Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Do you hear that? It’s the sound of summer slowly ticking away with my last ounce of sanity while my tween boys and I wait for school to start.
That’s why my 11-year-old jumped at the chance to spend a week at Nike Basketball Camp offered by the Libertyville Vipers at Harper College in Palatine. The Vipers is a professional men’s ABA basketball team that strives to create a fun, friendly, family-oriented environment through basketball.
The five-day, day camp grouped boys and girls according to both age and ability. It covered basketball fundamentals, training drills and tournament style games, all taught by current or former Vipers players. This is the second year the camp was offered for children ages 8-13. Next year, director RJ White expects to offer a second camp at Joy of the Game Sports and Wellness Center in Deerfield, in addition to the Harper College location.
My son was excited to play in Harper College’s amazingly huge gymnasium. But his favorite part was learning drills like Knock-out, 21, Four Corners, Elimination and many small sided games–ones I’m sure he’ll share with the rest of the neighborhood. The camp was comprised mostly of boys, but there were enough girls for them to compete against each other in 5-on-5 games.
The coaches really kept everyone moving! My son came home completely exhausted. I could tell he had pushed himself to new limits physically, and that’s a good thing.
As Coach TJ told the campers, the most important part of playing a sport is having a positive attitude and being willing to work hard. Saying “I can’t do it,” and putting down a teammate is never ok. Encouraging words have the power to produce positive attitudes, he said. Positive attitudes lead to positive results. That one lesson alone was worth the week at camp. What did my son say about his experience? He said it was definitely tough, but now he knows he’s tougher.
Photo Source: Vipers Pro Mens – ABA – Basketball team on FacebookFor more information about upcoming Fall Kids Clinics (beginning in October) or to register for their Youth Winter League (Registration opens in November) contact the Vipers or fill out their Youth Sports Inquiry Form online. Be sure to cheer them on at their season opener November 13th!
Libertyville Vipers Season Opener
November 13, 2016
Joy of the Game, 158 S. Waukegan Road, Deerfield
Check website for when tickets become available and more event info.
Libertyville Vipers
158 S Waukegan Road, Deerfield | 224-678-3009
Contact | Facebook | YouTube
Disclosure: Writer received complimentary enrollment in the Nike Basketball Camp for her child in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions belong to the writer.
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