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Exercising Minds and Bodies at Stanford University
Sports and Tech Summer Camp
It’s not enough today to learn the basic three "Rs" in school. It takes a lot more to succeed. Kids
now need certain skills to prepare them for the 21st century. These skills include problem solving, technology,
effective communication and teamwork. Regardless of what their future holds, these things are necessary to achieve
success.
But how do you foster these skills in your children?
Many parents enroll their children in a team sport which gets them active, teaches them how to work as a team,
think critically while playing and communicate effectively with teammates.
However, Varsha Lele from Palo Alto wanted more and used the summer to heighten her son Nikhil’s experiences. Not
only did she want her thirteen year old son to be involved physically in a sport last summer, she also wanted to tap
into his passion for technology and stimulate this interest further.
"Kids spend too many hours mindlessly in front of the computer and TV and aren’t well rounded,"
Lele said. "Ideally it’s best to immerse kids in a fun setting where they can discover new passions
through things they already enjoy doing."
At Stanford University, Lele discovered a unique hybrid program which is a Sports and Tech summer camp
run by iD Tech Camps. During half the day, students either golf, fence or play tennis through Stanford Athletics.
Then, during the other half of the day, they’re on Stanford’s campus using industry-standard products to create a
video game or design a website with Flash® animation.
"Combining Sports and Tech with iD Tech Camps was a natural fit with our philosophy," said
Beto Lomax, Director of Event Sales in the Stanford Athletics Department. "At Stanford, we try to build
community by getting kids introduced to the university and involved in sports in fun ways."
Stanford’s new athletic facility, scheduled to open the Fall of 2006, includes a Family Fun Zone section where
kids can play while their parents watch the events. There’s also Team Cardinal, a "kids only" program,
where the membership includes free tickets to most Stanford games. Besides the plethora of summer youth sports
camps, Stanford offers this Sports and Tech camp program to reach out and get kids involved who normally might not
opt for an all-focused sports camp or tech camp.
The goal is simple.
Get kids to participate in sports, instill the Stanford Cardinal spirit, and expose them to Stanford University’s
campus, using the same facilities as the collegiate athletes. And while campers preview firsthand what a university
experience is like, they are immersed in hands-on technology products and engaged in physical activities.
Nihkil had previously tried fencing, but his experience was limited and he wanted to focus on improving his
bouting skills. But as an avid gamer, Nikhil was thrilled to learn that he could also create a video game.
So, during half the day, he practiced his footwork in fencing while the other half he spent in a computer lab
developing his very own multi-level "scorpion" video game with Multimedia Fusion. With one computer per
student and an average of six students per instructor, campers like Nikhil are given the attention they need to excel
and take home a project at the end of the weeklong course.
"It was very fun because the instructors taught me how to strengthen my fencing offense and defense
attacks," Nikhil said. "Then during the other part of the day, I got to create the video game I
always wanted because the software was super easy to use."
Teaming with iD Tech Camps, Stanford Athletics realizes the importance of creating the perfect summer camp formula: a
high-tech program with physical activities. This combination ignites imagination and unleashes creativity, while
also getting kids outside and being active in a sport.
Through learning the hands-on mechanisms behind game development, Nikhil now looks at technology in a different
light.
"I understand all the hard work and creative thinking that goes into making video games," said
Nikhil. "But I also look at games more critically and wonder how come they didn’t add more levels or make
the characters do more things."
In the Sports and Tech camp program, students get exposure to a wide variety of stimulating activities enabling
kids to exercise their minds as well as their bodies. "Combining sports with a technology camp is a good
balance of academics and physical activities while offering a creative outlet for articulating their creativity
through technology," Lele said.
"As a parent, I couldn’t ask for anything more."
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