Summer is usually a time where kids have a whole lot of time on their hands and not a whole lot to do.

Various high school athletic teams and other organizations are here to change that.

All of the local high schools are offering a number of different camps this summer to give kids something to do and teach them a little about specific sports in the process.

The Sonoraville High volleyball team offered one of those camps the past three afternoons as they held their annual Lady Phoenix Volleyball Camp where youngsters were taught basic fundamentals and skills by Sonoraville head coach Nathan Smith and several Sonoraville High players.

Smith said there was a lower number than usual at the camp this time, but the ones that were there were eager to learn.

“The things we always try to cover here are the three basic arm-motion skills,” said Smith. “You’ve got the bump pass, the overhand pass, which will become the set later on, and the overhand serve.

“To be as young as this little group is, I think they did great. I was a little concerned when I saw how young some of them were, but I think their attention held up, and they did all I could’ve asked them to do.”

The camp is just one of many held by Sonoraville sports teams the past couple weeks. Some others included Sonoraville youth football camp, soccer camp and cheerleading camp.

Gordon Central Warrior Softball Camp was also held this week by coach Brian Little and several of his players, and Grindhouse Wrestling is holding various camps throughout the summer for local wrestlers to learn techniques and skills from a large contingent of guest instructors.

One aspect of several of the camps, including the Sonoraville Volleyball Camp, is that current high school varsity players are among the instructors to help the younger kids learn the skills they have learned over the past few years.

“It’s great to have the girls help me out with the camps,” said Smith. “I’m a pretty old man, and I can be a little gruff and scare the little girls sometimes, but my players are really patient with them. They’ll cut up with them and make them laugh and enjoy being here.”

Another advantage of the camps for the high school coaches that run them is they get to see the possible future players they could be coaching. Smith said that the majority of the girls on the Sonoraville High team right now are girls who have come through the camps the past few years.

“A bunch of the girls that I teach in these clinics and camps wind up playing for me eventually,” said Smith. “One of the reasons this camp has a smaller number of girls is that the rising ninth-graders that could’ve been here made the commitment to start working out for our high school program earlier. It’s a group of about 12 girls, and I’ve never had a class that big.

“So these camps help give a look at the future of the high school programs.”

So for those parents who want to see there kids play on the high school level one day, having them attend summer camps and clinics can only help their chances.

Plus, it gives their children something to do to stay out of trouble, get off the couch and get active over the summer as well, which is of great importance to those parents.