The College of The Bahamas (COB) will be hosting its annual summer sports camp from June 23 to July 18, right on the college's campus grounds. The four-week camp is open to kids, ages eight through 13, and will feature sports such as basketball, soccer, track and field and swimming.
"Why this camp is so special is because we are teaching four disciplines and in those four disciplines we have certified national team coaches leading those disciplines. Also, what makes this camp so different is that every hour we rotate to another discipline, so, at the end of the four weeks, we can guarantee that the parents will see an increase in the child's skill level," said camp director Sean Bastian.
Some of the instructors will include basketball coach Charlene Smith, track and field coach James Role, soccer coach Vandyke Bethel and swimming coach Glendina Dorsett.
"I think that having the camp on a college campus for four weeks would be motivation for the kids when they finish high school. Hopefully they could see the University of the Bahamas as their first option. While they are here, we will take them on tours of the school and allow them to see the library, the cafeteria, the book store and the labs to give them a feel of what college life is all about."
All of the activities will take place on the COB campus except for the field trips that will be held every Friday. This year's field trip destinations are Ardastra Gardens Zoo, Gardens and Conservation Centre, Galleria Cinemas, Mario's Bowling and Family Entertainment Palace and EduCulture Bahamas.
The cost of the camp is $175 for four weeks, which is considered reasonable, seeing that other camps around town are twice as much and last half the time, according to Bastian. He said that the roster space is expected to be filled quickly.
"The maximum number of kids would be no more than 100, because we want the instructors to really be able to reach the kids so that we can get the full training out of them, so we are encouraging parents to come early and get their kids registered," said Bastian.
COB has a team for each of the disciplines offered at the camp and the kids will have a chance to interact with some of the collegiate athletes on a one-on-one basis during the camp.
"Some of our collegiate athletes will be in doing pre-season training, so seeing the athletes train would serve as motivation. It really sells it a little bit more and really shows them what it takes to become a college athlete. I encourage parents who have children who really want to become athletes or do sports to see COB as somewhere that they do camp every summer," said Bastian.
Campers will be required to check in every morning and then check out in the afternoon for the kids' safety. At no time will they be allowed to leave without permission. Also, a hot and healthy lunch will be provided to the campers daily for a price of $3.50. Each session will start at 9 a.m. and end at 2 p.m.

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