It’s your first day of camp: you are a mix of nervous and excited… and can’t really figure out which feeling is more overpowering. Well lucky you, we are here to take you through what to expect at your first overnight summer camp!
Camp Drop Off: Bye Mom & Dad, Hello New Friends!
The hardest part is getting out of the car, but luckily it all gets way easier (and a lot more fun) from here. Grab your stuff (make sure to check out our Packing List recommendations), and make your way to the check-in table. When you get to the check-in table, you’ll meet some of your Camp Counselors for the first time. You start to feel a little more comfortable, as the counselors are so nice! One helps you grab your things and navigates you through campus to your new dorm for the week. You walk into your dorm room, your new home for the week! You meet your roommate and instantly connect. Your mom helps you set up your room, and now you’re itching to get started. As you wave goodbye to Mom and Dad, you feel your nerves falling to the wayside and your excitement for your first time at camp takes over.
Drop-off always seems to be the hardest part for both our campers and our parents. You don’t know what to expect, yet you have an expectation in mind for your first summer camp experience. But after the goodbyes, camp officially begins. And now we are so busy having fun, meeting new friends, meeting our counselors, growing in our sport… that we can’t even remember that we were nervous at drop off!
The People: Create Lifelong Friends at Camp
Overnight Sports Camps bring people from around the world together. Even better, we are all aligned by a common purpose: to have fun, improve our skills, and participate fully. Each player who signs up plays your sport and is interested in some of the same things as you are (or else you wouldn’t have picked the same camp!). As you get to know each other throughout the week, you find out just how much you have in common. Soon, you’ll be friends for life, even if you’re from different states. Camp culture inspires these fast friendships that run deep and keep us connected throughout our whole lives. You might even end up at the same College one day!
The Culture: Thrive in a New Environment
When you are in the same program, living together, and growing together, it’s easy to be yourself. Your counselors lead by example with their authenticity. And with a new environment and people around you, you can leave your normal insecurities and reluctances at home for a week. You focus on living in the present, growing in your sport, meeting new people, and drinking in each activity and opportunity. The Camp Culture establishes a new, safe environment that allows you to be…you!
Your First Time at Camp is Life-Changing!
If you’re a first-time camper, you can expect a life-changing experience. Where else do you have the environment to be your true self, make new friends from around the world, have role models in your counselors, grow in your sport and leadership, and thrive? Your week will fly by, and soon it’ll be time for check out and sad goodbyes (until next year!).
Register for an Overnight Sports Camp Session
Head over to check out our camp locations to choose your adventure! Learn all about each location and the fun excursions we have in store this summer, and find out what a day in the life of a Signature Sports Camper looks like. Register for an upcoming session and get excited for a summer to remember!
