Broncos QB Mark Sanchez gives back to kids during football camp at Fort Carson
Military children from the Fort Carson community were treated to a football camp with Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez on Friday morning.
The camp, led by ProCamps Worldwide, was awarded to Fort Carson following a contest involving military bases around the world. Kids aged six to 14 ran routes, caught passes and took handoffs from Sanchez, who looked like a kid himself at times.
“This reminds me of being a youngster – running around and having fun when things weren’t as serious,” Sanchez said. “You could come out and throw the ball and it didn’t mean anything. You cherish those days and enjoy seeing these kids laugh and run around.”
Sanchez said he would not answer questions about his left thumb, which he had surgery on in May, or his position on the Broncos depth chart.
Parents in uniform watched from the sideline and snapped photos of their children running routes for the Broncos quarterback. One mother, phone in hand, paced the sidelines to find the best angle of her child catching a pass.
“Instagram it!” she urged her older daughter. “I don’t have Twitter.”
Rhonda Smith is the store director of the Fort Carson Commissary and helped run the campaign to bring ProCamps and Sanchez to Colorado Springs. The commissary had to sell P&G products and Smith urged community members to vote for their base via text.
Wearing a flashy Broncos hat and bright orange shirt, she stood on the sidelines talking to parents and watched a group of nearly 150 young kids run around.
“Some of these kids wouldn’t have a chance to get out and do this if it wasn’t for the commissary and this contest,” Smith said. “I look forward to winning this next year.”
Camp director Craig James said ProCamps has travelled to 15 military bases around the world for free camps. Mostly, the company does paid-model camps around the country with professional athletes.
“(Going to military bases) is part of our business,” James said. “We really like to do because it’s genuine. There’s an appreciation on both sides.”
Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez runs through drills with kids taking part in a ProCamps sports camp at Fort Carson Friday, July 8, 2016. 150 military children in first through 8th grades attended the camp. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez gives instructions to Sophia Delier, 8, at Fort Carson Friday, July 8, 2016, while hosting a ProCamps sports camp for 150 military kids in first through 8th grades. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez visited Fort Carson Friday, July 8, 2016, to host a ProCamps sports camp for 150 military kids in first through 8th grades. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez visited Fort Carson Friday, July 8, 2016, to host a ProCamps sports camp for 150 military kids in first through 8th grades. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez watches over kids practicing at Fort Carson Friday, July 8, 2016, during a ProCamps sports camp for 150 military kids in first through 8th grades. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette