Next Level 24 Fitness partnered with Westgate High School to host four position skills camps from June 16-19 , allowing athletes to advance their football ability under the guidance of coaches with college and professional football experience.

Garrick Spain, the owner of Next Level 24 Fitness, is a former professional football player with the New Orleans Saints. He designed position specific camps that allow athletes to focus on improving their skills while also gaining exposure to college scouts.

Amber Bessard, Director of Operations and Creative Services for Next Level 24 Fitness, said that the camps provide opportunities to athletes that aren’t available anywhere else.

“The purpose of these camps is to teach athletes about the actual positions that they play and give them an in-depth experience of what the positions are,” she said. “We have a database where we will be entering all of the information like their times, performances, and their height and weight. We’re going to be making that database available to scouts so that they can start seeing these athletes at this age.”

The camps are open to athletes in a wide age range, and will be offered throughout the summer at different locations.

“We say from 8-17 years old, but if the athlete is much younger but mature enough to attend, then they can definitely attend,” Bessard said. “We’re having another camp during the first weekend in July in Saint Martinville and we’ll probably do another one here.”

In addition to Garrick Spain, the camps also feature other local athletes who have made the jump to college athletics.

Darian Charles, a 2019 graduate of Westgate High School, is currently playing baseball at the University of New Orleans. In addition to bringing his football knowledge to Next Level 24 Fitness, Charles is also providing baseball training to local athletes. Ty’Ravian Jacob is also helping to coach at the camps. Jacob, a 2020 Westgate grad, currently plays at Ottawa University in Kansas as an offensive tackle.

In addition to the position skills camps, Next Level 24 Fitness also offers speed training at their gym, though Bessard said that the name may not accurately convey all the benefits that the training offers.

“We’re actually leaning towards calling it ‘youth athletic training’ because it’s for any sport and any age, boys or girls,” she said. “It gives them a competitive advantage in their particular sports. We always say that’s the difference between a good athlete and a great athlete, the training that they get.”

If anyone is interested in the position skills camps or any of the other services that Next Level 24 Fitness offers, they can be contacted on Facebook or called directly at (337) 422-2681