Former Apopka Blue Darter and now Super Bowl champion Jalen Carter will be returning to Apopka for his annual free skills camp.
The one-day free skills camp will take place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 12. The camp is for kids ages 8-17 and will feature multiple drills tailored to different age groups and skill levels.
Along with Carter, current members of the Apopka football team and the coaching staff will also be present at the camp as coaches and instructors. Last year, campers were also provided with a camp T-shirt and a meal.
This will be the fourth year Carter has run this camp and the first year after winning a Super Bowl ring. Carter is a defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, 40-22.
While he didn’t show up much in the stat box with zero tackles, Carter was a constant disruptive force to the Chiefs’ offense, forcing two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City to change their game plan.
Carter told The Apopka Chief last year that the camp is important to him because it’s always how he wanted to give back.
“The Apopka community showed love to me while I was in high school and when I was younger,” he said. “It’s always been on my mind to find a way to give back to my community, and even if I didn’t make it to the NFL, I was going to find a way to help the community. Whether it was a camp, giveaways, or turkeys on Thanksgiving, anything I can do, I will.”
Last year, former Apopka football team head coach Jeff Rolson said that the camp is very important to the Apopka youth and the city.
“I think it’s very important,” Rolson said. “With Jalen’s position that he’s in and his notoriety and level of play – for him to come back and give to the community is somewhat expected but also very much appreciated. And he means it, and he does a very good job.”
When Carter spoke to the Chief last year, he said the Apopka football program was pivotal in his development as a player and a man.
“You just gotta keep grinding, man, he said. “Everyone’s got a different path. For me, my path was different; it was a little up and down. And then I had to talk to a coach that got me in the right place and got me on the straight path and then got me to where I am now.”
Carter continued explaining that the mentality instilled in him through the Apopka football program has been a keystone in his journey.
“When you come through Apopka, and you learn that work ethic that is a part of this program, it sticks with you,” he said. “I don’t know if they still do the stadiums or the pit, but the training here with the heat and no shade for four years – it stays with you.”
Carter also told a story about how an Apopka coach saved him from making the mistake of quitting the team his freshman year.
“My freshman year, if that coach didn’t come talk to me and get me back on the team, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now,” he said.
Carter and Rolson both agreed last year that the camp has garnered more attention and has improved year after year. This year comes with an automatic upgrade—the presence of a Super Bowl champion.
