Bend Elks host kids instructional camp

They say baseball is a five-tool game that requires constant practice, which is why the Bend Elks held an instructional camp Saturday for kids up to age 13.

“We’re doing back steps, so like when the ball is hit over your headm you back step to get to the ball faster than back-pedaling,” Mitchell Thoma-Britt said.

The youngsters were working on all the skills necessary to be the best they can be, especially in a sport that can be competitive and has limited spots.

“There’s a lot talent in Bend, Oregon, and if you want to be one of the best and go onto high school, you got to want to put in that extra effort,” said Kevin Rochin, the Bend Elks coach.

Seventh-grader AJ Lovejoy knows that, and looks up to some of the big league ball players and tries to emulate their work ethic.

“It’s really important, because you can’t just make it on natural talent. I mean, you just hear the stories of the major leaguers and they’re working five hours a day,” Lovejoy said. “Batting practice, instructional camps. So I want to be like them, so I’ve got to work hard to make it to that level.”

These guys know making it to the next level won’t come easy, unless they put the work in.

“It’s important, because if you don’t practice, you can get worse, and if you do practice you can get better,” Thoma-Britt said.

So young, yet so mature, and even though they are kids playing a simple game, they’re coming away with life lessons.

“You know, it’s not just about baseball here, too. It’s about a lot of stuff we teach with baseball that goes into life,” Rochin said. “You know, how to give everything you’ve got, give 100 percent, no matter what you do.”

The Elks hold more of these camps during their season and some indoor camps in the winter.