When 8-year-old Myles Brinson lost his battle with Leukemia in
2002, family and friends asked what they could give in his
memory.
Gilroy – When 8-year-old Myles Brinson lost his battle with Leukemia in 2002, family and friends asked what they could give in his memory.
His mother, Sherida Brinson, said balloons – “Myles liked balloons.”
So for five years, that is how the Myles Brinson/JR Adams Fundamentals of Football Camp – held in remembrance of Myles Brinson and Adams, a former Valley Christian football player who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Mexico last March – has ended: With the release of balloons into the evening sky.
At Anchorpoint Christian on Friday, the week-long camp concluded. A record 140 kids participated in the camp, led by coaches and fathers K.C. Adams and Marlowe Brinson.
“It’s not just about football,” said Marlowe Brinson. “This camp oversees everything.”
To that end, each day of camp ended with an inspirational speaker. On Friday, JR Adams’ high school coach at Valley Christian, Mike Machado, spoke to the kids about the commitment JR showed to achieving goals. By the time Adams reached his senior year, Machado said his player had a plan for success.
“This kid no longer worried about what was happening today or in the next hour,” he said. “He worried about what was upcoming (in his life).”
Over the course of the week, camp-goers learned life lessons from several speakers, including boxer Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Myles Brinson’s older brother, Marlowe Jr., who was involved in a serious car accident four years ago.
First-time camper Andrew Martinez, 10, of Morgan Hill, said the Ghost taught him to “follow your dreams.”
The football side of things weren’t bad either.
“(I liked) the awards and drills we did and the coaches because they were being so nice,” Martinez said. “I learned how to be better.”
