KU's Sports Skills and Fitness School celebrates 30th anniversary

Travis Paustian spent five summers at KU's Sports Skills and Fitness School. He liked it so much that when he aged out of the program, he petitioned the chancellor of the university to allow him to be a camp instructor, even though he was just a freshman in high school.

Paustian's story provides a prime example of why the Sports Skills and Fitness School still is going strong, 30 years after its inception.

When KU professors Leon Greene and Jim LaPoint started the program, they simply were looking for a way to supplement their incomes during summer break. They knew that the city of Lawrence didn't offer a day camp for area children that emphasized physical fitness and teamwork. LaPoint had run a similar day camp at the University of Minnesota, so they went to the School of Education with their proposal.

That first summer, back in 1980, there were 30 participants and three instructors. The program allowed children to explore several sports, including soccer, swimming and gymnastics.

Each year, the Sports Skills and Fitness School continues to grow, but the professors' goal has remained the same.

"We hope the children leave our program with a desire to be physically active for the rest of their lives," says Greene.

As the years have gone by, and children's interests have changed, Greene and LaPoint have adjusted their camp slightly. New activities, like cup stacking, racquetball and Tae Bo, have found their way next to traditional sports like softball and kickball.

One thing that hasn't changed?

"They still all love archery," says LaPoint.

Although sports are a major focus of the camp, competition is not. The camp allows the kids to learn new skills in a low-pressure environment.

"We have a lot of tie games," says LaPoint.

Helping the children during each three-week session of the camp are the instructors, most of which are local physical education teachers or students in KU's Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences.

"The instructors have always been excellent," says Lawrence mom Tracy Ford Stacey, whose son and daughter attended the Sports Skills and Fitness School during two summers. "And Leon and Jim are amazing. I can't say enough good things about them."

Many of the instructors are former campers like Paustian.

"I just really enjoyed the fun atmosphere," he says when asked why he returned to the program year after year. "Learning all the new sports really kept my interest. After a while, it started to be a family."

Paustian went on to graduate from KU with a degree in psychology. He now works with juvenile offenders at O'Connell Youth Ranch in Lawrence. He credits his years as an instructor at Sports Skills and Fitness School with helping him define his career goals.

To date, nearly 7,000 children have gone through the program.

"It means a lot to have a program this long," says Greene. "It gives me something to look forward to every summer. I look forward to communicating with children, watching them learn, watching them be a part of our program."

LaPoint agrees.

"We'd like to keep it going for another 30 years," he says.

By Lauren Beatty