Pilgrim Baptist Church Campers Spring Into New Sports

By Joseph White / Photos by Joseph White on Monday, October 19, 2009

Address: 3300 S Indiana Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

Sometimes, one good thing does lead to another.

When Reverend Leotis Johnson sat down to plan out Pilgrim Baptist Church’s annual Southside youth summer camp, he decided this year’s program needed a new theme. Thinking back to some of his volunteer efforts, he drew inspiration from Spring Into Sports, the youth-athletics-based initiative that attracted 1,500 kids from around Chicago in March of this year.

“I saw the excitement the children had during Spring into Sports and I thought it was a very good thing,” Johnson said. “I thought, Why not do more of it, introduce the Pilgrim Baptist camp members to new sports that maybe they haven’t played before and try to teach them some fundamental skills?”

Johnson mapped out eight weeks of athletic activities. While the camp would still have basketball, Johnson also decided to introduce volleyball, soccer, and tennis in an attempt to inspire his campers to pursue these less-familiar sports in the future. “The idea was to give them this opportunity, hoping they would say, ‘Hey, I like this. I want to learn more about this sport.’”


By and large, Johnson feels this approach was a success. The campers, who ranged in age from 5 to 16, practiced their skills every day in Bessemer Park. After focusing on the basics of a given sport, the instructors and counselors divided up their 32 campers by age and let them engage in open competition.


“The vibe was more one of camaraderie, although with volleyball we did get competitive,” Johnson said. “The girls really wanted to beat the boys at volleyball.”

Since everyone at the camp was relatively new to volleyball, the girls had high hopes of winning a decisive victory in the war of the genders. To augment their chances, they enlisted the help of junior counselor Kristina Hudson.

“They brought me in as a ringer,” Hudson said, laughing. “I played volleyball all four years in high school and I don’t like to let the ball touch the floor, so I’m all over the court.”

Unfortunately for the girls, Hudson was unable to tip the scales in their favor. While the defeat was tough for them to swallow, it also gave Johnson an opportunity to promote sportsmanship.

“The Reverend likes to teach them everything about the sport, not just the good but how to act when you lose,” said Hudson.

Among the kids, volleyball and tennis were the most popular activities, with both beating out perennial-favorite basketball. The campers expressed various opinions why volleyball and tennis were their favorites, the most common being that these two sports were new and unknown and therefore exciting.

“I could see myself playing tennis is high school,” said 12-year-old Marcus Bradley. “I didn’t know how to play, but they taught me how and now I like it a lot.”


Janet Freeman, also 12, agreed. “I like the power and the force of hitting the ball. Tennis was new, but definitely my favorite.”

Pilgrim Baptist Church member Ken Pickett was among many adults to volunteer his time, serving as a tennis instructor. While surveying the Bessemer Park courts, he expressed his pleasure in seeing the campers playing and learning a sport that is not prevalent on the Southside. He began playing tennis in his mid-20s and wishes he’d had a similar opportunity when he was younger..

“The instruction they are getting this summer is very valuable to them,” he said. “I hope to see a lot of these kids on the tennis circuit someday.”

The success of the camp was most evident though the campers themselves. According to Damari Owens, 11, the simple pleasures offered by athletics made this summer his favorite in memory.

“My dad works at the church, so I come to the camp every summer,” he said. “This year was the best because it was the most active.”

This summer’s sports template was so well received that Johnson, who has been organizing and conducting the camp for six years, feels confident there will be a seventh.

“It’s a challenge with the kids today, but I keep coming back for more,” he said. “Many of these kids aren’t being exposed to these kinds of activities, because their parents either don’t have the time or the means. We need to give them this opportunity.”