The Mammoth continued their efforts to build the sport in the great state of Colorado, as the team hosted their annual Field Lacrosse Summer Camp from July 21-23. Led by their Youth Lacrosse Manager and between-the-board general, goalkeeper Dillon Ward, with help from the Mammoth’s finest, Tyson Gibson, Warren Jeffery, Ryan Lee, Will Malcom and Dalton Sulver, this year’s camp offered the opportunity to not only learn the in’s and out’s of the Medicine Game from the Mammoth themselves, but discover a new sense of community.
“We just want to build a camp where kids get to come meet new people, have a good time, learn a couple things, and walk away with an overall great experience,” said Ward. “Hopefully, we can build some fans for life.”
The kids got straight to work 💪 pic.twitter.com/VgomSxHKRy
— Colorado Mammoth (@MammothLax) July 21, 2025
As the Mammoth’s Youth Lacrosse Manager, Ward has been shouldered with the responsibility of creating a fun, engaging and instructional environment for both returning and rookie players. As the first line of defense between players and parents, Ward has worked to set the Mammoth’s Summer Camp apart from other pro-led programs by cultivating a personable relationship between youth athletes and player-coaches. “There’s not many other sports where just a regular sports camp has access to professional lacrosse players, and some of the best players on our team and in the [NLL],” he said. “That gives us a competitive advantage.”
The Colorado Mammoth also hosts an annual Spring Break Youth Camp, focusing on box lacrosse instruction during the brisk Colorado spring season. Thanks to their success in the spring and young athletes’ excitement for summer instruction, this year’s camp attracted the attention of a good percentage of holdovers from previous summer and spring camps. Though repeat campers are always a telltale sign of a camp well run, Ward says the Mammoth are still looking to attract the right balance of returnees and first-timers.
“Sometimes, that’s a bit of a battle, trying to find new kids to experience it,” said Ward. “But you always love seeing familiar faces come back for more and that makes you feel like you’ve done a good job.”
Checking in from camp! pic.twitter.com/7E0ybjmgN1
— Colorado Mammoth (@MammothLax) July 21, 2025
In their quest to perfect the Colorado camp model, Ward and the Youth Lacrosse Department took inspiration and advice from the Mammoth’s own Connor Kelly. As the founder and face of CK Lacrosse, Kelly has run clinics across the country, and his experience and expertise in the coaching space has proved invaluable to the Mammoth’s youth lacrosse efforts.
“Right now, [we’re] just trying to figure out what we liked and what we didn’t like from past camps,” said Ward, further explaining how the Mammoth have integrated some of Kelly’s philosophy into their franchise-led clinics. “Ultimately, as long as the kids are having fun and they’ve got smiles on their faces and are coming back for more, that’s a good barometer for us to know that the kids are enjoying themselves.”
Colorado Mammoth Youth Camp 07-21-24. Photo captured by Jack Dempsey.
But it’s not just their attention to detail and down-to-earth mindset that’s kept camps well-attended. The Mammoth have maintained a solid presence in the community since their introduction to the region in the 2000s, thanks to early grassroots efforts led by former Colorado forward Cam Holding, who is now building a similar beachfront effort with the San Diego Seals. Since taking over the mantle, Ward and his Colorado Mammoth have maintained and further invested in their hometown connections. “We try to focus on our relationships with these club programs, and reach out to them to see how we can help out and what they would need from us,” said Ward. For this reason, Ward also explained, it’s just as important for the Mammoth’s rookie and sophomore draft classes to be involved in camps, clinics and community outreach as their veteran counterparts. “We want to be a program that is willing to lend a hand and use our expertise to benefit [local club teams].”
With camp having come to a close, the Mammoth were left with no choice but to release their young proteges back into the wild woods of the Colorado youth club scene. But during the campers’ time under their instruction, Ward and his fellow coaches hoped they came away with a few valuable lessons. “I’ve said it 100 times, we just hope the kids can walk away with a smile on their face,” said Ward. “All we can really ask for is making sure that these kids have a great experience playing a game that we all love.”
Core memories pic.twitter.com/aGqraB2v2f
— Colorado Mammoth (@MammothLax) July 23, 2025
