Residents Participate in Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps

Ten-year-old Josh Oehring and Ryan Smith, 12, both play for the Glen Ellyn Golden Eagles youth football program.

But the Glen Ellyn residents are looking forward to the day when they’ll wear a Glenbard West High School Hilltoppers’ uniform.

“Glenbard West … I love their team,” said Smith, his voice rising with excitement. “That’s my dream. I went to almost all of them (the team’s home games) last year. I like how you can be there with your friends and watch the game.”

Asked if he wants to play for the Hilltoppers—also known as the Hitters—Oehring replied with a quick “yes.”

“It’s cool they have that bell on the top of the hill,” said Oehring, referring to a Glenbard West tradition where players run out of Duchon Field after a home victory, and then up to the top of a hill on campus in order to ring a bell that signifies a Hilltopper win.

Oehring and Smith are diligently preparing to reach their future goal now. They’ll be starting their fourth year with the Eagles—Oehring on the 93-pound team; Smith on the 113-pound squad. And both have been participating in this week’s Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps at Park View Elementary School.

It’s the fourth straight summer Oehring and Smith have been involved with the non-contact camp, in which youths receive detailed instruction in offense, defense and special teams play from high school coaches who are part of the staff.

Later in the week, campers get to meet former Chicago Bears who serve as guest coaches. In the past, Revie Sorey, Robin Earl, Jim Morrissey, Mickey Pruitt, Alan Ellis, Kris Haines and Bobby Douglass have been among the ex-Bears who’ve coached at the camp.

“I’ve met a few of the guys,” Smith noted. “I’ve met Revie Sorey, Bobby Douglass, Jim Morrissey and a couple other of those guys. They’re very good guys.”

Specific instruction on offense, defense and special teams takes place in the mornings through station-based training. These training sessions are broken down according to age.

“It’s a fun camp,” said Oehring, who’s played quarterback, defensive end, cornerback and linebacker as a member of the Eagles. “I’ve learned how to hold the ball, play as a linebacker better and it’s helped me with my throwing.”

“I like how it builds strength and our football skills,” added Smith. “How they go over basics and how we get better at it.”

Smith says he enjoys the afternoon session when campers concentrate on scrimmaging, skills challenges and other contests. He especially likes the scrimmages.

“We do that for about an hour, and we get to play in a bunch of games,” he said.

Each day of scrimmage builds on the previous day’s scrimmage. The first day of scrimmage is Preseason, followed by the Regular Season and the Playoffs. Fridays are devoted to playing the Super Bowl scrimmage.

Speaking from experience, Smith said the scrimmages “get more intense” each day.

Dan O’Donnell, one of the camp coaches who’s the varsity defensive backs coach at St. Viator High School (Arlington Heights), notes that campers become well-acclimated to drills and scrimmages by the end of the week.

“The drills stay the same so by the end of the week, you say one thing and the kids are right there,” he said. “They’re doing it (the drill) on point.”

One activity that all the campers seem to relish is throwing a football at a Chicago Bears helmet that is positioned several feet away. If a camper’s pass hits the helmet, his name is put on a raffle ticket. All the raffle tickets are then placed into a hat.

At the end of the week, one of the raffle tickets is drawn from that hat. The winner receives a Bears helmet, autographed by former players who have visited the camp.

Life lessons also are mixed in with football drills throughout the week. 

“Football kind of relates to life in a lot of ways,” O’Donnell said. “Just understanding that you have to be disciplined, you’ve got to follow what you’re being told to do and just being a good teammate and a good sport.”