Camps

[wallinbl]

I see camps recruiting at various meets and discussion of them on here. Our HC hates camps and tells the girls not to go to them. I assume he just doesn't want some other technique being taught.

Are the camps useful, or are they largely just fun? Do most coaches like them or dislike them? We'll probably never send DD to one because I don't want to go against the coach's wishes, but I'm curious about the camps in general and how they're generally perceived (especially if coaches perceive them differently than parents!).

 

[BlairBob]

A lot of coaches probably dislike them.


You're taking your student and putting them in a different coaching atmosphere with different styles of coaching. They might get to learn or try out some skills or use different progressions that your coach doesn't. And then we get to deal with this when they get back. And the fact they missed a week or two of training with us in summer to go to camp and do Heavens know what.


When we had a group of girls go down to Woodward once, we got a phone call from the parents because their kid called them and ended up being put in a group that was different than the level they were in the gym (or were training). It wasn't an isolated case and a complete pain in the butt.


I and another coach really got sick of one kid who swore Bela told her she was going to be great...when her bars and vault were meager at best. "You don't know what you're talking because Bela said I was gonna be awesome." Blech.


I hear Jack Carter's camp in AZ is good as is Stanford's. Woodward's is fun and I've mixed opinions about the Karolyis.


One thing is the gymnasts get to train a lot more which is pretty nifty. And if they are gonna take time off to go to a summer camp, at least they are doing gymnastics.

 

[Esoteric]

I was recently told by dds HC that they are supportive of the girls that go down to a college camp, but have had mixed results with some other well known ones. Apparently the college camp trains "relevant" skills that can be used in the upcoming season, where as it has been her experience that a couple of the well known camps tend to allow girls to train their "dream skills," which they are then unable to use or continue training once back at their home gym.
I know my old HC used to love what I brought back to the gym- but those were the "old days" and the camp I went to was just as heavy on dance as it was on gymnastics. We used to have to learn a dance piece, and I often incorporated pieces of it into my routine for the following year. (Back then we all did compulsories AND optionals.)
I desperately wish I could remember the name of the camp. My parents don't remember, either. I know I flew into Sea-Tac airport and it was about an hour drive into the woods somewhere. Several huge outbuildings specific to events, a dance studio, cabins, cafeteria. There were gymnasts from all over the country there in the mid 80s. I remember wanting to go to Texas to Karolyis, but my parents felt that would be "too intense," and found that camp.

 

[Jen H.]

We are hoping to send our girl to Woodward this summer for the first time. Our gym usually has 20 or so team girls that go each summer, we also send 3 of our coaches as well, which makes me even more comfortable with it.

My expectations are that she has a fabulous time, works with some new coaches, meet some new friends, be a kid, and have the opportunity to work out at a fantastic state of the art gym.

I don't expect her to learn or perfect any new skills - that would be a ridiculous expectation for a weeks time wouldn't it?!
It is after all, summer camp, not gymnastics boot camp!:tongue:

We are hoping to send her for the experience of it all.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

Our gym goes as a team to Woodward. This year we have 30 girls going! It will be dd's first year and she is so excited! The coaches attend with the girls, so they get a morning training session with the Woodward coaches, then an afternoon or evening session with our coaches.

It was encouraged at our old gym as well.

 

[MaryA]

DD's HC (who was an elite and then Div. I gymnast) grew up going to Woodward and loved it. I am so glad she supports her gymnasts going to Woodward, because DD went for the past two summers and if she switched to this new team and the coach said, "No camps" I would have a very unhappy camper (pun intended) on my hands. My only concern is that I get the impression that the HC thinks that any of the other activities at camp are pretty much a waste of time. I get that the camp is expensive, and that there are camps where she can tie-dye a t-shirt and go swimming that would be a whole lot cheaper, if she wants to spend her time tie-dying t-shirts and swimming, but I do want her to have FUN at camp too. The past two years she's gone to the required training session plus one open gym session each day (I think she did both open gyms one day last year). She also came home with very very green hair from so much time spent in the pool! I think camp is a good place for her to get to have fun doing what she loves with a bunch of other people who love it too, while she gets her to be a little independent for a week (if you ever walk around Woodward, it feels a lot like being on a college campus) but I don't have too many goals as far as her learning new skills or anything. Last year when she went, she was still attending a gym that practiced only 7 hours a week. This summer she'll have upwards of 20 hours a week in the gym on a normal week, so camp isn't going to be getting her any "extra" practice. And yes, there are fantastic coaches there, but none of them have the same vested interest in my daughter's progression that her own coaches would have. There will be some equipment there she doesn't have access to in her gym (for example, I'm sure she'll be working on giants, and her gym doesn't have a strap bar), and she may have something explained in a way that helps it to "click" but, in the end, I think camp should be mostly about fun.

 

[my4buffaloes]

I went to camp woodward with my dd and I see a lot of positives in it - some that aren't even gym related. I thought it helped kids with being responsible for themselves, it helped with their time management, it helped them plan (if I go to open gym what should I work on today), many were out of their comfort zone and forced to interact with new kids and adults which was really good for them.

I know a lot of coaches don't like it when a gymnast is exposed to other coaches, but as a parent I like it. I think it gives the gymnast a different perspective. I think about several instances when dd has had a different coach on an apparatus than she normally does and it really helps her. It is a different perspective watching her and a different way of saying what she needs to correct. Just phrasing something slightly differently can have a kid "get it" all of a sudden.

One thing I realized while there was that the kids are tired. They never get enough sleep and are suddenly expected to train many more hours than they are used to. This is a recipe for injury! I encouraged my dd to go to 1 open gym each day (on top of the mandatory) and to explore camp, make friends and have fun the rest of the time. I wanted her to get the whole camp experience. When she had an allergic reaction and had to take a heaping dose of Benadryl I kept her out of the gym and she swam happily with her friends. I did not see it as a big deal that she missed an open gym. Other parents told me flat out she should have been in the gym. Some parents there pushed their kid at all times. I did see parents and coaches there though that insisted on their child being in the gym every single minute it was open. That was almost 9 hours a day and some teams even had extra practices on top of that 9.

I think camp is a great experience for kids - for more than just the gymnastics they went there for.

 

[Quadqueen]

I went to camp woodward with my dd and I see a lot of positives in it - some that aren't even gym related. I thought it helped kids with being responsible for themselves, it helped with their time management, it helped them plan (if I go to open gym what should I work on today), many were out of their comfort zone and forced to interact with new kids and adults which was really good for them.

I know a lot of coaches don't like it when a gymnast is exposed to other coaches, but as a parent I like it. I think it gives the gymnast a different perspective. I think about several instances when dd has had a different coach on an apparatus than she normally does and it really helps her. It is a different perspective watching her and a different way of saying what she needs to correct. Just phrasing something slightly differently can have a kid "get it" all of a sudden.

One thing I realized while there was that the kids are tired. They never get enough sleep and are suddenly expected to train many more hours than they are used to. This is a recipe for injury! I encouraged my dd to go to 1 open gym each day (on top of the mandatory) and to explore camp, make friends and have fun the rest of the time. I wanted her to get the whole camp experience. When she had an allergic reaction and had to take a heaping dose of Benadryl I kept her out of the gym and she swam happily with her friends. I did not see it as a big deal that she missed an open gym. Other parents told me flat out she should have been in the gym. Some parents there pushed their kid at all times. I did see parents and coaches there though that insisted on their child being in the gym every single minute it was open. That was almost 9 hours a day and some teams even had extra practices on top of that 9.

I think camp is a great experience for kids - for more than just the gymnastics they went there for.

you were there with your DD? I'm just curious about this. My DD is going to USGTC camp in MA this summer...she is 8 and the brochure said parents can't visit, nor can kids have cell phones. That makes me very nervous! DD won the camp session though, so I feel like we should definitely take advantage!

 

[bookworm]

At Woodward, parents can work at the camp in exchange or a reduced rate ....last I remember , it was $300 off for drivers, canteen workers and cabin moms which isn't a ton off of a $800-900 tuition but it's something...that's probably how my4buffaloes was at camp with her daughter. I did it for years and it actually was kind of nice...

 

[GymBee97]

you were there with your DD? I'm just curious about this. My DD is going to USGTC camp in MA this summer...she is 8 and the brochure said parents can't visit, nor can kids have cell phones. That makes me very nervous! DD won the camp session though, so I feel like we should definitely take advantage!

My DD has gone to that camp since she was 7yo and has loved every year. She will love it. There is a phone available on every floor for all campers to use and the staff will help them make a collect call. For the younger campers when you drop off your child you sign up for your child to call on specific days at specific times (up to 2x during the week). The older kids don't have a sign up but can call when they want. You can always call the camp anytime if you are worried and leave a message for the staff.

Usually they are so busy that it doesn't occur to them to call home. You can send care packages and letters too. But really overnight is all about being away from home and having fun. She will be fine they have a great program and are busy from the time they get up until they go to bed at night.

I was a camp director for 7 years for a summer camp (not a gym camp) and parent phone calls and visits just create homesickness in a big way to the point the child has to go home. I firmly believe if your child can't make it with out a phone call or visit from mom or dad for a week then they aren't ready for overnight camp.

 

[superflipgirl]

Gymnastics camp is great! I went to IGC for 2 years and I loved it! I mostly went because I actually wanted to go to sleepaway camp, not get new skills, but it was great being at a gymnastics camp because everyone around you shares the same interest in gymnastics as you do, and you get to actually do gymnastics and just have fun, and know that when you're done that there's a bunch of activities waiting for you! And you can choose to go to open gym later if you like. I think gymnastics camp is a great experience because it's kind of a pain to go to practice during the summer so it's a place where you get to actually work on gymnastics and have all the summer fun at the same time! I was on prep op, so they weren't super serious about you missing practice during the summer, and I ended up missing a lot of practices because I was really busy during the summer, so it was nice to get to do gymnastics again in a setting that wasn't solely for gymnastics practice. I definitely recommend going to camp, it's kind of a break from your regular gym and with only one week of new coaches, etc. I don't think there would be any drastic changes in the technique being taught and such. But the coaches at IGC are very qualified and will let you do the skills any way you want to, they don't nag you about specific technique or whatever.

 

[GymnastJoy]

[QUOTE I don't think there would be any drastic changes in the technique being taught and such. But the coaches at IGC are very qualified and will let you do the skills any way you want to, they don't nag you about specific technique or whatever.[/QUOTE]

Love it...out of the mouths of babes.

 

[Quadqueen]

My DD has gone to that camp since she was 7yo and has loved every year. She will love it. There is a phone available on every floor for all campers to use and the staff will help them make a collect call. For the younger campers when you drop off your child you sign up for your child to call on specific days at specific times (up to 2x during the week). The older kids don't have a sign up but can call when they want. You can always call the camp anytime if you are worried and leave a message for the staff.

Usually they are so busy that it doesn't occur to them to call home. You can send care packages and letters too. But really overnight is all about being away from home and having fun. She will be fine they have a great program and are busy from the time they get up until they go to bed at night.

I was a camp director for 7 years for a summer camp (not a gym camp) and parent phone calls and visits just create homesickness in a big way to the point the child has to go home. I firmly believe if your child can't make it with out a phone call or visit from mom or dad for a week then they aren't ready for overnight camp.

Thanks, GymBee...I don't have any concerns that she won't be able to "make it" at camp...I just wasn't sure on what lines of communication we would have if she wanted to call me.

 

[GymBee97]

Thanks, GymBee...I don't have any concerns that she won't be able to "make it" at camp...I just wasn't sure on what lines of communication we would have if she wanted to call me.

If she gets homesick or needs to call home just to hear you the staff will make the call to you and your DD will be able to talk to you but the staff does try to only do the planned calls.

 

[Quadqueen]

ok, thanks! I still haven't received my packet from camp...despite being told a couple of times they were going out "in a couple of weeks" (2 months ago) so I have no info!!

 

[my4buffaloes]

At Woodward, parents can work at the camp in exchange or a reduced rate ....last I remember , it was $300 off for drivers, canteen workers and cabin moms which isn't a ton off of a $800-900 tuition but it's something...that's probably how my4buffaloes was at camp with her daughter. I did it for years and it actually was kind of nice...

Yep, that is how I went. My dd has food allergies so I wasn't comfortable sending her to camp without me. So glad I went as she had several reactions to things. It was a great bonding experience for us though - we still talk about memories from that week and it has been 2 years.

 

[emorymom]

Our kids' gym does one week of mandatory team day camp at the gym, and says if they want to go to another camp, fine, but they think if they spend more than a week there it may impede progress.

I take my kids to gym on vacations, because we often have 3 weeks out of the gym in August and such, and while their skills may be adversely affected, at least they're not losing flexibility or strength and suffering when they get back home. I like the idea of Flip Fest, where they can get a traditional summer camp experience (on the lake, etc) but come home without losing flexibility or strength. I would also home the gym camps would feed more nutritious food than something like a Girl Scout camp.

 

[MaryA]

I would also home the gym camps would feed more nutritious food than something like a Girl Scout camp.

I think there's always the option of nutritious food at Woodward, but if you wanted to eat crap for the entire week, you would certainly be able to do that too. Seems like I've heard people say that the food at IGC is better...

 

[wallinbl]

I think there's always the option of nutritious food at Woodward, but if you wanted to eat crap for the entire week, you would certainly be able to do that too. Seems like I've heard people say that the food at IGC is better...

I figured it would be the staple kid's menu: chicken fingers, hot dogs and pizza with a token healthy item like carrot sticks. I always get a kick of restaurants acting like it's healthy when you can sub carrots for french fries next to fried chicken fingers that are more breading than meat.

I have to say, though, that the idea of food gives me pause about a camp. We eat organic/all natural and keep a fairly decent variety in our menu - I imagine most camps are using a cafeteria style, preservative laden menu.

 

[my4buffaloes]

Ok, the food at Woodward was not the greatest, but it certainly could have been worse. They have the main cafeteria that offered several options at each meal. There was also always a salad/fruit bar available along with a cereal bar and a sandwich/bagel bar and then finally a taco bar. Aside from that they had a grill where you can get hot dogs or hamburgers and then a chicken grill that had quesadillas, chicken stirfry and other foods like that. There were so many options available! At the canteen you could get pizza or ice cream. They also had a yogurt smoothie bar in one of the buildings that I wish I discovered sooner than I did. I did find it difficult to find enough foods for my dd to eat because of her allergies and I wish they would have told me in advance (they knew she had food allergies) that I could have brought my own food for her. She pretty much ate dry cereal for breakfast every morning - would have at least been nice to have some rice milk on it.

That being said - you will not find organic, locally grown completely healthy foods there - as I doubt you would at any camp. Check the website of the camp you are considering and I bet they have a sample menu listed.