BERNALILLO, N.M. – The 12^th-Annual Native Vision Sports and Life Skills Camp gets underway Thursday in Bernalillo, N.M., and Park University will be in the middle of the action with nine life skills coaches having ties to the Pirates.

Native Vision is a partnership operated by Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), and also features other professional athletes as mentors for Native youth.

The Native Vision Sports and Life Skills Camp is the hallmark of the Native Vision program, teaming the best professional and collegiate athletes from top football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse and track programs from across the country with American Indian youth from across the Nation.

Park University head women’s basketball coach Joe C. Meriweather has been involved with the camp since the summer of 1999, working with Native youth on the basketball court each summer.

“This camp is really a great way to use athletic talents to give back to a good cause,” Meriweather said. “Plus, you see all these kids running around and having fun, it’s hard not to have fun with them.”

Meriweather is one of 10 life skills coaches with Park ties, including six in the basketball section of the camp. Former Pirate women’s basketball players Sarah Hopkins and Cherrale Ricks are joining Meriweather in New Mexico, along with Meghan Cummings, who will be a senior on the Park women’s basketball squad in 2008-09.

Derek Mueller, who is a former Pirate men’s basketball player and also the former sports information director at Park, is also participating as a coach for a seventh summer. Park women’s basketball alum Kim White is also involved for her eighth year with the camp.

On the soccer field, Park University head men’s coach Efrem Shimlis is one of three life skills coaches with Park ties, also having played for the Kansas City Attack and the Daytona Speed Kings after his days in a Pirate playing uniform.

Max Taouil, a current member of the Park University Pirate Club board, is also on the soccer life coaches list, having played professionally with the St. Louis Steamers, and current Park Assistant Sports Information Director Brooke Orcutt is also in the soccer group, having played collegiately at the University of Northern Iowa.

Park University’s other current student athlete participating in the program is Lenes Chery from the Park track & field squad, who will help coach the running section of the camp. Chery is also a featured speaker on day one of the running section, which along with the rest of the camp, gets started Thursday at 7 a.m. (Mountain Time) at Bernalillo High School.

In addition to Park University, the NAIA will be represented by coaches and student-athletes from Haskell Indian Nations University and Holy Names University in California.

For more information on Native Vision’s Sports and Life Skills Camp, log on to www.nativevision.org.

NATIVE VISION SPORTS & LIFE SKILLS CAMP COACHES

Football

Jason Belser, Indianapolis Colts & Kansas City Chiefs

Tom Carter, Washington Redskins

Brian Dieckman, Michigan State University

Clark Gaines, New York Jets

Scottie Graham, Minnesota Vikings

James E. Guidry, Jr., Portland Forestdragons (AFL)

Brian Ingram, New England Patriots

John Olenchalk, Kansas City Chiefs

Lionel Taylor, Kansas City Chiefs

Jim Warne, Cincinnati Bengals

Willis Whalen, New England Crusaders/Team USA

Basketball

Lionel Blie, Northern Arizona University

Meghan Cummings, Park University

Gregory Leon Frost, Haskell Indian Nations University

Sarah Hopkins, Park University

Harold Hubbard,  Harlem Globetrotters

Reggie Johnson, Philadelphia 76ers

Joe C. Meriweather, New York Knicks & Kansas City Kings

Derek Mueller, Park University

Dan Roundfield, Washington Bullets

Kim White, Park University

Soccer

Timo Kibune, Kenya National Team

Bernd Linhart, Louisiana State University

Toni Linhart, Wiender Sports Club & Baltimore Colts

Brooke Orcutt, University of Northern Iowa

Shaun Rai, Dartmouth College

Efrem Shimlis, Kansas City Attack & Daytona Speed Kings

Nicole Stern, USASA & Arizona Women’s Select Team

Max Taoil, St. Louis Steamers

Volleyball

Miya Frank, Holy Names University

Deanna Gonzales, Holy Names University

Kasey Haggard, Holy Names University

Rachel Manfre, Santa Clara University

Allen McCreary, Holy Names University

David Noble, UC-Santa Barbara

Tim Toohey, Santa Cruz Volleyball Club

Running

Lenes Cherry, Park University

Mike Daney, Haskell Indian Nations University

Kyle Lee Goklish, University of Arizona

Thomas Hatathli, Central Arizona College

Kizzie Ricks, Tennessee State University

Lacrosse

Marshall Abrams, Rochester Night Hawks

Kathy Ayers, U-19 Team Trainer

Cameron Bromberry, U-19 Iroquois National Team

Becky Clipp, USA Women’s National Team

Christian Cook, USA Men’s National Team

Ansley Jemison, Iroquois National Team & Rochester Grey Wolves

Joanna Kotula, USA Lacrosse Coach

Wendy Kridel, U-19 National Team Head Coach

Sarah Newman, Spot Development Associate US Lacrosse

Neal Powless, Buffalo Bandits

Brian Reese, Director of Sport Development US Lacrosse

Gewas Schindler, Iroquois National Team & Boston Blazers

Duke Whelan, US Lacrosse Trainer