Citibank ProCamp with Gronk is exactly what you'd expect -- a whole lot of 'funner'
Gronk got to be a big kid – and coach – one last time before the Patriots training camp began
•
3 min read
A school cafeteria isn't exactly a setting where you would expect to find a bunch of ecstatic kids early on a Saturday morning in June. Then again, it's also not a spot where you would expect to find one of the best tight ends to ever play the game of football.
But if you happened to spend the second Saturday of June wandering into the cafeteria at Woburn (Mass.) Memorial High School -- located about 20 minutes outside of Boston -- you would have found Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski surrounded by more than two dozen excited (and hungry) boys and girls decked out in Gronk jerseys.
Surprise, surprise.
They were all gathered there as part of a meet-and-greet breakfast with Gronk before his Citibank ProCamp, a two-day camp for football players from grades 1-8.
Not all of the hundreds who enlisted for the clinic got to eat, meet and greet with Gronk before heading out to the field, but those who did were afforded the luxury of some personal time with the tight end. The kids and their parents got to snap pictures with Gronk, and each of the campers got to ask the Patriots star a question.
Some nervous youngsters froze up in the moment, electing to pass the mic without asking a question. Most lobbed softballs, such as "Who's your favorite teammate?" (Gronk said Stephen Gostkowski) and "When were you drafted?" (Gronk humorously recommended the youngster use Google). A few blindsided the tight end with some hard-hitting inquiries, including one camper asking, "What do you think about Julian Edelman's suspension?" (Gronk pleaded the fifth on that one).
That Saturday was also the day that the horse Gronkowski co-owns -- aptly named Gronkowski -- was racing in the Belmont Stakes. Gronk and his entourage of family and close friends -- including his dad, Gordie, and brothers Dan and Glenn -- spent the morning running drills with kids, then spent the afternoon shooting to New York on a private jet to watch Gronkowski the horse run to an impressive second-place finish in the Belmont.
But before the Gronkowski clan suited up to jet to the racetrack, they had 500 kids to whip into shape via drills, activities and games. After fueling up at the private breakfast, the headlining Gronk took to the high school football field, where hoards of eager youngsters anxiously awaited his arrival. He was greeted with screams of joy on a beautiful, hot June morning.
"This is my sixth ProCamp. Every year it gets better, it gets bigger, it gets funner," Gronkowski said as he addressed the day's participants. "I just have a blast with you guys. Today, all I ask for is high effort and high energy, and we'll have a great time. Are you guys ready?"
As it turns out, they were.
The campers were split up into groups determined by their age and led into drills by camp instructors -- comprised mainly of Gronk's crew, mostly former collegiate or professional athletes, as well as local football coaches from various levels. The man of the hour had spent time with each and every camper that day, and he excitedly bounced around from group to group, assisting in (and, occasionally, starring in) drills.
Whether it was being on the football field, surrounded by the supporting cast of his close friends and family, getting to mix it up with some joyous youngsters, or a mix of all three, Gronk seemed completely comfortable and uninhibited throughout his day on the field.
He joked. He danced. He played football. So, honestly, it wasn't that different from your typical NFL Sunday Gronk. The only difference was that he was a dominant, towering figure over humans half his size (or smaller) rather than a dominant, towering figure over other professional football players.
"This is a place where I can just be me," Gronkowski told CBS Sports. "Everyone says I'm a big kid, so I can just be myself."
Many of the kids seemed to follow his lead and delivered the high-energy, high-effort performances he asked for in his initial address. But they also followed his lead in making sure to inject some fun into the mix. They weren't afraid to bring the goofiness and occasional lighthearted shenanigans you'd expect from a group of young teens and pre-teens.
And why should they be? If Gronkowski can establish himself as an all-time great while maintaining his childlike spirit, it proves there's room to be a kid and a model athlete at the same time. That's possibly the most important lesson any youngster could take away from a youth sports camp.
