The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Hosts 2005-06 Winter Camps and Clinics
11/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 16, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- UAB head coach Marla Townsend will host her annual UAB Winter Softball Camps and Clinics starting Saturday, Nov. 19. Those interested can chose between an all inclusive hitting camps or attend the pitching clinic to improve your overall basic fundamentals. The camps are designed to challenge the athletes and help them improve their level of play.
The pitching clinic will cover all aspects of pitching including drills to improve the player's velocity, accuracy, and endurance. The UAB instructors will also address the mental side of pitching. The hitting camp will help players develop a balanced stance, have quicker bat and provide them with key hitting drills that will help them improve. The hitting camp will also include the mental side of hitting and visual preparation.
Camp Information: The UAB Softball Winter Hitting Camp opens Nov. 19 with a morning session from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. that will include all ages. The camp will be held at the Vipers Indoor Hitting facility in Hoover. The second camp will be Dec. 10 with all children ranging in age from 6-12 attending the morning session from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., while those between the ages of 13-18 will go from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. The same times and ages will apply on Jan. 16.
The UAB Softball Winter Pitching Clinic opens Nov. 19 with a morning sessions from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. that will include all ages. The clinic will be held in Bell Gym on the UAB Campus (corner of 6th Ave South and 13th Street). On Jan. 16, the clinic will be broken into two age groups. Athletes ranging in ages from 13-18 will participate in the morning sessions from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., while those in the age group of 8-12 will be in the second session from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m .
All camps are open to the public and each date can be registered separately.
The Staff: The camps are run under the leadership of Townsend and she is assisted by three other trained professionals.
Townsend is in her eighth year at UAB and in her 18th year of being a head coach at various levels. She is committed to teaching the fundamentals of fastpitch softball. Townsend creates an atmosphere and excitement at every camp. She has received four "Coach of the Year" honors, including the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2002 and 5 All-American awards as a softball player. Other camp instructors include Jennifer Collins, Kim Unkenholz and Lucy Bass.
Collins joined the UAB softball program in September after spending the previous three years as the head coach at Alabama State University. She brings professional experience as well as collegiate experience after playing in the NCAA World Series twice during her career at Southern Miss.
Unkenholz is in her second year with the Blazers. During her playing career, she was an outstanding pitcher at Troy State University and Hoover High School. She conducted several successful pitching clinics in 2004 and 2005 and loves spreading her in-depth pitching knowledge to our youth.
Bass is an instrumental figure in creating successful camps at UAB. Her personality and enthusiasm keep campers coming back year after year. Lucy was a member of the UAB inaugural softball team and is a graduate of UAB. She was an assistant coach at UAB for three years under Townsend. Lucy has worked UAB softball camps for the last six years.
