On Friday, June 17th, the Jaguars' 2005 rookie class participated in the second annual "Got Skills?" Youth Camp on the practice fields at Alltel Stadium. Players got a chance to interact with and sign autographs for area youth as well as putting them through various drills designed to teach them the fundamentals of football. The importance of teamwork was also stressed. Many of the players talked with the campers how important it is to be a team player and a good teammate. The players seemed to enjoy the event just as much as the kids.
Jaguars third round draft choice cornerback Scott Starks said, "It's always fun to get a chance to get out into the community. I love to get a chance to work with the kids. Most of the kids look up to us and want to be in the same position we're in, so it's always good to be a positive role model."
In celebration of June being National Dairy Month, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tropicana Pure Premium, Winn-Dixie and the Florida Dairy Farmers put together this free football camp. In addition to Jaguars players, Jaxson de Ville and members of the ROAR were on hand to cheer the kids on in various skills. The camp was limited to the first 200 youth between the ages of seven and 14 who registered. In addition to playing football with various Jaguars players, the kids enjoyed a cookie stacking contest and an ice cream demonstration.
Each youth camp participant received a free t-shirt along with an assortment of other items when arriving at the camp. At the end of the afternoon, many of the campers' white t-shirts were covered with autographs. During the day many of the campers ran from player to player competing to see who could get the most autographs. One of the campers boasted, "I might have one of the first Matt Jones autographs in Jacksonville."
With the camp including autographs, meeting professional football players, football drills, ice cream and cookie eating, the youth at this camp could not have had a better time. Also experiencing a day of fun and football were the Jaguars players, staff and sponsors who helped put together this event. Jaguars sixth-round draft choice wide receiver Chad Owens said, "This was just a cool event to be a part of."
