A summer drive through the Sangre de Cristo mountain range never makes for a bad vacation.
For select girls basketball teams, it tends to be a working vacation. Center girls basketball coach Jan Vigil has worked hard to grow his program in the last 10 years and a big part of that growth comes from the summer team camp the Vikings put on each year.
This year, Center welcomed a variety of teams that stretch across numerous classifications of basketball in the state.
Durango was the lone Class 5A team to compete in Center while La Junta was the lone 4A team.
St. Mary’s and Centauri made up the 3A teams. Gilpin County, Sanford, Hoehne, Las Animas, Sargent and Center represented 2A. Cheraw, Branson/Kim and Sierra Grande were the 1A teams.
The Vikings also welcomes Mesa Vista and Questa from New Mexico.
“I appreciate the quality of teams that come every year,” Vigil said. “I believe all the [Colorado] teams here made it to regionals last year. With a few making it to the state tournament. Next year will be even bigger as we will now have three gyms to use on site.”
The growth has been steady since launching the camp 10 years ago and attracts teams that go on to have successful seasons during the school year. It’s an indication that finding the right competition for these teams is far more important than finding a convenient place to play.
With three accessible gyms next year, Vigil is excited about the next level of growth for his program.

(Courtesy of Jan Vigil)

(Courtesy of Jan Vigil)