My two children are in the front row...slurping away!
Summer is here, and in my family, that means it’s time for baseball, baseball and more baseball! Thankfully, our favorite baseball camp from our days in Washington, DC is expanding to Brooklyn this summer with a camp at the Parade Grounds. My boys have attended Home Run Baseball Camp for 4 summers in a row, and we are devoted fans.
The camp is geared towards boys and girls, ages 4-12, and is the perfect mix of teaching baseball fundamentals like who makes the play, what the various positions are, and how to hit, run and catch. But what they also teach is that there’s more to life than baseball like respect for yourself and your tneammates, learning your teammates names and being a good sportsman/woman. There’s also lots of fun and personal attention as to what book are you’re reading and what you ate for breakfast. And to top off it all off you can hit the slip and slide on a hot afternoon.
John “Coach Mac” McCarthy is the force behind the camp, and he is the real deal. A former minor leaguer himself, he is also a teacher in one of DC’s public high schools. He has been running the Washington camps for 18 years, and has been featured on The Today Show, Sports Illustrated, NPR and Newsweek. His assistant, Coach RJ will be heading up the Brooklyn outpost this year. RJ is an elementary school teacher by day, but his real claim to fame is juggling flaming bats on Fridays, and consistently winning the Homerun Derby! The other coaches and counselors are generally camp alums, who have known Coach Mac a long time. The campers are divided up by age, not ability, with an emphasis on effort over talent. They work on skills in the morning, followed by a game, take a break for lunch and do it all over again in the afternoon. I can’t say enough good things about this program! My kids have learned so much about baseball, getting along with others, and feeling good about themselves from this camp. I’m just thrilled that this year, instead of going back to Washington for a few weeks to attend this camp (like we did last summer), we can just head over to Prospect Park!
Quick Facts:
Location: Prospect Park Parade Grounds, Field #7
When: June 27 – August 5
Time: either 9-11:30 or 9-3
How much: half day = $200; full day = $325
Pros:
The camp is incredibly flexible! You can sign up for one week, and if your child loves it, just sign up for the following week!!
Sibling discounts! (Need I say more?)
Half-day option — this is great for the 4 and 5 year old set!
Student/Athlete — it’s great to have your kids be around great baseball players who also like to talk about what they’re reading.
Bathrooms, shade and water breaks all nearby.
Cons:
No aftercare allowed at that facility. This is something they are working on for next year, but as of now, they can only run until 3pm.
Register online at www.homerunbaseballcamp.com
Hope to see you there!
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Written by Savita, a mom of 3 children living in Brooklyn Heights. After moving from Washington DC last year (where her kids went to Home Run Baseball Camp), they are enjoying going to Yankees games, taking the ferry to Governors’ Island and eating their way through all the green markets and restaurants in the city.