Weeklong camp is 'smashing' success for KMC kids

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Travis Edwards
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Twenty-one children from the KMC got a chance to dip into a multitude of different extra-curricular activities during the Youth Center's Smash Camp Aug. 6 through 10 at the Youth Instructional building here.

Smash Camp is a five-day camp that allows children to try their hand at acrobatics, ballet, jazz, tap, Broadway, art, Yoga and Jeet Kun Do among other activities.

"We've done this camp four times already throughout the summer and it's for two reasons: to help give the children something constructive to do during the summer and to give them a little taste of everything they can do for after school activities," said Jody Blevins, a career dance instructor who also works for the Youth Center. "It's seven hours of fun that they absolutely love."

Blevins is joined by Nina Moore, Youth Center dance and Smash Camp instructor and is majoring in dance at Brigham Young University, Utah.

"I've volunteered at the Youth Center for the last two years, so this is my third year here and my first year working full time for the Youth center," said Moore. "It's been great, I love it and the kids love it."

The Youth Instructional building recently re-opened in June and features three rooms: a dance room with a Marley floor, which is a special performance surface, suitable for dancing and a martial arts room with a soft mat covering the entire floor and a wide-open gymnastics room; which features uneven bars, two balance beams, a trampoline, a vault and a spring floor.

This was the fourth and final smash camp of the 2012 summer. With two instructors, the camp can accommodate up to 26 children ages 6 to 18 for about $110 for the whole week.

"This is the kind of camp I went to as a kid and I still have those memories," said Tina Whitney, KMC Youth Center instructional director and creator of the KMC Smash Camp. "I still remember how much fun it was and all the new people I met. I was exposed to so many new things and loved them; and I wanted to give that feeling to our military families."

The camp was a smashing success for the children as well.

"My mom and I were searching for things to do for fun during the summer and out popped Smash Camp," said Maddi Navid, 13, step-daughter of Maj. Lance Benson and Smash Camp participant. "It had all different kind of activities and we decided, 'That looks like fun.'

"The teachers were my favorite because they have a lot of fun with what they are doing and they make learning the dances fun," she added. "I would definitely do it again."