play a variety of other sports and games
such as basketball, flag football, soccer
and volleyball, as well as camp games such
as capture the flag.

“We try to make it easy for campers
to find something that interests them,”
says camp director Michael Kopajtic.

“All of our camps have a mix of indoor
and outdoor activities, and all of our
campers swim every day. Many camp-
ers mix and match, taking a few weeks
of different programs throughout
the summer.”
The university offers more than 20
camps, so the staff feels they have ones that
fit most interests. Summer is a great time
to try something new, Kopajtic says, and
camp is a way for kids to make new
friends, create great memories and
gain new skills.

All sports all the time
ESF Camp in Bethesda offers a
multisport camp called SportsLab
for kids in grades one through nine.

Beginner, intermediate and experienced
athletes play two to three sports
each day, with additional swim and
recreation time. The five core sports are
basketball, soccer, baseball, lacrosse and
flag football. Campers can then choose
sports that include European team
handball (an Olympic sport), street
hockey and swimming.

“Our goals are for every camper to
develop their skills and build confidence
while having serious fun,” says ESF’s
Claire McClain, a regional marketing
specialist who says their sports program
was designed through the research and
development of Dr. Jim Loehr, a sports
psychologist who has coached more than
17 of the world’s top-ranking athletes in
six different sports.

Lacrosse (of course)
George Mason University offers lacrosse
camp for boys ages 6 to 16, with a half-day
option for players ages 6 to 9. Campers
practice stick skills, positional play and
team concepts. Players can expect daily
scrimmages, too.

For girls, the university runs a similar
camp which is led by the school’s women’s
lacrosse coach, Jessy Morgan, a former
University of Virginia All-American. Both
camps offer one-week sessions in June
and July.

Individual sports
Some kids like to be active but not as a part
of a team. Parents need not worry though
— there are many more individual sport
offerings today than in our childhood, and
camp opportunities are plentiful for them
as well.

Earth Treks in Rockville offers camps
that mix climbing, traverse activities and
group games for the younger set, ages 6 to
9. Older campers, ages 9 to 13, learn how
to belay and get to climb outdoors at local
crags. Earth Treks also has regular evening
drop-off sessions called Friday Night Rox
and guided open climbs every weekend.

Kaizen Karate in Spencerville offers
camps in two locations — Northwest D.C.

and Arlington. Camps run throughout the
summer, include swimming opportuni-
ties (although not lessons) and also have
weekly themes, such as black belt boot
camp, sparring and Ninja Turtles. Kids
do not need prior karate experience to
participate in camp.

For children with special needs
For kids whose disabilities may require
accommodations, Bennett Blazers at
Kennedy Krieger Institute introduces
adaptive sports to children and teens with
various degrees of physical abilities. Skill
levels range from beginner to Paralympic.

Since 1989, the program has brought chil-
dren who might have been sidelined onto
the field of play, offering track, baseball,
sled hockey, swimming, softball, tennis,
archery and golf, among other sports.

Gerry and Gwena Herman run the
multisport program, which includes
summer camps, at Kennedy Krieger’s
Greenspring campus. The program is
five days a week and is the best fit for
children ages 2 to 18 who have a diag-
nosed physical challenge and who are
functioning at or near grade level.

For children ages 2 to 7, Bennett
Blazers offers a half day that includes two
activities plus swimming with a 1-to-2
staff-to-athlete ratio. Camps for older kids
include four activities each day, two morn-
ing activities and two in the afternoon, as
well as one session of swimming.

Gwena Herman enjoys watching team
camaraderie develop at camp, she says,
adding that “watching how older athletes
naturally tutor and support the younger
participants is always great to see and
keeps the continuum going strong.” ■
ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS: KARATE: OCUSFOCUS; BASKETBALL: OSTILL
Some kids like to be
active but not as a part
of a team. Parents
need not worry though
— there are many
more individual sport
offerings today than in
our childhood, and
camp opportunities
are plentiful for them
as well.

WashingtonFAMILY.com 17