For the second straight year, the Edge Athletics Shooting and Offensive Skills camp has attracted some of the top young high school prospects in the area. The three day clinic, offered by Edge Athletics, has become increasingly popular amongst freshmen and sophomores looking to make their respective high school teams. The increased interest comes, in part, in the approach that the camp takes in training the athletes. “Although we are focused on the fundamentals of shooting, we stress development of basic and advanced offensive skills,” said Jim Santoro, the President of Edge Athletics and the Director of Edge Camps and Clinics. Edge camps and clinics are quickly developing the reputation for being hard core workouts. “There are many great camps out there that do the job. But we try to bring a level of discipline to our sessions that really teaches and helps the individual athlete improve their skills,” Santoro said.
At the end of the three day session, each athlete leaves with an advantage. “Learning how to play the game of basketball at a high level is a process. And it requires an investment of sweat,” Santoro added. “We don’t kid ourselves into thinking that our athletes make significant strides by the end of the three days. But we do give the athletes the tools they need for them to work on their own so that they can begin to separate themselves from other athletes.” They also leave pretty tired as many of the athletes describe the days as six hour varsity level practices. In addition to the skills camp, Edge runs its traditional camp that includes the newly introduced “Get an Edge” Division designed for serious athletes. It also runs sweat shops inside of the traditional camps for any athlete looking to get additional workouts.
The camps and clinics have attracted athletes from many of the local schools including Arlington, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Spackenkill, as well as more distant schools like Monroe Woodbury and Marlboro. Although the approach that Edge takes to training certainly is an attraction, the staff, equipment, and facilities also adds to the quality of the sessions. The traditional camps and the Shooting and Offensive Skills staff includes Varsity coaches Ernie Verdis, Marc Kutchma, and Santoro to name a few, as well as Junior Varsity Coaches and assistants. All are very dedicated and focused on a common objective. In addition, Edge uses top facilities and state of the art equipment. This summer, sessions were held at Our Lady of Lourdes High School, the Poughkeepsie Day School, and New Paltz college. The sessions employed the use of two shooting machines called the “Gun” as well as the newly acquired shooting analysis system called “NOAH.”
When added all together, it appears that Edge Athletics has the right formula to keep on growing. “We were oversold this summer for our skills camp and had to turn athletes away,” Santoro said. With this summer coming to a close, they are already planning on next year to increase the capacity and offerings. “The trick is to grow slowly so that we do it without sacrificing the quality that we are able to provide,” Santoro said. Between now and next summer, Edge will offer individual, small group, and team shooting, skills development, and basketball conditioning programs beginning in September.
For more information on offerings, you can call 845-264-5078.