Summer camp is more valuable than ever
Sportswriter discovered an array of life skills at two basketball camps
When I was growing up in Saint John, N.B., the arrival of summer meant one thing and one thing only: more time for sports.
There was nothing better than the sound of that final bell in late June. Released from the shackles of the classroom, we were free to spend the hot summer months roaming the ballfield or shooting hoops at the local playground. Life could not have been better, even if we didn’t realize how good we had it.
Plans never had to be made in advance because kids would always be there. If we could see through the fog, a game would be played. If we couldn’t see more than five feet, people would still give it a go until the ball went too far into the abyss and play had to be postponed.
Most of the time we kept ourselves busy, but for me there were two organized events every summer that topped everything else: the west side Saint John summer hoops camp put on by local high school teacher Jim Palmer and the annual St. Francis Xavier University basketball camp organized on by long-time head coach — and former head coach of the Canadian national men’s team — Steve Konchalski.
I recently started thinking about these programs and the role they had in my life when the Star announced its 119th campaign for the Fresh Air Fund, which provides financial support for camp experiences of a lifetime to underprivileged children. This year’s goal is to raise $650,000 and if camps are cancelled because of COVID-19, the funds will be added to next year’s tally.
The Fresh Air Fund has upwards of 109 accredited programs, 56 residential camps and 53 day camps. It includes local programs put on by the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs and overnight locations where kids can learn about living outdoors. There’s sports camps, including some for the physically disabled, religious or non-denominational camps, crafts-based ones … something for just about everyone.
One could easily argue these camps are more important than ever before. As cliche as it might sound, today’s generation of kids are growing up so much differently than the ones that came before. The days of parents kicking kids out of the house to go play aren’t over, but the requests likely illicit more complaints than they used to because screen time seems more important than anything else. Our addictions were bad enough before and the coronavirus only served to make them even worse.
Cellphones, tablets and television have completely changed the way we operate as a society. The scene of a kid screaming when the parents take the tablet away is disenchanting enough. It becomes even more discouraging when you realize most adults would have reacted the same way. Remember what happened the last time you misplaced your phone?
We could all use a forced time out from technology, especially now, when the world is in the middle of pandemic and the news is filled with stories about police brutality, systemic racism and looters. The onslaught of negativity and prolonged periods of social distancing have taken a toll on most adults, so one can only imagine how most children are handling everything as they get pushed deeper and deeper into isolation.
The school year has been cancelled. So too have local sports leagues and most community events. At some point, kids will have to make up for lost time, both in their education and social interactions. What better place than summer camp, which typically provides the best of both worlds? Every summer throughout my youth, I made the five-plushour drive to Antigonish, N.S., the quaint town where my dad was raised and where I would later go to school. The rural locale, with a population of just over 4,000, is home to StFX University, which for well over a decade was the powerhouse of
Canadian university men’s basketball with national titles in 1993, 2000 and 2001.
I was inspired by all Canadians like Fred Perry, Atlantic Canadian all-stars such as Denny Oliver and Jordan Croucher. I became a better person on the court and a tougher person away from it thanks to the wisdom of a Canadian basketball hall of fame coach like Konchalski, a man with more than 900 wins on his university resume. But the tips and drills are not what I remember the most about those days.
Instead, what really stands out all these years later was how much I grew as a person thanks to the different characters and cultures I was exposed during that one week every summer. The roommate with the thick Cape Breton accent who could make me laugh at the drop of a hat, even though I couldn’t understand half of what he was saying. Building friendships with people of different ethnicities after growing up in an almost exclusively white city. The feeling of living on my own, even as meals were provided and supervision was everywhere. That is what camp life was really all about.
X-Men basketball took me out of my comfort zone and provided exposure to new and unfamiliar surroundings. On the court, I was tasked with proving myself every year in front of a different group of people. Off the court, my social skills were tested from the very second my parents dropped me off at the front door. The lessons learned eased my transitions to high school and university. Thoughts of new beginnings were exciting, not daunting, because I felt like I started from scratch before and could do it again.
Basketball was my thing, but it might not be yours and a lot of these outdoor camps offer a bit of everything. Get your kids interested enough in canoeing, hiking or even roasting marshmallows on the campfire and for at least a week their screentime addiction will be fixed. Find the camp that best fits your child’s needs and see if there’s a match. If your family can’t afford regular camp fees, look at the list of accredited ones and inquire whether the program offers subsidized rates.
Camp life is not top of mind for anyone right now but as the old adage goes “This too shall pass” and when it does, the kids will be ready. If you can afford it, do your part by supporting a good cause and making sure their summers return to normal as quickly as possible.