GrassHopper Camps

In 2020, Charlie Kratus began coaching his first and second-grade neighbors in flag football. After a few months, he realized that having more kids would allow the boys to learn more and have more fun by playing real games. After reaching out to a few potential parents, the program quickly spread through word of mouth. Since many other flag football programs put their seasons on hold, GrassHopper was determined to safely put together a season for the local kids. 

In January 2021, the first GrassHopper Flag Football season was launched with over forty first second and third graders. I broke down into four even teams, coached by twelve high school football players. The original group of two boys quickly ballooned into over thirty. The season consisted of ten games, including playoffs and championship games, with medals for the winning team. The sessions were broken down into half an hour of one-on-one coaching with each team's coaches and an hour of flag football games. The coaches focused on teaching the basics of flag football and sportsmanship to foster a fun environment. The season was thoroughly enjoyed by the players who were playing with their friends, sisters who were participating in GrassHopper's Cheerleading camp, younger siblings who were entertained by complimentary balloon animals, and parents who were watching their kids have fun. 

Following the Spring season, GrassHopper also held a summer camp spanning over four weeks. Some of the camp's activities included water balloon toss competition for hand-eye coordination, QB/WR drills, relay races, defensive flag drills, and a tournament with 20-minute mini-games to crown a GrassHopper Camp Championship Team. The boys also enjoyed a nice cool treat following each day.

De La Salle Academy is a 5th - 8th Grade Lasallian Catholic middle school in Concord, California. De La Salle Academy provides a transformative, life-changing, and accessible Catholic educational experience for promising boys from underserved families in the greater Concord area.   

During the winter 2022 semester, GrassHopper Camps provided a free multi-session camp open to the whole school. Students were coached by Varsity Football Players and Varsity coaches came and talked with them. For many of the students, this was their first introduction into playing football. Many of the boys parents are first-generation Americans, who have limited knowledge of the country's most popular sport. 

GrassHopper also had a cheerleading camp during the Spring 2021 Flag Football season led by local high school cheerleaders. The coaches used their Varsity Cheerleading experience to teach the campers the basics of cheer, with pom-poms and all!

Check back, and look out for upcoming camp!