All-Alaska Football Camp returns to Colony High School

PALMER — When he started the All-Alaska Football Camp 16 years ago, former Dimond High football coach Randy Klingenmeyer had a clear vision of where he wanted the state’s premier gridiron camp to go.

“I knew we had good kids up here who weren’t getting opportunities to go outside and play,” Klingenmeyer said Monday, less than a week before the opening of the 16th annual camp.

Since the camp started, it’s grown from a small Alaska camp to the biggest event of the offseason, with around 400 campers set to attend from 20 high schools statewide. In addition, college coaches from Outside will again be helping out with individual campers this year and also scouting Alaska talent for their programs. Klingenmeyer said he’s got roughly 30 coaches from the Lower 48 coming to the 2008 camp, which he said makes for top-notch instruction for Alaska athletes.

“We have some awesome people who really care about the kids,” he said.

Klingenmeyer said the coaches who serve as instructors are top notch. This year’s staff includes Mike Anderson and Tony Christnovich, the head and former head coach of the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse.

Christnovich is a former NFL lineman who played for the Washington Redskins.

The four-day camp has grown to attract entire teams, and Klingenmeyer said he’s got 12 Alaska teams signed up for this year’s edition. Another benefit of the camp, he said, is Alaska high school coaches benefit from getting to work alongside their counterparts at the college ranks.

“We will have 50 to 60 high school coaches at this football camp,” he said. “When we started this camp, it was rare that a high school coach would show up.”

A typical day at the camp includes offensive position work in the morning, followed by team offensive drills. After lunch, campers switch to individual defense, which is again followed by team work. Players can expect a good six hours of football instruction each day, along with time for team gatherings and a bit of free social time in the evenings when campers can get to know the players they’ll be lining up against in the fall.

The camp begins Sunday at 10 a.m. with registration at Colony High School. Many of the campers stay at the school for the duration of the camp, although there is an option for kids to commute.

The usual cost for an individual is $299 for day campers and $349 for overnighter, although it’s now late registration period, so there’s an extra $50 charge. Campers can sign up either on Sunday or any time leading up to the camp. Klingenmeyer said interested players can call (907) 561-6059, or show up at Colony with their gear and ready to get to work.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

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