Nike Summer Camp for 9 year old?

[Sweet Lou]

Look for summer camps and came across a Nike Softball one reasonably close to us. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with them and if a 9 year old would do OK with the stay over option, not really close enough for the day camp option. I realize not all 9 year olds are the same so just looking in general.

Not really concerned about exposure or anything like that as she's 9. Just looking for fun summer camp where she'll have a good time and maybe pick up a few skills in the process.

I'm curious because it has the age range as 8 - 18 which seems pretty broad.

 

[Rocketech1]

Not a Nike Camp, but when my DD was 9YO she and some of her teammates stayed on the campus of a D1 summer softball camp and lived in the dorms for 3 nights/4 days for the duration of the program. The camp counselors (mostly current and former college softball players) did I great job of supervising the campers on each floor and we parents could call to check in during the evenings.

The girls had a blast and got some above average instruction. If I remember correctly, during the camp sessions, players were organized into teams of 11-12 girls with two counselors per team and they would work on many different skills (hitting, fielding, throwing, catching, running, pitching/catching, scrimmages with other teams, etc.) throughout the four days. They also gave the campers a tour of campus and the trophy rooms, locker rooms, the stadium, "state of the art" hitting facilities, etc. They did a skills competition on the last day that the parents could attend which was fun but I wish they would have had game scrimmages instead. My DD also got an assessment that listed her accomplishments and areas to work on as well as some nice words of encouragement that seemed to be very personalized and heartfelt (she also received 1 (sportsmanship award) of only 2 awards given out to her group).

The cons were:
- the cost ($500 includes room & board)
- since there are so many campers (350?), the instruction is not really one on one.
- DD was already taking hitting lessons with a former college player on campus so it wasn't as much as a big deal to her
- some just bad instruction. For example, DD is a pitcher and came back from camp hitting her leg with her glove as was taught to her by a freshman pitcher! It is now part of her mechanics (you have to pick your battles)
- In general, these camps are fundraisers for the college (or other organization). I'm sure the top talent at the older ages (13-17YOs) got more and better instruction and looked at by the college coaches giving them some exposure.

The takeaway is that its a great overall experience for a 9YO but I wouldn't do it every summer until she is in her mid teens. Hope that helps?

 

[canyonjoe]

We did one last year in Northern Nevada with our 11 year old. Even though we were local we let her stay. She had a friend and totally enjoyed it. At this one 9 would have been at the very young age, but they tailored groups to ability. It was costly but she learned a lot about softball and the life of a softball player.

 

[Elk Grove Hurricane]

We went to a day camp last year and my kid had a lot of fun. Your instructors are great. (I assume this is the Monterey camp?). Its a lot of softball, so if she doesn't have a long attention span it might be too much. But rhe instruction and genuine appreciation the coaches had for all the effort given by the girls is well worth the money.

 

[Sweet Lou]

We went to a day camp last year and my kid had a lot of fun. Your instructors are great. (I assume this is the Monterey camp?). Its a lot of softball, so if she doesn't have a long attention span it might be too much. But rhe instruction and genuine appreciation the coaches had for all the effort given by the girls is well worth the money.

It would be Atherton/Menlo Park.

Thanks, I will give it some thought and see if she's up for the overnight stay. It be ideal if I could send her and big sis but big sis will be in Germany on an exchange program at the time the camp is running.

 

[SCDad]

This is more of a parenting question, versus a softball question.

As long as my DD went with a friend (not alone) and had a cell phone with her, I would let her stay over. I would be in a hotel close by.

 

[Outlaws903]

We just finished the UT Longhorns Winter Camp. Pitching with Cat Osterman and Blaire Luna. Fielding and hitting instruction with the whole team. We learned a lot and had a blast. They are having a 3 day camp this Summer. I have looked into several camps with D1 schools. Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma ect. They all provide a summer and winter camp for the girls.

 

[SoftSocDad]

We considered the overnight Nike Camp when DD was 8 and were pleased felt confident with the references. It was a little under 2 hours away, but my plan was to stay in a hotel as well, just in case. The wife ended up vetoing the plan, so I don't have any experience to share apart from the fact that the parents I consulted with all had great things to say about how safe their DDs were and how much they grew as a result of being away from home.