School’s out, game on at Sports Club of Naples summer camp

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — School is out across Southwest Florida, and summer camp is underway at the Sports Club of Naples.

Campers started the day with orientation before breaking off into activities like basketball, gymnastics, playground time and gaga ball.

“Day one is controlled chaos,” said Ron Strong, executive director of the Sports Club of Naples. “It is controlled, but anything you do on the first day is gonna be… You don't know what's gonna happen.”

For camper Jenna Brinkert, that energy is part of what keeps her coming back.

“Camp is super fun. I get to do activities. I get to be with my friends,” Brinkert said. “Camp is just a special place, and I've been here a while doing it, so to me, it's just a fun thing to do over the summer."

The club gives campers choices throughout the day, allowing them to pick between different activities during each rotation.

Bill Carufe, chief operating officer of the Sports Club of Naples, said those choices are part of the club’s larger mission. He said “CLUB” stands for “children learning ultimate balance.

“One of our mottos at Sports Club is it's all about choices,” Carufe said.

Carufe said the camp is designed to keep kids moving, off devices and around other children during the summer months.

“Here, there are no devices,” Carufe said. “It's constant movement, constant play all day long.”

Strong said the friendships built at camp can turn nervous first days into a summer kids won’t forget.

“I can remember a couple of these kids first coming in, crying like, I don't want to be here, mom, don't leave me,” Strong said. “Now you can't get them out of here.”

The Sports Club of Naples serves hundreds of campers each day during the summer between its main location and a satellite site at Pelican Marsh Elementary.

Carufe said the nonprofit is also looking to expand as Collier County grows east, including the Ave Maria area, where he said families need more summer options for kids.