New Trends in Sports Camp Benefit Lacrosse Players of Every Level

Young people often find opportunities to excel in their chosen sport or learn wilderness skills during summer camp. Traditionally, summer camp is the place that allows students to focus on hobbies and athletic commitments; however, if you or your child is not athletic, there are still camps well suited to everyone. The most noticeable trend in youth summer camps is the variety of specialty camps now available. Specialty camps offer a wide variety of activities to support the interest of a greater number of young people. Children and teens with a promising athletic career can spend their time in camps that will help encourage and cultivate those skills.

Regardless of the type of camp, they all have the same ultimate purpose, and that is to instill good habits, foster community, and build resiliency in young people. With that goal in mind, no other specialty camp excels at this better than sports camp. Young people will find an environment in which they can thrive and make lasting peer connections with active interest similar to their own. Sports camps nurture the love of a particular sport while teaching value skills that can catapult a young athlete to a new level of play. According to the American Camp Association (ACA), the number of sports camps has increased by seven percent in the last decade. Another trend in youth camps is the amount of variety available in programming. Students and parents will find that they can find a camp that meets their specific need whereas before choices were limited to only a few types. Campers will find they now have choices in their program’s session length, intensity level, or instructional type.

Youth Lacrosse Camp Trends

Intensity Level

Campers now have the opportunity to try a new sport on for size. There is a trend in sporting camps to attract new players to their game by offering starter camps. These camps will serve campers who are hoping to try a new sport for the first time. They are not yet serious players but may be seriously interested in learning more about the sport. Basically, camps are not only for athletes any longer, but also they are for anyone with an interest in a sport. For the serious athlete, there are still camps that have very high-intensity training that can propel you into the next stratosphere of play. The high skill player will find a large variety of camps available that help shape and enhance the abilities setting them up for a successful season. Campers choosing a lacrosse camp will be pleased to know that there are many intensity levels available for students. So, regardless of whether you or your student is an elite player or a beginner, they can find a lacrosse camp that fits their level of play. There has been a preconceived notion that sports camps are only for the elite lacrosse player, but nothing could be further from the truth. There is a place at many lacrosse camps for every level player.

Session Length

There is a growing trend in sports camps session length. Campers with limited time or desire to participate in more than one sport will have the choice of various session lengths. Camp sessions range in length from single day to multiple week sessions. Day camps offer similar but obviously shorter sessions and programs like overnight camps. In the past, camps have typically only offered a weeklong option available solely during the summer. There is a new trend of camps beginning to offer a multitude of options for the busy parent and athlete with multiple interests. This benefits lacrosse campers because it opens up lacrosse camp to households of every income level and students of every skill level. By facilities offering day camps, households can choose the camp that fits their personal situation. Additionally, lacrosse camps are now expanding to multiple week sessions to accommodate elite players with serious collegiate opportunities. This trend of offering a program for every level player is beneficial to the sport and athletic camps in general.

Activity Offerings

Just because a student-athlete opted for sports camp does not mean they want to miss out on other traditional camp offerings. There is a growing trend in sports camps to offer additional activities besides only the specialty sport. Some sports camps have started offering team-building activities like tug of war capture the flag, and canoe races to break up the intense sports specific training associated with athletic camps. Lacrosse camps are trending towards offering additional activities for participants. Given the grueling pace of lacrosse play, offering opportunities for active play outside the game that also build teamwork and aerobic capacity benefit the camp and the athlete.

These new trends in athletic camps are one way summer and spring camps are evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of students. While traditional camp programs continue to be available to students, the addition of hybrid camps will benefit students and parents. Lacrosse camp in many ways is the newer kid on the athletic camp block. By giving participants a choice of additional activities, multiple session lengths, and intensity levels camp facilitators are helping to increase the enrollment of students in lacrosse camps. Also, students with multiple hobbies will greatly benefit from these trends in sporting camps, now able to participate in multiple camps during the summer or spring.