Skyhawks

Not a positive experience for our son who is very active in sports and a great kid. Their programs much like others must be very dependent on the coach but clearly this group did not like or understand how to work with young kids in a positive and motivational manner. Caution if signing up your kiddo.

My 11 yr old did what was supposed to a basketball camp this past week in Hinsdale, IL. It was really more like a day care with little focus on basketball. She begged not to go everyday and a few kids stopped going after 1^st day. The older kids were always with the little kids and they pretty much just played sharks and minnows, etc all day. The camp description was very misleading, they were supposed to work on skill of the day, and this rarely happened. The two coaches acted like they didn’t want be there, one of them even fell asleep one day. Very disappointing.
Not for kids over 8 yrs. old!!! Or kids that want to improve basketball skills!

We just ended a one week summer camp at skyhawks in San Jose. We’ve been to kidz love soccer, so we knew what great coaches are. Well, these two coaches were just ok, it was not really structured, the water breaks were soo long that the kids started to stroll around the park, starting to make nonsense etc and the coaches were checking their phones and sometimes just yell «xy, come back here!». They didn’t really explain the rules of the games, everything took a looong time until they really started to play, everything seemed a little chaotic and they were so unmotivated! The worst was their way how to handle conflict in the group. The coaches were pretty young, so maybe they don’t know, but they should be teached how to handle conflict, and there was much conflict going on in this group. I really thought this will be a great experience, but unfortunately I expected more for the 180 $. Maybe it’s good for older kids, for younger ones (4 – 5) not so good.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the hope and optimism that gets us through Seattle winters, but my mind wandered recently to summer. On these long, dark, dreary days, it’s easy to forget that there even is a summer. But, it there is, and it’s scheduled to arrive as it does every year in Seattle — on July 5^th. And naturally, as I begin to think about summer my mind turns to that one question that working parents from coast-​to-​coast ponder at some point during the run up to warm weather: What in the world am I going to do with the kids?
And then it struck me. My kids have finally outgrown one of summer’s most reliable activities, Skyhawks Sports Camps. Wow. I need to take a moment to contemplate that. Another phase completed. My kids aren’t really kids any longer.
Moment over.
If you are unfamiliar with Skyhawks, here’s how the company describes itself: «Skyhawks has been a recognized name in delivering quality sports programs for children and young adults for over 30 years. We offer over 10 different sports programs for kids ages 3.5 — 12. Skyhawks believes that every child should experience the joy and benefits of athletics. All Skyhawks programs are focused on developing and building the skills and confidence of young athletes in a fun and safe environment» (
).
Over the years my kids did many of the sports offered by Skyhawks including multi-​sport, baseball, flag football, golf, soccer and basketball. Many of these sports they did multiple times over the course of a summer. The classes are held all over the city, so parents never have to travel too far. They typically run Monday through Friday, from 9AM to 3PM, so similar to a regular school day. The young adults (17 years old or older), who teach the classes are exceptionally well trained, very engaged, positive and really serve not just as coaches but role models. Throughout the course of a day they will teach an established curriculum including fundamentals and drills, and of course engage in actual, but fun competitions.
At the end of each week the kids are given t-​shirts, souvenir balls and certificates of accomplishment. There’s also usually an exchanging of phone numbers with new friends that have been made over the course of the week. Over all the years we did Skyhawks, never once was there a bad experience, an unfinished camp session or a complaint about a coach. It’s truly a stellar program and honestly if I lived in a community that didn’t already have Skyhawks, I’d seriously look at franchising opportunities.
Skyhawks claims that over one million children in twenty states have participated in their programs (
). I have no reason to doubt those numbers, but neither do they matter to me. What matters to me are the numbers two, ten and one — as in two children who benefited from Skyhawks programs for over ten years equals one very grateful parent.
Pro tip: Sign up for a season pass and save a ton of dough.