Bucknell University Athletics
Kaupas Campers pose in front of the Bison statue.
Bucknell Athletics Continues Partnership with Mount Carmel, Participates in Kaupas Camp for Third Straight Year
8/6/2018 3:24:00 PM | General, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. – A diminutive, racquet-wielding fifth-grader threw her hands skyward while beaming a smile from ear to ear after flushing a forehand shot that dropped perfectly on the white baseline paint at the Bucknell Varsity Tennis Courts. The shot would have elicited satisfaction from any Wimbledon champion, and it drew loud cheers from her campmates, followed by a big high-five from Bucknell women's tennis coach Rebecca Helt. It was just one of many fun moments during a recent two-day tennis clinic that was part of the 2018 Kaupas Summer Camp.
This is the third straight year that Bucknell Athletics has participated in the Kaupas Camp, and the involvement is part of a much larger initiative in which the University is committed to revitalizing the nearby Coal Region town of Mount Carmel.
In the spring of 2015, Bucknell formally opened its interdisciplinary Coal Region Field Station in the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, a former convent located in Mount Carmel. Bucknell has many longstanding staff and faculty ties to the area, most notably Father Marty Moran, Bucknell's former Catholic chaplain and the former pastor of Divine Redeemer Church in Mount Carmel. Father Moran facilitated Bucknell's partnership with the center, which serves as a home base for student and faculty research, field work and community service efforts that connect Bucknell to its easterly neighbors.
One key outcome of the partnership is the Kaupas Camp, where youngsters from the Mount Carmel Area School District participate in both academic and athletic activities hosted by Bucknell faculty, staff and coaches. This year, the Bison football, basketball, track and field, baseball, swimming and diving, tennis, field hockey and wrestling teams all conducted clinics either in Mount Carmel or on the Bucknell campus.
"Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that this sport can be a lot of fun," said Helt, who is entering her 22nd year as Bucknell's women's tennis coach. "And so to come out here and teach these kids the fundamentals using a lot of fun games is just a way to enjoy the game with kids who may never be introduced to it otherwise."
"The coaches, the athletes have just been phenomenal," said Kaupas Camp counselor Jolene Scicchitano, who is a mathematics teacher in Mount Carmel. "They are so great with the students. They give them such a positive outlook on sports while showing them competition and good sportsmanship."
One of the highlights of this year's track and field camp was a surprise drop-in from Mount Carmel native and NCAA All-America javelin thrower Maura Fiamoncini, who just wrapped up a record-setting first year at Bucknell with a trip to Finland for the IAAF U20 World Championships. Recent Bucknell graduate and team captain Ali Varano was also a prominent member of the squad who hails from Mount Carmel and has participated in the Kaupus Camp.
"Maura was like a celebrity when she swung by, because everyone in Mount Carmel knows about what she has done here at Bucknell," said head track and field coach Kevin Donner.
"Any time our players can give back to the community is a very important thing," said head football coach Joe Susan. "We tell them to appreciate the many things they have, and any time they have a chance to give back, it can be better for them than it is for the people they are giving back to."
A once-thriving borough in the heyday of anthracite coal mining, Mount Carmel and many other nearby Coal Region towns have fallen on hard times economically over the last several decades. The Bucknell community has taken a keen interest in reviving these communities while celebrating their past.
In January 2017, as part of a year-long "Coal Collections" series on campus, a panel titled "Athletics in the Anthracite Region" was held in the Weis Center. Bucknell Athletics Hall-of-Famers and Coal Region natives Clifford "Mickey" Melberger '61, Pat Flannery '80 and Jennifer Yuengling '93 were among the featured speakers.
Bison Athletics upped its involvement even further with increased volunteer participation the Kaupas Camp, particularly over the last two summers.
In addition to the athletic programs provided, the University offered alternative activities for campers with other interests. Those included GIS, river conservation, dancing, filmmaking, and garden/greenhouse activities. There are also community service opportunities for the campers, such as cleaning up cemeteries and playgrounds and visiting nursing homes.
"A lot of these students will never have this opportunity, so what Bucknell provides for them is the experience of a lifetime," said Scicchitano. "Our camp has been getting better and better each year, and I'm hoping that Bucknell will continue to give our students all these good experiences. We thank Bucknell for all they have done for us."
This is the third straight year that Bucknell Athletics has participated in the Kaupas Camp, and the involvement is part of a much larger initiative in which the University is committed to revitalizing the nearby Coal Region town of Mount Carmel.
In the spring of 2015, Bucknell formally opened its interdisciplinary Coal Region Field Station in the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, a former convent located in Mount Carmel. Bucknell has many longstanding staff and faculty ties to the area, most notably Father Marty Moran, Bucknell's former Catholic chaplain and the former pastor of Divine Redeemer Church in Mount Carmel. Father Moran facilitated Bucknell's partnership with the center, which serves as a home base for student and faculty research, field work and community service efforts that connect Bucknell to its easterly neighbors.
One key outcome of the partnership is the Kaupas Camp, where youngsters from the Mount Carmel Area School District participate in both academic and athletic activities hosted by Bucknell faculty, staff and coaches. This year, the Bison football, basketball, track and field, baseball, swimming and diving, tennis, field hockey and wrestling teams all conducted clinics either in Mount Carmel or on the Bucknell campus.
"Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that this sport can be a lot of fun," said Helt, who is entering her 22nd year as Bucknell's women's tennis coach. "And so to come out here and teach these kids the fundamentals using a lot of fun games is just a way to enjoy the game with kids who may never be introduced to it otherwise."
"The coaches, the athletes have just been phenomenal," said Kaupas Camp counselor Jolene Scicchitano, who is a mathematics teacher in Mount Carmel. "They are so great with the students. They give them such a positive outlook on sports while showing them competition and good sportsmanship."
One of the highlights of this year's track and field camp was a surprise drop-in from Mount Carmel native and NCAA All-America javelin thrower Maura Fiamoncini, who just wrapped up a record-setting first year at Bucknell with a trip to Finland for the IAAF U20 World Championships. Recent Bucknell graduate and team captain Ali Varano was also a prominent member of the squad who hails from Mount Carmel and has participated in the Kaupus Camp.
"Maura was like a celebrity when she swung by, because everyone in Mount Carmel knows about what she has done here at Bucknell," said head track and field coach Kevin Donner.
"Any time our players can give back to the community is a very important thing," said head football coach Joe Susan. "We tell them to appreciate the many things they have, and any time they have a chance to give back, it can be better for them than it is for the people they are giving back to."
A once-thriving borough in the heyday of anthracite coal mining, Mount Carmel and many other nearby Coal Region towns have fallen on hard times economically over the last several decades. The Bucknell community has taken a keen interest in reviving these communities while celebrating their past.
In January 2017, as part of a year-long "Coal Collections" series on campus, a panel titled "Athletics in the Anthracite Region" was held in the Weis Center. Bucknell Athletics Hall-of-Famers and Coal Region natives Clifford "Mickey" Melberger '61, Pat Flannery '80 and Jennifer Yuengling '93 were among the featured speakers.
Bison Athletics upped its involvement even further with increased volunteer participation the Kaupas Camp, particularly over the last two summers.
In addition to the athletic programs provided, the University offered alternative activities for campers with other interests. Those included GIS, river conservation, dancing, filmmaking, and garden/greenhouse activities. There are also community service opportunities for the campers, such as cleaning up cemeteries and playgrounds and visiting nursing homes.
"A lot of these students will never have this opportunity, so what Bucknell provides for them is the experience of a lifetime," said Scicchitano. "Our camp has been getting better and better each year, and I'm hoping that Bucknell will continue to give our students all these good experiences. We thank Bucknell for all they have done for us."
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