FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- July 11, 2003 
CONTACT: Jason Mucher, Sports Information Director (585) 567-9559

BASKETBALL CAMPERS HIT RECORD HIGH FOR SEVENTH-STRAIGHT YEAR

HOUGHTON, N.Y. – A second-straight year of dwindling participation at camps across the nation hasn’t affected attendance at Houghton College Basketball Camps.

In fact, two weeks of basketball camp at the college drew more than 630 campers, up more than 50 from a year ago. The camps, which had close to 220 total campers in its first year in 1997, have grown to become one of, if not the largest, in Western New York.

Girls’ week had a total of 333 campers, up 27 from last year, while boys’ week drew 227, up nine from 2002. The camp also brought in 37 campers for the “Building for the Future” day camp for first through third-graders and 36 campers for a two-day post/perimeter camp.

“Despite our growth in numbers, we still have a low camper to staff ratio, which allows for individual attention,” said associate head coach of the Houghton women’s program Mark Pavone, who serves as camp director along with women’s head coach Skip Lord and men’s head coach Brad Zarges.

Lord said the increase in numbers shows that campers and parents are pleased with the quality and variety of instruction offered each year. “They are getting their money’s worth,” said Lord, who receives help from a staff of 50 former and current college and high school players and coaches each year. “Parents appreciate that there’s more to this camp than basketball. We teach from a Christian perspective and focus on character development.”

Campers get to compete in 13 regulation-length games during the week in addition to the professional instruction they receive at clinics, stations, and team practices. No more than eight players are on a team, and the camp emphasizes a rotation system for substitutions that guarantees equal playing time.

Though the majority of campers hail from Western and Central New York and Western Pennsylvania, others came from as far as New Hampshire, Texas, and Alabama.

Houghton, founded by The Wesleyan Church in 1883, provides an academically challenging, Christ-centered education in the liberal arts and sciences to students from diverse traditions and economic backgrounds and equips them to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world. The college of 1,300 students is located in Western New York, just 65 miles from Rochester and Buffalo. In an effort to maintain a strong financial foundation and the means for continued educational invigoration, Houghton College has initiated a $48.5 million Campaign for Christian Liberal Arts at Houghton College to raise funds for endowment, facilities, and operating support.

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