MOUNTAIN KIDS ACADEMY
Aspen's Premier
Multisport and Outdoor Skills Camp
2012
SPORTS
June 11-15
June 18-22
August 6-10 tentative
August 13-17 tentative
OUTDOOR SKILLS
Hiking July 30-August 3
Backpacking August 6-8
UP AND COMING TEEN CAMPS
Kodiak Island, Alaska
Dates to be determined
This new and very exciting offering will involve king salmon fishing, ocean sea kayaking, float plain to remote fish camp, service learning project within a native village, gill net fish site and with Alaska Fish and game. Come with us to photograph the great Kodiak Brown Bear while living a real Alaska adventure.
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What we are about
Mountain Kids Academy is designed to help build a foundation for a lifetime of physical fitness through sports and outdoor education. The program also offers advanced skill development for the experienced sport-specific athlete. The academy is divided into four week-long sessions. The first two sessions have a sports emphasis while the third and fourth sessions have an Outdoor Education focus. Session III being hiking and Session IV being backpacking.
For our two sports sessions, Sessions I & II we will focus on four core team sports being Soccer, Lacrosse, Softball, & Basketball. With these we will emphasize the value of sportsmanship and teamwork for both individual and team success, as well as in-depth knowledge of each game. In Session III of the academy, we offer valuable training in the outdoors while hiking on various trails in the Aspen area. During such hikes the participants will be instructed in various outdoor skills such as orienteering, backcountry safety, basic first aid and in leaving no trace. Session IV is a three day two night backpacking trip designed as an extension to session three.
In our Outdoor Ed. Program, participants will not only gain useful backcountry skills, they will also be benefiting from the team building opportunities that ODE naturally brings. This ODE propgram helps to build confidence, pride and positive self-esteem. It is our hope that participants in this program will come out of it excited about who they are and what they have accomplished.
THANK YOU to the Aspen Elks Lodge for their support in helping me ensure all kids who want to participate are able to.
"Matthew had a great time at your camp. To date it was the favorite thing he did this summer!!!! You introduced him to LaCrosse which he now loves!!!" - Kim Popish, "This camp was excellent! Both of my boys are highly active and sports-oriented. They came home every day after camp happy and very tired. The counselors were fun and helped make all of the sports a challenge. I would highly recommend this camp to any child." -Allison Daily "Mountain Kids Academy was so great! The kids love and respect Jared so much and he is so concious of the kids needing water and suncreen and snacks, the fun they have and skills they learn are wonderful! Miles cannot wait to go back next summer! Thanks Jared, you're awesome!" -Mhendi and Marsh McConnell
"The camp was wonderful! Our kids learned more than mountaineering skills -- they learned that they had endurance and strength, and in the end had such a sense of pride for all the miles they logged on the trails. But most important, they had fun! They can't wait to get the whole family backpacking together. Thank you so much!" - Charla Belinski
Jared Thompson has been a teacher and coach for the past 18 years. He is currently in his 10th year as the award-winning Physical Education teacher at Aspen Elementary. Jared has developed successful techniques to identify individual physical and emotional needs. His connection with kids is unique and his student athletes love learning from him. The development of Mountain Kids Academy stems from the incredible value he places on both outdoor and physical education for our youth.
