guy would be a big asset for us." Others have the opposite experience when the camp exposes character flaws not initially known after simply watching a high school player compete. "We've had kids who we've thought a lot of, and once we got them into camp, it kind of went the other direction," Madsen admitted. The fact they are being evaluated constantly during the camp isn't lost among the camp attendees, who go out of their way to apply what Madsen's staff teaches. "Yeah, there's a little [pressure]," Carter said. "The're looking at you a lot. You just have to stay calm, do your own thing." We were able to stay within the budget while getting more ring for our money. The staff at Sierra West Jewelers was great at communicating with us to make sure we approved every detail of the ring. Sierra West has the best and most qualified individuals to help answer any questions you may have in deciding on the perfect ring. Going to Sierra West Jewelers was the best decision we made! ram ‘VP bierra-West. 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