By Nolan Kowal, Sport Performance Specialist
I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about how great our Sport Manitoba summer camps were this year!
This year we had two different camps—a multi-sport development camp for all kids and a sport performance camp for athletes who are striving to compete at a higher level.
This was my second year as one of the camp leaders and we had a productive and engaging two weeks this year.
Our goal going in was to introduce the kids to as many different sports as possible, and we certainly achieved that.
Volleyball, fencing, ultimate, badminton…some of the kids had never considered playing cricket, but it turned out to be one of the big hits of the week.
Overall the group of kids (age 9-14) were an enthusiastic, athletic bunch. At this age, a lot of athletes tend to dial in and focus on one sport. But we really believe that they can benefit from participating in multiple sports, in the sense that they become more well-rounded athletes.
Through our camps the kids also learned new movement patterns and new skills that are transferable across a variety of sports. They were introduced to yoga, spin classes, TRX exercises, and the same performance tests we use with our professional and elite athletes.
We also had guest speakers, including some national athletes, who covered important topics like nutrition, sport psychology, and what it takes to be a great athlete. We know the kids can’t absorb everything at that age, but if they take away a few things, it’s a win and gets the ball rolling on healthy habits.
Finally, the most rewarding part for us is seeing the enjoyment the kids get out of certain sports and activities that they otherwise would never try.
We’re already looking forward to next year and thinking of areas we can improve on.
If you’d like to learn more about the camps you can visit our summer camp page.
