SIDNEY, Neb. — Former Sidney High School standout and current University of Nebraska high jumper Karsyn Leeling returned to her hometown Wednesday to lead a high jump camp at Sidney High School.

The camp, sponsored by Healthquest Chiropractic and Taproot Land Management, drew 13 boy and girl athletes from across the region, including participants from Holyoke, Sterling, Fort Collins, Kimball and Sidney.

The two-hour session was one of four Leeling hosted this summer, with previous camps held at Freeman High School in Adams, Kearney Catholic in Kearney, Sedgwick County High School in Julesburg and Scottsbluff High School. Athletes from Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas attended the camps over the last two weeks.

"Sidney has been a huge part of my career. I just want to be able to give back to the youth as much as I can," Leeling said.

The sessions focused on technical drills, form work on the mat, short approach jumps and full-approach work over the bar. Despite the heat, Leeling said the turnout and enthusiasm have made the experience worthwhile.

“They’ve been really good. Pretty hot, but they’ve been fun,” she said. “Had a lot of kids show up. My biggest thing is I hope they can take something from it and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Leeling said the Scottsbluff camp produced several personal bests, accomplishing her goal of helping kids find confidence and joy in their results.

Leeling, who won multiple state titles while at Sidney and is the only female in Nebraska high school track and field history to high jump over six feet, just completed her freshman year with the Huskers. She described the season as a learning experience.

"It was definitely a learning experience. A little rough mentally, but I think going into my second year I can be a little more prepared,” she said. “I got the high jump approach down a little bit, but hopefully we can correct some of the stuff that's a little risky right now.”

Leeling will return to Lincoln for her sophomore season this fall, with track and field practice set to resume after Labor Day.