By: Frankie Benvenuti

It’s not every day an opportunity like the Ottawa Titans’ Cappy’s Kids Camp comes around. 

For kids between the ages of six and 13, Cappy’s Kids Camp offers the chance to learn skills like hitting, fielding, pitching, and base running from Ottawa’s very own professional baseball players, but it’s about more than just the fundamentals of the sport. 

For just $65 plus tax for each child, they’ll be able to create a day’s worth of memories, including a Titans t-shirt, the opportunity to get autographs from their favourite Titans players, and the ability to get close with them during the lunch period, where each kid will be serves a hot dog, chips, and a drink. The chance to get up close and personal with the community highlights the interest of players, particularly pitcher Kenny Williams. 

“When I was that age, it would have been a big deal for me to come to a nice field like this and spend a day playing baseball with pro players and coaches,” he explained. “It’s good to be able to give that to the kids of [the Ottawa Gatineau region] where there hasn’t been baseball in the past handful of years.” 

Whether your child has been tearing up the Little League circuit for years, or they have never touched a baseball in their lives, Cappy’s Kids Camp is a welcoming place where they can take their skillset to the next level. 

“The thing I love the most about these camps is that we have had kids who don’t even know what baseball is, and we’ve had some who have been playing their whole lives,” said Titans’ Bench Coach Mark Reardanz. “It doesn’t matter if they know the game, our job is to introduce it to them and teach things to them.” 

With the expectation of markedly different skill sets across such a wide age group, the camp will be divided into sections, with three different camps running. The first will be on July 11th, at 9 a.m., with the second coming at noon that same day. The final camp of the season will be held on August 14th, at 9 a.m. 

Still, each individual camp will be divided into different ages, with the coaches providing a personalized experience depending on each child’s ability. 

“They can expect to get a personal experience, but in a professional environment,” Reardanz said. “The kids are in different age groups, and the work will be personalized so they all get a great experience.” 

Whether it’s a new skill, or a new outlook on what it takes to become a professional athlete, Williams is sure there’s going to be something to take away from the day. 

“If you’re coming with a good attitude, you have the opportunity to learn something they may not have learned until later down the road,” Williams said. “[All of the players and coaches] have something different to offer, we have all taken a different road to get here, and we all have something different to teach them.” 

Much like the kids, the Titans themselves are looking forward to the camp, ready to have a fun day out doing what they love. 

“We love this job because we love entertaining the community when they come to games, and we want to be involved with them as much as possible,” Reardanz said. “We want to give back to the kids.” 

You can register your child for Cappy’s Kids Camp here.