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chapter 6 School’s Out! That Summer Magic School’s out! Yay! Summer’s here. When I was a kid in Skokie, a suburb of Chicago, summer meant long, endless days of playing with my friends. After breakfast we would run outside and enter a different world. It was our world, and the days belonged to us. We explored imaginary kingdoms, conquered dragons, and invented games that never ended. Balls, bats, hoops, mitts, roller skates, bikes, wagons—these were the tools of our trades, and we filled our pockets each day with treasures that we found—rocks, nuts, lost coins, shiny shards, beads and buttons, bottle caps, crumpled baseball trading cards, bright plastic bits. When we couldn’t identify what we found, we knew without a doubt that it held the most power and handled it with reverence. Twice a month the knife man made his rounds on a bicycle cart with a whet stone attached. Our parents gave us scissors and knives that needed sharpening, and we watched him with fascination. Polishing each piece with a thick leather strap, the knife man sliced paper and fruit with a flourish to show off his talents. Summer nights announced extra treats when the jingly music of the ice cream truck teased the air. We scrambled for our allowance money and ran to the truck to claim yummy delights. We savored every moment as we sat on the curb eating drumsticks, push-ups, and ice cream sandwiches—the perfect end to a full summer day. Our park district offered day camps staffed by high school and college students. I remember days filled with kickball, games on the playground equipment, crafts, skits, swimming, and more. I’d go home tired but excited about what might happen the next day. Summer also meant family camping when we would swim in the lake, row boats, catch sunfish and minnows, sail, and water ski. At night we’d build a campfire and make sweet s’mores, the sticky marshmallow, chocolate , and graham cracker treats, as shadows and the sounds of the tree frogs transformed our camp. I took pride in cooking the perfect, golden brown School’s Out 38 marshmallow, while my twin sister loved to burn her specimen to a crisp and then hold her stick up, a tiny glowing torch lighting up the dark sky. Dad would suddenly emit a terrifying howl, and we’d beg him, “Daddy, don’t scare us,” while we shivered in delicious anticipation, waiting in the spookiness for another shattering cry. The door to the athletic training room opens to shake me from my reverie as hundreds of kids are descending on campus for summer sports camp. Our staff is ready to greet, check medical information, hydrate, assess , treat, and refer injuries, and communicate daily with parents and coaches. During the next few weeks, we will be focusing on making sure that the campers have a safe, memorable, and fun time. All over the country, summer is filled with camps for every sport for children as young as four on up through high school. They provide opportunities for kids to learn and improve their skills. Camps may be designed for individuals or teams, residential or day camps, marketed to specific skill levels for the novice or the experienced player. All promise improved performance, skill development, and competition. Colleges and universities , civic organizations, after-school community programs, or other youthdirected sports associations may host camps. Costs vary widely from minimal charges for basic supplies to hundreds, even thousands of dollars for advanced coaching and training. We can expect to see some children decked out head-to-toe in the latest sports fashion and others wearing just the basics. While the equipment doesn’t have to be expensive, it does need to be appropriate to decrease the likelihood of injuries. Schedules and intensity levels of play vary from camp to camp. During Coach Pat Summitt’s four-day overnight basketball camp, the campers have three sessions each day that include a lecture, skills work, and games. Contests, tours of facilities, and meeting the Lady Vol basketball players are high points of the camp. The experience concludes with an all-star game and an awards presentation. Many of our campers travel great distances. The day camps used to draw children only from the local region, but now out-of-state players come for half-day sessions that focus on basic skills. I question the wisdom of sending a child, whose tee-shirt...

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