Hey, Sports Fans!

A popular enough sport that most summer camps across the country offer it in a rec. room or maybe in a gym, Ping Pong—also known as Table Tennis—is, rather obviously, the lawn game Tennis adapted to an indoors game to be played on a tabletop. Tennis, which was invented in 1873, only took about a decade to make its indoor transformation.   

The term Ping Pong is typically the one you’ll hear used by amateurs while formally trained players refer to the sport as Table Tennis. But the two names refer to the exact same game. The name ‘Ping-Pong’ was coined by the English firm J. Jaques and Son at the end of the 1800s and later became trademarked by the Parker Brothers board game company which popularized the name.

The game caught on quick. And by 1901 tournaments were being held, bringing in more than 300 participants. So what’s so cool about Ping Pong?

Hand/Eye Coordination
There’s a lot more involved in Ping Pong than may initially meet the eye. But extreme accuracy in hand-eye coordination is developed rather quickly with a paddle and a ping pong ball.  

Knowing When to…
Ping Pong isn’t necessarily a game of finesse, but you definitely need to get a feel for how much force to apply when you strike the ball. Depending on how much momentum the ball is carrying, you’ll need to know when to give a light tap and when to smack it. There’s also the element of spin that can put on the ball based on the angle and swiftness you use when you hit it.

Ping Pant
When you think of a good cardio workout Ping Pong isn’t very likely the first thing to come to mind. But I’m amazed every time I play how much physical exertion is involved! Quick steps from side to side, bouncing backward and forward, and stretching for long reaches, Ping Pong almost always has me breaking a sweat when I play (assuming my competition is good enough!).

Enjoy playing Ping Pong on the tables available at your summer camp this coming season. You can check out our Backpack Ping Pong Set we have available when you click here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Basketball Fanatics!

Basketball is a game of great coordination and skill. From dribbling, to passing, shooting, and dunking, players have been perfecting their performance since the game saw its beginning nearly a decade before the turn of the 17^th Century. The game was invented for a new indoor sport, intended to keep the young athletic students of Springfield College active and conditioned during the winter months.

Conceived of in the month of December back in 1891 by the Springfield College instructor, Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, he thought a game in which the players threw a ball at a target would be safe enough to play indoors.

He nailed peach baskets to the lower railing of the gymnasium’s balcony at ten feet high on either end of the gym and created some rules. The objective of the game was simple: the team to toss the ball the most times into the basket would win.

The game was originally named as two words—Basket Ball and Dr. James wrote up 13 different rules for his game and that was the birth of Basketball. The game spread and multiplied when some of the students that played the original game grew up and became teachers and coaches themselves. As time went on, popularity went up.

Alterations were made and some rules were tweaked. Dribbling was added as an element of the game as well as the addition of backboards and netting to the 'basket'—which was now just a simple hoop.

Enjoy playing this popular game which is typically found in the activity programs of most summer camps! Also, check out this previous post on the Blog about Michael Jordan and the basketball summer camp that he started—the Michael Jordan Flight School, one of the best youth basketball camps in the world. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Sketch Artists!

A powerful tool—the pencil—can create a visual masterpiece when directed by the skilled and developed hand. While a number of accessories with varying quality can be used, Drawing is one summer camp activity that really doesn’t take too many tools beyond a pencil and some paper. 

Much like the history of Painting, Drawing goes back to our time as cave dwellers when our ancient ancestors first discovered the ability to create images by dragging certain images across the cave walls. And voila—Drawing was invented!

Lots of people find themselves *ahem* DRAWN to Visual Art and Drawing in particular for its ability to express thoughts and feelings that we would otherwise have difficulty communicating. What else is there to appreciate about Drawing?

Creating your marks of Contour Line helps people to really pay attention to the object being drawn and see the shape and the detail of the object in a whole new way. You’ll find little tricks, like finding the halfway point of a line to more accurately record it or compare distance from one point to another to keep the proportion appropriate. You may be amazed to discover how much detail you push to your peripheral on a daily basis. 

Whether you’re drawing off a live model, copying an existing piece of visual art, or going off your own imagination, Drawing encourages slow, deliberate motion. It’s therapeutic. As a child I would draw to help relieve migraine headaches! Not to mention, a blank page—turned masterpiece makes for a nice boost in confidence for any artist as they view their finished work! Quite therapizing, indeed.  

Knowing exactly what mark to make, where to make it, and how much pressure to apply as you move your hand across the paper is as beneficial as any video game when it comes to developing your hand-eye coordination. Strengthen your hand-eye coordination and try your hand to draw something today!

Due to its simplicity in set up and accessories, you should be able to find Drawing offered at pretty much any summer camp you check out. If you already have a camp in mind, you can check with them about they’re Drawing program by calling them up. Enjoy And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Sharks.

If you’re at all like me, then Billiards—or Pool as it’s more commonly known—is your game. Of course, I had the advantage of growing up next-door to my grandfather who had a pool table in his basement, so I had the opportunity to play pretty much whenever I wanted. But, it’s a popular enough sport that many summer camps across the country offer it as an available activity during your camp stay.

Pool is played on a rectangular table. A Pool table has six pockets—four in each corner and two in the middle along each long side. It’s played with as many as 16 balls. Each ball is numbered except for the blank white cue ball which is the ball used to hit any other ball with the cue stick. The number of balls in play depends on the type of pool you're playing. Some games, like ‘Eight Ball’ call for all the balls while others such as ‘Nine Ball’ only require the nine balls in play along with the cue ball.

Pool goes back to medieval times (sometime around the 15th Century in Northern Europe). It was played by kings and commoners alike. Men and women alike enjoyed it. It basically had an immediate following because it (like Table Tennis) originated from a popular lawn game known as Billiards. The game was moved indoors and shrunk down to a wooden table with a green cloth to simulate grass.

Much about the game has changed over time, but its popularity has remained. Maybe that’s because of the way it helps us build our own character. It does so in a number of ways. For example:

Fixes your Focus
In order to be successful in Pool, you need to apply yourself to each situation you end up in on the table. Planning and making your shots requires patience and undivided attention.

Clearer in the Classroom
This game honestly could help you in math class, particularly Geometry or Physics. As your skills develop, this sport helps you discover your own natural understanding of dimension, angles, and the basic laws of physics.

Aids Assurance
As you get better at the game, you can start to ‘feel’ if your shots are successful or not before it all plays out. Somehow you just know the outcome before it happens. The feeling is confidence-boosting, both on and off the table.

Whether you ever play enough of the game to actually develop any of these benefits, I highly recommend you play when you have the opportunity too. It’s fun for both a first timer and for any pool "shark"! Enjoy your time at the table and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Howdy, Fishermen and Fisherwomen!

While the outdoors can sometimes feel less accessible this time of year in the higher and lower parts of the northern and southern hemispheres, there are always those people who don’t let the extreme climate interfere with their time outside. Fishers don’t let a frozen surface stop them from dropping their lines and catching some fish!

The right equipment gives folks the chance to fish even in the dead of winter with temperatures well beyond freezing! The winter version of fishing creates a whole new world to this long-practiced pastime. Instead of going out on a boat or casting your line from a pier, ice fishers head out on frozen lakes with a tool of some sort to create a hole.

Some ice fishers are more prepared than others. They can create a quick, clean hole through the ice with an auger—a helical screw device for digging. Others use a chisel. And some head out simply with an axe (with safety first always in mind). Then, they catch their fish with lines and fish hooks through the opening.

Frozen lakes are pretty much perfectly safe to walk on once the ice reaches a certain depth. In fact, if it’s been cold enough for a long enough amount of time, you can even drive a vehicle on it. At 8 to 12 inches, ice should be able to withstand the weight of a medium sized car. At 4 inches thick, it’s considered safe to walk on or skate, or ice fish. Anything under that, however, and you risk breaking through.

Lots of ice fishers will just head out and fish in the open. This works just fine, though it’s always a chilly experience! Others head out and set up heated enclosures that they bring along. They can range from small shacks for a day trip out there to bigger setups that include bunks and amenities for a longer stay.

The winter season can make it fun to keep curled up indoors, but after too long it can feel like a prison. If you’ve never gone ice fishing before, find someone with experience and escape the cabin fever when you head out on the ice! Practice safety first out there and have a blast on the ice. As always, thanks for reading!

- John