VirginiaPreps.com - Life lessons with a football hook

July 14, 2012

Rod Johnson
VirginiaPreps.com Senior Editor

HRYF There's no place like home.

Though there were no ruby slippers on hand at the Hampton Roads Youth Association football camp at Christopher Newport University on Saturday, the sentiment put forth by coaches, players and returning NFL stars matched those of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

There is no place like home.

You could hear it in the voice of Wakefield head coach Keith Powell when he discussed why it was important to him to bring his players down to the Peninsula area for the camp from his school located near the outskirts of Washington, D.C..

"It's everything. I do whatever I have to do to make this happen because I'm home," says the coach. "I'm around guys who love the game; it's the Tidewater area. It's a different feel and different understanding of the game. Here, kids play because they say, 'You know what? This is my ticket and I'm going to ride it. I'm going to take advantage of every opportunity.' Even if they don't get a scholarship, they come out, a lot of times, as better men."

There is no place like home.

You could hear it in the words from former Green Run Stallions and NFL standout Plaxico Burress when he talked about his days as a youngster attending camps hosted by former Pittsburgh Steeler Darren Perry.

"I'm just giving back what was gave to me. I was 16 teams years old with dreams and aspirations to get to the NFL and win a championship and I've done those things, so it is a privilege and an honor to come back out here and to teach the younger guys about football. It's all love. I'm here with my high school coach (Cadillac Harris) who is basically a father figure to me because he was telling me that I had something special when I didn't even know I had it in me."

There is no place like home.

You could hear it from the mouth of former Phoebus Phantom Nathaniel Adibi, a hometown boy now working as a policeman in the area when he talked about giving back to the community.

"I've been doing this camp since I've been out of college and it's been a great experience for me watching these young kids grow into young men. It's the same thing being a police officer. I'm there trying to guide kids. It's all about telling kids that 'You are at the crossroads right now. You can go left or you can go right. The right way is the good way, the left way can get really dark for you and you don't want to travel down that road,' says the former Hokie. "Life is all about making decisions over and over again. It's all about making the right decisions and being consistent in your life and having the right people in your life."

There is no place like home.

Vernon Lee, one of the camp's organizers, talked about what it means to him to be able to come back to the neighborhood every year to continue on a tradition started over a decade-and-a-half ago.

"Our initial vision was to do it one year. We got some positive feedback and, all of a sudden, two years, then we got some more community support and here we are sixteen years later. We can't believe it. I mean, I'm looking around right now seeing kids who were eight years old and now they are out there with careers."

There is no place like home.

The sentiment echoes in the words of Booker T. Washington coach Che Jacobs who has been brining his team across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel for the past six seasons to work out with the former Hampton Roads greats.

"Our players get to see these guys and they realize that they grow up just like these guys did. That's what I try to teach my kids so that they can see something positive."

The Peninsula All-Star camp, which opened on Thursday night with a tailgate party with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, followed by a Friday workout of elementary kids with the high school players, wrapped up on Saturday with pro and college guys taking the gridiron with the high school kids. Not only is the next generation exposed to the players from the past on the field, participants also get peeks into the lives of the guys still making their way through life both in and out of the NFL during a frank question-and-answer chat session.

"This camp is the best kept secret in the area," says Jacobs. "It's a life lesson and then on top of it, we get to learn some football."

"Our core mission from the first camp in 1997 was to use football as a hook to talk about academics and life after football," says Lee. "A very specific goal is that we want to come together and talk about life skills and saving lives."

"It's not just about football," says Burress. "When these young men become grown men, they will understand that football is family. You cannot do it by yourself and you need other guys around you to accomplish one common goal and that's to be a champion in life."

What better place to learn that lesson than at home?

Rod Johnson is the Football Editor for VirginiaPreps.com, the #1 High School site on the Rivals.com network of sites and the internet resource for high school sports in the state of Virginia. He can be heard weekly on ESPN 94.1 FM from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. as a co-host of The VirginiaPreps.com Hour alongside Matthew Hatfield. To contact Rod, send him an email at vaprepsrod@cox.net or via facebook at VirginiaPreps Rod Johnson.