Youth Football Camps Score on Mother Nature

New York Giants Youth Football Camps

You can’t beat Mother Nature. But Pro Sports Experience Youth Football Camps were able to score lots of points against her and her repressive heat this summer.

 “We plan for situations like this.” says Tom Finks, Executive Director for four NFL teams and their Youth Football Camp initiatives. “We acquire full service facilities so we can operate indoors and keep the kids safe. We hire highly qualified staff, including a Certified Athletic Trainer for each camp. And most important, we change the program so we operate safely but the kids still have a productive football experience.”

Finks concedes that it is tougher to have a wildly successful camp under such conditions. “No question that everyone gets fatigued a little faster. But the kids and parents have been great. They understand that our program must be altered and they appreciate the measures we take.”

Instruction and football competition were front-loaded in the “cooler” morning hours. Interactive class room games such as Eat Like a Pro, The Franchise, Chief Scout and Playmaker were huge hits and kept the kids engaged and cool.

“If we did play football in the afternoon, it was brief and hydration breaks were taken every 5 to 10 minutes,” say Finks. “We had hoses and sprinklers going and the kids loved it. We still had to cut things short and take water breaks because sometimes the kids don’t know when to stop.”

The hot weather also gives coaches a great teaching platform. While they would prefer cooler weather, it becomes much easier to teach the kids about hydration when it’s so easy to break a sweat.
“Hydration becomes part of the conversation. They go home talking about the importance,” says Finks. “It’s something they will always remember and a good life lesson.”

Recently, the American Society of Pediatrics developed new guidelines to protect children from the oppressive heat wave that has overtaken much of the United States.

Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps are managed by Pro Sports Experience of Chicago, IL. Learn more about these camps at http://www.prosportsexperience.com/