Koenen, Locker return for Ferndale camp

For the eighth straight season, Ferndale football stars Michael Koenen and Jake Locker will return to their hometown to host an NFL camp for kids in the surrounding area.

The camp will be held on Saturday, June 20, at Ferndale High School. It’s divided into two sections. The morning session is for third to sixth graders and goes from 9 to 11:30 a.m., with checkin starting at 8 a.m. The afternoon session is for seventh to ninth graders and starts at 12:30 p.m. and checkin starts at 11:30 a.m.

The camp is put on by the Michael Koenen Foundation and aims to provide children of Whatcom County the opportunity to learn more about football as well as facilitate an understanding of the importance of athletics, staying in school, making positive life choices and to have fun, the mission statement read on the Koenen Foundation’s website.

Koenen is a punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as he goes into his 16th season in the NFL. He graduated from Ferndale High School in 2001 before kicking and punting for the defunct Western Washington University football team. He went undrafted but was signed by the Falcons in 2005.

Locker will be at the camp for the first time as a retired NFL player, after he announced his leave from professional football after the 2014-15 season. The former University of Washington quarterback played four seasons in the NFL after being selected by the Titans with the eighth pick in the 2011 draft.

Koenen and Locker recently opened a gym called The Locker Room in Ferndale as well.

Each year several other NFL players make it to the camp, including Seattle Seahawks Michael Bennett last season, but no announcement has been made as to who will be joining the hometown kids this year.

The camp is free for both age groups but spots fill up quickly. To register, visit www.koenenfoundation.com/signup.

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Koenen, Locker return for Ferndale camp."