FREE PHOTOS OF THE CAMP PROVIDED BY ANDY MORALES/ALLSPORTSTUCSON.COM CAN BE ACCESSED BY CLICKING HERE
Mountain View High School’s softball program has joined members of the Sunnyside wrestling family creating its own athletics/economics camp under a fellowship offered throuth the Dragon Kim Foundation, a California-based nonprofit operation with this mission statement:
“To inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions.”
The softball camp at Mountain View and wrestling camp at Sunnyside and other projects conducted by youth organizations in the West region of the United States will be complete or have accomplished a major milestone by September.
Dragon Fellows will present their project results in a celebratory Dragon Graduation at that time and the winner, which will receive more funds from the foundation, will be a result of an online vote.
Daniel and Grace Kim created the Dragon Kim Foundation after their 14-year-old son Dragon and his friend Justin Lee were instantly killed in 2015 when a large oak tree branch fell on them while camping in Yosemite.
“They say grief is love with nowhere to go,” Daniel and Grace Kim penned on the foundation’s Web site. “Our love for Dragon needed somewhere to land. We established The Dragon Kim Foundation in Dragon’s honor to carry on his love of life, to make it possible for other young people to pursue their passions, and to help give others access to a bright future.”
Former Mountain View standout Ashley Ketchum went on to play for Colby and is now set to start law school. A great example of making the most of your opportunity and using athletics to succeed beyond the field of play pic.twitter.com/8y9GSXhn0a
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) July 30, 2022
The groups of youths Saturday were instructed on the basics of softball at Mountain View in addtion to being provided classes on economics taught by Buena High School and University of Arizona business-school graduate Victoria Howell and Mountain View Summit teacher Greg Sears,
Sears was one of the economics instructors during a wrestling camp in June offered by Blue Devil wrestlers Jaime Rivera Jr., Mike Avelar and Audrey Jimenez at Sunnyside.
The Mountain Lions, including some former standouts who have gone on to play in college, took part in the camp Saturday. The former players who served as instructors during the camp included:
- Ashley Ketchum — Colby College
- Zaylie Calderon — UTEP
- Mari Sandoval — Chandler-Gilbert CC
- Jessie Niegocki — Rider University
- Jordy Van der Werf — Bradley University
- Chloe Cordova — Pitt at Bradley
- Nique Payne — Newman University
- Jessica Lozania — Pima CC
- Nalani Cordova — Scottsdale CC
- Raina Molina — Scottsdale CC
- Megan Flores — Valparaiso University
- Sierra Ornelas — Mountain View Class of 2018
- Jordan Ruden — Mountain View Class of 2019
The free camp included softball players in kindergarten through eighth grade taking part in the softball instruction and economic classes.
More than 30 campers attended.
Mountain View softball coach Ramon De La Ossa, Southern Arizona high school softball head of umpires Larry Heath and Avelar took part in the final ceremony that included a speech by Avelar about the Dragon Kim Foundation and his experience at Sunnyside with the fellowship.
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