Our Story
The Cross Training Sports Camps ministry actually began as a request for a weeklong sports camp to be held on a North American Indian Reservation in Red Lodge, Montana in 2002. From that early work, the ministry has grown to local camps for children in Gainesville, Georgia and camps, a feeding program, the building of a youth center and Bible studies in Honduras. As we began to grow and seek God’s ongoing purpose for our ministry, we were drawn to a small island off the coast of Honduras called Roatan.
After receiving an invitation to conduct a sports camp at a local orphanage in Roatan in 2003, we saw the many varied needs of the children and families there. As we arrived and then left after a single week or two of ministry for a few years, we began to feel God calling us to a longer, stronger presence in the communities there. As we experienced what life was like on the island and came into contact with the Christian churches and missionaries already there, we began to search for how we might have the most impact in the lives of the island people.
One of the most unique outgrowths of the ministry has been the start of camps for special needs children. The Elsie Conde Camps in Gainesville and Roatan provide a week of free camp for these children who may have never been able to attend any camp.
Cross Training Sports Camps allow volunteers to enter any community and set up sports and sound equipment, snacks, and treats for a day of camp. The rotation model allows children to form different groups to learn sports like soccer, softball, volleyball and group games. One rotation is “cross training”; in this group campers hear Bible stories and Christian teachings.
Because sports and games are a universal language, children are drawn into the excitement and communities are open to our programs. Rather than competition, our leaders and volunteers stress encouragement, cooperation, sportsmanship and team-building in the context of Christian principles. Individuals, youth groups and church members serve as volunteers who lead camps. The Cross Training Sports Camps ministry provides training, leadership, and equipment.
Our Board
Claire Hayes Maddox
Claire is the founder and Executive Director of Cross Training Sports Camp, Inc. She is a 1974 graduate of the University of Georgia, School of Family and Consumer Science and holds a Bachelor of Science/Home Economics/Early Childhood Education. She is happily married to Elton. They have been married for 42 years, have 3 daughters, 3 son in laws and 15 grandchildren, all of whom have a heart for spreading God’s love. Claire is a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, where she served as Children’s Minister for 17 years. Some of her fondest life moments have come as she watches the children she taught become awesome Christian young adults. Claire was honored with the 2006 Outstanding Service Award for the FACS Alumni of University of Georgia. Her hobbies are reading, writing, travel and time with family and friends. Her life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6. She credits her parents with instilling in her the ways of a faithful Christian life. Claire has this to say about CTSC: “God has given me the answer to my lifelong dream in the CTSC vision. CTSC allows me to serve Christ while promoting stable family life, teaching children, motivating and training leaders and gathering friends wherever He sends me. Seeing the growth and strength that God continues to give CTSC ,ignites my spirit and encourages me to never give up. One life can make a difference!”
Maria Maddox Conde
Maria Maddox Conde serves as the secretary and legal liaison to CTSC. She is a Double Dawg, earning both her Bachelor’s in Family and Consumer Sciences, Dietetics and her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia. She is currently an inactive member of the Georgia Bar as she stays at home to care for her daughters. She has been involved in missions since a very young age, going on her first international mission trip to Panama at age 14. She has a passion for Jesus, children, and sports, making CTSC a perfect fit for her and her family. She has been with CTSC to Montana, Oklahoma, Bolivia and Honduras and currently directs one of the local camps in Gainesville, Georgia alongside her husband Ignacio. She and Ignacio have seven daughters, Marcia, Elsie (June 2008-August 2008), Karlie, Kinslie, Lainie, Lucie, and Brylie. The excitement, growth, and exuberance of CTSC keep her on her toes and anxious to see what God has in store for the upcoming camps!
Teena Dobbs
Teena Dobbs fell in love with missions as a girl studying about missionaries in her church’s Girls in Action and Acteen groups. Having served as the technical advisor and a camp leader with CTSC for 15+ years, she is excited and humbled by what God is doing through this organization. A native of Gainesville, Georgia, Teena and her family have served at CTSC camps in Honduras, Montana and Gainesville. Having earned degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics, she loves being able to use her unique gifts as a part of this ministry to help fulfill God’s purpose in the lives of kids and families. Teena has been married to Woody Dobbs for over 35 years and has grown two daughters, Ansley and Madeline.