Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua and running back Kyren Williams came to Santa Barbara High School on a sunny Saturday morning, where they coached a football camp for aspiring young athletes.
Athletes and family members filled Peabody Stadium from 8 a.m. to noon for the Flex Work Sports event. The camp was open for kids aged 6 to 16.
Director of Camp Operations and Logistics for Flex Work Sports, Ed Galloway, introduced Nacua and Williams.
“Your kids are in amazing hands today and they’re going to have some fun with these guys,” Galloway said to the crowd.
Cheers erupted once Nacua and Williams walked onto the field. The two athletes engaged with campers, took photos with kids and family, and had interactive drills ready for the morning.
The kids were able to talk with Nacua and Williams during rotations while also learning valuable football knowledge.
Williams remembers attending Rams-hosted football camps as a child and wanted to give back to the community the same way his current team did.
“Coming back to the community with Flex Work and the great organization of the Rams just allows the kids of Los Angeles to be inspired and you know, hopefully play for the Rams one day,” Williams told the News-Press.
Nacua and Williams conducted quick stations. The stations at the camp included scrimmages, workouts, blocking, passing, and quarterback drills.
The athletes had an opportunity to try out every station with rotations to each drill.
At this sports camp, if there’s one thing the event had, it was the sense of community.
Local youth football teams from Santa Ynez, Lompoc, and Santa Barbara could be seen repping their jerseys before the camp started.
Santa Barbara High School football players were in attendance as volunteers and helped the campers at each station as well.
“It’s just great exposure for our football program, our city, our school,” Nate Mendoza, head coach of the Santa Barbara High football team, said. “Just puts us out there a little bit and hope we can do it again next year.”
After once being in the young campers’ shoes and now in the NFL, Williams knows it’s their job as athletes to help others.
“Approach is everything. I know the platform we have as being NFL players, playing for such a great organization,” Williams said to the News-Press. “I know it’s our duty to be able to give service.”
For a fun way to end the camp, after the training drills, the NFL players gave campers the chance to go against them one-on-one. Kids lined up and did their best to pass Nacua or Williams after catching a ball being thrown to them.
Williams hopes that after this camp, the kids were left inspired.
“I just hope I impact, inspire, and motivate the youth to be able to dream big,” Williams said to the News-Press. “I remember getting told dream big to be an NFL player and that stuck with me forever till this day.”
The two athletes had a busy day. After being in Santa Barbara, they traveled to North High School in Bakersfield to do another community football camp with Flow Works from 4 to 8 p.m.
