Jun 23, 2008 6:54 pm US/Eastern
Big Ben, Kids Enjoy First Day Of Football Camp
MARS (KDKA) ―
Football is nothing new for an NFL star.
But today, everything was new for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
It was the first time he ever held his own camp for Pittsburgh's youth.
When you put Ben Roethlisberger's name on a football camp, kids will come.
KDKA's John Shumway reports 250 kids showed up this morning for the first day of the camp.
They wasted no time getting to the drills of the day and Ben went group to group with encouragement and hands-on teaching.
"My first football camps were in high school so it's neat to be able to do this for the kids and be able to come out and have a good time," said Roethlisberger.
The boys and girls attending the camp come from all over.
Camp organizers hope the kids will not only have fun, but learn as well.
"The opportunity for the kids is to get out of the city and meet other kids, enjoy Ben and just learn some football tactics," said Pam Williams of the Urban League.
Parents are also happy with the turn out of the camp so far.
Some parents we spoke to said if their kids are happy, then they are happy too.
"What a great experience for the kids. They are just loving it and they're smiling from ear to ear the whole time. And Ben… has just Ben fantastic with them." Said Scott VonGraff, father of two campers.
The kids left Monday with t-shirts, pizza, and smiles.
They will be back Tuesday for picture day and a lot of hard work.
The camp wraps up on Wednesday.
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