By Staff
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
As Terrance Copper went through conditioning in New Orleans, Ruth Thompson and Karen Broadway, members of the Washington High School Moms’ Club, sat inside WHS hundreds of miles away doing some serious work of their own.
Copper, a former Pam Pack and East Carolina University standout, will hold his first banquet and football camp this summer. While Copper can’t be here at the moment because of conditioning with his Saints’ teammates, he’s left the “grunt” work of putting together his camp in some capable hands.
Thompson and Broadway were joined at the high school Monday evening by Pam Pack head football coach Sport Sawyer. They were there to sell tickets to the banquet and sign up those who want to participate in the camp.
All proceeds from the banquet and camp will go to Washington High School.
Copper, a recent inductee into the WHS Walk of Fame, will host the banquet on June 13 at the Washington Civic Center. Curtis Johnson, the Saints’ receivers’ coach, will be the guest speaker.
Tickets, which cost $35 and include a meal catered by Keyzer Catering, will be sold at WHS every Monday from 5 to 7 p.m.
There will be autograph sessions and auctions held during the evening.
The Terrance Copper First Annual Football Camp will be held June 14. The camp, which will be for kids ages 7-18, will run from 9 a.m. to noon.
Pre-registration for the camp will be held at WHS every Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. Pre-registration will also be held on the morning prior to the start of camp.
The cost of the camp, which includes a T-shirt, is $30. An autograph session will be held following the camp.
Copper will be joined by Saints’ teammates Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister, Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, David Patten, Robert Meacham and Lance Moore during the two-day event. McAllister is expected to attend the banquet, but the Saints’ running back won’t be able to participate in the camp.
Also expected to help out at the camp are former ECU teammate Vonta Leach, who is the fullback for the Houston Texans, along with former Pirates’ Richard Koonce, Marvin Townes and Donald Whitehead.
London calling
When the Saints’ 2008 schedule came out, Copper couldn’t help but smile. The Saints receiver/special teams ace, who will begin his fifth season in the NFL, already has Oct. 26 circled on the calendar. New Orleans will play the San Diego Chargers at historic Wembley Stadium on that date.
Always a grind
The Saints open the 2008 regular season Sept. 7 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Other key dates include Sept. 14 at the Washington Redskins and Oct. 19 at the Carolina Panthers.
While Copper said he hasn’t studied the schedule, he knows the season is a long, brutal one.
Draft awareness
While Copper is fully aware that the NFL Draft will be held this weekend, he isn’t paying much attention to the talk about which player his team may select in the first round.