Sports Camps
Something For Every Kid
The year 1861 is the first documented year of a summer camp being in operation in America. Since then, camps have evolved from a general program that gave kids an opportunity to make friends, learn new skills and take part in outdoor recreational activities to specific programs that are as diverse as American society. “There is a camp for almost every interest,” said Ann Sheets, president of the American Camp Association, a nonprofit camp-accrediting organization that has about 2,400 accredited camps.
Of course, sports camps are popular. And while sports have always been a big part of the summer camp experience, specific sports camps are a recent development.
A quick cruise through the Internet underscores the wide variety of sports camps that are available, from aerobics and Alpine skiing to rock climbing, horseback riding, lacrosse, tennis, windsurfing, wrestling and yoga. Even within the sports category there is great variety. There are day camps and residential camps; there are camps on college campuses, in remote country settings, at luxury resorts and in urban environments. There are secular- and religious-based sports camps. There are camps that are part of organizations, such as the Scouts or the YMCA, and stand-alone camps. Some camps are run by individuals or families, some by corporations. There are camps that focus on issues, such as substance abuse or weight control, camps for individuals dealing with any type of physical or cognitive challenges, and camps that reach otherwise underserved populations.
Experts confirm that the number of sports camps has skyrocketed in recent years. “Twenty years ago, there were a handful of sports-specific camps. But in the past five years or so, it’s just gone through the roof,” said David Schilling, owner of Premiere Sports Camps Inc., the largest tennis camp program in the Midwest. “Kids are specializing in a particular sport at a much younger age than ever before, so the need for these types of camps is growing.”
“Regardless of the sport, regardless of your need, you can find a camp for it,” Sheets said.
Another aspect that camps have had historically is a focus on character-building, and this aspect has been transferred to sports camps, said Stu Maloff, president of FUN-damentals Basketball Camp Inc. Maloff’s firm has offered day and residential camps in New York and Florida for 17 years and now is offering its first Walt Disney World family vacation camp. “We’re teaching basketball skills, but with that we’re also teaching responsibility, how to work with a team and how to listen,” he said. “Listening to the coach is important, but being a good listener is as important in life as in the game, and kids learn that in camp.”
Sandlot Baseball and Softball Academies, a franchise camp with 30 locations across the country, has a specific program called “Champs” that rewards players for being “good kids,” said company President Tad Powers. “The character-building aspect of our work is built into everything we do. We challenge the kids to be aware of those themes, not just at the academy or on the field but also at home and school. When they show us that they are living up to those challenges, we reward them with something fun, like tickets to a game.”
Ron Funderburke, head guide for the Rock Climbing Summer Camp of Fox Mountain Guides, the Southeast’s only summer camp program accredited by the American Mountain Guides Association, said that skill improvement and character-building often go hand in hand. “Because our camp focuses on all aspects of climbing, we want the students to improve their knowledge of technical terms, improve their movement skills and strength, and improve their emotional stability in the face of fear, self-doubt and anxiety. All of these things are essentially character-building.”
When kids learn how to be better athletes, they also learn respect for each other, said Ron Good, owner/director of U.S. Sports Camps. “We focus on competitive swimming, and kids come to our camps to learn how to be better swimmers. I teach the kids to respect their competition, but when they’re on the block, to race and show no mercy. Then, I tell them to get out of the pool and be friends again.”
The Adaptive Sports Association, headquartered in Durango, Colo., allows athletes with disabilities to experience the same type of camp experiences as their non-disabled peers. “It’s a great experience socially for these participants to see that they are not alone and to be inspired by others who are in a similar situation,” said Tim Kroes, executive director. “Too often, people with disabilities are separated from family and friends. A raft trip or other activity with a full family, friends and the individuals with disabilities all together is perfect.”
Of course, as camps become more specialized, another aspect of life becomes apparent: more competition. And, more competition means more work for organizers if they want to keep campers returning year after year. “The best camps are the ones with the most work put into them,” Schilling said. “The camp might be for just a few weeks in the summer, but organizers must be prepared to work on it all year long.”
It’s important to not let the camp experience get stale, Powers said. “If your sport is in demand, you’ll get the numbers, but the challenge is in keeping those clients. You have to add new activities and continually evolve.”
One of the most important aspects to running a good camp is to keep the experience “real,” Funderburke said. “Adolescents will balk at a watered-down ‘kids menu’ program that insults not only his/her budding sense of self-worth and identity, but also his/her intelligence. Don’t contrive reality-based experiences. Instead, provide real experiences, but teach the students how to solve the real problems that come with reality, how to manage the real risks. Empowerment is always more fun than carnival.”