Sport Camps

from Summer Activity Guide 2021

by Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Performing Arts Camps: Music to Your Ears

SPORT CAMPS: TEAMWORK & UNITY IN 2021

Of my fondest memories, one that stands out centers around the chant emphatically yelled by my high school soccer team before every game. This motto signifi ed that we were a team and supported each other on and off the fi eld. I have since graduated high school, graduated college, and gone on to start my professional career. Yet, that motto is still imprinted in my mind to this day. This sense of teamwork and working towards a set goal that is larger than one person are a few of the many benefi ts organized sports provide. In addition to teamwork and sportsmanship, children can also increase their chances of being healthy, develop their social and motor skills, grow their selfconfi dence, make new friends, and develop a new hobby through organized sports, according to Stanford Children’s Health.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle because a child’s team is required to run a daily mile or making new friends because a child is around other children for two hours a day are all direct benefi ts kids can receive from organized sports. Indirect benefi ts exist as well. Physically active children are reported to experience lower levels of depression, score 40% higher on tests, and are 15% more likely to attend college, according to The Aspen Institute. It’s hard to deny that the life skills gained through team sports help children go on to accomplish great feats. If you and your child are choosing a sport for the fi rst time, you likely have questions. What is the right sport to choose? What is the nature of the sport (physical or low contact)? What is the environment like (serious or laid back)? Answering some of these questions will help narrow down the options to what works best for your child. But sometimes, you have to get out there and fi gure out whether the sport will be a good fi t. Bozeman offers many different options for sport camps over the summer. Check out some options

for sports camps being offered this summer below!

Cunningham’s Martial Arts

Certain sports stress certain life skills and values more than others. While soccer may stress teamwork and trusting others, a sport like golf focuses more on the individual. Martial arts include life skills like coordination and respect as its cornerstones. coordination and motor skills, selfesteem and confidence, and respect. Cunningham’s wants to help children and adults alike learn these skills by setting goals, providing positive reinforcement, and leading by example. But what really sets them apart? They tell you on their website: “Our program builds confidence, focus, discipline, respect, and a ‘yes I can’ attitude, while promoting a family atmosphere. Children become excited about fitness and have fun doing it! We teach much more than just punches and kicks, we focus on the life skills needed for success in the classroom and beyond!” Interested in attending a class this summer? Cunningham’s Martial Arts offers classes to children ages 4 -7, 7-13, and 14+ throughout the year. For more information and a class schedule, visit https://www. cunninghamsma.com/programs or call 406-556-8792.

Bozeman Sports Camp

Bozeman Sports Camp offers kids the chance to learn a variety of sports and skills this summer through their summer sports camp. Instead of focusing on just one sport, the camp covers everything from the footwork skills necessary to dribble a soccer ball to the hand-eye coordination required in playing ultimate frisbee. The Bozeman Sports Camp is taught by Bozeman-area teachers and college students studying education, so campers will be in great hands. In addition to the drills and activities for sports like basketball, baseball, football and bowling, campers will also swim three days per week over at the Bozeman Swim Center. There they will receive hands-on swim instruction and have some opportunities to let loose in the pool. The Bozeman Sports Camp is offering sessions in June, July, and August this summer for kids entering grades K-6. Every camp runs for about two weeks, Monday-Friday. The Bozeman Sports Camp’s goal is to “establish a fun and active lifestyle for kids. Through the exposure to a variety of games and sports, our hope is that kids will find sports and activities they can continue to enjoy as they grow up in Bozeman,” states the camp’s website. So, if your child is in that stage of still trying to figure out what sport they like best, this is the perfect camp for them. Campers can expect to be split into groups based on age and receive ageappropriate instruction throughout the day. Group instructors will lead their groups through competitive and non-competitive situations to gain a real understanding of what it’s like to play that given sport, although having fun is always prioritized. No matter the kid’s skill levels in a given sport, all will be asked to participate and learn with everyone else. Those attending the camp will need to bring along a backpack, facemask, lunch, snacks, swim gear, and LOTS of water, as we all know how hot Bozeman summers can get. Registration for the camp is open now and can be found at https:// bozemansports.camp. You can learn more about Bozeman Sports Camp by calling 406-661-5496.

Bozeman Parks and Recreation

The City of Bozeman Parks and Recreation Department is offering several week-long summer camps this year that focus on getting outside and exploring parks and trails around the city. The Explore! Summer Day Camp is for kids ages 5-10.

Each camp runs daily from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. The drop-off location is at Story Mill’s Community Center at 600 Bridger Drive, where campers will be treated with a free lunch provided by HRDC’s Summer Lunch Program. So really, all campers will need to do is show up prepared to have a blast. A majority of the camp is based in Story Mill Community Park, where campers will get the chance to embrace the outdoors and explore that week’s camp theme. The fun kicks off the week of June 14 with the Aloha Summer! Camp, where campers will be treated with a welcome-to-camp luau and other tropical-themed adventures. Hawaiian shirts are not required to attend but are highly encouraged… In July, the Creative by Design Camp will call upon all campers to access their creative sides and make their very own masterpiece. The camp beginning July 19 will allow campers to experiment with different art mediums such as drawing, painting, woodworking, and sculpting to build terrariums, otherwise known as indoor gardening containers. Feeling competitive and ready to showcase your talents? The Rec Olympics Camp beginning July 26 will allow campers to bring home the glory and gold while also learning the value of teamwork. The camp will be hosting its own Olympics in full – from lighting the torch to closing ceremonies! A variety of events will be offered, and all campers will be encouraged to participate in the fun. Bozeman Parks and Rec also offers a number of other camps through the summer, such as a Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming camp, family-based camps welcoming families to some Bozeman’s treasures (like the Farmer’s Market!), an Outdoor Adventure Club, and even World Language Camps in French, Arabic, German, Mandarin, and Spanish! If you’re interested in learning more about the camps being offered by Bozeman Parks and Recreation, check out their list of activities being offered this summer at https:// bozemanrecreation.activityreg. com, or by calling 406-582-2290. Registration is open now (and filling up fast)!

Bobcat Summer Youth Camp is hosted by the Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU) and may be the most jampacked week, or nine, of fun a kid could imagine. The camp offers everything from outdoor activities like walks along to Galligator Trail to educational sessions with MSU students and alumni to movie days. It’s safe to say there is zero chance of becoming bored. The Bobcat Summer Youth Camp is offering weekly sessions for children entering grades K-6, with sessions beginning the week of June 14. Campers will have the chance to sign up for one week or all nine weeks at the time of registration. Each session runs Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with the option for postcamp recreation hours available for parents who can’t pick up until later. Campers will be split into groups based on their grade level to help best serve every camper. Each week of camp will have a different theme this summer. The first camp offered, Bobcats in Training, will prepare campers to develop skills in a wide range of sports, including volleyball, track, football, and more! There will also be a camp mimicking and named after the famous television series, Survivor, where campers will complete physical and mental challenges, learn how to work in teams, and participate in outdoor activities. No one will be asked to eat a cockroach, though. The Bobcat Summer Youth Camp boasts an amazing staff of educators and students that help make the camp the perfect balance of fun, engaging, and educational. Camp staff includes Sam Garcia, a Master’s in Education graduate who has been involved with MSU Recreation Sport and Fitness since 2013. Other camp counselors with nicknames like June Bug, Rip Tide, Chestnut and Maui, all come prepared with backgrounds in education and are there to make the Bobcat Summer Youth Camp an unforgettable experience for your child.

Bobcat Summer Youth Camp also has a scholarship application for children of MSU students. Parents must have taken courses the spring semester prior to the start of camp and have been enrolled in seven or more credits for undergraduate students, and six or more credits for graduate students. Bobcat Summer Youth Camp is taking a variety of measures to decrease exposure to COVID-19 this summer, including daily checkins with camp counselors, a mask requirement, and keeping activities outside as much as possible. Those seeking more information on the camp or looking to register can check out http://www.montana.edu/ getfit/bobcat_ summer_youth_camp or by emailing RSFYouth@montana. edu.

Lone Mountain Swimming Lessons

Swimming is considered a necessary life skill that most children learn at a young age. Learning to swim opens up many new activity’s children can participate in with their friends as well. This summer, Lone Mountain is offering swimming lessons for children ages 6 months to 12 years old. In offering its beginner to advanced swim classes, Lone Mountain seeks to teach water safety and four competitive strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Students are initially placed in groups by age but are moved around as they progress, as is the case for most swim lessons.

On their website, Lone Mountain

CAMP

M-F, 8:30am-4:30pm | Starts June 14

Ages 3-5 and 6-11 • Sibling discounts available Join us for Ridge Kids Summer Camp where kids will have an active summer doing group fitness classes, gym play, swimming and play zone fun. Camp counselors and fitness instructors are trained and qualified to give your child a safe, exciting summer and will help build a foundation for a healthy and active life! Sign up for the whole summer or individual days. DAILY CAMP RATES: Members $60 full day/$35 half day | Non-Members $70 full day/$40 half day WEEKLY SUMMER CAMP RATE: Members $260 | Non-Members $310 Early bird discounts when registering before April 1!

Little Shots SoccerLittle Shots Soccer

Kids ages 3-5 will learn the fundamentals of soccer through fun games and activities in a non-competitive environment. SOCCER RATES FOR 3 WEEKS: Members $75 | Non-Members $90 Soccer runs May-August. See Schedulicity for dates and times.

Book Summer Camp and Little Shots Soccer through Schedulicity or at the Ridge service desk.

states that their goal is to provide physical and social skills necessary to be safe in the water.

“We believe in developing physical and social skills through challenges and successes within our programs,” the company states. “Individual accomplishments and recognition for those accomplishments help to generate confidence and selfesteem. Lone Mountain seeks to create a positive, proactive and supportive atmosphere for all our students, allowing children to enjoy their water experience from day one.”

Several different classes for different age groups are offered by Lone Mountain. Water Babies, for children ages 6 months to 3 years, will be geared towards those entering the pool for their very first time, teaching the basics and getting infants comfortable being in the water. Classes are 35 minutes and kids will need an adult to accompany them in the pool. Water Jumpers, for children ages 2-3, will be a transitional class from Water Babies to Beginning Little Swimmers classes. Here, children will learn to become independent swimmers and break free from the help of their loving parents. Various water toys and activities will still be involved, but skills like breathing, going underwater, kicking and floating will be introduced. The Beginner Little Swimmers and Little Swimmers classes will be the first classes children will take without a parent in the pool with them. The classes are for children ages 3-5 and focus on water comfortability for the newly independent swimmers. Little Swimmers will be for those who feel more comfortable in the water already and will focus on front and back floats, swim strokes, and independent movement through the water. For those ages 6-12, three different levels of swim lessons are offered: Beginner Swim Kids, Swim Kids, and Advanced Swim Kids. Swim Kids will introduce the four basic strokes that are foundations for developing strong swimmers. Upon completion of the class, students will be invited to attend Advanced Swim Kids. The advanced class will focus on improving stroke technique and endurance. Students must know all four strokes and will be evaluated by the swim director before being admitted to the class.

If you’re looking to enroll your little one in swimming lessons this summer, you can find more information on the different classes and registration at https://www. lonemountain.biz/swimming, or by calling 406-587-1180.

OF BOZEMAN MONTANA The ArtSplot offers Summer Art Enrichment Programs since 1995. Our students develop observational, artistic and verbal skills in a creative atmosphere.