Stepping out on the hardwood floor of a college arena with cheers and applause raining down from the crowd is a dream come true for many young athletes.

That dream became a reality for a group of middle schoolers from across North Carolina at Reynolds Coliseum, where just five months ago they were practicing and playing alongside the Wolfpack Women’s basketball team.

On Dec. 8, these Touchstone Energy Sports Camp Scholarship winners — who were selected by North Carolina’s electric cooperatives to attend the NC State Women’s basketball camp this past summer – came together for a reunion and a moment of recognition.

“The basketball camp was a wonderful experience for my daughter, allowing her to go on campus and interact directly with Coach Wes Moore and the NC State women’s basketball team,” said Emily Williams, parent of a 2024 camp scholarship winner and teacher at Yadkin Early College High School. “The camp challenged her to grow, not only in her basketball skills, but in her character as well.”

The 2024 Touchstone Energy Sports Camp scholarship winners were recognized for their achievements at Sunday’s game. (Photo courtesy of Wolfpack Sports Properties).

For 22 years, North Carolina’s 26 not-for-profit electric cooperatives have awarded scholarships to young women to attend the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp.

These scholarships cover all expenses at the overnight camps, which provide a glimpse into life on a college campus, and what it takes to be Division I athlete.

The instruction and coaching these students received is top-notch, as the Wolfpack Women’s basketball team is coming off a trip to the Final Four last season, the second time in school history.

Sharing the court with players and coaches of this caliber provides lessons and knowledge that these student-athletes can bring back to their teams and communities.

“The experience taught my daughter that hard work pays off and has offered her a firsthand glimpse at what she could achieve in the future if she continues to work hard for her dreams,” Williams added. “I am so thankful as a parent and an educator that the cooperatives afforded her this amazing opportunity. It was an experience that she will never forget.”

Along with the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives also partner with the UNC Men’s Basketball team to send middle school students to their annual Carolina Basketball School each summer.

Applications for both basketball camps open on Jan. 1, 2025.

To learn more about North Carolina’s electric cooperatives’ support for basketball camp scholarships and other youth initiatives, visit https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/community/sports-camps/.