COURTLAND
The sixth free Cover 3 Youth Football & Cheer Camp will be April 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The camp will be at Southampton High School, 23350 Southampton Parkway, Courtland. The football & cheer camp is open to the first 200 participants, ages 6-14. Currently, 70 children have pre-registered for the camp.

Sponsored by the NFL Foundation, the camp is open to the public and directed by Southampton County native, Cover 3 founder and retired NFL defensive lineman Greg Scott and his staff of league representatives and coaches. In addition, members of the Hampton University football and cheer teams will be in attendance to lead portions of the camp.

Hampton University coach Gary Lowery, who is serving his first year as assistant coach to the Pirates in the defensive lineman position, will be coaching at the camp. Within this position Lowery is also responsible for day-to-day operations and recruiting. Lowery has not only played the sport of football, he has coached at both the high school and college level prior to gaining his position with the Hampton University Pirates.

The participating football team members include: Ronnie Screen, junior offensive lineman; T.J. Mixson, junior wide receiver; Rashawn Proctor, junior wide receiver; Ray Riddick, junior wide receiver; Charles Owens, senior defensive tackle; Miles Grooms, senior defensive end; Joshua Thorton, junior linebacker; David Watford, graduate student quarterback; Ibn Wallace, freshman defensive back; Christopher Dukes, senior running back; Donovan Johnson, sophomore offensive lineman; and Eric Carter, freshman running back.

Cheer participants will be coached by Cover 3 Youth Cheer coaches and Hampton University’s own Malani Mitchell. Malani’s passion and love for the sport of cheer dates back to her middle school days. She has led several of her teams to championships as a member of the cheering squad from 2005 through 2013. Malani served as the captain of her cheering squads in both her junior and senior year of high school. In addition to her cheering experience, Malani has a wealth of coaching experience to share. She has held several summer coaching positions dating back to 2008. Currently, Malani is working toward becoming a certified coach in the State of Virginia.

Football and cheer drills and games will be non-contact and no tackling will be permitted. The camp will feature drills, fundamentals, motivational tools, inspirational messages, flag football competitions and games, free lunch and t-shirt for all participants. To register for the free camp, visit http://www.cover3foundation.org/cover-3-football—cheer-camp-registration.html.

League registration is open now for board members, assistant coaches and volunteers for the 2015 Youth Football & Cheer League season. Registration to participate in the League will be every Monday through Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Cover 3 Foundation, 125 S. College Drive, Franklin. Registration will also be on April 25 at the sixth free Cover 3 Football & Cheer Camp.

On May 9, registration will be at the Courtland Community Center, 25499 Florence St, Courtland, from 9 a.m. to noon. On May 23, registration will be in Holland at the City of Suffolk’s Holland Park, 6720 Ruritan Blvd., Suffolk, from 9 a.m. to noon. On June 6, registration will be at Mt. Tabor Baptist Church, Grays Shop Road, Newsoms from 9 a.m. to noon. There will also be a Saturday registration on June 20 at the Foundation headquarters from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration deadline for all coaches is June 1 and for players is June 30.

The teams for the 2015 season are as follows: Courtland Tide (Coach Dwayne Joyner), Holland Razorbacks (Coach Marcus Evans), Riverdale Chiefs (Coach Ray Tucker), Meherrin Pirates (Coach C.C. Cooper) and Sussex Green Machine (Coach Jason Flowers). For the 2015 season, all children are allowed to play for the group of their choice without a release from their prior team. For questions concerning registration, please contact 562-2252.

The Franklin Mustangs, Boykins Bulldogs and Windsor Knights are not participating in C3YFCL for the 2015 season. Players and cheerleaders from the Mustangs, Bulldogs and Knights are welcome to try out for any of C3YFCL 2015 teams.

The Cover 3 Youth Football & Cheer League is accepting sponsorship and donations for the 2015 season. If you are interested in sponsoring the program or making a donation towards a local team, please visit www.cover3foundation.org for more information. Sponsorship packages are available by emailing a request to info@cover3foundation.org.