NYS Bob Bote Baseball Camp plays Bote Ball

They were all around . . . Cardinals and Blue Jays; Astros and A's; Padres and Twins; Cubs and Mets; and plenty of Rockies. That last one probably gave it away. We're not talking about this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game. This was the 2023 Bob Bote Baseball Camp sponsored by Niwot Youth Sports.

For the second year in a row after a two-year, COVID-induced hiatus, kids ages five to 13 donned their favorite caps and jerseys and gathered at the Biff Warren Baseball Complex last week to glean from the experience and wisdom of Bote, the legendary Niwot baseball coach, and some of his former staff members. The 55 campers started each day answering trivia questions, then received individualized coaching on everything baseball, from fielding to pitching to running the bases, and of course, hitting.

For seven-year-old teammates, Griffin Bond and Landon Whitehead, the five-day camp was "the best camp ever." The pair plays together on the NYS recreational baseball A's team and would have been happy to keep on camping. "The best part [was] for the hitting and catching," Whitehead said enthusiastically.

That enthusiasm for baseball and all it offers young athletes permeated the three diamonds at the Warren Complex. "Bote Ball" was everywhere. As well it should be. With five state titles at Niwot High and another at Faith Christian with his son David Bote, now of the Chicago Cubs, the elder Bote built an unparalleled reputation for aggressive, fundamental baseball. From 1979 through 2006, the "Bote Ball" way led to a 459-123 career record at Niwot.

The camp also offered opportunities for current and former local high school players, like sophomore-to-be Joe Weimer, to assist in the coaching duties. Weimer attended the camp twice when he was younger.

"This has been an opportunity to really learn more of the game and help build the program that I grew up with," Weimer said.

As a freshman, Weimer was the only catcher for the Niwot JV team and consequently caught almost every inning of the JV season. He also gained experience at the varsity level as a bullpen catcher. He's hoping to find a permanent spot on the varsity team in the spring of 2024.

"I am hoping to be an outfielder on the varsity next year. We already have a catcher, so I'm hoping to play in the outfield," Weimer explained.

Henry Cox, another high schooler assistant, said that coaching at the camp helped him "see things from the point of view of the coaches. I think it will help make me a better player because I can better understand how the coaches are thinking." Cox, who played at Niwot two years ago, but took the 2023 season off, plans to return to the sport next spring to play for the Dawson School Mustangs.

Each day of the week-long camp concluded with coach-pitched, intrasquad scrimmages. The emphasis was on making contact with the bat at the plate and focusing on the "Three B's" in the field. As coach Jason Lathrop, a former player and assistant coach for Bote as well as a former Niwot High head coach, explained, "The first B is 'ball,' play the ball first. The second B is if you don't have the ball, cover your base. And the third B, back up a play if you're not covering a base of your own." Lathrop explained, "Coaches at the higher levels are going to really notice you if you're hustling and backing up the play."

For first-time camper, Jack Dean, his last at-bat during the last scrimmage on the last day of camp was memorable. The 12-year-old, who will be a 7th-grader at Altona Middle School in Longmont, closed out the camp with a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to right-center field.

"That was really cool. It went a lot longer than I thought. I thought I was going to get a triple, but I just kept running," Dean beamed.