Sports of all kinds roll through summer

As the summer weather settles in across the Hi-Line, there are plenty of opportunities for young athletes to take advantage of this off-season.

And it doesn’t matter if you are an up-and-coming tennis player, or a seasoned varsity basketball player, a number of camps set to take place in Havre in the upcoming weeks have a lot to offer. Spending the summer on the couch isn’t going to make anybody better, so when you are not taking the time to work out, or run on your own, it just makes sense to take full advantage a little extra coaching.

There are already open gyms in the morning at the Havre High School for prep basketball players. And I know I have seen Blue Pony softball players coming together for batting practice in the mornings at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. These are the athletes who are going to benefit the most throughout the remainder of their athletic careers, and there is still time to get in on the action if you have yet to get out there and push your skills to the next level.

A grades K-8 football camp has already wrapped up on the campus of Montana State University-Northern, as has the Skylight youth basketball camp, but that is just the tip of the iceberg for what is going on at MSU-N this summer.

Area athletes can still participate in three camps put on by Lights basketball coach Shawn Huse, and two more upcoming camps hosted by Skylights head coach Chris Mouat. But if basketball isn’t your thing, ladies can get out there and try their hand at volleyball, while local guys can hit the mats with the Lights’ wrestling program.

The Blue Ponies will also host a handful of camps this summer.

Dustin Kraske will host his annual girls basketball camp, while Curt Leeds will host a boys basketball camp, and Melanie Skoyen will host her annual HHS volleyball camp. George Ferguson will also be running his annual tennis camp, and Scott Filius will, once again, return to the Bears Paws for his annual wrestling camp.

The most important thing, with any of these camps, is to just get out of the house and have fun.

Each camp covers a wide variety of skills and techniques, but nothing is too technical dry. There are drills and groups for all skill levels, and everybody is welcome. These camps not only bring in athletes from Havre, but from surrounding towns and schools as well. So if you find yourself looking for something to do in the next few weeks, grab some friends and find a camp. All camp information can be found in the Summer Camps section of the sports page. Listed are times, dates, prices and contact information.

And if watching sports is more your speed, there will be plenty opportunit8es for that as well.

The North Stars American Legion baseball team has the majority of their season left to be played this summer, and will host the Havre Jamboree today, Saturday, and Sunday at Legion field in Havre. Saturday and Sunday also bring the annual Walleye Challenge to Fresno Reservoir, if angling is your things. One hundred two-person teams will hit the water to prove they are the best over the two-day event. The Chinook Rod and Gun Club will also host a youth fishing derby Saturday at the Dry Fork Reservoir north of Chinook.

Toward the end of the summer, local rodeo enthusiasts can also take in the MSU-N rodeo during the Festival Days, as well as the annual rodeo during the Great Northern Fair.

There is a lot going on this summer sports-wise, at almost every turn, and it is up to you to get out and enjoy it.