FBC, Rec. Dept. host Annual Basketball Camp
During last week’s Summer Basketball Camp, campers ages 11 to 14 worked out at the First Baptist Church Gymnasium on South Main Street. PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
During the recent Summer Basketball Camp, younger campers, ages 7 to 10, trained at the Harmon Baldwin Recreation Center Gym on Sanders Street. Here they are with their instructors. PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
By Stephan Drew, Editor
Bouncing basketballs and enthusiastic cheers filled two Darlington gymnasiums recently as First Baptist Church, in partnership with the Darlington Area Recreation Department, welcomed dozens of young athletes for its free summer basketball camp.
The camp, open to boys and girls ages 7 to 14, ran from July 6 through July 9, with sessions held each morning from 10 a.m. to noon. To accommodate the range of ages and skill levels, organizers split participants into two groups at two locations across town. Younger campers, ages 7 to 10, trained at the Harmon Baldwin Recreation Center Gym on Sanders Street, while campers ages 11 to 14 worked out at the First Baptist Church Gymnasium on South Main Street.
Campers who registered ahead of time were treated to an added perk: an official camp T-shirt, handed out during the week as a keepsake of their time on the court.
Among those on hand to see the week unfold was Renny Johnson, who, alongside the late Harmon Baldwin, helped launch the camp back in 2000. Now in its 25th year, the program has grown into a summer tradition for Darlington families, offering children a structured, faith-centered introduction to the game.
Instructors used the four days to cover the fundamentals of basketball — dribbling, shooting, offensive and defensive positioning — while emphasizing conditioning drills designed to build stamina and athleticism. But coaches say the camp’s real value extends beyond the scoreboard.
“The mission has always been bigger than just basketball,” Mr. Johnson stated, pointing to the camp’s long-standing focus on teamwork, motivation, and sportsmanship. Alongside on-court instruction, campers were taught lessons in attitude, responsibility, and manners, all grounded in a Christian environment that has defined the program since its inception.
For a quarter-century, the partnership between First Baptist Church and the Darlington Area Recreation Department has given local children a free, welcoming space to grow — not just as players, but as teammates and young people of character. As this year’s campers packed up their new T-shirts and headed home, organizers were already looking ahead to next summer, when the tradition Renny Johnson and Harmon Baldwin started in 2000 will continue to bounce forward.