Still Winners

FCA regional director and camp director Del Wright says that last year 150 of 500 campers indicated a commitment to follow Christ—which falls in line with the yearly average of 25-35% of campers making decisions for Christ.

In 2001, Coach Mark Rickman brought his basketball team from Boone High School in Orlando, Fla. Only three of the 10 were Christians when they arrived. The other seven were when they left.

“It’s a phenomenal example of a coach using his influence to introduce these kids to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” says Wright. “This team had nothing in common, outside of basketball. After the camp, they had everything in common. They went back and were playing Christian music during warm-ups, having Bible study before games, FCA Chapels and hanging out outside of basketball.”

Boone returned to the 6A state championship game for the second straight year, losing this time by four points to two-time defending champ Fort Lauderdale Dillard. The Orlando Sentinel headline: BOONE STILL WINNER EVEN WITHOUT TITLE.

“Rickman was asked, ‘What’s it like losing to the same team two consecutive years in the state championship game?’” Wright says. “He said, ‘You guys aren’t going to like this answer, but I dare you to write it. I wouldn’t trade seven state championships for what happened this past year at the FCA Camp at Black Mountain, North Carolina.’”

Rickman, now at Pine Castle Christian Academy in Orlando, will be the head clinician this year. And he’s bringing his entire team again.