Mineola athlete starts youth baseball camp
For Jimmy Bulva, the ballfield is like a second home.
He spent summers at the New York Baseball Academy camp at Mineola High School and growing up in Williston Park, played for the Williston Park Patriots. He played on the Mineola High School baseball team and later went on to play division one collegiate baseball. He met some of his best friends on the field and made lifelong memories.
Now, the Mineola High School alum is making sure other children can have those same life-changing experiences by hosting the Game Seven Baseball Camp.
“This is something I thought about since high school, because they didn’t have one at Mineola High School for a long time,” Bulva said. “A lot of kids travel to different camps, but there’s no good local camps. I wanted to start something in the area that was good and knowledgeable.”
The camp will allow young Mineola athletes to sharpen their skills as well as learn new ones. Held at Mineola High School from July 11 through 15, Bulva has planned the camp to be both competitive and educational.
“We’re going to break them up into age groups and divide the day up,” Bulva said. “It’ll be a learning experience for everyone. We’ll have some kids who haven’t played the game before and some who have experience in baseball. We’ll make it so they can work together.”
Open to athletes ages six to 13, the camp will teach skills such as hitting, fielding, catching, running and pitching. Bulva, who recently graduated from the New York Institute of Technology where he played division 1 baseball on a full scholarship, has recruited other collegiate baseball players to help coach.
“When you’re learning from guys you look up to, it’s huge,” Bulva said. “Especially kids from your neighborhood, to show you can become one of them if you work hard. These kids look up to the college players.”
One of these coaches is Craig Weber, a former Mineola High School baseball player who went onto play at Mount Saint Vincent’s College. He said he is looking forward to passing on his love of baseball to the younger generation.
“I love having the ability to teach younger kids to play the game the way it is supposed to be played,” Weber said. “I have played throughout high school as well as in college and feel that I have a great deal of knowledge to pass down to younger guys who want to get better. Being a part of this camp gives me the exact opportunity to do so.”
Bulva said he hopes that kids walk away from the camp not only with more baseball skills, but with lasting memories and friendships.
“I met some of my best friends through the sport,” Bulva said. “Some of the kids we’ll be coaching don’t know if they want to play baseball, lacrosse or hockey. But whatever they want to do if they work hard they can become anything. These are the experiences they’ll remember the most.”
To find out more and to register, visit www.libaseballcamp.com.
