Maryland center Edwin Williams snaps the ball to a young visitor on Thursday.

July 18, 2008

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland center Edwin Williams assumed his usual stance and prepared to snap the ball as he has done countless times before - only this time something was different. It is not every day, after all, the senior lineman peers behind him at a 6-year-old girl standing under center.

But such sights were the norm Thursday during Camp Good Counsel's visit to Gossett Football Team House. Members of the Terrapins football team found time between workouts to serve as hosts to 30 children aged 4 to 8 from the Montgomery County School District. The players engaged the campers in a number of fun activities, including tours of the team house, games of hangman and charades, viewings of the team's highlight video, football drills and an autograph session.

Williams, freshman offensive lineman Tyler Bowen, junior wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, junior defensive end Deege Galt, junior tight end Tommy Galt, senior defensive tackle Dean Muhtadi, sophomore running back Da'Rel Scott and freshman wide receiver Torrey Smith were among the players who participated in the community service project.

"When I was younger I didn't have a chance to go to a camp like this, but it's something I would've loved to do," Smith said. "This is definitely a good time for us. A number of us have younger siblings that we don't get to see very often, so this kind of fills that void."

The highlight of the campers' experience occurred after lunch, when the players demonstrated their expertise on the practice field and led the campers in various football drills. While Williams snapped the ball to 4-foot quarterbacks, Scott had campers swerve through cones and Smith threw passes to eager targets. The session culminated with Deege Galt overseeing a defensive drill for which campers attacked a tackling dummy, which proved to be a favorite activity among the youth.

For Camp Good Counsel, which also brought upwards of 30 counselors on the trip, the experience was a first of its kind. Kendra Greene, the football team's academic program coordinator, organized the day's activities for the developmental summer camp, which strives to aid its campers' academic and personal growth.

The camp was particularly rewarding for the Galt brothers, who graduated from Good Counsel High School in Silver Spring - the same school some of the camp's counselors currently attend. Both Deege and Tommy Galt have been around the Terrapins football program their entire lives thanks to their father, Dwight Galt, who is now in his 20th season as Maryland's director of strength and conditioning.

"I know what it's like to be a kid and look up to players and be a fan of Maryland, so I know how special this is for these kids," Tommy Galt said. "They come in here and see all the guys and the facilities, and they become big fans of the program just like I did when I was a young kid."

The day camp's visit occurred amidst a week in which the football team is undergoing summer strength and conditioning tests. The Terps have one more week of summer workouts. They will break for a week and then open preseason camp on Aug. 4.

Upcoming key dates:
July 20-22 - ACC Kickoff at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga.
Aug. 2 - Freshmen report to campus
Aug. 3 - Varsity reports to campus
Aug. 4 - Football preseason camp opens/Media Day
Aug. 30 - Season opener vs. Delaware