Canadian senior-to-be Luke Flowers is making the most of his time in the best way possible during the summer.

While most high school athletes travel on vacation or do summer camps, Flowers has spent the majority of his days giving back to the youth of Canadian through his first ever Way of the Wildcat Leadership and Skills Football Camp.

Since he was in sixth grade, Flowers has been going to the ever-popular Air It Out Football Camp, led by former football coach and Hereford native Alan Wartes. The camp not only develops football skill but focuses on faith, character and leadership development.

Air It Out truly resonated with Flowers, so he wanted to develop a similar situation for the youth of Canadian.

“The Air It Out Football Camp has always done such great things for me,” Flowers said. “It made me want to do something like that here in Canadian. They have great coaches there and send a great message to us each year. So, I thought it’d be a great way for all the future Wildcats to spend a few days seeing the weight room, seeing all the state championship trophies, and the pictures of the teams before them and let them know what’s ahead of them.”

Through Flowers’ three-year playing career at running back and linebacker, he’s been a major impact for the Wildcats, though he has missed significant time the past two years due to major injuries. During this past fall, while nursing a leg injury, Flowers had to play a more supportive role for his teammates while he worked to get better.

Through that adversity, Flowers realized how to be a leader in a different capacity and wanted to take it a step further to share his experiences. So after several conversations with his mother, Mandy, the two thought why not get this leadership camp started this summer.

“We tossed around ideas on how we wanted the camp to be,” Mandy said. “Luke is great with kids and I brought up the idea of starting his own camp. Luke always took to heart the values of what the Air It Out Football Camp has taught him. Luke felt like he could take what he learned and start a camp here in Canadian and the kids here could benefit from that.”

The community has backed Flowers 100 percent with sponsorships and scholarships to help first through third graders and fourth through sixth graders participate. Flowers has put on four different sessions throughout the summer with the help of Wildcat teammates Camren Cavalier, Wyatt Davis, Nathan Wagner, Max Dumbald, and Clay Kendall.

Flowers has even brought in special motivational speakers to talk to the youth in Canadian head football coach, Andy Cavalier, assistant coach, Tim Fletcher, former Canadian greats, Chance Cook, Casen Cavalier, Corbin Throgmorton, and Flowers’ dad, Kevin. The radio team of Russell Gadbois and Steve Forrest have spoken, as has Max Dumbald’s father, Jon, a former NFL player.

“It’s pretty awesome to see all the support we’ve had,” Mandy said. “I love seeing this camp come together throughout the summer. Canadian ISD does a great job of having a Wildcat Buddy system where the football players visit the elementary kids throughout the season and build relationships with them. We’ve always talked to Luke about setting a good example to the younger kids and remembering their names and being someone, they want to root for.”

A lot of us guys are so appreciative that these young kids look up to us, Flowers said. It’s an honor to have that kind of privilege. Living in Canadian is so special and it’s amazing to be in this position. That’s why we focus on being a Wildcat during this camp.

There are a lot of things that come with that name. It’s being a good teammate; it’s picking each other up. We use football but it’s bigger than that. We teach them life lessons and leadership skills. How to do things the right way.

LUKE FLOWERS

Being a role model is what’s most important to Flowers. That’s why he created this camp and wants these future Wildcats hearing a positive message spread through him and his teammates.

Through Canadian’s steep tradition of winning football state championships, Flowers doesn’t take lightly that he’s now in the limelight of the youth at Canadian like the former greats he once looked up to.

Mandy echoed her son’s comments.

“I’m proud of him for putting himself out there,” Mandy said. “Wendy Cavalier, Camren’s mom, and I were pretty nervous about if these high school guys could wrangle these elementary kids. But it’s been so awesome. The kids have been enamored with this camp and have fully embraced listening to Luke, Camren, Wyatt or whoever it is. We hope this is something that Canadian will have every summer going forward.”