Ravens Football Camp Testimonials
“My son Colby Deslauriers (Tyke #88) wanted me to pass on that today was “the best drills ever!!!” Thank you for running what truly is the best sports program in the city. Colby looks forward to it all week.”
Corey Deslauriers (Parent)
“I want to thank you and your complete staff for a tremendous experience. After playing football my entire life in the U.S., to include university I have to say this was the best run camp I have ever seen.
The organization, emphasis on fundamentals and focus on basics was a perfect mix for our son. We will continue to enroll our son in future camps, so he can continue to build on the foundation laid by your staff. I want to thank your whole crew again for all of your efforts and sacrifices.”
Terry Lehman (Parent)
“I’d first like to thank you very much for the football camp. It is in fact the very first sport that we’ve been able to get our son involved in. Not only that, he looked up to his coaches and genuinely loved it.
I will say this much, having played up until junior hockey myself, and having had my older son in numourous camps as well, this football experience was absolutely the best camp I’ve ever had a child involved in.Great organization, great motivating, and excellent teaching. And again, my son, who doesn’t like sports, loved it!
We will be returning next year for sure, and thanks for the great time. “
Vince Gravel (Parent)
“- I loved that the coaches called Kevin out when he was not playing by the rules!
– I loved how enthusiastic the coaches were for the kids when they were doing their drills!
– Being new to this sport I’m not sure if this is the norm, but having all equipment included was great for me.”Tammy Anthony (Parent)
“Your football summer camp ROCKED so much that the kids ask me to put them on the Ravens football Spring camp. Keep up the good work and a big thanks to all the people who participate in this camp to make it so memorable for my kids. Keep up the good work!”
Suzy Freitas (Parent)
“Our son participates in the Jr Ravens Football winter camp and is absolutely loving it. This is his first football experience and thanks to you and your team, he’s absolutely loving it. The fact he carries his football with him everywhere he goes, from the moment he wakes up until he goes to bed, is a testament to the magic that takes place every Sunday at the Fieldhouse. Mattias eagerly waits for every Sunday to come around so he can suit up and play football, and we look forward to watching him every week revel in his new found passion.
Your team’s high energy, enthusiasm and encouragement is simply unmatchable to the many programs our three kids have participated in. We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to you and your boys for all of your hard work.”
Monique Plessas (Parent)
“You and your team are to be commended on hosting what has to be the finest kids football camp anywhere! We were shocked when my son asked to play football…he really enjoyed the experience and towards the end of camp began to come out of his shell. The continuous encouragement and enthusiasm of the coaches helped build his confidence and maintained his interest. The moment camp was over, he was the first to say that he wanted to come back. Thank you for that! Of course Angelina (aka Sporty Spice) thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She is looking forward to next year’s tackling opportunities. I would suggest the boys prepare themselves :)”
Corlena Patterson & Jeff Haile (Parents)
“Thank you so much for creating this experience for young football enthusiasts. We can not say enough about how great the program is run – from organization of each week, the communication with parents, and the enthusiasm and energy of the full coaching staff. Colby absolutely loved every minute. And was disappointed to leave today. After getting his hotdog and buckling up in the van I looked back to see tears running down his cheeks. He was so sad for it to end – and so sad he didn’t get to say a formal goodbye to coach Jamal, specifically. He had thought he would hang out with the coaches while eating his hot dog, I think. Please pass a sincere thank you along to all the coaches, and please let Coach Jamal know Colby was quite inspired by him and misses him already.
Thank you once again for your deification to the kids. You’ve all inspired a love for football and we can’t thank you enough for helping show Colby (and so many kids) what it means to be part of a team.”
Corey and Amelia Deslauriers (Parents)
“This was an incredible program. Our son Jonah had never played tackle football before and your step by step approach gave him the confidence to succeed. The staff was energetic, the program was well structured and Jonah loved every minute of it. Well done and thank you for setting our sons future football career up for success!”
Matt Triemstra (Parent)
“This past spring I signed my son up to take part in the Jr Ravens football program. He had been asking for over a year and I had been hesitant.
Today he finished his first camp I wanted to take the time to say thanks.
There are some kids who are born gifted in their ability to run, throw and jump. There are those who just tear onto the field or rink full of enthusiasm, seemingly knowing what they need to do, how to run a play.
I love my son fiercely. I wish so much for him that sports came easy – but he is not that kid. He runs awkwardly, he gets distracted, he gets discouraged. He is small.
He is not the easy kid to coach who just seems to naturally absorb the knowledge and execute incredible plays.
But he loves a high five. He wants so much to succeed. He loves being part of a team. And I sitting on the sides felt that your coaches saw this.
I believe that all kids can, if they are not discouraged, even if they will never become a varsity level athlete – find the joy in sport, in athleticism. And lets be frank, the kids who don’t get the goals, the touch downs, the great catches or hits, they don’t get that positive feedback loop that helps motivate them to keep going – it is not always easy.
It is from this perspective, of a parent who has watched their kid struggle through many sports, that I wanted to say thanks.
More than once this season I sat on the sidelines and my eyes welled up with unexpected tears because I was so incredibly appreciative of the time that you and your coaches took to lean down, to connect, tap my son on the helmet, to make sure that my son knew where he needed to be and that he mattered. When he was feeling down I noticed that your team often managed to help create more opportunities for success. I was and remain so incredibly appreciative. And it was not just my son – I saw this was how your team treated kids across the board.
While I am certain that having such incredible ratios of coaches to kids played a role in making your coaching staff successful I think it was more than that. There did not seem to be the cleaving off of the “great players” and then the rest. There was respect, as well as expectations for all the kids. They were all treated as players and I was thrilled to see the kids want to live up to the expectations their coaches had of them.
I have sat in the stands watching my son in other sports. He would get distracted and drift to the back out of the line for a drill repeatedly so that he never took his turn and no one ever noticed. Somehow your guys noticed. They made sure all kids played.
I loved the enthusiasm of your coaches. Your coaches were full of energy. They were like big, very talented, kids. And that was terrific because the kids connected. A message that sometimes is lost in organized sports is that in the end this is truly supposed to be about love of the sport. Your guys positively exuded that enthusiasm as they celebrate the kids’ catches, plays.’ There was joy on the field which in the rain and later the heat was impressive to behold.
I also respected the organization. I recognize the level of preparation, time and energy that must have been put into each practice. The manner in which you were able to create discipline without being authoritarian was incredible. It is no easy balance – to control a group of 8 year olds while exuding enthusiasm and play…
I do not expect that my son to go on to play football in the big leagues (although I remain open to being surprised) but here is how I think that you have all made a difference.: You have helped a kid who would not play football in the school yard with his peers feel like he can participate at recess, you have encouraged him to think that he can continue to pursue football as a sport, you have helped him see the fun in healthy competition, to laugh, to think of himself as “an athlete” when he would never have ascribed that title to himself. This I think is crucial because a kid who writes himself off now, at 8 will only be less and less likely to think of themselves as someone who belongs.
After today’s game my son told me that he would like to come back again next year and he is keen to watch the Ravens play this season.
In life I think one of our greatest accomplishments is to know that you have made a difference. To the young men who coached the Junior Ravens Football this year – please know that you and your coaches truly have made a difference and I am grateful to the difference you have made. You have an incredible team.”
Junior Ravens Football Parent
“My husband and I would like to tell you and the organizers of the program how much we appreciate the football camp. We are so happy that Carleton offers this type of program to kids. We first discovered this program through my father. He saw your ad and suggested us to enrol Jayden to the camp.
Jayden was a shy boy before enrolling him to football. He never went to daycare, so being with other children and working, as a team was new to him. Now, after three seasons, you can definitely see a big change in him. He now has more confidence and enjoys working in teams. Every time he talks about football and this camp, you can see how much he loves it. He loves it so much that he brought his jersey to his show and tell.
We are very appreciative of this program. The people are great, the coaches are amazing and it’s very well organized.
Jayden can’t wait to get back on the field next season. He also can’t wait for his little brother to be old enough to play football with him.
Mary and Vincent Manugas (Parents)
School Day Visits
Another year another great workshop by the Carleton Ravens Football team.
Goulbourn Middle School participated in many fun and intense football drills, learned the importance of staying active at all times, worked as team and were reminded that in order to be a student-athlete it requires constant focus in school first followed by athletic dedication and giving back to the community.
Highly recommend every school to invite them and share their experience with the students.
Adel Chehouri (Goulbourn Middle School)
“Our grade ⅘ class at Grant Alternative took part in the Carleton Ravens football workshop last month and after an hour of participating our students left the gym knowing more about the importance of physical activity and keeping screen time to a minimum. They also left wanting to join a football team after running through some great football drills with kind and knowledgeable players. The workshop was active and informative and kept the attention of our busy class. We hope to participate again next year. Thank you for the opportunity”
Jessica MacAuley (Teacher, Grant Alternative School)
“I love soccer but now I love football too.”
Palma (Grade 4 student, Grant Alternative School)
“The Carleton Ravens Football Team volunteered their time to promote literacy through physical activity for the entire Junior Division at my school. The Raven’s were organized, professional and created a fun atmosphere. During the football drills, students were laughing and smiling while being encouraged by positive role models. At the end, students were inspired and motivated as they wanted to ask questions about University and get autographs. Overall, this was an exceptional experience and I hope the Raven’s will return next year.”
Deborah Davidson (Grade 5 Teacher, Meadowlands P.S.)
“Just wanted to thank you kindly for coming to our school today and doing that for us. There are so many sports programs that drop off pamphlets that just end up going in the recycling bin. Doing a one-day workshop like this is far more meaningful to the kids and it will get them much more excited to sign-up for the program. The kids came out with raving reviews of the workshop. Also the 5 coaches/players we had were phenomenal; their energy, passion, and positive attitude towards the kids was terrific.”
Santiago Costa (St. John XXIII Athletic Rep)
“The visit at St.Monica was perfect! Your guys were really nice and bonded well with the students. The activities were just the right amount of time to keep everybody active and engaged. Loved the message at the end about the importance of education.
I would definitely recommend your workshop to anybody!”
Josée Huneault (St.Monica School)