Athletes from young ages who are just beginning to play a sport all the way to high schoolers who show success in their sport need to be exposed to positive influences. A coach’s job goes beyond teaching the skills and proper footwork necessary for success in a specific sport. Coaching is about developing one’s character and molding their work ethic and attitude into strengths that can be used to excel in their sport and outside of their sport.
Upon coaching high school softball this year, the biggest thing I have aimed to instill in my players is that the game of softball is bigger than themselves. This means that the name on the front of their jersey is far more important that the one on the back; that playing for their high school means that they represent not only themselves, but their family, school, and community too.
In the summer, children are free from school but the majority of parents are not free from work. This leaves many children left home unsupervised, free to overindulge in chips, candy, and Netflix, and without the positive influences from teachers, counselors, coaches, and mentors. The summer, unfortunately, allows many kids to forget everything that they have learned over the course of those nine or so academic months.
This summer, I encourage families to consider summer sports camp programs. Summer camps allow your children to stay active and enjoy themselves during their time off from school, and they keep your children around the positive influences they need. Summer camps allow parents and kids to meet new people and feel a part of the community (ie strengthening that “we-not-me” mentality I previously mentioned). Continuing sports throughout the summer also allows athletes to maintain and progress the skills they have worked on throughout the rest of the year, putting them a cut above the rest come tryouts in the fall.
Below are a few summer sports camp programs offered in the Coachella Valley with great coaches and mentors that are excellent at aiding kids in sport-specific skills, and who will mentor them in character-building aspects.
– The Hitting Zone, baseball/softball (442) 268-9096
– Kinetics Center, speed, agility, strength, and power training (760) 309-1007
– Palm Desert Aquatic Center, group swim lessons (760) 565-7467
– Palm Desert Tennis Camps (760) 851-1922
