God and baSeball

The DBU Patriots keep the faith

Story byrachel Stone

PhotoS by Grant Meeks

One needn’t travel far to see world-class college sports in Oak Cliff. The Dallas Baptist University Patriots baseball team has been in the NCAA Division I for nine years. Last year, the team ended its season one game away from the College World Series. This team is more than a group of talented athletes, though. They’re also a bunch of guys serving Christ. All DBU sports teams take a mission trip every three years. In 2011, the baseball team spent several weeks in the Dominican Republic, teaching baseball clinics and spreading the word of God. “Our No. 1 goal isn’t always winning. Our No. 1 goal is to glorify God,” says junior second-baseman Austin Elkins. “It lets you not be so focused on results but how you go about your business, and ultimately, glorifying God with your actions.” >>

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Parking for a fee at Riverfront Blvd. and Commerce St., (111 W. Commerce St.) festival area in the Dallas Floodway narrows your pool of who you could recruit, but we’ve also seen that those are the guys who can develop the best,” Heefner says. “They have to have the character as well as the talent.” Baseball players are known for having inflated egos, but Heefner teaches his players to have humility. “To us, humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking more of others,” he says. “That’s a huge thing that’s helped. Thinking about your teammate and not being solely focused on yourself.”

Take Me Outtothe Ballgame

The DBU Patriots have four home games in May:

Wednesday, May 2, 6:30 p.m. vs. University of Texas at Arlington Saturday, May 5, 1 p.m. vs. University of Evansville

Tuesday, May 8, 3 p.m. vs. Texas Tech University

Tuesday, May 15, 4 p.m. vs. Oklahoma State University

They play at Patriot Field, on the DBU campus, 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway. Tickets cost $7 and can be purchased at the box office on game days. dbupatriots.com

Top: DBU baseball players say their team spirit is part of what makes them so competetive. “If we can get 1 percent better every day, that’s how we can bypass people who don’t necessarily work as hard or don’t do the little things right,” says catcher Duncan McAlpine, far right. “Whether it’s in the weight room, nutrition, getting enough sleep or staying away from the party scene. That’s what allows us to compete with anyone in the country.” The players often describe each other as brothers. “The coaches are more than just on the baseball field,” says shortstop Joel Hutter, second from left. “They treat you like people. They care about you and your family. It makes playing here so much more special than anywhere else.” Coaches teach the players to improve by 1 percent every day, and teammates push each other toward personal and team goals.”This is a great place to get better as a baseball player and as a person,” says pitcher Michael Smith, far left. “After four years, my favorite thing to do is come to the field and be with these guys.” Clockwise from above: Freshman catcher K.J. Alexander, second baseman Austin Elkins and outfielder Boomer Collins.

The days of kids staying home all summer watching “Days of Our Lives” and eating popsicles are over. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean students should stop learning. You don’t have send your kid to a camp far away. Here are details for some of the summer camps available in our neighborhood.

for the well-rounded kid

BISHOP DUNNE

Dates: June 11-15, June 18-22 and June 25-29

Location: 3900 Rugged

For ages: 2-18

Tuition: $140-$260 per week

Sign up: bdhs.org

Bishop Dunne offers weeklong halfday camps, including enrichment programs, dance, arts and crafts, creative writing, understanding the stock market, math, cooking, science and more. Sports camps include volleyball for girls in grades 5-12 and speed and agility training for boys and girls in grades 5-9. There are also toddler camps for 2- to 3-year-olds.

For The Nature Lover

Trinityriver Audubon Center

Dates: June 11-15

Location: 8525 Garland Rd. and 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way

For ages: 8-12

Tuition: $225-$250

Sign up: dallasarboretum.org

The Dallas Arboretum’s Lone Star Overnight Adventure Camp explores the life and times of Texas pioneers while studying native plants and animals. The weeklong camp culminates in an overnight trip to the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Dallas Zoo

Dates: June-August

Location: 650 South R L Thornton Freeway

For ages: 3-14

Tuition: $40-$265

Sign up: dallaszoo.com

The Dallas Zoo offers one-day camps in July and August for kids in preK to third grade. They cost $45, or $40 for members. Topics for those camps include predators, koalas and what zoo animals eat. Weeklong camps are available for 3-year-olds up to eighth-graders. Camps for little ones include “Animal ABCs.” Second- and third-graders can enroll in “Wild About Art” or “Survival Safari.” Middle-school kids can take photography or a class that explores the wildlife of Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center in Cedar Hill. Weeklong camps range from $135$265. Camps are from 9 a.m.-noon and 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; childcare before and after is available for additional fees. There are also camps at the Children’s Aquarium as well as junior camp counselor programs.

For The Artsy Kid

OIL & COTTON

Dates: June-August

Location: 837 W. Seventh

For ages: 3-18

Tuition: $40-$150

Sign up: oilandcotton.com

Oil & Cotton offers one-day art classes for ages 3-12, plus fourday and weeklong classes for kids of every age group. Subjects include bookbinding, yoga, music, theater, jewelry making, gardening, printmaking, manga and more. Oil & Cotton also is collaborating with the Writer’s Garret to offer a ’zine class for students 8-18.

Make

Dates: July 9-13

Location: 409 N. Zang

For ages: 7-18

Tuition: $35-$340

Sign up: makeitindiegenius.com

“Project Make” is a weeklong camp in which students learn the basics of sewing and design and complete five projects over the week. There are sessions for 7-12 year olds and 8-18 year olds. Make also offers occasional one-day sewing classes for children. Check the schedule for those $35 classes.

For The Thespian

Tecotheatrical Productions

Dates: June 4-July 26

Location: Bishop Arts Theater Center, 215 S. Tyler

For ages: 6-12

Tuition: $600

Sign up: tecotheater.org

TeCo accepts 50 students each year to its eight-week Summer Cultural Enrichment Camp. Participants learn stage performance as well as business skills, including how to prepare a headshot and résumé, selecting the right monologue and how to audition. Other activities include visual arts, dance, music appreciation and theater techniques. The camp is from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and it culminates with productions on July 27 and 28. Tuition includes breakfast, lunch and snacks.

Junior Players

Dates: June 11-22 and July 9-20

Location: Kiest Park Recreation Center, 3080 S. Hampton, and Hampton-Illinois Branch Library, 2951 South Hampton

For ages: 7-14

Tuition: Free

Sign up: juniorplayers.org, 214.670.7793

Our neighborhood rec center offers a two-week theater camp, and classes are limited to 25 on a first-come, first-served basis. Instruction includes performing and theater arts. Classes culminate in the Festival of Plays, uniting rec centers all over Dallas.

—Rachel Stone

Mavericks at the zoo

Dallas Mavericks player Delonte West and former Mavs player Lamar Odom visited the Dallas Zoo with 30 elementary school students who have been selected as Mavs Academic All Stars for outstanding grades and classroom performance.

Design on Davis

Davis Street Mercantile, a new furniture store and design studio, opened in March. It is the work of husband-and-wife Joe Ramirez and Amy Thomasson Ramirez . She is an interior designer, and he is a real estate broker with a talent for refurbishing vintage furniture. They started designing furniture together about two years ago. The Oak Cliff residents bought the two-story building at 443 W. Davis in October. They leased one of two upstairs studios to Nikki Cotten Photography , which also celebrated its grand opening recently.