What do Parents Want from a Camp?

Good Question. So I asked several parents on facebook about what they dig in a camp for their kids.I mean kids are your most prised possession. Scratch that. They're more than a possession and if a parent feels half as protective as I do about my nieces and nephew, safety is the ultimate concern. People will generally come to a safe place. Don't they? People shop, do business, go to church, watch sporting events without batting an eye but would they be so itinerant about the ho hum daily grind if safety was questionable? Of course not. That's why refugees flee war-torn countries even at the risk of being injured, arrested, displaced from loved ones, etc. In a world that moves fast and deems the importance of character minimal, camps are the kinds of places I hope will offer opportunities for young athletes to forge character traits needed for life. Such life skills include things like:

* Interdependence
* Resolve
* Respect for self and others
* Desire for Truth
* Commitment to preparation for Performing at a Personal Best

It's the camp experience that whets the appetite of the novice, making her/him hungry for mastery. It's the camp experience that interrupts mundane routines and reveals a new paradigm for growth. It's the camp experience that should allow quality mentoring to take place in a way that young people never forget but reflect on 20 years from now when they're sending their own kids to camp.

Camp is probably more than that but it's 10:59 p.m. and I have to work in the morning.