Sep/090
Are Specialty Summer Camps Giving Traditional Camps a Run for Their Money?
Could this be the end of summer camp as we know it?
Have traditional summer camps — where kids enjoy horseback riding, archery, take nature hikes, sing songs and make s’mores around the campfire — seen their final days?
Probably not. But given the way specialty camps are gaining traction among today’s youth, traditional camps may be losing their foothold.
According to Theresa Torrone, a volunteer for the American Camp Association and the owner/operator of her own beach and surf specialty camp in Los Angeles, California, “Specialty camps appeal to kids with very specific interests. Rather than participate in a wide variety of general camp activities, they’d rather spend their summer focusing on just one specialty activity instead.”
Torrone cited cooking camps, dramatic arts camps, and surf (also known as surfing) camps among some of the fastest growing genres in the specialty summer camp field.
“As a volunteer for the American Camp Association, I visit various types of camps each summer, and I’m intimately familiar with many others. I can tell you that the specialty camp sector is growing like gangbusters,” Torrone said.
Given the fact surf camps - where kids learn not only how to surf, but also about surf etiquette, wave judgment and selection, ocean science and water safety - are becoming more prevalent, is Torrone concerned about the inevitable added competition for her own camp?
“Nah,” she said with a smile. “The more kids who experience camp at the beach, the better. If they come to my camp, great. But the most important thing is that they get to experience the ocean environment somewhere. I’m glad there are so many available opportunities for kids to learn to surf at camp.”
Most likely, the traditional camp experience will last forever because many parents feel that sending their kids to a traditional summer camp is a virtual an American pastime.
But specialty camps are gaining ground fast…of that there is no doubt.
Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.
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Jul/090
How to Choose a Surf Camp
Where “general” or “traditional” camp programs have historically been the norm, specialty summer camp programs for kids and teens — which focus on one just one activity or a few related ones — are growing in popularity year after year. Nowhere is this more evident than along the southern California coastline, where surf camps are one of the fastest growing segments in the specialty camp sector. The increased interest in the sport, especially among children, has led to the proliferation of surf camps up and down the coast. Just take a stroll along the beaches of San Diego or Los Angeles and you’ll see group after group of happy campers learning to surf from their caring camp counselors and surfing instructors.
If your child has expressed an interest in learning to surf, sign him or her up for a summer surf camp experience!
But how can you tell you’re picking the right one?
When you choose a surf camp, it’s always wise to narrow your search down to one that’s earned accreditation by the American Camp Association. If a surf camp has achieved this status, it means the camp meets or exceeds up to 300 best-practice industry standards running the gamut from program and activity quality to camper safety to staffing and supervision and more.
If the surf camp you’re considering is not accredited by the American Camp Association, then you should ask the camp director why that’s the case. If you are not satisfied with the answer, it’s time to move on to the next surf camp.
Surf camp accreditation status is certainly not the only criteria to rely on when choosing a surf camp. You must also be sure the counselors and surfing instructors are experienced, qualified and have basic safety certifications in CPR, First Aid and lifeguarding. (While the ocean environment is tremendously fun, it demands respect, too. So you want to be certain your child is being instructed by capable and qualified staff who are equipped to handle any potential scenario that might come up, particularly with respect to your child’s safety at the beach.)
Concerning the individuals who will be supervising and teaching your child to surf, you want to choose a surf camp with experienced instructors who are caring, nurturing, and capable of teaching children of all ages, temperaments, and ability levels whether they are beginning, intermediate or advanced surfers.
You also want to make sure the surf camp incorporates a heavy dose of beach, water, and sun safety learning components into its program so your child gets them most well-rounded surf camp experience possible.
In addition, the surf camp should provide new equipment (including surfboards and wetsuits), and the camp program should take place only in ideal learning environments such as oceans with soft sandy bottoms and consistent wave activity.
In addition, there should be a public lifeguard supervising the surf camp program at all times.
Often overlooked in a parents’ search for a surf camp is to confirm whether the camp has a high profile sponsor connected to it. For example, if you choose a surf camp that is sponsored by Billabong or Quicksilver (which are huge companies and very well-respected in the surfing industry), you can be fairly certain you’re on the right track because these organizations will generally only attach their names to trusted surf camps with respectable camp programs.
We hope this article has helped you learn how to choose a surf camp.
Copyright Eric Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.
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Jul/090
How to Choose a Speciatly Summer Camp
Specialty summer camp programs have continued to grow in popularity each of the past several years. In fact, they’re the fastest growing segment of the entire summer camp industry. A “specialty” camp generally focuses on one or more related camp activities (just beach and surfing activities, for example), versus a traditional summer camp which typically offers a more generalized program with activities such as arts & crafts, horseback riding, nature study, sports and games, archery, and dance and drama, among others.
Specialty camps have historically appealed to “older” kids (generally ages 10 or 12) because their lifestyle interests begin to take shape at this age and they become more interested in specialized fields of study or play as they grow. But in recent years, specialty camps are seeing more enrollment from children as young as preschool age whose parents may want them exposed to more specific camp activities than they’d get at a traditional camp.
Like traditional camps, specialty camps offer day or resident/sleepaway camp experiences. (At day camps, children are generally brought to the camp each morning in a bus or van, spend their day at camp, and then return home in the late afternoon. At resident camps, children “live” at the camp — typically in bunks, tents or cabins — for up to several weeks at a time during the summer.)
There seems to be no limit as to the types of specialty camps available. If your child is interested in a specific area of interest, you can be sure there’s a specialty camp designed for them. For example, a recent internet search revealed the following types of specialty camps: beach and surfing camps, cooking camps, boating camps, camps for children with special needs, weight loss camps, boot camps, football camps, general sports camps, ski and snowboard camps, camps for children with cancer, baking camps, tennis camps, acting camps, academic camps, entrepreneurial camps, family camps and camps for twins, among others.
Where’s the best place to start your search for a specialty camp? We always suggest picking an American Camp Association (ACA) Accredited camp, regardless of the type of camp you choose. By choosing an accredited camp, you can be sure the camp meets or exceeds up to 300 best-practice industry standards relating to child safety and supervision, transportation, program and activity scheduling, food service, and more.
The ACA maintains a free Website where you can search for a specialty camp among any criteria that’s important to you such as by type of camp, location, gender, price, and ages served.
Go to http://acacamps.com to start your search. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a beach and surf camp in Los Angeles or a cooking camp in Wisconsin, the specialty camp you’re looking for will be right there on the ACA’s Web site.
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