Lea Henry’s 42nd Camp of Champs opens soon

ALBANY – For 41 summers, Lea Henry has watched generations of Southwest Georgia children walk into the gym with a basketball in their hands and leave with something much more.

This July, the Olympic gold medalist will continue that tradition when she hosts the 42nd annual Camp of Champs at Deerfield-Windsor’s W.T. Henry Gym. The two-week camp will run July 7-10 and July 13-16 and is open to boys and girls ages 5-18.

Henry’s camp has become one of Albany’s longest-running youth sports traditions. Last summer, a record-breaking 300 campers participated over the two-week event, learning basketball fundamentals while also developing teamwork, sportsmanship and confidence.

“We had a wonderful two weeks of basketball camp,” Henry said following last year’s record turnout. “Our staff worked hard to make sure the 300 campers not only had a great time, but learned about the game and how to be good teammates. It is so neat to see boys and girls ages 5-16 all together for camp.”

A member of the United States women’s basketball team that captured the gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Henry recently retired as athletic director for Dougherty County Schools. Retirement, however, has done little to slow her commitment to youth basketball.

Campers ages 7-18 will participate from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. each day, while children ages 5-6 will attend morning sessions from 9 a.m. until noon. Registration is $150 for one week for older campers and $100 for younger campers, with discounted rates available for those attending both weeks. Walk-up registration will be accepted, although preregistration is encouraged to assist with planning.

Each day features skill instruction, individual fundamentals, competitive drills and games designed to challenge players of all experience levels in a fun environment.

For more information or to register, contact Henry at [email protected] or 404-556-2302. Registration forms and additional camp information are available through Camp of Champs.