With cleats packed away and fields cleared for the season, the highly successful All Sports Camps ended recently, leaving a lasting impression on students, coaches, and communities across eastern Oklahoma.

Now entering its 14th year, this one-of-a-kind training experience is led by former college and professional athletes Thomas Lott and Terry Peters, along with longtime youth advocate Sandra Golden.

Together, the trio has already begun preparing for the next season of camps, scheduled to return in May 2026, with continued support from Muscogee (Creek) Nation Health.

— A Mission Greater Than Sports

The All Sports Camp isn’t just a training groundit’s a life-shaping program that reaches boys and girls in grades 1-12 with instruction in speed, quickness, agility, and balance, along with critical life lessons in discipline, mental focus, health, and self-respect.

“This camp is about more than just physical ability,” Lott said, the program’s founder and head coach. “We’re showing kids how to invest in themselves, how to be present, how to own their progress, and how to succeed-on the field and in life.”

Each session is only a half-day, with hydration stations, first-aid, and wellness support provided by MCN Health, which also sponsors the camp. Registration has always been free, and no child is turned away due to lack of funds or equipment.

Last season’s years training sessions took place across multiple rural and tribal school sites, bringing elite-level instruction to hundreds of young athletes. Camps were held at Haskell, Bristow, Glenpool, Weleetka, Okemah, Eufaula and several more.

“These kids worked hard,” said Lott. “They showed up early, they listened, they learnedand many of them left with more confidence than they came in with.”

— Meet the Team Behind the Camp Thomas Lott, Founder & Head Coach Born in San Antonio, Texas, Thomas Lott made history as the first Black starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, leading the Sooners in the 1970s and helping the team secure national acclaim. He later went on to play professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) and in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

After his playing career, Lott turned his attention to coaching-first as a volunteer, then as a passionate leader focused on underserved youth.

“I started the program because I was worried about who would coach my son when I wasn’t there,” Lott explained. “I trained a group of kids in Dallas for years-football, basketball, track, baseball. Then I started doing summer camps to make them better athletes.”

But when he moved to Oklahoma, he realized rural areas presented different challenges.

“In Dallas, you can get 300 kids in a 15mile radius,” he said. “In Oklahoma, you’ve got to travel town to town and convince people why this matters. Some schools get it. Some don’t.”

Through his persistence and partnership with MCN Health, the All Sports Camp began reaching tribal and rural school sites with growing success each year.

— Terry Peters, Coach & Co-Instructor Raised in Pauls Valley, Terry Peters was diagnosed with a heart murmur at age 14. Doctors told him to be cautious- but instead, he trained himself to become a championship runner.

“I started running on my own,” Peters recalled. “And I got good. Really good. I had over 200 scholarship offers out of high school. I ran the mile, the hurdles, the two-mile. I did everything.”

Peters first signed with a junior college, but eventually earned a spot on the University of Oklahoma football team, where he became a defensive back and special teams player- blocking kicks and protecting OU legend Joe Washington on punt returns.

“I started on special teams, got redshirted, and then earned my role,” he said. “I was the first in my family to get a college degree.”

After a brief stint with the Denver Broncos and the USFL, Peters built a career in corporate America, working for Coca-Cola and Frito Lay as a regional manager before retiring. But his heart always remained in coaching.

“My coaching started with a team of 40 kids in Dallas,” he said. “Some of them were showing up with no food, no transportation. I’d feed them, give them a blanket, and let them stay over so they’d be ready to play. That’s what coaching really is-being there when they need you.”

Peters brings a no-nonsense approach to the All Sports Camp.

“Discipline is the difference,” he said. “If they learn to work on the field, they’ll learn to work in school and in life.”

— Sandra Golden, Youth Advocate & Camp Organizer With a background in public health and youth development, Sandra Golden has worked for years within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, helping children in rural schools gain access to programs that might otherwise pass them by.

“My background is in prevention and health,” said Golden. “I started by forming a little girls’ softball team in Okfuskee County, just teaching them how to throw a ball, how to swing a bat-because nobody else was teaching them.”

After seeing how underserved many girls were in youth sports, Golden began partnering with Lott and Peters to expand the reach of their camps to both genders and all skill levels.

“People were saying they had programs for girls, but they weren’t really doing it right,” she said. “I said, ‘No, we’re going to do this the right way, and we’re not going to leave anyone behind.’” Golden coordinates all logistics-school contacts, nurse staffing, hydration stations, first aid, and grant proposals. She also works closely with MCN Health, which sponsors the camp through its Diabetes Prevention and Public Health divisions.

“We don’t care if a child can’t pay,” she said. “We’ve had kids show up in boots, barefoot, or cleats that didn’t fit. We make it work.”

— What Makes the Camp Different?

The All Sports Camp is not sport-specific. Instead, it focuses on fundamental movement and mental skills that apply to every sport-and to life.

“Whether you’re playing football, tennis, softball, or golf-you need balance, agility, and discipline,” said Lott. “We help kids control their bodies with their minds.”

Each camp includes:

• Technique-specific drills

• Mental focus challenges • Peer team-building activities

• Nutrition and hydration guidance • Lessons on accountability and discipline “We … Give (attendees) reps, individual attention and life tools.” — Looking Ahead: 2026 Organizers are already preparing for All Sports Camp, set to begin in May 2026. Schools interested in hosting are encouraged to contact the team early, as site scheduling begins in fall 2025.

“We try to lock in our camp calendar by December,” said Golden. “That gives the schools, students, and sponsors time to plan.”

The team hopes to expand to new school districts and further strengthen partnerships with tribal departments, youth programs, and community sponsors.

— A Lasting Legacy

As Coach Peters often reminds campers: “Great athletes aren’t born. They’re trained.” That motto defines the All Sports Camp’s mission-and its growing legacy across rural Oklahoma.

“This camp is about giving kids a vision,” Lott said. “A reason to wake up, to show up, and to believe they can be something more.”

— Interested in Hosting All Sports Camp 2026?

School administrators, board members, and community sponsors are encouraged to reach out now to reserve a spot on the 2026 schedule. Organizers are also available to present to school boards or booster clubs this fall.

“If we give kids the tools and someone who believes in them, they’ll rise to the challenge.” Sandra Golden “We’re not building stars. We’re building citizens.” – Terry Peters “The mind controls the body. If you teach kids to think right, they’ll move right-and live right.” – Thomas Lott