Orlando QB Shootout + Battle in the Pit returns to West Orange for 10th camp

West Orange welcomed back the Orlando QB Shootout + Battle in the Pit — and the 252 participating student-athletes — for the 10th edition of the combined camp competition Saturday, July 12 at Central Florida Christian Academy. Led by Lo Wood, Collin Drafts and Aaron Jones II, the “campetition” brought together football players from every position for a day full of football, fellowship and fun.

“I feel like this was the best one yet,” Wood said. “We’ve definitely gotten better with time. … And we have figured out that bringing the two camps together makes this an event. It took us some years to figure it out, but as we’ve restructured the schedule and brought in more coaches, trainers and people that overall just want to give back to our kids, we’ve been able to really make this year the best one.”

One of the unique parts of the West Orange-based event is how it brings student-athletes from different age groups together on the same field, often allowing a middle schooler to be shoulder-to-shoulder with an elite college football prospect.

“Most camps try to separate middle and elementary school kids from the high-schoolers,” Wood said. “Not us. We like to make sure they’re together, because it allows for the younger kids to not only see what it takes to get to that next level, but it also gives them the motivation to keep working hard. There’s also a chance for the younger kid to learn and for the older guys to be leaders. They get a chance to coach these kids and talk to them about what it’s like. It also makes them step their game up, because they know there’s a kid looking up to them out there. That’s what I love about the camp; it brings everyone together.”

That’s not the only thing that made the 10th anniversary of the combined camp special. This year there was a new group of student-athletes on the field: girls flag football players. 

“We’re always looking at the camp and asking ourselves, ‘What can we do to make this bigger and better?’” Wood said. “The answer to that question this year was bringing in girls flag football players for the first time, and they came out and went up against and competed with the boys. It was awesome.”

For Wood and the camp’s organizers and volunteers, the motivation behind coming up with ideas to continue to grow the camp is simple — the bigger the camp gets, the more they’re able to give back to the kids.

“We want to give back to these kids,” Wood said. “The bigger we’ve gotten, the more it’s opened our eyes to the good we can do. We’ve been able to raise money through this camp, and through the Aaron Jones Foundation, we give out that money to kids throughout the next year.

“That’s all we’re focused on doing — keep growing so that we can keep funding different youth organizations,” he said. “After this year, seeing the success with having the girls with us, we’re talking about making this a two-day camp moving forward and looking to get up to about 500 athletes.”