Young athletes take the field for baseball camp with extra special coach – Padre Jackson Merrill ...Middle East

Whether celebrating a birthday, taking a break from treatment or experiencing the thrill of meeting a big leaguer, more than 300 youth players had more than sun and fun to celebrate at Cliffridge Park in La Jolla Thursday.Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill hosted a baseball camp for children ages 6 to 13 to hone their batting, pitching and fielding skills, with keepsakes to take home too. Players lined up to meet Merrill for individual photo opportunities, and then gathered for one big group shot, yelling “Go Padres!” as the cameras clicked.

In line stood Danilo Camacho, a player with Type 1 diabetes. He wore a Dexcom glucose monitor on his upper arm, under his jersey sleeve. His parents and his friend, who also has diabetes, joined him.The event was hosted by FlexWork, a training program that connects professional athletes and youth players for skill sessions. Dexcom is a sponsor for the Padres and invited families, like the Camachos, with children who use the monitors. 

Danilo Camacho, a youth player with Type 1 diabetes, poses with his Dexcom, a continuous glucose monitor, on the dirt path of Cliffridge Park’s baseball field.“There’s a lot of management that goes into it – they have to watch their blood sugars so that they don’t go too high or too low when they’re playing the sport,” said Sarah Camacho, Danilo’s mother. Having the condition may create barriers to participating in the sport, but it doesn’t stop the kids from having fun. Danilo said he was just excited to be there to meet Merrill and play baseball with the 2024 All-Star.“It’s awesome to forget about that stuff once in a while,” Merrill said. He added that some kids have it harder than others when facing health challenges, but it’s important to find fun distractions.“Getting them out of the house, getting them here, just letting them have fun for a bit, I think, is a good part of a childhood memory,” Merrill said. 

Players, each dressed in Merrill jerseys, were sorted into age groups to run through 12 different stations around the field. The drills involved hitting, fielding, throwing and baserunning with Merrill and volunteer coaches dressed in neon green uniforms.Confidence levels ranged based on each player’s skill, but parents showed their unconditional support from the stands and sidelines, waving and guiding their young players from station to station.Jessica Silldorff attended the camp with her 6-year-old son, Wesley, who rolled around an equipment bag nearly as big as he is.“I just saw a thing online advertising the camp and just got it for him for his birthday,” Silldorff said. Wesley and Merrill share the same birthday in April, so it was a particularly special day for him.“That’s his favorite Padres player,” Silldorff said. “We love the Padres, we go to lots of games.”Merrill high-fived the young players during throwing exercises, complimenting them on their jerseys and custom hats, which represented their youth teams.James Stech, 6, wore a hat for Tecolote Youth Baseball, one of the highest-ranked youth All-Star teams in San Diego. The Tecolote player said baseball is his favorite sport because there are plenty of chances to score. Why was he so excited to see Merrill?

“Because he’s a home run hitter,” James said.

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