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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

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Football fever in The Bahamas By DAHALIA SMITH ~ NG Sports Reporter ~ dahalia@nasguard.com: All-expense paid trips to a Kansas City Chiefs game will be up for grabs for those selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at this year's Devard Darling Football Camp, set for July 6-7 in Grand Bahama at the Rugby Center and July 9-11 at the Tom 'The Bird' Grant Sports and Recreational Complex. National Football League (NFL) wide receiver with the Chiefs, Devard Darling, plans on hosting his annual camp on those dates, from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Grand Bahama and New Providence based venues. Boys aged 11-16 are invited to attend, free of charge, and will have a chance to work with several NFL players and coaches, and also local coaches. Devard's brother, former Olympian Dennis Darling, served as an instructor during the previous years of the camp, but he is the camp director this year. He underlined that the camp will be held in the memory of their late brother Devaughn. Dennis noted that NFL players such as the Chiefs Larry Johnson and Dwayne Bowe, 2009 first round draft pick Darius Hayward from the Oakland Raiders and a handful of Devard's former teammates from the Baltimore Ravens have already confirmed their attendance. "We can't leave our Bahamian coaches out, so we plan on pairing up the Bahamian and U.S. coaches," said older brother Dennis Darling. "Staging the camp has always been fun and we look forward to doing this every year. Children attending the camp should expect to cover footwork and hand placement drills. The venue will be set up like a 10-station camp and emphasis put on each drill. "On the final day we plan on having a flag football 'Darling Bowl' game. We will name the campers to select sides and the squads will be named after NFL teams like the Chiefs, Patriots and Ravens. The children usually have a lot of fun in these games. During the Bowl, we will recognize the MVP and also present other individual awards. "Those selected as the MVPs from Grand Bahama and New Providence respectively will get a treat, attend a Kansas City Chiefs game. Devard will finance the entire trip, which will include limo service, hotel accommodation and tickets to a Chiefs game. The MVP award will go to the camper who demonstrates leadership skills, sportsmanship and godliness. Aside from developing football skills, we also concentrate on developing the person as a whole as it is a Christian camp. Everyday we will have devotions, teach life skills and talk about the importance of education, so we won't just be focusing on playing all day," explained the camp director. Dennis further noted that student athletes interested in earning a football scholarship to attend high school or college in the United States may use the camp to assess their skill level. "In the past we have been able to identify some campers with exceptional talent and refer them to the Frank Rutherford Foundation in Houston, Texas. We selected two from the camp last year. That foundation would afford them the opportunity to further their athletic skills and education at a private school in the United States. Currently, there are a few children who came through the camp who were able to be placed in U.S. schools on scholarships," said Dennis. Persons may register on the first day of the camp and Dennis also plans on handing out forms to the general public days before the camp begins. Tuesday, June 23, 2009