Today while having breakfast, I found myself engaged in a stimulating conversation with two members of the NY Lizards, a professional lacrosse team. Camp Takajo is known for being a well-rounded sports camp in Maine. I am clearly aware of the trend that has forced many young children to commit to a single sport at a very early age. Today’s children (and parents), are under tremendous pressure to train year-round in a single sport in hopes of someday playing at a collegiate level.
It was refreshing to speak with professional athletes who recognize the importance in cross-training and playing multiple sports in order to develop hand-eye coordination, foot quickness, agility, and a competitive spirit in youth sports. If you think about most of the quarterbacks that play in the NFL, they will tell you, that they played point guard on their high school basketball team, and pitched or played shortstop in their high school baseball team. I would venture to say, that most professional athletes would credit their athletic ability to playing a wide variety of sports throughout their childhood.
Imagine going to the gym each day and only working on a curling machine. While you may develop a flattering bicep, you’ve done nothing to develop the rest of your body. The same holds true with athletics. The foot quickness that is needed for a basketball player, easily translates to a tennis player. The bursts of speed that are needed on a lacrosse field easily translate to an athlete on the soccer field. Camp is the perfect place for a child to develop skills in a multitude of sports, which will benefit him as an athlete and as a good teammate for the rest of his life.
- Down at the waterfront, we had a wonderful morning. It was filled with sailing classes, even without a great breeze. We also took some time out to run through some safety classes, doing capsizing drills in the deep water swimming area. It was awesome water for slalom skiing, and the Junior Greens had a great skill period.
- Last night in Junior Camp, we completed our league championships with two thrilling games, one in soccer and the other in a double overtime basketball game. What a great way to end league. Today we had not one, not two, but three specialty clinics, in lacrosse, basketball and baseball. And to top it all off, the Greens are going to have a dinner dance with the ladies of Camp Vega tonight.
- Today in Warrior Camp, the Warrior Crow campers went to the local movie theater for a sit down lunch and to see Despicable Me 2. One of our very own Warrior campers got to participate in the climbing competition today. He is the only Warrior participating in this event. Warrior Indian campers had a meeting for completing Camp Winaukee inter-camp sports sign-ups, which start tomorrow and our mini “boot camp” clinics were in full swing today, in lacrosse, basketball and baseball.
