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Five years Great Starts Sports Camps opened in Colorado Springs. Today, we run camps for kids ages 4-15 in almost any sport you can imagine. We are pleased to announce that The Classical Academy now owns and operates Great Starts. As you may know, we have been careful over the years to maintain a strong personal touch in every camp or activity we offer. You have our pledge that we will carry on that tradition, along with the strong character content that The Classical Academy represents. This new leadership will enable Great Starts to offer more consistency with location and logistics and to achieve efficiencies and cost savings that we no longer could manage as a family-run operation.
As always, we are focused on a handful of key concepts:
1) Let's show kids that the "sport is life" crowd doesn't have it exactly right. We need to find other ways to be whole - parents and children must stop measuring their worth by their ability to score. However, sports can offer an insight into how to conduct our lives, when we understand that discipline, enthusiasm, self-control, integrity, respect and endurance are not just empty terms, but are the route to success, joy, and fulfillment. We believe athletics can be a great environment for developing future leaders. That's why we discuss and emphasize these character virtues at every camp, every day.
2) Competition is healthy. It sharpens us and prepares us for life. But like a fire, it must be contained within safe parameters. So at Great Starts, our leagues and clinics emphasize
full-scale competition. But we don't aim for league championships (moms and dads then become too invested in whether junior's team wins). We might change teams around from time to time. We might change the rules. This is not to hide the skills of the better players. Nor is it to totally insulate new players from the experience of losing. But we make sure that the competitive fire burns hot in situations insulated from the passions and desires of parents and fans (who will have plenty of time for that when high school rolls around). Let's keep some joy in the game while we still can.
3) Great fundamentals. Most of our courses (except truly recreational classes like dodgeball) will showcase some of the highest level coaches available. In most instances, our school year leagues and clinics offer high school and even college coaches working with kids as young as 4 years old. This is because while the serious scorekeeping can wait, it’s never too early for proper fundamentals. Next time you join us, ask your coach his or her credentials. You'll be amazed. Our summer camps over the years have included a dozen Olympians and Olympic-level coaches (including a gold medalist and 2 other medalists), professional athletes and slews of college and high school coaches. We'll teach it right.
4) Finally…It's never too late. Don't let the clubs tell you it's too late to pick up a sport, at least not when you are in 4th or 5th grade. High schools, colleges, and even professional athletics are filled with players that did not pick up a sport until their teens. Come out this summer and try soccer or baseball, even if you’ve never played before. We'll make sure you have a blast. Or try something completely different like or fencing or ping pong. Don't commit to an expensive activity before giving it a shot at Great Starts; you might love it, but if not, come back the next week and try something else. Wow, who'd have thought in today's intense sports culture that you could try a new activity at the ripe old age of 10?
Great Starts guarantees to care for your child, to show him or her why character really matters, and to teach the game properly in a safe and fun environment.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Patrick Coe
Great Starts Sports Camp Director
(719) 433-0197
Patrick@gscamps.com
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