Nolan Ulm is entering his fourth-year playing football at Eastern Washington University (EWU) and is giving back to his hometown in a manner he’s always wanted – by starting a football camp.
The Kelowna Secondary School (KSS) grad has created the Make It Happen Football Camp started by Ulm, which will be taking place in June with the proceeds being donated to local organizations.
Last year, Ulm held a small camp at KSS and when he returned to the United States he told Greg Peach, Provision Academy owner, all about it. Peach told Ulm the next time he has a camp in Kelowna, he wants to help – thus the Make It Happen Football Camp was born.
“I wanted to have a camp every year in Kelowna and give back to the community and give back to the people that are in my shoes, or that I was in their shoes at one time,” Ulm told KelownaNow.
The camp’s coaching roster is filled with 19 current and former players who have NCAA Division I, NFL or CFL experience.
Some notable coaches attending the camp include former Denver Bronco Jake Rodgers, former Montreal Alouette and Toronto Argonaut Jerod Zaleski and Peach, who played in the CFL for eight years.
“All these guys [the coaches] are in the game and the game grows every year, so they're getting the latest and greatest techniques," added Ulm.
With almost 20 different coaches, all who have varying amounts of football experience, players will be learning techniques and football knowledge that is relevant, current and necessary to make it to the next level.
“My goal is to have an experience that's the most value packed camp that these campers, these athletes have ever experienced,” Ulm explained.
The plan is to hold the camp annually and make it bigger and better every year and potentially active Canadian NFL players will attend, such as Chase Claypool or Chuba Hubbard.
“The purpose behind it is to develop these kids and to create an annual event that starts to unite the Canadian football community,” said Ulm.
All proceeds from the camp will be donated to two different local organizations, Mamas for Mamas and the Karis Support Society, two organizations that support causes close to Ulm.
“I was born to a single mom when she was 18 and we didn't have a lot when we moved to Kelowna, we started in low income housing and people helped us out,” he noted.
Registration is open online on the camp’s website and so far it has received the attention of some big names in football, including TSN broadcaster Farhan Lalji and Jim Mullin, president of Football Canada.
