Prior to Edmonton Sports Camps (ESC) the delivery of multi sport camps in Edmonton was the domain of Continuing Education. Continuing Ed was a part of the Edmonton Public School system that provided programming outside of the “normal” school curriculum during the “normal” school year. The biggest of the programs offered by Continuing Ed were summer school courses and sports camps.
Late in the seventies and early eighties the mandate of Continuing Education was changed and it was decided that sports camps would be dropped from their summer offerings. A group of concerned Physical Educator’s, many who worked the first two weeks in July for Continuing Ed, took it upon themselves to offer these types of camps on their own. The old Continuing Ed camps morphed into various sport camps at High Schools around the city.
Vestiges of these two original camps remain today at Harry Ainlay High School. Volleyball camps are offered by summer volleyball camps and of course Edmonton Sports Camps does Summer (and sometimes Christmas) Basketball Camps.
It was 1983 when the switch took place. Edmonton Sports Camps began operating the summer basketball camps at Harry Ainlay High School. The result was a seamless transfer of the camps Continuing Education administered to the ones now run by the group known as Edmonton Sports Camps.
As we approach our 25th year of operating the camps we reflect back and find the camps have remained true to a basic format of highly skilled coaching delivering basic fundamentals at a reasonable cost.
Edmonton Sports Camps were the first basketball camps in Edmonton to open up a camp designated specifically for younger, entry level players. We have modified games, teaching progressions and equipment (smaller balls and lower hoops) to do everything possible to give younger children a positive first time exposure to basketball. These “Elementary” camps remain today and are so popular they are usually over subscribed.
During our time running these basketball camps many, many athletes have had the “Edmonton Sports Camps’ experience” at Harry Ainlay High School during the first two weeks in July. Some families have had kids in our camps forever! Some kids that went to our camps in the eighties or that have been coached by us have their own children in our camps.
We have had players go on from our camps and develop their skills so they could make their Junior High team, their junior team at High School, their senior team at High School. Some of our campers have even made it at the college level; at the University level (both here and in the US); some have played on Alberta provincial teams. We have even had a parent attend our camp so they could improve their skills for the Senior Men’s basketball league.
The combination of: who teaches; what we teach; how we teach it and how little we charge allows for value that can not be touched by anyone anywhere!
Quite simply, if you can find a better Basketball camp you should go.