The Dallas Cowboys escaped the Texas heat and once again arrived in Oxnard, a place they have visited for the last 20 years, to prepare for the next NFL season.
On Wednesday, after one of their first official practices at the River Ridge Playing Fields facility, the Dallas Cowboys opened a football camp for children, a community activity that the famous organization considers of utmost importance.
“There are a lot of team members here, as well as people who want to be a part of it, sometimes they come out to greet the fans,” said Daniel Cabrera, digital and multicultural marketing manager for Visit Oxnard. “And today is a particularly special day because the Cowboys like to invest in the community they are in, and one of the ways to do that is to host clinics or youth leagues for kids, like the one today.”
More than 80 children at Cowboys camp
This is the third year that the Cowboys invite the community to participate in a free camp, led by legends and former NFL players with the goal of giving kids the opportunity to integrate into the sport, with the hope that they learn from these coaches and feel motivated to continue practicing it.
More than 80 children between 6 and 10 years old gathered on the same field as the professional players for the first flag football camp of the week.
Wearing white T-shirts, sneakers and gloves, the large group of kids was led by Danny McCray, director of youth football development for the Dallas Cowboys, and they covered the same 100 yards as their NFL heroes.
"As an organization, we have a great mission to provide young people with more opportunities so they can explore what they want to do. And hopefully it will be football," McCray said, taking a moment away from the group. “The hope is that in 10 or 15 years, one of these kids here will become a Dallas Cowboys player or a professional.”
At the beginning of the session, the children were divided into subgroups and each had to rotate through more than five exercise stations.
The parents, lifelong Dallas Cowboys fans, sat in the stands and watched their children enthusiastically.
“Come on, you can do it!” one of the parents shouted. “Don't lose sight of the ball!” said another.
Lessons in discipline and teamwork
Part of the training consisted of a session in which the creatures had to jump onto black bags and then run as fast as possible. According to McCray, such a drill helps them learn how to jump over players and run quickly to score a touchdown.
Elsewhere in the clinic, older children played flag football. They practiced how to catch the ball, run and prevent the opposing team from taking the flag from them, while others performed drills, quickly moving their feet over a net placed on the ground, or learning to catch the ball.
Some children sometimes became impatient because they could not do the exercises well and the coach had to remind them to be patient.
McCray explained that sports are not just playing with a ball, but sports like football teach children discipline and other valuable lessons; develop not only your game, but your mentality.
“We know that when you play something like football, you learn a lot of life lessons: how to be part of a team, how to take responsibility, how to be respectful, how to be persistent and keep practicing,” the Cowboys instructor explained before leading the next section of the camp.
Family drives four hours to Oxnard
Most of the children present are very involved in sports, whether in their schools or outside of them, and some want to go on to play professionally. His dedication was visible in his face and in the way he performed the exercises.
An example of this were Victoria and Ryan Lucio's children: Xavier and Vincent, 6, and their daughter Rylie, 10, who play contact football.
Victoria Lucio said her family has been fans of the Dallas Cowboys since she was a child, with the love for the team growing thanks to her grandmother, who is originally from Texas.
“We come every year, but it is the first time that our children participate in the training,” he said, without losing sight of the clinic. “It's amazing; my kids love this sport, so it's great for them to be able to step on the same field as the players they admire.”
The Lucio family says that every year they travel the four hours from Strathmore, California, to Oxnard to attend the team's training sessions when they open them to the public, something that has become a tradition for them. She added that her daughter Rylie was very excited to be able to play and train with girls her age.
“My daughter wants to play professionally, so for her to see all these girls here, both on the field and the coaches themselves, is incredible,” the mother said. "We come from a very small town where there are practically no sports or girls' teams, so she is the only girl in her league who plays with the boys. So I know she is loving the diversity here today."
After the end of the camp, the children were obviously tired, but there was no shortage of smiles on their faces as they discussed the day.
“That was a good play,” one boy said of the pass his teammate gave him.
“You saw how I was able to take the flag from him and how I scored a touchdown,” added another little boy.
The Dallas Cowboys recently signed a five-year contract extension with the city of Oxnard, which will allow them to maintain their training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields until 2030 and continue this beautiful summer tradition in a community that welcomes them.
For more information on Dallas Cowboys training and community events in Oxnard visit: https://www.dallascowboys.com/training-camp/
