For a lot of young people, participating in sports camp is more than just playing a sport. Ada, the main character of my book “Pickleball Problems,” which publishes Aug. 1, learned about independence and competing in a sport.
I had a quick interview with Ro, a mother of two, to find out what her sons enjoyed about sports camps when they were younger.
Since the two boys loved soccer, they once joined a soccer camp that lasted about a week. Ro fondly remembers, “They got to play different games and engage with people, not only with their [local] friends, but people from other areas. It was a lot of fun for them.” Ro’s older son “gravitates to finding new friends and making new relationships…They were able to all hang out together.”
Ro’s younger son is “very athletic. So anytime there’s an opportunity to compete and do things like that, that’s always really fun for him.” She recalls how much they enjoyed sunset scrimmages and matches.
Playing an outdoor sport resonated with her sons. “They grew up playing outside and outdoors. Anytime there was an opportunity to play games or do things outside, they were all about that life.” Besides soccer, they enjoyed campfire nights, crawdad fishing, and other activities that allowed them to be out in nature.
She adds that her sons fostered a level of independence during sports camp, “having a week of time without their parents, getting to do a sport that they loved.”
I’d like to give a big thank you to Ro for sharing about the impact that a sports camp had on her sons. Does her story remind you of an experience that you or a young loved one had with a sports camp?
Nico Waters 