Summerlin 15-year-old donates profits from his baseball camp

Summerlin resident Tyler Kim began playing in Little League when he was 4. Now 15, he said he was not good at baseball when he was a kid.

But he kept with it, mostly because his whole family enjoys the sport and his father played in high school.

“I started working out at a facility that did sort of the same stuff when I was 12,” he said. “And I thought (teaching the sport) would be such a cool job.”

As he progressed, he decided to share his knowledge of the sport with others. This is the first summer he held his baseball camp, loosely called the Summer Boot Camp. He’s trained friends but hasn’t charged them for it.

The Summer Boot Camp saw 12 youngsters, ages 3 to 12, attend. It was held Aug. 27 and lasted two hours. The kids learned agility and footwork and were then taught ways to train at home without equipment.

“The little kids were pretty enthusiastic about it,” Kim said. “Even the 3-year-old had a good time.”

Each child paid $20 for the camp, and Kim donated it to Little League North.

He didn’t stipulate what the money should go toward but said he hoped the Little League organization would use it to pay umpires and/or buy equipment.

“My dad had worked on the board (of Little League) when I was a kid, and he always talked about how money was tight and a big factor, so I decided to give back,” Kim said.

It’s not his first time giving back. He was part of the National Honor Society in eighth grade at Hyde Park Middle School, 900 Hinson St. That organization is known for creating projects that help others. Through it, he did various efforts, including volunteering at a school and at the National Atomic Testing Museum for a convention about drones.

He is studying sports medicine at West Career and Technical Academy, 11945 W. Charleston Blvd., which does not have a baseball team. In a reciprocal agreement, he plays at Palo Verde High School, 333 S. Pavilion Center Drive. He’s a pitcher, first baseman and outfielder.

Joe Hallead has been the baseball coach at Palo Verde High School for 18 years. He said just because Kim was 15 didn’t mean he wasn’t qualified to teach those younger than him.

“He’s received some very good coaching all his life,” Hallead said. “And he’s been on club teams for several years. The coaching you get as a player rubs off on you.”

Hallead added that Kim was teaching only the basics, nothing complicated.

Kim is being scouted by major schools including UC San Diego, Yale and Stanford. His coach said that, with all the interest from various schools, Kim had a “bright future ahead of him. He’s just got to keep working hard.”

Kim said he plans to repeat the summer camp next year.

He is eyeing a career in sports medicine, such as a physical therapist, and said he is leaning toward attending Stanford.

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.