Sports Camps

Camps can range from a week of intensive practice at the local Y to a summer live-away-from-home arrangement. As I surfed the web looking for information on sports camps, I discovered that there are camps for the most popular team sports - football, basketball, baseball, softball - and individual sports - tennis, swimming, gymnastics - and activities that touch on the fringe of "sport" - aerobics, cheerleading, dance. I even found one that I wish I could have attended as a teenager: a sports journalism camp!

Among the popular sports camps are those affiliated with colleges and universities. A quick web search brought up countless university-related camps; too many, in fact, to list in this article. A fact little known to the average parent, university sports camps often serve as an informal try-out arena for kids who are interested in, or are good enough, to play on a college level. Let me stress that these sports camps are not for the best athletes only, nor are they the end-all, be-all for an athlete's future career. However, coaches grudgingly admit that they take more notice of an athlete who attended their camps. It gives the coaches a recruiting edge. Yet, it also gives the athlete an edge, as well, by allowing the athlete to visit a school and work with a coaching staff and system.

College-affiliated camps are not cheap, often running into the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for a couple of weeks at most. They are often set up for the serious athlete with long-term goals rather than the kid on the high school team who wants to improve his or her skills. A young man I know who attended Penn State University's football camp told me that it was the most intense and draining - yet fun - experience he ever had (his experience at sports camp eventually led to a team manager's position).

Age, of course, comes into play. Camps away from home are usually better suited to older athletes, while day camps are ideal for younger children. However, most low-key, community-run camps focus mainly on sports like basketball, soccer, and swimming.

The decision on whether or not to attend a sports camp should, of course, be a mutual one between the parents and athletes. I recommend the following:

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