Recreation

 by: John Howard

What Kinds of Gymnastics Camp are There?

There are two types of commercial gymnastics camps. There are the large commercial camps that only operate in the summer and are designed to attract large numbers of gymnasts for huge profits. There are also other gym programs, ranging from YMCA programs to regular gyms to college programs, that use this as an additional profit center.

Large Commercial Camps

Charging the highest prices, these camps offer a wide-ranging array of normal camp activities (even a variety of different types of camps) in addition to their version of gymnastics training. Coaching quality varies from college gymnasts to college coaches free for the summer to coaches who just happened to bring their team along to the camp. The best-known name coaches at these camps are usually either the camp directors and do little actual coaching or are merely visiting. It is not uncommon for name coaches to trade the use of their name in the advertising for the right to use the camp facilities to train their own gymnasts.

Commercial Camps

Other programs that run their own versions of commercial gymnastics summer camps do so to boost their summer income, traditionally a down time in the gymnastics business. They count on drawing customers from other programs that have less talented coaching and poorer facilities than they themselves have.

Meet the Stars in the Sport at Camp

Commercial gymnastic camps often have nationally known gymnasts and coaches visit which can be inspirational and educational. They usually do not coach in any significant way, but it is fun for young gymnasts to meet their heroes in the sport.

All the Best Equipment

Large commercial gymnastics camps have all the latest training equipment, which may or may not be available in your own gym. Those gymnasts who attend gymnastics facilities that still exist without pits often want to attend a camp that has them.

High Quality Coaching?

There are only a handful of gyms in the country that both produce Elite level gymnasts and run a summer camp program. Coaches at ordinary gyms are sometimes hesitant to promote these camps to their gymnasts, because the difference in the level of their programs might become evident and because their gymnasts were sometimes recruited.

Gymnastics Camp Gives Your Gymnast the Summer Camp Experience

The other thing that commercial gymnastic provide is a camp experience including the social aspects of going to summer camp, meeting new people and making new friends and participating in traditional camp activities. If this is your goal, then the large commercial camps fill this need. If you want a camp that will give your gymnast a kick start in their gymnastics training, you will need to be much more selective and seek a gym that has high level coaches that will actually be working with your gymnast.