About 100 campers, who are enrolled in the baseball program at Summer Trails Day Camp in Somers, got the chance of a lifetime to meet a professional athlete this week.
"I think for the campers it's the highlight of their summer," said Jamie Sirkin, director of the Summer Trails Day Camp. "Being able to meet and be coached by a professional player is something they'll remember forever."
Chris Stewart, a catcher for the Yankees, visited the camp on Wednesday, answered questions from the aspiring young baseball players, assisted them in running drills and signed autographs for them.
"Every baseball player wants the opportunity to play in the big league," he told the campers. "I waited for my opportunity. You never know where life will lead you. Just keep working hard."
Stewart showed the campers, who included children from Yorktown, Somers, Croton, Ossining, Katonah, New Castle, Mahopac and others, several drills including where to place their feet and hands.
The visit from the Yankees catcher brought a lot of good memories to Jimmy Castrataro, baseball coach for the last 26 years who first enrolled as a camper at Summer Trails Day in 1977.
When he was a young boy, he said he remembers all the visits from baseball's greatest players.
"It's personal," said Castrataro, whose two sons are now part of the baseball program and got to meet Stewart this week. "You remember it all your life. You kind of feel like you know him."
Campers said their favorite part of the day was getting to meet the Yankees catcher and get a few tips from him.
Noah Saks, a 9-year-old Somers baseball player, said he learned how to catch the ball better and was excited to get his two gloves, as well as his brother's catching glove, signed by Stewart.
"I'm a pretty big [Yankee's] fan," Saks said. "I have a lot of signed things from the Yankees."
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