Kids’ basketball camps set for summer at park

The Harrison Township Recreation Commission is teaming with Rob Atene Workouts for a series of kids’ basketball camps this summer at the Ella Harris Park courts.

“The program is run by a Mullica Hill resident, Rob Atene,” said Recreation Coordinator Sharon Chew. “He has held many basketball camps, and we were happy to do it with him. We talked doing a basketball camp for a while now, but had to put it on hold to focus on pickleball. We have a new basketball court adjacent to the tennis courts at Ellis Harris Park that will be used in the camp.”

Registration for the camps is now open. They will be split between a six-week workout session and a camp. The six-week camp is scheduled to take place on Tuesdays, June 24, July 1, 8, 29 and Aug. 12 and 26. Little ballers – kids in kindergarten through third grade – will go first on each of those days from 9 to 10 a.m. Following will be kids in grades four through eight from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The workout camps are non-consecutive to accommodate families who might have summer vacations planned.

Another camp takes place across four days from Monday through Thursday during the week of Aug. 18, with a rain date of Friday, Aug. 22. These classes are for older kids, with one session for fourth- through sixth-graders from 9 to 11 a.m. on each of those days. Another session for kids in seventh and eighth grade, as well as more experienced sixth-graders, will be scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on those days.

“We’re real excited to partner with them,” Chew said of Rob Atene Workouts. “They really care about the community and thought it would be a good idea to do the camp.”

Register kids online at signupgenius.com. Each camp and session has a maximum capacity of 30 kids each. Prices will vary depending on the session.

“We try to keep things affordable, especially during these times,” Chew noted, “and try to let kids in on as many things as possible with our camps.”