Summer Sports Camps are Big Money Makers for College Coaches!
Your Summer Tennis Camp Checklist:
Start preparing early - you will have a lot of competition in trying to get kids to attend your camps. There are many other tennis and sporting camps out there that could take away your kids. As soon as you have finished one camp, you should be immediately promoting your next camp.
Hire good-qualified coaches - the success of a camp often comes down to the quality of coaching. Not only in their ability to teach tennis, but how they can make the camp more enjoyable for the kids. It is worth paying more money for more experienced coaches. It will make your job a lot easier as well.
Have a budget - you need to have budget and carefully plan out your expenses for the week. You want to provide the best camp possible, but not at the expense of losing money.
Include in your budget what social events you can hold (movies, skating), what prizes you can buy, cost of balls, t-shirts, photos, camp medals, hiring of staff, promotional brochures, cost of accommodation (if overnight camp), food, transport costs, court hire, insurance, equipment…………….
Deposit - you must have all applicants pay a deposit. This is to protect you as you will need to pay for items in advance and if someone pulls out at the last minute you will have to burden the cost. It will happen, and they will be sure to have a great excuse!
Plan your week - have a set plan for your time to wake students up, breakfast times, start of morning session, lunchtime break, start and finish of afternoon session, dinner and the evenings social events. Good planning is your key to success!
Risks / Injuries / Problems - have an emergency plan that all staff know about, have a first aid kit on hand, know if any kids have certain medical conditions requiring medication, have someone there who is first aid and CPR certified, keep a list of emergency numbers on hand, have a consent form signed by parents included with their application forms, know all legal concerns, liability issues, instruct staff not to engage in any risky behaviour, do everything you can to avoid being negligent!
Fun: Make your camps fun! The kids are there to learn tennis but mostly they want to have fun. Divide the kids into groups according to their playing ability and motivational level, and coach according to the needs of each group. The evening social events are a huge part of the camps success. You don’t have to spend money to provide fun social events.
Examples of social programming - movies (cinema or DVD), roller skating, "skit" night is always a great one, pizza night, karaoke night, talent night, games night, “Olympic night” (lots of competitions involving different events), outdoor games night, water balloon fights, free time, sport watching (go watch the basketball, baseball, hockey team play if they have a game on)……..
Medals / Awards - at the start of the camp outline all awards that can be won during the camp. Not all awards require being the best players. Try to get every player to leave with some award or prize.
Examples of awards: MVP (most valuable player), future star award, best camper, best comedian award, coach’s award, most improved, tournament winner, most talented, all-rounder award, best forehand / serve / volleyer awards, best athlete……….
Parents - parents will always be concerned when someone else is looking after their children so be ready to answer many questions and to show the parents that you are very organized and professional in the way you are running the camp.
Curfews - every camp will have its wild kids that try to get up to trouble.
Enforce curfews! Have your coaches staying in the dormitories with the campers do room checks. You can at least keep the campers confined to their rooms and be able to know where they are. If they choose to stay up past “lights out” time then at least you can monitor them.
Boys / Girls - keep the boys on one floor and the girls on next floor. The last thing you want is a phone call from a parent relating to an issue involving the interaction of their child with another camper. You are responsible for their well being!
Free-time - free time will allow for all campers to socialize, relax and do their own thing.
Monitor this time and help to involve those campers who have been isolated from the others. Keep free time confined to one area.
Group transport - whether it is just going to the toilet, out at the movies or returning to their room to get something, always have the campers escorted by a coach or counsellor.
If you have over 50 campers it is quite easy to lose track of someone.
Hierarchy of coaches - have an assistant coach who can take a lot of the more mundane responsibilities away from you. Have someone to handle the paper work, someone in charge of the overnight campers, someone to answer the phones, someone to be in charge of ordering meals / food……..
Promotion of camp - promote your camp through brochures, word of mouth, calling previous campers, advertising in newspapers and magazines. Your reputation will be your greatest promotional asset. Good experiences will bring back returning campers and they will in turn bring their friends.
Be visible - as the camp director, be visible to the parents and kids when they show up on the first day. There is no-one better to answer questions than you!
Coach / Player ratio - this is important. 1 coach / 6 players is often the norm. Too many players on a court will only create bad experiences for the kids.
If court space is limited, then divide into groups. That is while one group is playing tennis; the other group can be watching instructional videos or doing fitness.
Exhibition matches - the kids will love to see two of your best players play a set. They will be amazed at how hard they hit the ball. Have the kids divided into two teams. Each team will support a player and cheer for that player during the match. Encourage involvement!
Video activities, tennis etc - the campers will love to see themselves on T.V playing tennis. You can also have a roving camera person taking footage of all events throughout the camp and then put a short film or slide show together of the entire camp to be played on the last day. Some kids may want to purchase the video.
Hour 1 / Day 1 - it is during the first hour and day that will set the tone for the camp.
Make it fun, try to get the kids to relax and get to know each other, be positive!
The enthusiasm shown by the coaches will be of utmost importance in getting the kids involved.
Camp review - at the end of each camp it is important to review the success of that camp and how to improve on it for the next one. Learn from experience and strive to get better.
Number of camps - if you have been doing camps for a number of years then you may have a large list of campers. Don’t schedule too many camps if you can’t fill them. It is better to have four great camps than eight average camps.
Rates / Costs - the costs will vary upon each camp and their size. Budgeting is a skill and will get better with experience. Don’t cut corners to save money as it will show in the quality of the camp. Give discounts to loyal returning campers. Give discounts if they bring friends to future camps. Be competitive with other camps but at the same time charge what you have to be successful. Cheaper is not always better and parents know this!
Weather conditions - camps are often held in summer. Be aware of extreme heat, heat exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn and other weather related concerns. Take regular breaks and adjust your training sessions if necessary. Carefully watch every camper to monitor their own individual reactions to the heat.
Facilities - one of the first things that parents will see is the facilities that their children will be staying in. The condition of the courts, the quality of the food provided and other facilities used. Take the time to clean the facility being used, get the courts in good condition, have your coaches presented well in appropriate camp uniforms and make sure that there is ample parking near by.
Get there early / Stay late - as the director of the camp you will have long days.
Having good employees will make your life easier, but still oversee every aspect of the camp.
Allow for your own relaxation time when you are happy that all is in order and the kids are in their rooms.
Rain - this is the most dreaded four - letter word to any camp director. It will happen at some point and you must have back up plans. Have events and activities organized in advanced for rain days. Book an indoor room or hall in advance of rain. You must keep the kids active and can’t expect them to just sit out and wait until the rain stops.
Tournament play - usually on the second last day of camp you will want to run a mini - tournament for your more advanced players. Include both singles and doubles involving both the boys and girls.The last day is for fun games and to have the campers leave on a positive note!
Summer camps are "Big" money earners for coaches! Plan, be organised and you will reap the rewards of conducting a successful summer of tennis camps.
David Horne